Ep 17: The Death of GAMSAT?

Tom Forfa (00:00)
Welcome back, everyone, to the Nurses Doing GAMSAT podcast by Thank Flip GAMSAT. This is Dr Tom here, founder and CEO of Thank Flip. And today we’ve got a unique session for two reasons. Number one, we’re joined by our amazing Head Tutor, Urvi. Welcome, Urvi.

Urvi (00:20)
Thanks, Tom. Great to be here.

Tom Forfa (00:22)
And today we’re going to be doing a bit of speculation. We’re talking about a really interesting topic, but before we get into that, I just want to introduce you all properly to Urvi. Urvi joined us—what was it—about four years ago now?

Urvi (00:40)
Yeah, I think I put in my CV around the start of 2021.

Tom Forfa (00:45)
Yeah, it feels like ages ago, but also like it just flew past. Urvi’s a University of Melbourne medical student—fourth year now. She’s been tutoring with us and serving as Head Tutor the entire time. She’s brilliant at Section 3, the essays, planning, and supporting our students. She keeps everyone on track, gives a solid kick when needed, and it’s been amazing having her on board.

So, I brought her in today to talk about a fascinating change in the application requirements for one of the medical schools—though it may start to translate to others. Urvi, do you want to tell us what’s going on?

Urvi (01:51)
Yeah, so interestingly—and this will definitely interest everyone stressing about the GAMSAT—there’s always this idea that “I need a 70” or at least a “60+” score. But there might be some good news.

The University of Wollongong has updated its admission requirements. Now, GAMSAT is just a hurdle. You don’t need amazing marks. As long as you get 50 in each section and an overall 50 or higher, that’s enough. They’re not going to rank applicants by their GAMSAT scores anymore. So if you meet the minimum, you’re through to the next stage of the application process. It’s very interesting—and presumably good news.

Tom Forfa (02:46)
Yeah, really interesting. And they did this last year, for 2025 entry.

I thought, “Hang on, this is a big deal,” because it’s always been GPA and GAMSAT as ranked components. But now both are just hurdles at Wollongong. They’re the first—and so far, only—university to do that with the GAMSAT. No one else has.

Urvi (03:00)
Yeah.

Tom Forfa (03:14)
No other uni has even trialled this. They’ve all ranked applicants based on their GAMSAT results. But Wollongong’s gone, “You know what? GAMSAT’s not that important to us anymore.” Now obviously, we’re speculating a bit and having some fun with it, but still—it’s a big move. What do you think is going on there, Urvi?

Urvi (03:51)
It’s very interesting. If you look at their application requirements now, they put a lot of weight on CASPer and the bonuses. Meeting those and the basic GPA and GAMSAT hurdles is what gets you an interview—and then potentially a spot.

As a GAMSAT tutor, I feel all this hard work—same for the students—and now it’s like, maybe we didn’t need to spend every weekend studying! But I do think the GAMSAT still has its place. Medicine involves both science and art: critical thinking, reasoning skills, academic ability—plus empathy, communication, emotional intelligence.

Removing GAMSAT as a key requirement feels like they’re putting more weight on the “art” of being a doctor—the people skills. I’m not sure how I feel about that. What about you, Tom?

Tom Forfa (05:53)
Yeah, that’s a really interesting point. Just to be clear, they didn’t only remove the ranking for GAMSAT—they also added 11 bonus categories. That’s what they’re focusing on now.

Let me just pull up our med school summary page—we’ll link it in the show notes so everyone can access these resources. According to Wollongong’s structure for assessing applicants for interviews: it’s 50% CASPer and 50% from the bonus categories, assuming you’ve met the GPA and GAMSAT hurdles.

Urvi (06:47)
Yep, that’s right. You need a GAMSAT of over 50—just over 50. And a GPA of 5.5 or higher. After that, the rest comes down to CASPer and bonuses.

Tom Forfa (06:55)
Exactly. And if you don’t know what CASPer is, we did a podcast episode about it—check our channel for that. CASPer is a situational judgement test. It presents social, ethical, and professional scenarios, and you respond with how you’d handle them. That counts for half of your interview eligibility. The other half is from these 11 bonuses.

So quickly, those bonuses are:

1. University of Wollongong first preference.
   
   

2. Registered health professionals (APRA registered).
   
   

3. Service commitment – including state/national emergency services or military service for two+ years.
   
   

4. Full-time work experience.
   
   

5. Rural work experience.
   
   

6. Rural high school education.
   
   

7. Illawarra local resident (MM1).
   
   

8. NSW rural residents (MM2-7).
   
   

9. University of Wollongong graduates.
   
   

10. UoW graduates with academic excellence.
    
    

11. Indigenous health graduates.
    
    

Basically, they’re looking for people with full-time work, especially in health care, preferably local or rural, and with strong people skills as measured by CASPer.

So if you’re a nurse or other health professional from Wollongong or rural NSW and you’re working full-time, you’re in a strong position—especially if Wollongong is your first preference.

