Where to Expect Schematic Diagrams in GAMSAT?

ACER advocates: you don’t need to have ‘much’ prior knowledge to solve any of the GAMSAT questions. Whatever information you need to solve the questions is already present in the passage (sometimes called the vignette) right inside the question unit. To make the questions tough and time-consuming, they often come with elaborate diagrams along with the apparent walls of texts in the passage. Both the humanities and science sections contain such questions. However, you’ll find various types of diagrams in the different units. Schematic diagrams are mostly present in the GAMSAT Physics section, specifically the current electricity questions.

What are Schematic Diagrams?

You may not need to memorise any theories to answer GAMSAT Section 3 questions. But if you know how to analyse schematic diagrams quickly, you’ll feel confident during the exam day. Schematic diagrams or schematic layouts show the various elements of an electrical circuit and their connectivity. In almost all the schematic diagrams you’ll find one or more cells, resistors or bulbs and lots of wires. Sometimes capacitors, grounding points, ammeters, voltmeters, potentiometers and diodes show up too. Several questions will follow the given diagram(s). If you know how to interpret it, you can get your fingers on quite a few easy scores.

5 Steps to Interpret Schematic Diagrams

1. Identify the various symbols in the circuit

   
   Usually all diagrams have the same symbol for similar circuit elements. The particular symbol in use may vary from one schematic to the other. The foregoing passage or the diagram will invariably have their descriptions. Even then, if you are acquainted with the frequently used symbols in the circuit diagrams, you’ll get more efficient in these questions. Some common elements and their symbols are listed below:
   • Common Symbols for Resistors:
     
   • Common Symbols for Cells/Batteries:
     
   • Common Symbols for Wires/Junctions:
     
   • Symbols for various Meters:
   • Galvanometer
     
   • Ammeter
     
   • Voltmeter
     
   • Ohmmeter
     
   • Symbols for various Grounding points:
     
   • Symbols for Diodes:
     
   • Symbols for Switches:
     

2. Scrutinise the Schematic and the passage for keys & values

   
   Locate the legend or labels on the diagram, if any. Otherwise read through the foregoing passage and see what values are given. Identify all the symbols and mark the corresponding values from the passage onto the diagram. Notice the unmarked symbols in the resulting diagram. These are the clues to answer the questions.

3. Determine the current and the voltage in various parts of the circuit

   
   Current flow is very similar to the flow of water. Like water flowing steadily through a uniform pipe, current remains the same at any point in any undeviating branch of wire. Current changes only when the wires reach a symbol or a junction. If you can understand or memorise Kirchoff’s current and voltage laws you’ll know immediately when the current gets divided or remains the same. Another important set of laws are Ohm’s Laws. If you know them, it’ll become quite easy for you to solve for voltage, current or Power, if the others are given. Even if you don’t mug up the Kirchoff’s Laws, look in the passage for the formulas. So, understanding the laws and their applications are more important for now, thanks to ACER’s reassurance that you don’t need any prior knowledge to take GAMSAT.

4. Understand the question statement

   
   Often the questions are chunks of texts, twisted and turned to confuse and distract you from the right track. For instance, they may require you to compare the brightness of the lamps in the circuit. You must understand that actually it’s got nothing to do with optics. It’s just a way of asking whether the currents flowing through the bulbs is high or low. If the current is more, obviously the lamp will be brighter. So read the question carefully, and determine exactly what values that you had found out previously, corresponds to the solution process.

5. Estimate and smart guess the answer

   
   Calculators are not allowed in the GAMSAT. So you don’t have to crunch numbers like the big mean intel® processors of today. Even if there are quite a few calculation-based questions, usually you can rule out most of the options by simply looking at their degree, unit or any other key property. So watch out for such hidden clues in the options.

Remember that all these tricks are useful only when you practice smartly. As Thomas Edison’s mother might have told her son after a tiring day

—”Of course I’m proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now turn it off and get to bed!”

GAMSAT Chemistry and the topic of acids and bases seem to a have natural bond! Questions from this part of inorganic chemistry are pretty common in GAMSAT Section III.

