Our Students

Over the last decade we have helped over 2000 students prepare for one of the biggest challenges of their lives, GAMSAT.  We have never ceased to be amazed by their tenacity, dedication and desire to achieve.  For many, despite working full-time in demanding environments and juggling other commitments, the goal of entering medical school remains at the forefront of their focus.  It is this resolute approach combined with our specialist skills and teaching that has provided the successful structure for so many to fulfill their goal and potential. 

 
SOME COMMENTS FROM OUR STUDENTS ….

Absolutely delighted!   Got 69 ………  In order of sections 57, 73, 72.  Fingers crossed for the unis now!  Really glad I did your course;

Alanna James, London, GAMSAT score 69

“The Gradmed courses for the science sections of GAMSAT provided real help in bringing me up to speed on the Biology and Chemistry knowledge and understanding required for the exam, and in preparing me for the experience of the exam itself.   Without it, I would have struggled to cover the relevant material in time for the exam and am sure that I would have done much less well in the exam itself.  I am sure that it was much more beneficial than A-Level type study would have been. The quality of teaching was excellent, as was the awareness of what was important to learn in context of GAMSAT”
 
“Even a year later, the notes I took and the knowledge stored from the course stood me in good stead for retaking the exam, even with minimal revision.

In Jan 2003: my results were: Section 1: 76, Section 2: 78, Section 3: 100
In Jan 2004: my results were: Section 1: 77, Section 2: 74, Section 3: 85”

Rob, London, GAMSAT score 86

One year has passed since I did your course and sat the Gamsat in London. I am delighted to inform you that I got 60 in my Gamsat which allowed me to get my first choice in my application to the Graduate Irish Medical schools, the University of Limerick.

I wish to thank all your staff for helping me get where I am. Vic, Los, Rob, James and the inorganic chemistry teacher that supports Norwich of which whose name I can't recall were all great in what they taught me and how they guided me throughout the summer of 2009. If you could send on my message of thanks to the lads it would be great. They probably don't remember me but I was one of the Irish guys who had bags around his eyes during the classes due to commuting from Ireland for most of the summer.

Thanks very much for guiding me to Medical school.

Patrick Carroll,  GAMSAT score 60

Having done a lot of research into what my options were in terms of preparing for GAMSAT, I decided to go with Gradmed.  At first I was worried due to the amount of different courses on offer. But in the end I was blown away by how good the course was with Gradmed. The course is well thought out and excellently taught.  Don't expect to relax much on the course....
I had no science background and scored 67.  What can I say - I genuinely believe the quality of the course led ultimately to getting the result I needed. And hey, I start medical school in September.   Dissection here I come....... I can't wait.

Paddy Mitton, London, GAMSAT score 67

Well our GAMSAT results came out today – and just wanted to pass along the good news …….  got an overall score of 80!!!  I took your intensive review course, and thought it was fantastic!  If anyone asks my advice on how to get through the GAMSAT – I will definitely point them in your direction.  Thank you again for a great course!!

Dr Kristin Haga, Edinburgh, GAMSAT score 80

The course run by GRADMED was excellent.  The subject matter was relevant and delivered in a very professional way, and I feel quite sure that the course played a strong part in helping me to pass GAMSAT and subsequently receive an offer of a place on a graduate entry programme in medicine.  Furthermore, I feel that the science content of the course will continue to prove useful throughout my year at medical school.

John Crawshaw, London, GAMSAT score 65

HI Los, I took your full prep course for the 2010 Dublin Gamsat sitting and wanted to say a massive thank you for your direction in Section II.  I got 63 in Section I, 72 in Section II and 73 in Section III (70 overall) and am delighted with the marks.  I did exactly what you said in terms of structuring and it paid off massively.  Prior to the course and having read so many “template gamsat answers” I found myself “dumbing down” my work in an attempt to fit their style.  Not only were they all similar they were all immensely boring.  Your style, to be honest, was a little unnerving initially as it was completely different but the idea of bringing the idea for a walk and working around the quote resulted in a far more varied and interesting selection of essays!

