Useful Resources

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Section 14: Useful Resources

Embarking on the medical admissions journey and the subsequent medical training is much easier when you know where to find help and information. Below is a curated list of useful resources – from official websites to student forums – that can guide you at each step. These resources include information on admissions requirements, study aids for tests, and support networks for prospective and current medical students.

Official Websites for Admissions and Testing:

• UCAT ANZ Official Website: The first stop for UCAT info – contains test format details, key dates, and free practice tests¹. (Website: ucat.edu.au)
• GAMSAT (ACER) Official Site: Provides the Information Booklet, registration details, and some practice questions². (Website: gamsat.acer.org)
• GEMSAS: The Graduate Entry Medical Schools Admissions System site. Has the downloadable admissions guide for each year (e.g., the 2025 guide for 2026 intake) and key dates³. (Website: gemsas.edu.au)
• Tertiary Admissions Centres: UAC (uac.edu.au), VTAC (vtac.edu.au), QTAC, SATAC, etc., for undergrad applications. These often have sections in their guides about applying to medicine and any special procedures.
• University Websites (Faculty of Medicine pages): Always check the specific universities you’re interested in. Key info like entry requirements, how to apply, entry schemes, course outline, fees, etc., are provided. For example, University of Melbourne’s MD page⁴ or UNSW Medicine admissions page⁵. These are considered authoritative for specifics.
• Department of Health – Bonded Medical Program: For those interested in details of bonded places, the Australian Government’s health site explains obligations and has FAQs⁶.
• Australian Medical Council (AMC): For the big picture on accreditation and list of accredited medical schools⁴. Also useful later for information on internship and registration.
• Medical Board of Australia: Not directly for admissions, but they outline the requirements for becoming a registered doctor (which can motivate understanding what med school leads to).

Preparation Resources:

• Official Prep Materials: UCAT Consortium offers free practice exams. ACER sells official GAMSAT practice booklets – those are highly recommended for realistic practice.
• Prep Companies: There are many (MedEntry, Kaplan, Medify for UCAT; GradReady, Gold Standard for GAMSAT, etc.). Their materials can be helpful though they cost. Some offer free trial questions or webinars – use those to supplement. Keep in mind no third-party has the exact exam content, but they can simulate it.
• Books: For UCAT – books like “Get into Medical School – 1250 UCAT Practice Questions” by ISC Medical or Kaplan’s UCAT book can be good for drilling. For GAMSAT – the Griffiths GAMSAT Review or Gold Standard GAMSAT book cover science review and practice.
• Forums for test prep: The r/UCAT and r/GAMSAT subreddits on Reddit have discussions, tips, and people sharing experiences (like how they studied, what scores they got). Just remember everyone’s experience varies. The Student Doctor Network (SDN) has some threads on UCAT/GAMSAT (though SDN is more US-focused).

Information and Support Forums:

• Paging Dr Forum: (pagingdr.net) – A long-running Australian forum for med school applicants and students. It has threads for each application cycle, people sharing advice and stats, discussions of interview questions, etc. It’s a goldmine of local knowledge. You might need to register to see content. Many current med students and junior doctors in Australia contribute there.
• Med Students Online (MSO): (medstudentsonline.com.au) – Another forum that covers Australian and NZ medical schools (for both prospective and current students). Good for asking questions like “What’s it like at X university?” or tips for certain interviews (within allowed limits – they won’t allow sharing of actual confidential interview stations).
• Reddit: Apart from the test subreddits, r/medicalschoolOZ (if it exists) or r/medicalschool (international, but sometimes Aussie threads appear) can have some discussions. Also r/AusEducation or r/ATARNOTES sometimes have threads on undergraduate med admissions.
• Facebook Groups: Some peer-led groups exist (e.g., GAMSAT preparation groups). Once you get into a med school, most classes have a FB group or WhatsApp – so you can join and get info from peers.
• Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA): AMSA (amsa.org.au) is the peak body for med students. Their website has resources on well-being, policy, and they often run events (like conventions, leadership development, etc.). As an applicant, you might find AMSA’s publications on e.g. mental health in med useful to browse. Once in med, AMSA is a great network.
• University-specific student societies: For example, if you’re interested in JCU, look up JCU Medical Students Association – sometimes they have blogs or outreach to prospective students. Similarly, UNSW’s Medsoc, etc. They might share tips or have contacts who can answer questions.

Guides and Books about Medical Career:

• “So You Want to Be a Doctor?” by Kerry Breen et al. – An Australian book that covers medical training and career pathways. Good for understanding what lies beyond med school and could be useful for interview prep (to show you know what being a doctor entails).
• AMC’s “Good Medical Practice” guidelines – relevant later as a med student and doctor, but even as applicant could be insightful to read the professional values expected (communication, ethics)⁷.
• University Course Guides: Many unis publish a PDF or handbook detailing all their medicine admissions info (like the “Entry to Medicine 2025” guide we saw excerpts of⁸). Career advisers in schools often have these. For example, some high school or third-party compiled guides list each med school with requirements side-by-side, which is great for comparison (just ensure it’s updated).

Financial and Logistics:

• StudyAssist (Education Dept) for info on CSP, HELP loans, etc., to understand costs.
• Scholarships databases: Websites like JASON or individual uni scholarship pages list scholarships (some states offer scholarships for rural origin med students, etc.).
• Visas and International info: Department of Home Affairs website for visa requirements if you’re international. The Overseas Students Guide by AMA might also exist with tips for those coming to Australia.

Wellbeing and Mentoring:

• Blackstone/Indigenous Health Student networks: If you are an Indigenous student, AIDA (Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association) is a key resource – they mentor Indigenous med students and have events.
• Rural Clubs: Each med school has a rural health club (e.g., ROUNDS at UNSW, WARRIA at Monash, etc.) which are part of NRHSN (National Rural Health Student Network). Even as an applicant interested in rural medicine, you could reach out to them or see if they do any outreach to schools.
• The University Admission Centre blogs or others: Occasionally, TACs or test websites publish blogs with tips (for example, the MedEntry or other prep sites have blogs discussing changes in UCAT, etc., which can be informative).
• YouTube and Podcasts: There are many med student YouTubers or podcasts where they talk about their experience. E.g., “Subcutaneous” (an Aussie med student podcast), or YouTube channels by Australian med students that give day-in-life, study tips, application advice.

When using resources, always double-check the recency (a forum post from 2017 might be outdated if policies changed). Official sources should be your baseline for factual requirements, while community sources are great for insights, study tips, and moral support.