Source: http://iqa.evergreenps.org/

Every year candidates work hard to go through each and every topic in physical and biological sciences to appear and qualify their GAMSAT exams. Therefore, a little guidance to the preferred topics of this section gives an extra edge.

Source: www.youtube.com

A thorough study of these GAMSAT courses will help the aspirant gather sufficient knowledge in order to solve all the questions related to acidity or basicity or a chemical ion or compound.

You must know the buffering capacity of the acids and bases with the range of pK values for each of them. This will help you study the titration curves and solve sums on the same. Also, you must know the indicators for studying the acid and bases neutralisation.

Emphasise on sub-topics:

• Strength of different acids and bases
• Strong and weak oxidising agents
• Dissociation constants

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Question Pattern

You can also take a note of the various types of questions that are likely to be seen on your GAMSAT question papers by following the four GAMSAT sample paper books (the green, blue, red and purple book) issued by ACER.

Once you have noted down the pattern of questions you can start practicing for them by following various GAMSAT preparation courses and practice papers.

For example, check out these questions:

Also keep in mind to track the time that you require to solve each paper and develop a habit of utilising lesser and lesser time with each attempt.

Ever been bugged by an MCQ which made you swear there were two correct options (knowing perfectly well it cannot be)?  Read our series on MCQs and you will know the nitty-grittys of a GAMSAT MCQ. But how do you deal with answering it?

Here is some essential know-how:

Know what skills they are testing. A medical college entrance exam like GAMSAT designs MCQs to test your analytical skills rather than mere ‘knowledge chunks’. GAMSAT MCQs rarely seek to know how much you have learnt in class. If you find yourself cursing the examiner for giving two correct options in your GAMSAT question paper, your knowledge is probably not fine-grained enough.

Prepare for GAMSAT, but Never ‘question spot’! MCQs can touch upon a plethora of topics. You tend to study mitosis because you find it easy and possibly leave out meiosis because it never comes (and praying that it never does); this attitude can prove to be disastrous. The GAMSAT questions are framed to test how well you know what you know. The operation theatre is no place for little learners.

Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org
 
 
The cliché: READ CAREFULLY. People must have told you umpteen times how you must read every single word of the paper well. Well, you will be surprised how examiners use certain words to test your understanding of the question. Be careful to read a question and understand it well enough before you move onto answering the MCQs:

• Beware of double negatives like ‘not uncommon’ (it simply means ‘often’).
• Look out for the word ‘typical’ (meaning ‘usually’). You may find a choice that is correct but ‘rare’, not ‘typical’. Eliminate it.
• The words ‘infer’ and ‘imply’ are not the same. To ‘imply’ is to suggest, whereas inferring something is to derive or work out a problem.
• An ‘opinion’ is a “view held as probable” (according to OED). Do not mistake it for a fact.
• A most common folly…the words ‘not’ and ‘except’ tell you what you should NOT choose as the answer. You may be asked to mark out the wrong one from a list of right answers.
• In a passage-based MCQ, you may have to answer something related to a writer’s assumption. You may have read between the lines to understand the ‘assumption’. This ‘assumption’ may not be explicitly proved in the text.

Can I guess? Well, that is a million dollar question among students. There is no negative marking involved; hence, the ‘lucky monkeys’ would expect to have a field day when they would sit for an exam like GAMSAT. But that is far from true. GAMSAT MCQs test application rather than just empty theories. This leaves very little room for guesswork. But do not leave any blanks. Intelligent guessing is the key here. Eliminate the easy choices and choose from what seem to be right. If it was a close guess…chances are you scored a point!

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What is a Pedigree Chart?

A Pedigree chart is a diagrammatic presentation exhibiting the biological connections amongst the members of the family. It is a means of studying the inheritance pattern of traits from parents to the offspring. GAMSAT will test your ability to carefully observe and analyse a pedigree and also your prior knowledge of inheritance pattern of different genetic diseases to answer the questions.

What is the Significance of Pedigree Charts?