For Section A I responded to “The internet is the biggest risk to community (sic.)” and for Section B I responded to “How you see yourself is more important than how others see you (sic.)” which started off with a rather long piece of prose about going to see the play “No Exit”…which of course I have never actually seen; I would never have attempted the anecdotal style were it not for the course. 

Apart from your class being great craic and a brilliant experience, I am certain that I would have completely hit a wall on the day without it! 

Cheers again and all the best in the future,

Dave Weir, Dublin, GAMSAT score 70

As an arts graduate, it was a lifetime since I had studied science when I went to my first GradMed class.  By the end of the day we were solving problems in organic chemistry that, we were told, would trouble second year undergraduates.

Four months later, with the syllabus complete and a full mock exam and plenty of sample papers under my belt, I felt better prepared for GAMSAT than I could ever have been studying by myself.

Andrew Morris, London, GAMSAT score 64

'Thank you again for all your help and encouragement, I really couldn't have done it without Gradmed.'

Annika Ryberg, London, GAMSAT score 65

Just to say a huge thank you for such a great course.  I managed to do really well in GAMSAT (66, 67, 81 – 74 overall) and I am sure that a large part of that was down to your course.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the course – the teaching standard was exceptionally high with all the teachers (especially the guy we had for organic chemistry – my personal nemesis) were amazing giving clear and interesting sessions with great notes to revise from.  The class sizes were also great with just enough people to get some good interaction and not so many that we felt negelected!

Megan Turner, Reading, GAMSAT score 74

With a background in Modern Languages and Business, I was not sure that it was ever going to be possible to achieve my goal of becoming a Doctor.  However, at 33 I started my training at Nottingham University in September 2004.  Passing GAMSAT allowed me the opportunity that I needed.  I attribute my success at GAMSAT to the excellent quality of the GRADMED courses. 

The quality of the teaching was uniformly excellent in spite of the vast amount of material covered in a short (but very intense!) period of time, not only in the sciences but also in verbal reasoning and written communications.  A great experience all round!

Jo Richardson, London, GAMSAT score 62

My name is Louise O'Rourke and I was one of your students on the Dublin course last March. I am finally emailing you to thank you most sincerely for all your work with me.

First of all, I got a score of 58 and have been offered a place with University of Limerick- I am beside myself with joy. As corny as it sounds it is all my dreams come true.

I did say to to myself though, that even if I was never offered a place, I knew that I would always be so grateful to myself for doing the Gradmed course for so so many reasons: having had a weak science background, I finished the course with an extremely strong one; the calibre of lecturers was OUTSTANDING, you were absolutely brilliant, every single class was exhilarating, Los, Paul, James, Rob, Vic, you are legends!! Vic, you even made physics interesting which is a miracle in itself for me, physics has always been my demon! Each lecturers passion for the subject was contagious and made me feel that I could really do it, and lets face it, Gamsat is primarily a psychological game, anything you can do to increase your confidence is incredibly valuable. I met the most amazing class of people that I have ever met in any educational setting- if my class is half as wonderful as my gradmed class I will be doing good. And finally to Marea who towed me through the whole experience, and supported me so much before the course, I cannot thank you enough, and I cannot articute how much that meant to me.

Louise O’Rourke, Cork, GAMSAT score 58

The hard work and non-stop weekends have been worth it, please thank all the tutors for their excellent teaching.  I don’t think I could have got there without you.

Marie O’Brien, Belfast, GAMSAT score 69

Thanks very much for all your help, I couldn't have done it without you.  Please also pass on my thanks to the lecturers, who were excellent.

Jonathan Emett, Sherborne, GAMSAT score 67

I'd just like to thank you and all of the tutors that organized the intensive GAMSAT revision course in Dublin in February.

I have just got my results and I've been accepted into the University of Limerick Graduate program. Your courses were excellently organized and coordinated, the tutors were extremely helpful and knowledgeable and told you exactly what you need to know. The venue and general atmosphere was perfect.

The best thing however about Gradmed is the quality of your notes, there are easy to use, perfect for grasping key concepts and ultimately invaluable to anybody considering doing the GAMSAT exam. I can honestly say that the course fee, although expensive, was the best money I have ever spent.

