So what do you need to be a part of this extravaganza? Well, nothing much really! Just a good essay on any of the following topics, Writing Test A or Writing Test B. The Writer’s Bug Contest will open from today, i.e. 20th July 2010 and will continue till the 27th July 2010. All entries have to be sent on or before the 27thof July midnight (GMT), all entries after the 27th July will not be accepted. Email your essays to support@prepgenie.com.au. The winners of the contest will be notified on 6th August, 2010.

WRITING TEST A

What is art? Nature concentrated. ~ Honore de Balzac

An artist, under pain of oblivion, must have confidence in himself, and listen only to his real master: Nature. ~ Auguste Renoir

Great art picks up where nature ends. ~ Marc Chagall

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Art is the reproduction of what the senses perceive in Nature through the veil of the soul. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

OR

WRITING TEST B

The essential self is innocent, and when it tastes its own innocence knows that it lives forever. ~ John Updike

Innocence is like polished armor; it adorns and defends. ~ Bishop Robert South

It is well for the heart to be naive and the mind not to be. ~ Anatole France

Nothing looks so like innocence as an indiscretion. ~ Oscar Wilde

It is not only our fate but our business to lose innocence, and once we have lost that, it is futile to attempt a picnic in Eden. ~ Elizabeth E. Bowen

Consider the following comments and develop a piece of writing in response to one or more of them. Your writing will be judged on the quality of your response to the theme, how well you organise and present your point of view, and how effectively you express yourself. You will not be judged on the views or attitudes you express. The essays will be evaluated and rated by our core team of experts.

What will you win?
1st Prize: 50% discount on PrepGenie complete GAMSAT Package along with free evaluation of 2 essays
2nd Prize: 30% discount on PrepGenie complete GAMSAT Package along with free evaluation of 2 essays
3rd Prize: 20% discount on PrepGenie complete GAMSAT Package along with free evaluation of 2 essays

THIS IS NOT ALL. Award winning essays will be published on our website.

If you are not amongst the winners, don’t worry! You won’t be at a complete loss! All participants will receive certificates of participation and attractive gift vouchers.

So, what are you waiting for? Summon the writer within and type away merrily. Don’t forget to send us a brief write-up (of about 50 words) about yourself along with your essay. If you rank among the top three, your essay will be published and this would be your claim to fame. For any further query please contact us at support@prepgenie.com.

If you plan your study phase for GAMSAT, there are multiple ways by which you will be benefited. One of the prominent benefits is that planning a prior study phase will help the candidates know what needs to be studied. This perhaps means you can rightly judge which of the topics need to be payed extra attention.  Not just this, you will be able to set targets for GAMSAT and aim at fulfilling all your set targets of cracking the test. In this regard, the candidates should know what is best to be studied during the preparatory phase. Ones you plan your study phase, it is likely you will not waste time searching and preparing for unimportant topics. In fact, the students should certainly opt to attend to new and fresh questions and enhance their overall knowledge.

When you plan a study phase for GAMSAT in advance, it is likely you keep track of time. This perhaps means that you know the importance of time and prepare yourself accordingly. Equal hours of practice for the GAMSAT sections is likely to reduce the pressure and help you prepare successfully. This is evidently possible by allotting equal time to learning how to prepare for GAMSAT and taking advantage of the preparatory phase. If you plan in a proper manner, you can surely prepare yourself successfully on the d-day.

Planning for GAMSAT is surely to stress you at the first instance since you know you will need to prepare comprehensively. In this regard, the students should know that preparing for GAMSAT will help them collect wide range of information. In fact, if you plan to sit the test it is surely going to add to your overall knowledge. So, do not stress your self with long hours of practice rather be focused and prepare well. Above all, you should remember that you will have to fulfill your aim and reach a good level of success. In this regard, learn how to plan your study phase to prepare for GAMSAT and aim to reach your dream medical school in no time.