Pedigree charts are vital in tracking the probability of a disorder in an individual. Also, these charts can help study the nature of the disorder (dominant or recessive). If a disease is dominant, it implies that the mutation is carried in both the alleles of the gene and is clinical manifested and if the disease is recessive, the mutation is carried in only one allele of the gene and its phenotypic expression is dependent on the nature of the other allele. Neither of the parents has to have the disease.

In genetic counselling, pedigree chart mapping is very crucial. By studying the number of infected individuals in a family and their sex, the inheritance pattern of a particular disease in the following generations can be determined. In GAMSAT, a case study can be given as a vignette where you need to understand the pattern of trait inheritance across generations and determine the ratio of affected: unaffected offspring from different mating pairs.

Also, researchers in the field of genetics need to study the transmission trait of a particular disease in a family and then they can compare the affected and unaffected individuals to get an idea of the nature of diseased gene and the genetic factor is responsible for the disease. GAMSAT questions can also be framed to determine the trait of one of the parents by observing the nature of offspring and the disease that is being studied.

What Does a Pedigree Chart Look Like?

A pedigree chart is a collection of different symbols with each one having a significant contribution in analysing a pedigree chart.

An example of a pedigree chart is given below:

In the above example, you need to observe the following features:

1. Two mating pairs (I and II) are shown here with a normal (unaffected) female married to an affected male in mating pair I and an affected male married to a normal (unaffected) female in couple II.
2. The three offspring of couple I (encircled by red dotted lines) include one unaffected daughter and two sons (one affected and the other unaffected).
3. Mating pair II also has three offspring (encircled by blue dotted lines) of which one is an affected male and the other two are normal (unaffected) daughters.
4. The mating between the unaffected female and affected male (mating pair III) gives rise to an affected daughter.
5. The mating between this affected daughter with a normal (unaffected) male gives rise to two affected daughters.

Source: www.youtube.com

How to Determine Inheritance Patterns from Pedigree Charts?

1. Autosomal dominant trait:

Here, you see that the male is diseased. So, this is an X-linked trait.

Next, you observe that approx. half of the offspring are diseased which implies that the disease is autosomal (defect in the non-sex chromosome) dominant in nature.

Both the affected males and females have equal probability of getting the disease and transmitting the trait to the next generation.

Since the disease is dominant, it can be manifested in an individual even if only one defective allele is inherited.
Example: Huntington’s disease

For answering GAMSAT questions here, you need to know that autosomal diseases are not sex-linked diseases and that the defect or mutation is in the autosome and not the sex-chromosome.

2. Autosomal recessive trait:

Here, you see that the female is not diseased but is the carrier.

The half black colour of the circle indicates that only one of the two alleles is defective. So, this is a recessive trait and no clinical manifestation is found.

Next, you observe that both the males and females have equal chances of being the carrier of the disease. This implies that the trait is autosomal in nature.
Example: Phenylketonuria (PKU)

For answering GAMSAT questions here, you need to have a clear concept of recessive traits and its impact on males and females. Males will always have a higher probability of clinical manifestation of such diseases than females.

3. X-linked recessive trait:

Here, you see that the female is not diseased but is the carrier.

X-linked traits are clinically manifested in males as they have only one X chromosome.

Females are generally the carriers of the disease as only one of the allelic pairs is mutant. Manifestation is possible only if both the alleles are mutant/defective.
Example: Phenylketonuria (PKU)

GAMSAT questions here will test your prior knowledge of X linked disease inheritance pattern.

4. X-linked dominant trait:

Here, you see that the male is diseased.

X-linked traits are clinically manifested in males as they have only one X chromosome.

Females with one mutant allele are also diseased and not carriers as the trait is dominant and only one infected allele is required for the clinical manifestation of the disease.
Example: Fragile X-syndrome

Answering GAMSAT questions here will test your concept of dominant traits and how they differ from recessive ones.

Probable GAMSAT Style Questions that can be Asked:

1. Determine the trait of the offspring by studying the trait of the parents.
2. Identify the trait of the parent by observing the traits of the offspring.
3. What are the probable combinations of mating pairs that can give rise to an offspring with a particular trait?
4. Determine the ratio of diseased:normal individuals in different generations.
5. Determine the nature of the trait and the pattern of inheritance.