Again my sincerest thanks,

Brian Forrestal, Dublin

I just wanted to thank you for all the help and support you offered this year.  A big thank you to Los - who with his inspiration made me score highly in the one section I was dreading the most.  Without gradmed i don’t think I would have secured a place on the graduate course this year.

Manveer Basati, London, GAMSAT score 71

GradMed gives you the best chance of passing the GAMSAT. The lecturers really know their stuff and the material covers all the facts you need to know.  It is definitely possible to work full time and pass the exam with this course.

Also, despite working full time, I found that giving up my weekends wasn't that hard, the courses were interesting and the lecturers kept you involved.  All in all a first class training course.

Mike Jewell, London, GAMSAT score 65

A big thanks to all at Gradmed for your help I am convinced that without the courses I would have been flailing in the dark!  I think that the course content was spot on and meeting all the other guys gave me the confidence that I was not making a big mistake by taking this leap of faith late in life. So a big thanks for helping the dream become reality.

Jon Davies, Truro, GAMSAT score 69

It is hard to put into words exactly how brilliant your course is and how fantastic the teaching and advice has been ………  I really loved my weekends in London in class, making friends and learning at a rate that I did not think would be possible, thanks to the inspirational teaching of Rob, Paul and James.  Not only were they extremely clear and thorough, but also they struck a balance between packing several months of concepts into a few days, and catering for the needs of all the members of the class.   Collectively they did three huge things for me.  By bringing science alive and always relating it to medicine, they gave me the confidence in interview to talk knowledgably about scientific matters.  Then, they gave me the confidence to develop a strategy for the exam which allowed me to use my knowledge to tackle questions in unfamiliar areas of science – the very heart of     GAMSAT exam.  Thirdly, they covered 90% of my Scottish Highers in Chemistry and Human Biology in 12 days! 

Nick Ord, Edinburgh, GAMSAT score 65

The Chemistry course was excellent, very comprehensive.  It took me from GCSE level to a good GAMSAT score in 6 sessions.  he interview practice was well worth the money, the feedback was detailed from an experienced university interviewer and gave me a constructive way to focus my preparation.

Paul Whitelegg, London, GAMSAT score 68

I'd heard of several courses offering teaching to prepare graduates for GAMSAT, and now being the other side of the gauntlet, there are 3 points worth noting:
1 Gradmed may be quite expensive but it's worth every penny, especially so if you have no science          background. The teaching is absolutely first rate.
2. Meeting with others suffering the same pressures as yourself is priceless.  The mutual support and networking is valuable on so many levels and lasts well after GAMSAT is a distant memory.
3. I simply could not have passed GAMSAT without the strategic information and examination insights that support the comprehensive teaching syllabus at Gradmed.  Personally I do not see this as an optional extra, but an essential component to becoming fully prepared for the exam.

David Worley, Stanstead Abbots, GAMSAT score 70

My name is Hideyuki Baba and I took the intensive GAMSAT revision course last summer (2007).  I now have a place to study medicine at St George’s University of London and I want thank everyone at GRADMED for the excellent revision course.

Hideyuki Baba, Bucks, GAMSAT Score 62

I would honestly say I don’t think I would be here without Marea and GRADMED.  The teaching is very specific and by the time you have finished classes I would say GRADMED have somehow managed to teach you how to think differently which is what you will need to pass GAMSAT.  I got 79 in the essay paper …….. 85% of which is totally due down to the Humanities teacher, Los …. I haven’t ever had such inspiration from someone teaching me ….. In fact, I want to now take writing classes and start writing short stories etc … all down to Los.  The style and caliber of the chemistry teaching was superb …….  All in all I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend GRADMED,  I am so glad they were around when I applied as I, like so many others would have been studying hard, probably wasting time with so much irrelevant material etc.  Somehow they really “teach” you the topics you will need that you don’t find in books, how to the approach the GAMSAT questions and are always on hand to answer questions you may have after classes.

Deepali Misra-Sharp, Derby, GAMSAT score 79

 Just to let you know my scores 68 – 87 – 60 with a raw score of 68.  The intensive course was one of the finest revision courses I have ever done.  I came from a point of Year 5 level science ie. there were children in my wife’s primary school that had a deeper understanding of the sciences than me; which highlights how much support you have afforded. 