Urvi (11:51)
Yeah, and I think it has benefits. People like that will be better prepared for placement and the workplace. Having a nurse on placement is very different to having a student with no work experience. And academics can be learnt—people adapt.

At UniMelb, they removed prerequisites for undergrad degrees. I’ve met people who studied arts, music, engineering. They struggled at first, but they’re graduating with me. So yes, it’s doable.

Tom Forfa (13:08)
Yeah, the science stuff mostly matters in first year. Once you’re past that, it’s about adaptability. Also, just to back up what Wollongong’s doing, there have been studies that show undergraduate GPA is actually the best predictor of success in med school—better than GAMSAT or even interviews.

Urvi (13:58)
Mmm.

Tom Forfa (14:08)
The combination of GPA and interview is the strongest predictor. GAMSAT, on its own, is the weakest. So Wollongong may have looked at those studies and thought, “We’ll set GPA and GAMSAT as basic hurdles, then focus on the rest.” Makes sense.

Urvi (15:55)
Yeah, and from talking to doctors and preparing for internships next year, no one’s said, “You need to know all the medicine.” It’s more about time management, teamwork, and prioritisation. Once you start working, the system will train you. It’s more about being someone people want to work with.

Tom Forfa (16:50)
Exactly. At Notre Dame, they talked a lot about learning how to learn. Knowledge evolves, so you have to be adaptable and proactive about updating yourself—not just memorising facts. That reflective ability is key.

So the big question becomes—Urvi, is this the beginning of the end for GAMSAT?

Urvi (18:03)
I actually don’t know. Big unis like Melbourne and Sydney still value academics and GAMSAT highly. But Wollongong’s quite unique—they offer a lot of rural bonuses that other schools can’t. This could be a step towards more unis focusing on other factors. Time will tell.

Tom Forfa (19:08)
Yeah, I think it is the start of a shift. All it takes is one uni to break the mould. If Wollongong’s grads perform well, others may follow—like Notre Dame or UQ, who tend to mirror each other. It won’t happen overnight, but maybe in 5 years?

Urvi (20:20)
That makes me kind of sad. I’ve complained about the GAMSAT so much, but the thought of it going away is weird.

Tom Forfa (20:22)
Haha, you’ll be long past GAMSAT by then. It’ll be Dr Tom and the team still dealing with it.

Urvi (21:07)
Yeah. The general theme post-COVID seems to be: fewer hoops, more focus on soft skills. Even intern selection is moving away from pure merit-based systems now. Maybe it’s about building more emotionally and socially capable doctors.

Tom Forfa (21:39)
Agreed. Random story—years ago I was on a safari with Sir Richard Branson in South Africa. We were chatting, and he said, “Tom, it’s a bad time to be a doctor.” He was investing in a startup that gave nurses iPads to help diagnose and treat. He believed AI would take over diagnostics, and doctors would become more like social workers.

Maybe Wollongong is just thinking ahead?

Urvi (23:08)
Could be. But for now, students still have to prepare for the GAMSAT, especially for all their other preferences. So it’s a bit bittersweet.

Tom Forfa (24:10)
Definitely. We’re not saying “stop studying for the GAMSAT.” You still need to get over 50—even that’s not always easy. And other schools still rank by GAMSAT. For example, Notre Dame uses a 30/30/30 split—GAMSAT, GPA, CASPer—and 10% bonuses. Post-interview, it’s 50/50 with interview and those other components.

So, when do you reckon GAMSAT will fully be phased out?

Urvi (26:12)
If I had to guess—maybe five years?

Tom Forfa (26:28)
Yeah, maybe not gone entirely, but less important. Some schools, especially the research-heavy ones, might keep it longer. The smaller ones can test changes faster.

So, what’s happening with you now—final year, right?

Urvi (27:53)
Yeah, I’m in peak internship application season. I’m choosing hospitals, thinking about rotations. No clue yet what I want to specialise in. But wherever I end up, I hope for a good experience and useful rotations.

Tom Forfa (29:00)
And just so everyone knows—you’ve won awards and done brilliantly. Still unsure—and that’s completely normal.

Urvi (29:39)
Haha, sometimes the problem is liking too much.

Tom Forfa (29:40)
What are your top interests at the moment?

Urvi (29:49)
Cardiology, obstetrics & gynaecology, and paediatrics. Unfortunately, they all have different training pathways. If one doesn’t work out, I can’t just switch tracks—I’d have to backtrack and start again. So I’m taking my time. No rush—it’s a lifelong decision.

Tom Forfa (30:22)
Awesome. Thanks, Urvi—for the chat, the speculation, and helping make sense of all this. If you have any questions about your application, reach out. We’ve got resources coming—CASPer training, applications bootcamp, interview prep, and of course, the GAMSAT bootcamp.

Thanks again, Urvi. See you next time.

Urvi (31:20)
Thanks, Tom.