Prior Knowledge Required for Answering GAMSAT Questions?

1. Sex-genes (X and Y)-linked diseases and autosomal diseases
2. The differences between dominant and recessive traits and their effects on the offspring
3. Nature of genetic diseases and the ratio of males and females affected in them should be understood
4. Types of autosomal diseases and their inheritance pattern

GAMSAT Section III is about the logical reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences. Purely concept-based questions do not appear in GAMSAT, but some basic knowledge in Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences is mandatory to answer the MCQs within the allotted time frame. One such key topic in GAMSAT-related chemistry is the periodic table.

What is the Periodic Table?

Periodic table of the chemical elements (H, O, N, P, C, etc) is a tabular display of the chemical elements. It is an indispensible tool within the academic discipline of chemistry, providing an extremely useful framework to classify, systematise, and compare all of the many different forms of chemical behaviour. The table has found wide application in chemistry, physics, and even biology. It is impossible to properly justify the domains of Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry without the involvement of Periodic table.

Let us take a detailed view of the periodic table.

source:www.wikipedia.org

Topics Requiring Periodic Table

Topics in chemistry that require the periodic table are as follows:

• Electro negativity
• Atomicity
• Inert gases
• Chemical transition among various elements
• Valency
• Electrochemistry
• Radioactivity

Source: www.youtube.com

The above-mentioned properties of a chemical entity are directly linked with the periodic table.

In Biological sciences, topics like membrane potential and protein structures need the helping hand of the periodic table for proper understanding.

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You have been dealing with proverbs since childhood, often applying them carelessly in your essays, stories and even daily communication. But, what if you face these very same proverbs in your GAMSAT paper? A considerable number of vignettes in GAMSAT consist of proverbs and adages, singularly as well as an accompaniment of prose, poetry and picture study vignettes.

Types of Questions

GAMSAT questions based on proverbs can be of the following kinds:

source: http://www.goodreads.com/

The old saying of “a picture paints a thousand words” really hits home when confronted with a cartoon type question. You must have come across such questions several times, especially if you took history lessons, a subject that relies heavily on political cartoons to understand a certain scenario from the past.

Certainly, you won’t use the same strategies you did in your year 12 exams when you take on a full-blown GAMSAT question, but you would feel a bit more confident if you knew some basic principles underlying GAMSAT cartoons.

Source: www.youtube.com

Hint: GAMSAT cartoons often take the form of some sort of political or editorial commentary.

Context

The questions are certainly tricky, but they are not downright rocket science. None of the cartoons deal with anything too obscure or abstract, and the ones that appear are mainly those that deal with matters that have received fairly recent media attention. So, it would be a good idea to acquaint yourself with recent global events while you prepare for the test.

That solid foundation in being a learned and avid follower of what matters will not only help you understand and contextualise cartoons (and other section 1 texts), but also be a great springboard for your opinions for the section 2 essays. If you can roughly guess what subject the cartoon is referring to, then you’re halfway to the answer.

source: http://www.mrs-claassen.co.za/

That Extra Mile

Not all the picture study questions in GAMSAT Section 1 deal with a single cartoon. Sometimes, a vignette might contain a couple of cartoons, along with a quote or a passage. Your interpretation of the cartoon should depend on not just the image, but the adjoining quote/passage as well. This is especially important as they not only bring clarity to an otherwise possibly obscure image, but are also awesome signposts for the cartoonist’s opinion and bias.

source:http://www.teachjunkie.com/

Worries about textbooks to study for GAMSAT are a part of every aspirant’s preparation. So don’t panic, you are not the only one. The first thing you must do is refer to the GAMSAT material given in ACER’s books. When you are specifically dealing with Section I on humanities and section II on written communication you might need some reference books to help you comprehend and write better for the two sections, respectively.

The preparation for these sections definitely starts with honing reading skills, and that would require reading material. Before going too far to find relevant books and reading material, just start with the daily newspaper. You can pick any newspaper that you are comfortable reading, for example, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, or the New York Times. Reading newspaper articles will help you make sense out of the cartoons and illustrations that might be part of the GAMSAT section I.

