Ep 45: Hell Week Is Here and It Might Save Your GAMSAT

Dr Tom (00:16)

Welcome back, everyone, to the Nurses Doing GAMSAT podcast. My name is Dr Tom, founder and CEO of Thank Flip GAMSAT. I’m joined today by the amazing Will, who is on holidays now. No, actually, he’s back and knee-deep in third year med at ANU. Welcome, Will.

Will (00:40)

Thanks, Tom. Look, today’s episode is going to be one of the best we’ve recorded so far with me involved because we get to talk about something students don’t want to hear. People starting their GAMSAT journey don’t want to hear it, but sometimes you need a bit of tough love. You absolutely need to hear what we’re talking about today.

Dr Tom (01:00)

It’s going to be a fun one. Hell Week is coming, or it might already be happening, depending on when you’re listening to this.

Before we jump in, as always, if you want the resources we’re talking about in this episode, head to the show notes. We’ve usually got plenty in there for you.

We’re here to help nurses, healthcare professionals, science students, and anyone else tackling the GAMSAT absolutely kick butt in this exam, and that’s exactly what this episode is about.

Let’s talk a little bit about Hell Week, Will, because for me personally, it’s a fun time of year, and it’s coming up very soon.

Most people, when they start their GAMSAT preparation, waste the first four to six weeks of study. Not because they’re lazy, but because they’re essentially guessing. They don’t know what’s actually going to be useful.

Right, Will? What was your experience like when you first started preparing for the GAMSAT?

Will (02:16)

To be honest, there was a period where I was studying before I joined Thank Flip, and I really resonate with that. It was actually one of the reasons I joined in the first place.

I studied for two or three weeks before joining and kept thinking, “Am I actually doing this right? What am I doing well? What am I not doing well?” I just couldn’t figure it out.

Luckily, I joined in time for the very first Hell Week, and everything started falling into place.

Dr Tom (02:48)

Yeah, because often, just like you did, Will, people pick up a GAMSAT book or some practice questions and immediately start grinding through them.

That’s a good thing. You’re getting moving, being proactive, and doing something rather than nothing. But it’s not as effective as it could be, and there’s a smarter way to get started.

You mentioned Hell Week. By the way, you don’t have to join our Bootcamp to do Hell Week. We run it for our members, but we also open it up to people outside the Bootcamp.

The thing about Hell Week is that, after watching students prepare for years, whether they’re brand new or have already been studying for a while, we’ve realised that the best place to start is with the hard thing.

And the hard thing is Hell Week.

But it’s also the most rewarding thing.

So, Will, what did you find most beneficial about doing Hell Week?

Will (04:18)

Without giving too much away before we really explain what Hell Week involves, I’d say it puts you through the darkest week of your GAMSAT study so you can have the brightest path for the rest of it.

It reveals exactly what you need to be doing in the future and shows you where you’re actually at.

It’s tough because you’re doing high-intensity work very early in your preparation, and you realise, “Wow, this is really hard.”

But afterwards, it breaks everything down for you, and that’s what I loved about it and still love about it.

Dr Tom (04:59)

Yeah.

It sounds worse than it actually is, which is why we have a bit of fun with the name.

The reason we do Hell Week at this point before the September GAMSAT is because registrations close on Tuesday, the 30th of June. Depending on when you’re listening to this, that might be coming up or it may have already passed.

If you’re not sitting September, that’s completely fine. You can focus on March instead. You can still do Hell Week and use it to prepare.

But if you’re registered for September, then welcome to Hell, so to speak.

We’re kicking things off with a purposefully designed week of study that helps you get started effectively.

So let’s reveal what Hell Week actually is.

Will, what does it involve?

Will (06:26)

If we gave it another name, we’d call it Diagnostic Week.

We go through a range of section simulations. It’s not there to punish you for not studying optimally so far, or because you’re completely new and haven’t studied at all.

It’s designed to put you under pressure and simulate GAMSAT conditions with GAMSAT-style questions.

Honestly, it’s one of the closest things you can do to a mini GAMSAT without sitting the actual exam.

The whole point is to find out exactly where you’re at, what you’re good at, what you’re weak at, and how to improve.

It’s direct, it’s honest, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need for your GAMSAT preparation.

Sometimes you need to hear the hard truth that you’re not good at everything yet, so that you can become better at everything.

Dr Tom (07:14)

Exactly.

We joke about Hell Week because people avoid it, but imagine going to a doctor and they immediately prescribe antibiotics, Panadol, and chemotherapy without diagnosing anything first.

That sounds ridiculous, but it’s basically how people approach the GAMSAT.

They just throw random study methods at it.

Instead, we need to diagnose the problem areas in each section first.

Then we can create a study plan that’s actually purposeful and effective.

That’s why Hell Week feels confronting. It forces you to see where you’re struggling.

But if you don’t know your weaknesses, how can you know what to study?

It’s not about punishment or beating yourself up.

It’s about getting excited because you’ve found where your marks are hiding.

