The Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test was introduced to the UK by St George`s Hospital Medical School in 1999, and is now used by Nottingham, Swansea, Keele and Peninsula medical schools. Peninsula is unique as it offered the UK’s first graduate entry programme for dentistry, for which GAMSAT is part of the admissions criteria. The test was initially pioneered and used in Australia 1996 by four medical schools offering graduate-entry programmes. The role of GAMSAT is to assist in the selection criteria primarily for students who are applying to study medicine on the new fast-track graduate-entry programmes. Peninsula is the only medical school to use the test as part of its criteria for certain applicants to its five-year course.

It is a test that draws upon wide-ranging content requiring a general knowledge base that manifests a broad spectrum of skills and aptitudes. Whilst GAMSAT is predominantly multiple-choice based, it places great emphasis on reasoning ability and critical thinking. It effectively gives a 360 degree overview of ability to master information adeptly and select relevant responses within a limited time frame. It actively encourages a lateral thinking approach, thinking 'outside of the box' and exploration of wider parameters in achieving solutions. After all, the study and practice of medicine demands the ability to sift through, interpret and make swift judgements from ever-increasing quantities of information and data. The art of mental juggling is one that doctors perfect, and dealing with the rigours of GAMSAT is certainly an introduction to this skill.

The ability to apply conceptual thought to a broad arena of issues and reason the optimum response within pressurised time constraints is at the core of the test`s requirements. A base of scientific knowledge is necessary in order to understand two things. First of all, the scenarios under question and secondly, the terminology, its meaning and application. Once a sufficient background has been acquired, then a combination of thought processes should be able to determine the most appropriate response. It isn`t always black and white, in fact, it is often the reverse. But it is that ability to sort through the shades of grey with relative speed that leads to a successful outcome.

Medicine today has evolved significantly from a tripartite aspect: technological, scientific and communication perspectives. The all-round holistic approach towards health and well-being has instigated a much more preventative approach. Patients are much more aware of health issues and are much more likely to want to be part of the process and understand what they are facing. Changes in the way in which society responds to medicine and the publication of 'Tomorrow`s Doctors' in 1993, have resulted in medical schools making significant changes to both the clinical and communication aspects of their courses.

In some ways, the use of GAMSAT has helped to instigate what could be deemed a mini revolution in medical training, as it has enabled non-traditional students to study medicine for the first time.