So look beyond just the text books and reading material. Look around you for information and not just the GAMSAT text books to improve your knowledge. If there are terms that you do not understand, like a word or a phrase, do not skip it. Look for it in the dictionary or thesaurus.

Here are some books that can be useful to you while preparing for these sections:

1. Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading – by Tanny McGregor
2. Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day – by Elizabeth L. Chesla
3. Learn To Speed Read – by Kris Madden
4. The Oxford Book of English Verse
5. How to Write Better Essays (Palgrave Study Skills)
6. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
7. Webster’s New Explorer Vocabulary Skill Builder
8. Build Your Vocabulary Skills: A Quick and Easy Method by John LaCarna
9. 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Norman Lewis
10. Gary Provost’s 100 Ways To Improve Your Writing

A book with comic sketches written by Gary Larson can help you in understanding cartoons. It is a good practice book for cartoons and illustration based questions. Also read books that have content related to the history of Australia and politics of the world. Your reading should range across different types of topics and themes when you are preparing for your essay. GAMSAT books will give you a lot of input but a considerable portion of information has to come from sources and information floating around you which one often tends to ignore. So start reading it all! Get! Set! And go!!!

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It is not an uncommon fact: most doctors write prescriptions that resemble either “chicken scratchings” or the Egyptian hieroglyphics! If you intend to take the GAMSAT, you must be well aware of the much dreaded GAMSAT essay section. The GAMSAT essay has to be written and not typed. And, if you are not one of those blessed with a decent penmanship, it is high time that you start preparing yourself for this section. Writing the GAMSAT essay has to be time efficient as 30 minutes are all that you have to make an impression on the examiner with your writing. But, remember that your essay, besides being a great write-up, also has to be legible in terms of handwriting so that the examiner can read your essay comfortably. Here are some things you need to keep in mind to deal with all your handwriting blues:

source: http://alittlecameo.com/

The GAMSAT Chemistry syllabus is quite exhaustive, and questions might arise as to how to approach it. Most candidates from the non-science background wonder about how much preparation they need to take in terms of Section 3, in which a certain amount of prior knowledge is required.

The GAMSAT Chemistry Syllabus is as follows:

A student from the science background will not find it difficult to go through the syllabus once more; in fact, you will get a headstart in matters of practice. Some amount of brushing up will be necessary in case you have been out of touch with the given areas for some time. As for the candidate from a non-science background, starting with the A-Level syllabus is an excellent idea.The A-Level syllabus, on the other hand, includes many of the topics covered in GAMSAT, both in General as well as Organic Chemistry. As such, it is advisable that you prepare the syllabus for both the AS and A2 exams; just the AS syllabus will not be sufficient.

Opting for bridging courses is quite common to prepare for the GAMSAT science questions, but it is necessary to keep in mind that conceptual knowledge is what is really required here. As such, there is not really much difference between the candidate from a science background and those who aren’t, although the non-science student will have to start preparing sometime earlier.

One of the most frequent questions asked in any GAMSAT forum is about the closest possible syllabus for GAMSAT Biology preparation. Things may become too confusing for a GAMSAT aspirant if he does not know the validated facts. ACER has not outlined any predefined syllabus for GAMSAT Section III. However, if we look deeply into the last few GAMSAT question papers, a prominent pattern is visible.

source: http://mrsmosley.yolasite.com/

Basic Overview of Questions

ACER never designs mere Q&A questions that ask you to define a theory or scientific term. Rather, GAMSAT questions deal with conceptual understanding. Section III passages usually contain a case-study with diagrams, graphs or a flow chart. The answers to the MCQs are well-hidden and fragmented in varies clues which could only be collated with proper logical reasoning.

Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the basic Sciences will help you in deducing the correct answer fast and save precious minutes. A candidate with some basic understanding of core concepts in Biology, Chemistry and Physics will spend much less time with a particular question, than a candidate who is familiar with just the terms and phenomena dealt with in the given GAMSAT passage.

Topics Covered in Section III

The following topics from biology are most frequently covered in GAMSAT Section III:

• Cell Biology and Cell Division – Basic structure of the cell, Cell membrane and Membrane transport, Mitosis and Meiosis, Techniques for organic molecule analysis (Chromatography and ELISA).