Most of the Physics-related questions in GAMSAT, as collected from ACER booklets and previous examinations, are not fully conceptual, rather they are logical reasoning based. But even so, a candidate should have a basic knowledge on general Physics before appearing for GAMSAT. ACER designs questions based on 10+2 Physics level. The questions are given in relation to background passages, often containing diagrams, tables or flow charts. Correlating the passages with the multiple choice questions requires strong logical reasoning abilities. A basic knowledge in general physics will help a candidate to come to a right conclusion in minimum time. Since GAMSAT is a timed examination, so utilising every minute effectively is crucial.

As mentioned earlier, candidate from non-scientific background may be afraid of the BIG books on physics. But to their rescue, many made-easy tutorials on general physics topics are now available in the market. There are tutorials that take away the burden off the candidate. And they will greatly help you while you are brainstorming through the tough questions, lots of mathematics and equations. They explain all the essentials of general physics, but in a much simple and lucid way.

Now, when all the equipments are ready, it’s time for putting in these to create a highly efficient product, i.e. strategy. For performing well in any section of GAMSAT, one must have a clear strategy to follow up their preparation. For Physics-related questions, quick deduction of figures and equations is highly essential. Practicing lots of GAMSAT type questions from various recognised sources like – ACER, Prepgenie, etc, will actually give you a hang of solving questions in minimal time period. There is nothing better than practicing – an old proverb.

I hope, by now, all my friends have got an idea about GAMSAT physics requirements. Physics is not a monster by itself; it’s us who think of it as something really scary. Believe me; it’s all in the mind not in reality. Even Physics can be of great fun, if approached properly and understood well. Always have a positive attitude while going through the study tutorials because that’s what GAMSAT wants from you. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a good study tutorial and start playing this exciting game.

For candidates from non-science background, some unique made-easy books are available. These books cover all the basic chapters of Human Physiology along with other common topics in Biology. These books aim at making the candidates conversant with Biology concepts that are dealt with in the 1st year of university studies. Some good examples are –

• Ross and Wilson: Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness by Anne Waugh and Allison Grant.
• IGCSE Study Guide for Biology by Dave Hayward
• A2: Further Studies in Biology by Margaret Baker, Bill Indge and Martin Rowland

Sometimes, to get a better understanding you can also refer to animations and videos which make things easier to understand. A few websites which contain such types of animations are –

• YouTube
• Mc Graw Hill Higher Education
• Harvard Life Sciences

Now, let’s concentrate on those candidates who already posses some basic Biological Science concepts and are looking for further development. As mentioned earlier, there are suitable resources for everyone sitting for GAMSAT. The books of a bit higher standard focus on individual topics with a greater number of schematic representations, tables and texts. Candidates with Biological-Science background can correlate them with their basic knowledge and gain more knowledge on individual topics. A few good books are –

• Anatomy And Physiology by Rod R Seeley, Trent D. Stephens and Philip Tate.
• Access to HE: Anatomy & Physiology by Lin Shaw.
• Microbiology by Lansing M Prescott, John P. Harley and Donald A. Klein.

Besides, from my personal experience, I would advice GAMSAT aspirants to go through lecture notes of some reputed universities like Harvard, Queensland University and the like. They generally carry an excellent compilation of classroom lectures by renowned professors. Sometimes, these lecture notes often carry some unique animations it the University websites. Animations and videos can help you understand many difficult areas with ease, since it makes you visualise the whole phenomenon.

GAMSAT Biology is not at all scary. The key is to get the right combination for you is to pick up the books that suit your level of understand. Remember, it’s not about how much the book can supply you but how much you can receive from that book. Once you develop a decent background in Biology basics, you can always jump to the next level. I wish you all the best for GAMSAT 2010.

Let’s start to minimise the time-lose at the beginning of GAMSAT exam. For this, we need to refer to the graph from the previous article, mentioned above.

