GAMSAT vs MCAT: what's the difference?

The GAMSAT and the MCAT are both gateways to medical school, but they're run by different organisations, for different countries, and they reward different things. The short version: which one you sit is decided by where you're applying, not by preference.

Who uses which

If you're applying to graduate-entry medicine in Australia, the UK or Ireland, the GAMSAT is almost certainly your test. For US or Canadian medical schools, it's the MCAT.

What they actually test

• GAMSAT has three sections: reasoning in humanities & social sciences, written communication (two essays), and reasoning in biological & physical sciences. It leans hard on reasoning and includes writing.
• MCAT has four multiple-choice sections spanning biology/biochemistry, chemistry/physics, psychology/sociology, and critical analysis & reasoning. It leans more on content knowledge across a year or more of prerequisite science — and has no essay.

The practical differences

• The MCAT is longer and more content-heavy, assuming specific prerequisite coursework.
• The GAMSAT is shorter, more reasoning-driven, and tests writing — so you can do well from a non-science background if you build the foundations.
• Their scores aren't interchangeable, and you sit whichever your target schools require.

Prepare for the one you're sitting

Because they reward different things, prep doesn't transfer cleanly. If it's the GAMSAT, build reasoning under time and practise the essays. See how the GAMSAT is structured and scored to start in the right place.