A big hello to all of our customers and followers. The results for GAMSAT Australia 2012 have been released.
First and foremost, I would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to all of the candidates for this year. Irrespective of your score, I would like to point out that most people who would be doctors don't even make it to sitting the exam. There is real dignity in having tried and been unsuccessful. If your score wasn't what you were hoping for, cut yourself a break and take a moment to be proud of yourself for having simply sat and completed one of the highest stakes exams in the world.
EmergencyOne are in the process of compiling the results of our customers from this year's course. Being a doctor and into evidence based medicine etc etc, it goes without saying that pedalling snake oil is unethical. Evidence based education is much the same. While there are obvious logistical constraints (Ie; placebo controlled RCTs are difficult to administer in this setting and ACER don't participate with preparation service providers) it is our moral obligation to offer a service that we believe to be helpful and to do our best to validate these beliefs. I know that at least one of our participants has scored extremely well and with our customer's permission, we will share these results publicly in due course.
For those of you who have scored well, congratulations! That's the first hurdle down, I'd like to say that you've made it but alas that's not the case. Unfortunately those hurdles will be put in front of you for the rest of your life from now on. I believe I'm up to about 17 exams since the GAMSAT with at least another 4 major formal exams in the next 2 years and likely at least 12 or more in the rest of my career. But enough pessimism! Having succeeded in the GAMSATs is a major achievement and one to be very proud of. It stands you in good stead for the interviews and will hopefully see you on your way to a long and satisfying career. Enjoy your buzz, it's an incredible feeling.
For those of you who didn't score as well as you'd hoped, take solace. As I've said previously, the GAMSAT is one of the highest stakes exams in the world and is designed with the sole purpose of culling potential candidates. Having even sat the exam is an achievement in itself. That being said, you are probably facing many negative feelings right now. I certainly was after being unsuccessful at my first interview attempt (I was wait listed the first time around and didn't get formally rejected until the day after the course started). For me, the epiphany came as I was riding a bus home from the city feeling rather sorry for myself. It dawned on me that this would be the first of many major rejections I would face in my life and career. The road to something great is rarely straight, or as Bob Kelso said 'Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy'. For you, this serves as a fork in the road. Many people will decide that the toll waged by the GAMSAT is not worth the pursuit of the goal. For others, being unsuccessful will steel their resolve. That decision is one that can only be made by each individual. For the former, I wish you all the best in your pursuits. For the latter, I wish you better fortune next year.
But whoever you are and however you fared, GAMSAT 2012 is officially over! I'll be publishing a few posts shortly about selection criteria and making a wise decision for your application as well as preparation for GAMSAT 2013. For those of you interested in the GAMSAT reasoning course, we will be running it again in Adelaide, likely in October 2012 for the early birds and then again in February 2013. We are also hoping to offer an at home pack for international and interstate candidates. This will retail for around the same cost as the live course. You can check out a bit about EmergencyOne at:
www.emergencyone.com.au
Thanks to everyone for their ongoing support of our cause and we look forward to working with you in the future.