Due to no mental as well as physical activity in the previous 30 minutes before the starting of the GAMSAT, a candidate faces blockages in mind-body co-ordinations. As a result, after receiving the question paper, the candidate couldn’t reach his/ her full potential or pace for answering it, immediately. Have you noticed the activities that a football player does before joining the field? At least 30 minutes prior to joining, he starts warming up so that his muscles get relaxed and synchronised for stamina and stress. Like way, a GAMSAT candidate needs to practice some mental activities during the pre-30 minutes before exam starts. For example, we can just think about a topic and start writing an article in a scrap paper. In this way, both our mind and hands are active and the mind-body co-ordination remains active. We can also, think about some numbers and try to create a mathematical problem in a scrap paper. Now if we get the GAMSAT questionnaire, our mind-body co-ordination is absolutely ready to work on it immediately, like a well-oiled machine.

Similarly, during the last 30 minutes of the exam, let’s try to figure out some possible time-saving strategy. First thing, we should have full confidence in our work till that point of time. We should not entertain any suspicion about our work. Second thing, work in your normal speed on new questions. Don’t rush or panic about the number of questions remaining unanswered. Just keep your head cool during the entire stretch of GAMSAT.

One last factor that could add up some advantage in time-saving is practicing GAMSAT-MODEL questionnaire continuously for hours. GAMSAT time-allotment is 5 and ½ hours. So, if we get used to work at peak concentration for this time –period, our system will obviously run out of gas at the last stretch, as a machine. To overcome this obstacle, we need to stretch our stamina for an extra yard. This extra yard is basically maintaining your stamina at peak level during the last stretch of examination. Practicing GAMSAT model questionnaire continuously at peak speed for 6 hours will definitely stretch us for that whole extra yard, making a big difference in the result.

By now, all GAMSAT aspirants reading this article have got the idea to develop crucial strategies for saving time during the examination. We all know the proverb- Time and tide waits for none. So, let’s start working on it.

Just think about the particular day of GAMSAT. In the morning we are already quite tensed and high on adrenaline when we leave for the examination centre. After reaching the centre about half an hour before the official entry permit, we sit somewhere trying to recollect on every possible chapters, topics, questions etc. At this stage, though, our mind is very active but due to no physical activity our reflex actions get minimised. Then, after the entry bell strikes, we hurry into the test centre and sit on our respective seats and wait anxiously for the examiner to arrive. Believe me, this is the most boring as well as depressing period of the GAMSAT test day. It is just like, you are hung up in the air and not being able to land on the ground. Your mental concentration breaks considerably during this period. In addition, a comment from other fellow aspirants which comes to your ears also distracts your attention. Then comes the BIG moment- when the examiner distributes the GAMSAT questionnaires to the candidates. As soon as you get the question paper, your natural instinct will be to go through the paper and to mark the questions which you feel comfortable enough to start with.

But the irony is, no matter how much you try to set up your normal pace and start answering, the output will be much less than your expectation. It is because your concentration level is at the bottom at this moment. With time the level increases to the optimum, respective to individual candidates. You can look into the graph, given below, for a detailed understanding.

During this log-stage, you will be doing much less work than you normally achieve in standard conditions.

Once the optimum concentration level is reached, you will be answering the questions in your standard pace.

Now, during the last 30 minutes of GAMSAT, you generally feel a peculiar suspicion about your work till then. It may be about the correctness of the answer you have marked or about the correct choice of alternatives in multiple choice questions or even about any spelling and grammar mistake in vocabulary section. These thoughts decrease your attention span and distract you with unimportant stuff. As a result, much less work is done than what should have been in the ideal environment (Please refer to the graph given above).

In this article, I have tried to point out the various factors contributing to time-loss during GAMSAT. I hope my points will prove useful to young aspirants who, in turn, will think about these loopholes during their next GAMSAT.