  Source: www.youtube.com

• Enzymes – Mechanism of action, enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition.
• Macromolecules and Cellular Metabolism – Structure and Metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids.
• Musculoskeletal system – Integument, skeleton, locomotion and movement.
• Gastrointestinal system – Digestion and absorption.
• Circulatory system – Body Fluids and circulation.
• Respiratory system – Breathing, gaseous exchange.
• Excretory system – Structure of nephron, excretory products and mechanism or removal.
• Neuromuscular physiology and nervous system – Neural control, coordination and sensory reception

  Source: www.youtube.com

• Homeostasis, Water, Electrolytes and Acid-Base balance
• Reproductive system – Structure and function of male and female reproductive organs.
• Embryology – Foetus development and pregnancy, Foetal circulation.
• Immunology – Immune system components and mode of function, hygiene.
• Microbes and communicable diseases – Microbial growth, antimicrobial agents.
• Genetics – Mendelian inheritance, monohybrid and dihybrid cross, Chromosome structure and components, chromosomal inheritance.
• Endocrinology and hormonal pathways.

Note to Remember

Of course, it is wrong to assume that GAMSAT Biology questions will come from only the abovementioned topics. ACER might include any topic as and when they deem necessary. However, these are the most popular and frequently questioned-upon topics for GAMSAT Biology till date. Hence, a good background and a clear understanding of these topics will prepare the candidate well enough to withstand the most difficult Biology questions.

Logical reasoning in Physical and Biological Sciences is one of the primary focuses of GAMSAT section III. The cardinal objective of ACER in creating this section of GAMSAT is to carry out trials on the logical ability of GAMSAT aspirants in Basic Sciences. In Multiple Choice Questions, a supportive background passage is given and questions are designed specifically based on that given excerpt. Though the endeavour is to assess the logical reasoning ability of the candidates rather than their background research on Science, a brief grasp over the concerned topic is highly appreciated. GAMSAT demands a watch on your clock on the D-day for which conceptual clarity of the subject concerned escalates your mastery to crack the hard nut! Now, out of the numerous topics covered in GAMSAT Biology, analytical techniques in Biochemistry call for paramount attention. Let us study the schematic diagram given below and try to answer the question that follows:

After heat denaturation, rapid cooling is applied to

• prevent DNA renaturation.
• increase mobility of the samples.
• prevent contamination.
• prevent DNA renaturation and increase mobility.

Let’s assume your groundwork of biochemical techniques is doubtful, this diagram will intrigue a lot of questions to pop up in your mind and you’ll ponder at a stretch wrangling with your own confusion.

This diagram specifically touches upon the notion of mutation in gene; hence your smoggy vision of the concerned topic will restrict you from answering the given question and your watch may keep on saying; ‘time out!’.

The above mentioned diagram also involves agarose gel electrophoresis and hence it’s in the cards that a prior knowhow of the subject will ace your shot in winning the game! Slow cooling gives the denatured DNA the time to re-bond (anneal), but a rapid cooling fails to renature the DNA and keeps the DNA in denatured form. Preceding insights of agarose gel electrophoresis gives you a conceptual clarity of the difference between rapid cooling and slow cooling; in this process you’ll save your precious time and need not undergo the rigorous process of deciphering the correct answer from analysing the diagram.

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Let’s bring down the curtain. The given question assesses your knowledge of logic behind every step of the electrophoresis technique; if you shoot for answering the question by only observing the diagram, you might swim against the correct answer. I’ve already given rundown that time can be your biggest friend as well as foe while sitting for GAMSAT. It’s best not to exhaust all your time in answering all the questions analysing the diagram; rather glean your expertise over concerned subject and tighten your belt for more critical vignettes on analytical techniques in Biochemistry!

Introduction to Biochemistry from Frank Gregorio on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/

GAMSAT: Reasoning in Biological and Physical sciences. Sounds intriguing right? Makes you wonder what kind of questions awaits your destiny this year!!

source: http://lennoxtutoring.com/

Well, to begin with, you not only have to have a knowledge of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, but also study all the subtopics or branches of these subjects. Let us now consider a few details about Organic Chemistry which forms a vital part of your chemistry section from GAMSAT point of view.