If you’ve sat the GAMSAT before, maybe you didn’t diagnose your weaknesses in enough detail. If this is your first time, then this is the beginning.

So, Will, when you did your first Diagnostic Week, what were some of the insights you had?

You’d studied for a few weeks, realised things weren’t working, and then completed Hell Week. What changed for you?

Will (09:26)

I think one of the biggest realisations was accepting that sometimes you’re simply not good at something yet.

When you do the tests in their rawest form, it’s very obvious. You see the questions you got wrong, and the areas that need improvement are right there in front of you.

That can be confronting.

The harder step after Hell Week is actually focusing on the things you know you’re not good at.

Naturally, people want to study the things they enjoy or the things they’re already good at.

For me, it was specific parts of physics and chemistry, particularly electricity. I absolutely couldn’t stand it.

But you have to force yourself to work on those areas and give yourself the chance to improve.

Dr Tom (10:30)

Yeah.

One thing we’ve built into Diagnostic Week, or Hell Week as we jokingly call it, is an entire support system around the process.

If you do this on your own using ACER practice papers, which is still a great form of diagnostic testing, you’ll often find that the answers simply tell you that the correct option was A, B, or D, without much explanation.

But the important part isn’t just finding out whether you got it right or wrong. It’s understanding why.

So, there are a few tips for getting the most out of your Diagnostic Week experience, whether you’re doing it with us or on your own.

The first tip is to do everything under timed conditions.

When people reach out to us, we often ask whether they’ve done practice questions. They usually say they’ve looked through a few, but not under exam conditions.

And that’s fine, but it gives you a distorted understanding of what the GAMSAT actually is.

If you had unlimited time, most people could answer many of these questions. The time pressure is what exposes the real problem areas.

So, tip number one: do it under proper timing.

Will, do you want to take the second tip?

Will (11:58)

Absolutely.

The next one is simple: don’t Google anything and don’t do research while you’re taking the diagnostic tests.

The whole point is to work with what you already know.

If you’re Googling answers, you’re giving yourself a false sense of security. You might think, “Oh, that’s fine, I can do this,” but you’re not actually testing yourself.

In the GAMSAT, it’s just you and the desk. There’s nobody to help you and no internet to rely on.

The best way to prepare for that experience is to recreate it as closely as possible.

By Googling during the test, you’re actually doing yourself a disservice because you’re not forcing your own brain to work through the problem.

Dr Tom (12:39)

Exactly.

We want to put a little bit of pressure on that first attempt so we can see what genuinely needs work.

The third tip is to be honest in your reflection afterwards.

Personally, I think the reflection process is the most important part.

When you’re reviewing the answers, don’t just stop at, “Oh, the answer was B.”

Ask yourself why you got it wrong.

What did you miss?

What was the reasoning process you failed to identify?

Write those things down.

It’s not enough to simply say, “I need to study physics.”

It might be a graph interpretation issue, a reasoning skill, a particular concept, or a gap in knowledge.

The fourth tip is to show up to the debrief.

We’ve created an ecosystem around Hell Week so that once you’ve completed the tests, we walk through what to do next.

If you’ve identified a problem with physics, essays, or reasoning skills, we help you understand how to address those weaknesses.

And I think the final tip, Will, is something you’re really good at helping people with.

Will (13:55)

Yeah, I think this is probably the hardest one of all, and I’ve already touched on it a bit.

Don’t let yourself spiral after getting your results.

The test is tough. I know because I helped write it a couple of years ago.

We made it challenging on purpose because it’s supposed to show you what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at.

It’s really easy to look at your score and think, “Wow, I did terribly. I thought I was doing okay in practice.”

Then you start getting yourself into a negative headspace.

But the test is actually a light. It’s showing you exactly what you need to do next.

The key is going through that reflection process, both on your own and during the group debrief, so you can move forward.

And remember, you’re not doing this alone. The debrief sessions are there to support you.

Dr Tom (14:53)

Exactly.

Nobody expects you to get an amazing score at this stage.

That’s literally what studying is for. It’s about taking you from where you are now to where you want to be.

It’s perfectly okay if your score isn’t great.

The important thing is what you do next.

And that brings us to the next step: what comes after Hell Week?

The whole purpose of Hell Week is to create a roadmap that’s tailored specifically to you.

Not some generic advice from the internet or random suggestions from other people.

Every student is different.

Everyone has different backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, science knowledge, essay skills, and experiences.

The debrief process helps us map out what comes next.

Do you need to focus on reasoning in Section 3?

Do you need to work on idea generation in Section 2?

Do you need to strengthen specific science concepts?

We go into detail and help students build a plan, along with the resources needed to make that plan a reality.

So, Will, what came after Diagnostic Week for you?

For those listening for the first time, Will ended up getting a fantastic Section 3 score.

Was it in the eighties?

Will (16:43)

The first time I sat the GAMSAT, I scored in the seventies.

The second time, I improved to an 83.

The first attempt came after only three or four weeks of study.

