GAMSAT Requirements for Medicine, Dentistry & Physician Associate Courses

Please note:

• ‘Section I: Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences’ has been renamed to ‘Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences Section’
• ‘Section II: Written Communication’ has been renamed to ‘Written Communication Section’
• ‘Section III: Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences’ has been renamed to ‘Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences Section’

To ensure this article is easy to follow, we’ll refer to these sections as ‘Section 1’, ‘Section 2’, and ‘Section 3’ throughout. 

Are you pursuing or considering graduate entry medicine, dentistry or physician associate studies, or standard entry as a graduate? Did you know that your GAMSAT score will be used differently in the admissions process depending on the university?

For example:

• Some universities use the GAMSAT just for interview selection
• Some universities use the GAMSAT for both interview and final selection
• Most universities have strict cut-off scores, however these vary annually depending on the quality and number of applications

Take a look at the specific GAMSAT requirements for dentistry, medicine, and physician associate programmes below and apply strategically. If you achieve a high GAMSAT score, then look for medical or dental schools that highly value the GAMSAT to boost your chances of being accepted. If you don’t get a high GAMSAT score, look for medical or dental schools which don’t use the GAMSAT as the only criteria for interview selection. 

Medical schools

Brunel University

University of Chester

University of Exeter

Keele University

University of Liverpool

University of Nottingham

Pears Cumbria (Imperial College London & University of Cumbria)

University of Plymouth

ScotGEM (University of Dundee and University of St Andrews)

St George’s, University of London

University of Sunderland

University of Surrey

Swansea University

Ulster University

University of Worcester

Dental schools

University of Plymouth

Physician Associate Studies

University of East Anglia

GAMSAT requirements for medicine

Brunel University

If you apply for standard entry as a graduate, and have a satisfactory personal statement, you will be ranked according to your GAMSAT score. Those who rank highest will be invited to interview.

University of Chester

If you sit the GAMSAT for graduate entry, you must meet the overall threshold of 60, with a minimum of 50 in Section 3. The total score required to secure a place varies year on year depending on the performance of applicants. If you successfully meet the academic criteria and admissions test requirements, you will be invited to interview.

University of Exeter

If you have a degree, or if it’s been more than two academic years since you’ve completed your A-levels, you will be required to sit the GAMSAT. You will be ranked according to your overall GAMSAT score. 

Keele University

If you apply for standard entry as a graduate, and are unable to meet the academic requirements for A-level or GCSE Science, you will need to sit the GAMSAT in addition to the UCAT.

You will need to achieve either:

• A minimum overall score of 55 with a minimum Section 3 score of 58 (supported by a minimum score of 50 in other sections)  
• A minimum overall score of 58 with a minimum Section 3 score of 55 (supported by a minimum score of 50 in other sections)

If you meet the GAMSAT requirements, your UCAT score and personal statement will be used to decide if you progress to the interview stage.

University of Liverpool

If you apply for standard entry as a graduate, you must achieve a minimum score of 50 in each GAMSAT section. You will then be ranked based on your overall score. Previously an overall score of 55/56, with no less than 50 in each section, was considered to be competitive (but this may vary each year).

Applicants with the most competitive scores are assessed to determine which meet or exceed the minimum academic criteria – this process is repeated until all interviews have been allocated. For final selection, a combination of academic achievement, admissions testing, interview score, and other contextual information may be considered if needed to differentiate applicants.

University of Nottingham

You must meet the GAMSAT threshold to be considered for an interview.

You will need to achieve a minimum score of:

• 55 in Section 2
• 55 in either Section 1 or 3
• 50 in the remaining section

Interviews are offered to those with the highest total GAMSAT scores. If a large percentage of applicants achieve the same total score, the section scores may also be used as a tiebreaker.

Pears Cumbria (Imperial College London & University of Cumbria)

Graduate entry applicants who fulfil the academic requirements will be ranked according to their GAMSAT score. If you meet the minimum threshold score for each section, you will be ranked according to your overall GAMSAT score, and this will determine who’s selected for an interview. Your GAMSAT performance may also play a part in the final selection.

University of Plymouth

You will need to sit the GAMSAT for standard entry as a graduate, or if more than five years have passed since your current qualifications were achieved. All GAMSAT applicants are ranked based on scores to determine who’s shortlisted for an interview.

Although the university is unable to set the GAMSAT threshold in advance of the application deadline, below are examples of thresholds for the past three admissions cycles:

2024

• Section 1: 43
• Section 2: 43
• Section 3: 48
• Overall score: 52

2023

• Section 1: 54
• Section 2: 47
• Section 3: 53
• Overall score: 61

2022

• Section 1: 53
• Section 2: 55
• Section 3: 66
• Overall score: 66

ScotGEM (University of Dundee and University of St Andrews)

GAMSAT will be used in conjunction with your UCAS application and academic qualifications. You must meet the minimum threshold, however requirements vary each year and the university cannot advise what this will be in advance.

For 2023 entry, only those with a GAMSAT overall score of 50, with no subset lower than 44, were invited to interview. 

St George’s, University of London

You must meet the GAMSAT section scores and overall cut-off score:

• Minimum of 50 in each individual section
• Minimum overall GAMSAT score (calculated every year)

If you meet the entry requirements, you’ll be ranked by your GAMSAT score, and interview places will be allocated to applicants who have the highest GAMSAT score.

University of Sunderland

If you apply for standard entry as a graduate, and can’t meet the minimum requirements for A-levels or Science GCSEs, you may still be considered if you sit the GAMSAT prior to the application process.

You will need to achieve either:

• An overall score of 55 with a minimum of 58 in Section 3
• An overall score of 58 with a minimum of 55 in Section 3, but no section score below 50 

Interview selection is based on academic requirements, UCAT score, a numeracy test, and the university’s interview selection tool.

University of Surrey

You will receive an overall mark based on your GAMSAT results, then placed into one of three categories:

• Interview
• Hold in waiting list
• Reject

Swansea University

You must meet the annual cut-off score (which is determined once all test scores are confirmed) – the highest scoring applicants will then be invited to interview. The minimum acceptable GAMSAT score is 50 including at least 50 in Section 3.

For 2024 entry, the GAMSAT cut-off score for home applicants is 53.

Ulster University

You must achieve a minimum score of 50 in each GAMSAT section and meet an overall GAMSAT threshold for interview. The threshold is set each year based on the applications received. For example, from 2020–2023, the average overall GAMSAT score invited to interview was 61.14. 

University of Worcester

You will be required to pass the GAMSAT to a requisite level. If shortlisted, you will be invited to sit the Casper Situational Judgment Test and attend two panel interviews.

GAMSAT requirements for dentistry

University of Plymouth

GAMSAT is required for graduates or applicants without suitable A-levels. Applicants are ranked based on GAMSAT scores achieved to determine who’s shortlisted for an interview.

Although the university is unable to set the GAMSAT threshold in advance of the application deadline, below are examples of thresholds for the past three admissions cycles:

2024

• Section 1: 51
• Section 2: 54
• Section 3: 49
• Overall score: 52

2023

• Section 1: 50
• Section 2: 50
• Section 3: 51
• Overall score: 55

2022

• Section 1: 50
• Section 2: 54
• Section 3: 50
• Overall score: 52

GAMSAT requirements for Physician Associate Studies

University of East Anglia

Students who don’t meet the normal admission requirements may sit the GAMSAT. You must achieve a minimum overall GAMSAT score of 50 to be considered.

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