1. GAMSAT Sample Questions in Humanities: Section I of GAMSAT deals with reasoning based questions from poems, passages, diagrams and cartoons. Preparing for this section can be quite complex, specially because of the absence of a specific syllabus. But then there is little to worry as PrepGenie will lessen your burden to a great extent. PrepGenie provides you with free GAMSAT sample – Humanities questions which includes multiple choice questions on poems, passages and cartoons. PrepGenie also help you work on different type of questions based on diagram, dialogue, comments and proverbs. And the greatest part of it all is that you can get detailed explanations of all the questions. They will show you the best way and the most logical way to reach to the correct conclusion.
2. GAMSAT Sample Questions for Written Communication: Written communication is regarded as the most effective way to judge the thought process of a candidate. If you are stressed about how you will tackle the challenge of writing two essays in such a short span of time then the only way out is extensive practise. PrepGenie Sample GAMSAT essay topics will give you the scope to enhance your writing skills. There are two sets of quotes on two different topics, very much in the original GAMSAT style, to give you the taste of what you are up against. If you want to know how well you have written the sample essays, all you have to do is mail your essays at support@prepgenie.co.nz and you will get an authentic feedback. Yes, preparation for GAMSAT could not have got simpler!
3. GAMSAT Sample Questions for Biology: The GAMSAT sample questions of Biology designed by PrepGenie has the best stuff. The questions have been built keeping in mind the question pattern followed in GAMSAT. It provides 15 questions which cover some of the most important topics in GAMSAT and helps you to develop your reasoning ability.
4. GAMSAT Sample Questions for Chemistry: Since Chemistry is a subject which demands learning the basics rather than memorising, the GAMSAT sample questions of PrepGenie offers you a brief preview of what to expect in the GAMSAT. It provides 3 passages which covers the most important topics in Chemistry.
5. GAMSAT Sample Papers for Physics: Since the students feel that Physics constitute of 20% of the GAMSAT test, they tend to neglect the basics. But PrepGenie pays balanced attention to all the sections for it feels that the candidates should be aware of the basics. It consists of 15 questions which cover all the topics like Laws of Motion, Oscillations, Optics and Atomic Nucleus and Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body.

The GAMSAT sample papers provided by PrepGenie caters to a wider need base of GAMSAT aspirants. A whole lot of information supported by basic tips forms the basis of GAMSAT sample papers. So what are you waiting for? Rush and get the best from PrepGenie.

We are offering you an exclusive opportunity to get your essays evaluated for free and also get it published in our website if you rank within the first three positions. This is not all, the best essay writer will win the full set of our Comprehensive Test Series worth $140. Each participant will get surprise gifts too.

All that you need to do is write an essay on any of the following topics, Writing Test A or Writing Test B, and mail it to us at support@prepgenie.com. The essay should be within 500 words and should be mailed to us on or before the 31st of December, 2009 4th of January, 2010. The winners of the contest will be notified by 10th January, 2010, and their essays will be published on this website.

Consider the following comments and develop a piece of writing in response to one or more of them. Your writing will be judged on the quality of your response to the theme, how well you organise and present your point of view, and how effectively you express yourself. You will not be judged on the views or attitudes you express. The essays will be evaluated and rated by our core team of experts.

WRITING TEST A

Modern technology

Owes ecology

An apology.     ~ Alan M. Eddison

Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.     ~ William Ruckelshaus

Let us a little permit Nature to take her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we.     ~ Michel de Montaigne

Nature always strikes back. It takes all the running we can do to remain in the same place.     ~ Rene Dubos

If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don’t need an enemy.     ~ Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

OR

WRITING TEST B

When you’re down to nothing, God is up to something. The faithful see the invisible, believe the incredible and then receive the impossible.     ~ Anonymous

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.     ~ Reinhold Niebuhr

‘Faith’ means not wanting to know what is true.     ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.     ~ Ramona C. Carroll

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.     ~ Kahlil Gibran

So, what are you waiting for? Summon the writer within and type away merrily. Don’t forget to send us a brief write-up (of about 50 words) about yourself along with your essay. If you rank among the top three, your essay will be published and this would be your claim to fame. For any further query please contact us at support@prepgenie.co.nz.