All the tutors were first class; special mention goes to Vic who I know only came into the fold last year and has made such a huge effort to grasp the idiosyncrasies of GAMSAT.  The notes you give out are excellent and I will look to keep them as I know they will be my first port of call if I manage to crack the next stage of the selection process.  I think my score in paper 2 says all it needs to say about Loz’s essay writing technique. 

I am sure you are getting hundreds of emails similar to this one, which must make you deservedly very proud for creating such a high quality offering.  If you do have anyone that is a total non-science student with less than 13 weeks to go; drop them my email and I would be happy to share my experiences.

Jez Hunter, Cornwall, GAMSAT score 68

I found the course to be invaluable and would not have passed the exam without it.

Clare Atherton, Nottingham, GAMSAT score 67

Just wanted to say big thanks to you and all the lecturers, especially to Rob, Vic and James.  Los’ harsh comments on my essays brought me down to earth which made me practice essay writing a lot, hence my best score was for section II (71).  My overall score was 63 (57, 71, 61).  I found section I the most difficult even when practicing at home.  But I was very surprised by my result in section III – I ran out of time, so had to guess 30 questions (literally just randomly ticking boxes in the answer sheet)!

Taking into account my cultural and academic backgrounds, I still can’t believe I passed GAMSAT.  Subsequently I got 2 interviews with Nottingham and St George’s, both medical schools came back with offers.  As I said to Marea, I couldn’t have done it without the Gradmed course.  My science knowledge was pretty much non-existent plus English is not my mother tongue.  The lecturers were fantastic, extremely knowledgeable and very helpful.

Marea was also very helpful, encouraging us to persevere and providing the necessary reassurance, especially at the end of the course (when we were so demoralized by the complexity of the Mock exam questions).

So thank you again for the fantastic course, I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.

Oksana Conway, Reading GAMSAT score 63

I took the GradMed courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for Science and am very pleased to say that my overall score was 62 and my score for the science section was 61 – which, with nothing but a GCSE in science to my name, was something I did not think possible at the beginning of the summer!  Thank you to all at GradMed, especially the fantastic science teachers for their endless enthusiasm.

Lucy Murphy, Lincs, GAMSAT score 62

I scored 63 in my GAMSAT and I received an offer from Peninsula medical school.  I am also on a reserve list elsewhere. 

I owe my good score in the GAMSAT to the excellence of the Gradmed course.  I traveled down from Scotland 3 weekends in a row to attend the course and it was definitely worth the time and the money.

Jenny Clark, Edinburgh, GAMSAT score 63

Please pass on my thanks to all the tutors: Loz, Rob, Vic and James.  I got 62 or 63 (depending on calculations) overall, so I am eligible for an interview at St Georges, my first choice. 
 
It was my first attempt at the exam and I haven't got a Science background.
 
Julie Kermorgant, Bucks, GAMSAT score 63

I scored 70 (67/79/66) on the GAMSAT and have accepted an offer from St George’s.  I felt your courses were excellent so I’m very happy to give feedback.

Having not done any science for 25 years (A levels in 1881!!!) I could not have passed GAMSAT science paper without the Gradmed courses I went on.  I found out about, and started studying for the GAMSAT in July 2007 with only two months to prepare.  I booked on as many of the science revision weekends as possible but had to miss a couple because of holidays.  For those I couldn’t attend I arranged individual tutoring with the Gradmed tutors concerned (James and Vic) who were excellent.  I could not have organized my revision to pass the test without the focused approach of your courses and the way they were tailored to passing this unique test.  Also there were so many things the tutors had to explain to me (sometimes several times over!) that you just couldn’t get from studying books.  I was delighted with the course and would recommend it to anyone.  Even though it costs a lot and this might be an obstacle for some people I fell that in the long run, if it increases your chances of getting on with your medical career its still good value for money.