GAMSAT section III often has around 110 reasoning questions, 40% of which are from chemistry and out of this, 35% are from organic chemistry that comes up to around 14-15 questions. Now coming back to the main issue- What is the mantra to score a full mark in all these 15 questions? The answer is Practice!!!

Yes, the clearer you get with your concepts of organic chemistry, the better you score in your GAMSAT. And a clear concept here indicates that you should never go wrong with the basic nomenclature. Study all the name reactions and their end products, swot the catalysts for each of these reactions and revise each and every fundamental compound and their structures. For your convenience, make a chart of the elementary structures or functional groups which are most repetitive in GAMSAT tests and hang it in a place at home where you dwell the most. Each look at that chart will register its contents in your brain and you will slowly be able to grab the whole thing without much of an effort.

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Remember!! There is no need to memorise any reactions to answer your GAMSAT questions. Just make sure that you have completely understood the basic mechanism and that will help you to complete the reactions.

Also, the next time you sit for your GAMSAT preparation make sure that you learn to manage your time as it often happens that you get too absorbed in solving one particular question and at the end, run short of time for the rest of them.

Keeping all these in mind will definitely help you to be more confident the next time you go for it and will unquestionably guide your way through GAMSAT exams.

Ever wondered why you have to deal with questions from chemistry in GAMSAT Section III?

Why do GAMSAT questions often deal with interdisciplinary subjects like biochemistry?

As if chemistry and biology by themselves were just not enough to wrack our brains!!!

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Well, read on so that you may have a better idea of what you are dealing with, the next time you face a biochemistry question while preparing for your GAMSAT test.

To begin with, let us briefly discuss about the relationship between biology and chemistry and the evolution of biochemistry.

Biology is the study of life or living beings. Chemistry is the study of processes or all chemical reactions in our day to day life. When these chemical reactions are specifically studied in biological systems or between biological molecules, it forms a totally new field of scientific study referred to as ‘Biochemistry’.

Why is Biochemistry Essential?

Biochemistry is at the core of many areas of biology and is responsible for a large number of scientific breakthroughs in medicine and pharmacy. This is why aspirants with expertise in biochemistry perform increasingly well in GAMSAT.
In Biochemistry, you get to study an entire range of organisms from bacteria to humans. You also learn about the molecular basis of the structure and processes of life. This subject plays a vital role in the field of pathology, as the knowledge of biochemistry is very essential in analysing blood and urine samples taken from patients suffering from a wide range of diseases.

Source: www.youtube.com

Biochemistry along with immunology forms an exciting combination in science that provides the medical students with new ways to fight against a range of diseases from arthritis to HIV and cancer.

Biochemistry in GAMSAT Section III

While preparing for GAMSAT Section III make sure you start with acquiring the fundamental knowledge of structures and functions of different types of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. Going through an assortment of GAMSAT preparation courses and GAMSAT sample papers will help to build up your ability to clarify the link between biochemistry & the molecular basis of health and disease and help you to answer GAMSAT questions with ease.

Now that you have got a better idea of where to start, hope that your journey with biochemistry along the route of GAMSAT preparations seems satisfying and fruitful. Always remember… mugging up a subject in order to overcome its fear is not a solution. Instead, try and understand it or make friends with it to have a fulfilling and successful learning experience.

GAMSAT questions can be hard-hitting if not prepared systematically. So, when you start preparing for the d-day, be rest assured that you practice with the questions. Well, if we say that practice would be enough to score high for GAMSAT, then you will be mislead. To pass through the exam, you will need to understand the underlying meaning of the questions before answering. Ones you learn to do so, there is virtually nothing that can stop you from achieving success.

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Practice is the key to success in GAMSAT. This has been a repeatedly used phrase when you begin preparing. In this regard, it is necessary that you practice understanding the questions of all the sections. To do so, you will initially need to read through the words of the questions. Often the candidates get stuck at the questions due to the simple reason that they fail to grasp the meanings of the complicated words. As a result, they answer the questions incorrectly and lower their scores for the test. So, it is highly advisable that the candidates learn the importance of words and its meaning for the correct interpretation of the questions.