The second time, I went through the full process again, rebuilt everything from the ground up, and gave it another shot.

But I think the biggest thing, especially if you’re a Bootcamper, is doing the weekly check-ins with your PIMs and reflecting on the goals you’ve set based on your weaknesses.

And even if you’re not a Bootcamper, it’s still important to check in with yourself every week.

Ask yourself: “Am I improving?”

“Can I actually see progress in these weak areas?”

“Am I putting in the work, or am I getting comfortable because I know what my weaknesses are and promising myself I’ll fix them later?”

You have to stay accountable.

Whether that’s through a friend, a study buddy, or someone else sitting the GAMSAT, accountability is incredibly important between now and your exam, whether that’s September or March.

Dr Tom (17:56)

Yeah, and at that point your study stops being generic.

You’re no longer randomly working through textbook chapters or doing practice questions without a clear purpose. Instead, your preparation becomes deliberate, targeted, and focused on the areas that are actually going to move the needle.

That’s what you should be checking in on each week.

Am I on the right path?

Am I studying in a way that’s genuinely helping me get where I want to go?

Awesome.

If you want to take part in Hell Week, we provide diagnostic tests for Sections 1 and 3, and you can also get feedback on your Section 2 essays.

The free resources include Sections 1 and 3, as well as the debrief sessions.

If you head to the show notes, you’ll be able to join Hell Week. Make sure you do it sooner rather than later because it’s only available for a limited time. It runs for one week.

And if you’re listening after it’s finished, reach out to us anyway. We can still help you access some diagnostic tests and guide you through the process.

On another note, Will, you mentioned that you’re in third year now, right?

A lot of people listening to this are dreaming about being exactly where you are in a few years’ time. You said you were in theatre yesterday. Tell me about that experience.

Will (19:18)

Yeah.

It was incredible.

I spent twelve hours in theatre yesterday. Luckily, I’m in a hospital that does robotic surgery, so I spent the entire day watching robotic procedures.

The team was fantastic, really welcoming, and it was such an exhilarating experience to see everything happening in real time, even though it made for a very long day, as we talked about before recording.

It’s incredibly rewarding because you’re finally getting to experience all the things you’ve been working towards.

All those years of study and preparation suddenly become real.

Working at Thank Flip means I’m around students preparing for the GAMSAT all the time, and I often think back to myself in 2023 when I was studying to get into medicine.

Now I’m here, in third year, doing clinical medicine and experiencing the things I’ve always dreamed about.

It’s a long journey, but you get there in the end if you trust the process.

Dr Tom (20:19)

Yeah.

At times it feels slow, and it feels like there’s this enormous gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

But if you follow the process step by step, one day you’ll look up and realise you’re in third year medicine, spending twelve hours in theatre watching incredible procedures.

What kind of procedures were you involved in yesterday?

Will (20:42)

Well, I was there all day, so there were quite a few.

But the one I found most exciting was a double inguinal hernia mesh repair involving an existing mesh.

The surgeon was absolutely thrilled because he said it was the most challenging procedure he’d done in the last six months.

He kept talking about how excited he was to tackle it.

It created such an uplifting atmosphere in theatre.

I was helping take photos from the screens, moving some of the robotic arms, and passing tools around.

It was amazing to watch because the camera views you get with robotic surgery are unlike anything you’d see in standard laparoscopic procedures.

The surgeon was sitting on the other side of the room in this robotic console, controlling everything with his fingers.

I remember thinking, “This is unbelievable. This is like something out of Blade Runner.”

Dr Tom (21:35)

Wow.

That’s incredible.

And I really like what you said about the surgeon being excited because it was the most challenging thing he’d done in six months.

He wasn’t scared by the challenge. He was energised by it.

Will (21:55)

Exactly.

I asked him afterwards whether doing similar procedures over and over again ever became boring.

He said, “No. Every patient is different. Every case is different.”

There’s always a challenge.

You might think something will be straightforward, but it never quite is, and you have to work through it in the moment.

That’s what you’ve trained your entire life to do.

I thought that was such a refreshing perspective.

Dr Tom (22:23)

And isn’t that a fantastic analogy for the GAMSAT?

You want the questions to be easy.

You want them to be predictable.

But every question is different, and every challenge requires you to work through it and solve it in the moment.

If you can learn to embrace that challenge instead of fearing it, everything changes.

That’s a really cool story, and I think it’s a great analogy for Hell Week as well.

So, thanks for sharing that, Will.

Will (22:54)

No worries.

I’m always happy to share my stories. You know me.

Dr Tom (22:57)

Absolutely.

So, just to wrap things up, head over to the show notes, grab the resources, and join Hell Week. It’s completely free to participate.

The only upgrade is for essay marking because that requires real people with years of experience to review and provide feedback.

But Sections 1 and 3 are completely free.

Let’s get your study moving in the right direction and make sure you start strong.

Thank you, Will, for joining us today, and we’ll see everyone next time.

Will (23:35)

Thanks for having me.