Sarah Gledhill, Surrey, GAMSAT score 70

I have been meaning to get in contact with you guys to thank you for all of your invaluable help with not only the GAMSAT but also what I would call ‘after care’.  As this was the first time I had sat GAMSAT or anything of its kind I was overjoyed to have got a score of 62 which meant I was able to get offers for interview for all my choices (Nottingham, St George’s and Peninsula).  As it turns out I received offers from Nottingham and St Georges (my preferred choices) before my interview for Peninsula and so withdrew my application there.

I am currently looking forward to starting medical school in Nottingham in September and am in no doubt that a large part of my good fortune is down to the GRADMED team, and as such have been a large advocate of yours when encouraging friends who wish to sit GAMSAT in the coming years.

I cannot stress my gratitude to you all enough for your help and support through what has been a very stressful but ultimately rewarding time and I shall continue to express that to others.

Martha Berhanu, Oxon, GAMSAT score 62

I have received an offer, I am happy to say I start at Nottingham in September.  As for the marks  - my average was 67.  I have to admit that I found the GAMSAT test itself a total nightmare  and was convinced I had failed.  However, I am aware there is no way that I would have any kind of chance without the prep course and will be eternally grateful to the tutors and to all of your for your support.  I can’t recommend it highly enough ……. I also found the practice interview very helpful as it made the day itself less nerve wracking as I had an idea of what to expect.

Again, thanks to you all and expecially to Maria for being the ear on the end of the phone when needed.

Charlie Andrews, London, GAMSAT score 67

I can only say thank you so much, from no science to a gamsat score of 67, fantastic!

Jo McArthy, Dublin, GAMSAT score 67

i had a score of 64. i'm delighted with it as i only decided to do the exam 7 weeks before i sat it. i did law as my primary degree and hadn't studied science since school (much less comprehensively covered in ireland, where i went to school, than for a levels). i'm applying to ucd and rcsi where the gamsat scores for entrance last year were 59 and 57 respectively as far as i know. RCSI is my first choice and as they feel i have a comfortable score i am meeting with someone from the college to see the GEP facilities and meet some current students.
i genuinely believe that i wouldn't have achieved anywhere near the score i did without your course, the chemistry and biology in particular. i found it hugely helpful and i thought that the exam focused approach of all the lecturers was key in helping me achieve my score.

Emma Carmody, Cork, GAMSAT score 64

I hadn't applied to university as as a non-science graduate (no science A levels and a law degree!) I was concerned that I wouldn't pass GAMSAT and would need a couple of attempts, so am thrilled!
I intend to spend this year doing loads of work experience and apply next year, ideally getting a place at St Georges.
Many thanks for all you help - I couldn't have done it without you!

Rachael Stray, London, GAMSAT score 61

I definitely could not have done the exam without the knowledge and confidence and practice your course gave me.

Nell Freeman, London, GAMSAT score 70

I got my results the other week and managed to do really well – 82 overall incl. 86 in science!  I just wanted to say thank you for all the help you gave and for your excellent lessons.

Anureet Johal, London, GASMAT score 82

Just wanted to let you know I got my score today and I got 67 (65, 65 & 68).  It was the 92nd percentile so I am obviously very pleased.   Please thank all the tutors for me.  They were definitely one of the best tutors I have had in my life – and I have studied a long time and in different countries.    Vic gets a special mention, though I love Physics anyway.  Chemistry was tough but I think the way we did it in class was the best way to go about it.  Bio was good too and the essay writing practices were useful.  
All the best for the future with GRADMED – thank goodness you guys exist!

Yuki Kubota, London, GAMSAT score 67

I found the course over the Summer TRULY BRILLIANT.  I really can not say how much the grad med course did for me – I enjoyed every moment of it – the teaching was great – truly inspirational – thank you all so much.

Lucy Sheppard, London, GAMSAT score 60

Hello to everyone at GradMed,
 
I just wanted to email and let you know the good news that I got a score of 68 in September's Gamsat exam. I am over the moon and want to send an enormous thank you for all your help. Before this summer I hadn't looked at any science since GCSE, so I'm amazed at how much I learnt and in such a short time. Not only that but I really enjoyed the course, all the science teachers are fantastic; it was a feast for the mind.
 
I hope you are all well and I will be recommending GradMed to everyone I can.
 
Thanks again,
 
Esther Lousada, London, GAMSAT score 68