To learn the meaning of words, the candidates will need to practice learning comprehensively for GAMSAT. In fact, it is highly preferable if they look up for the complicated words in the dictionary. They should make a consistent effort of reading through newspapers and magazines. In the process of reading, each complicated word should be marked with clarity. Ones you get to make a list of words, search for the relevant meaning in the dictionary. This is highly necessary to increase the knowledge of your word bank and add to your vocabulary. So, keep brushing through complicated words and learn the meaning of such words.

Most importantly, the aspirants should understand why learning the meaning of words is really important. The prime reason for this is that you should be able to answer all the questions equally well. If you fail to understand the meaning, it is likely you will be unable to relate to the meaning of the questions. In this regard, to maintain a strong word bank and use it to your benefit when you are practicing or answering to the questions in the GAMSAT test.

GAMSAT 2014 is right at your doorstep and you are getting the chills. You want every help that you can get so that you can succeed in the exam. You have practised mock GAMSAT question papers, you read science books, newspapers and other reading materials to understand everything and anything that is even remotely related to GAMSAT study. But still you don’t seem to remember much and your anxiety metre is increasing every second as the calender moves closer to the G-Day. That is what is called “information overload” my friend. What you really need now is to relax your mind, tell yourself you have done more than enough to ace GAMSAT and you have to now tabulate all information that you had overloaded your brain with. Tabulating helps you remember the general structure of all that you have studied for the last many GAMSAT preparing months.

Tabulate your Information

So, what is tabulating the information? It is simply simplifying the difficult and rigorous concepts and theories that you have already studied for GAMSAT humanities and science. This can be in the form of charts and tables, flowcharts, and even flashcards. These are small stuff that helps you recall and revise all subjects that you crammed during your extensive GAMSAT preparation days. The best thing about tabulation is that a 4000 page book can be shortened to a 40 page note that will help you remember almost everything. But beware, the 40 page note will only help you if you have already read through and understood the 4000 page book.

Let me give you an example of how tabulation looks like. For example, you need to learn the fate of erythrocytes after its 120 days of life in the circulatory system. If you pick up a biochemistry book to read this part it might take up around 2 to 4 hours of your time, depending upon your reading and comprehending skills to understand the concept etc. You can shorten this time to only 10 to 15 minutes and still understand as much. Read on to know how you do it.

Examples of Tabulation

Since you don’t have much time to go through the book, use the internet. Here are two results I would like to share with you which will give you an idea of an easy and an advanced flowchart for the fate of the red blood cells.

Here’s the easy one-

• Erythrocytes die after about 120 day and are the removed in the liver.
• The Kupffer cells( phagocytic cells) found within the lumen of the sinusoid engulf the erythrocytes and release the haemoglobin to the hepatocytes.
• Haemoglobin is broken down in the Kupffer cell to form haem and globin groups.
• The protein globin group is hydrolysed by peptidases in the kupffer cell to amino acids which are either used in protein synthesis or they are metabolised.
• The haem group is broken down to remove the inorganic group, Iron which is then stored in the liver.
• Bilirubin the other by-product of haem breakdown has no functional role and is modified by the hepatocytes before being secreted as part of Bile.
• Bilirubin is stored in the gall bladder. After secretion into the duodenum it is modified by bacteria to form Sterobilin that colours faeces.
• Iron is sent to the major bones for the process of haemopoiesis (blood cell formation).

The above figure and notes will help you remember the basic fate of the breakdown of the RBC into haem and globin part. You need to, although, study a little more than this.

Here’s the advanced one-

Source: http://click4biology.info/

This figure shows you both the intravascular and extravascular haemolysis. It also gives you the detailed procedure of breakdown of haemoglobin and yet in less than half a page.

In the similar way you can find compressed information in the table form and you can search for every topic that you have studied. You will find everything that you need. All you need now is to have belief in yourself.

Enjoy the wonders of study in the last few days. Cheers!

GAMSAT Workshop – GAMSAT Therepy

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