We can spend a lot of time thinking about the importance of the GAMSAT® Exam. Yet as outlined in the blog post about entry requirements to Australian graduate medical schools, in fact the admissions criteria for most medical schools mean that your GPA is either just as important or actually more important than your GAMSAT® result! The best resource for all GEMSAS medical school application questions is the officialGEMSAS guide, particularly in view of the many details associated with GPA calculations and recent changes to admissions protocols. Instead, this blog is aimed to answer one simple but tricky question – what should you do if you’ve got an underwhelming GPA? GAMSAT only schools There is only one medical school left that uses GAMSAT® alone (no GPA) to rank you for interviews and offers of a place – USyd. However, you still need to have the minimum required GPA to apply which is usually around a credit average (>5), and your GPA may still be used as a tiebreaker if required. Also, by virtue of these schools being GAMSAT®-only, the cut-off score is very high and seems to be creeping up every year (most people applying to these schools won’t breathe easy until they’ve got a GAMSAT® of 70+). This is the case for most medical schools, and includes: ANU, Deakin, Griffith, Macquarie, UniMelb, UQ, UWA and Flinders. Since the GPA is measured over a smaller scale than GAMSAT®, a higher GPA is generally more beneficial to your combination score than a higher GAMSAT®. The exact GPA requirement is not made available by the universities, but in general, if your GPA isn’t competitive (>6) then you will probably struggle to secure an interview. This is a tough one. If your GPA is already locked in and you’re below the minimum required GPA or you know your combination score is well below prior year cut-offs, I would firstly say try to improve your GAMSAT® score and also to consider a portfolio school. Remembering the earlier formula, if you were able to improve your GAMSAT® by 10 points, which may be achievable with increased preparation (and some luck on the day!), that would be equivalent to improving your GPA by 0.7. Considering the equivalent improvement would be from a GPA of 6 to a GPA of 6.7 (a major rise!), this improved GAMSAT® is perhaps a more achievable way to boost your combination score than via a focus on GPA alone: try playing around with a GPA calculator to figure out how much one really good semester will impact your GPA (short answer – often not a lot)! You can start your GAMSAT® preparation off on the right foot by signing up for GradReady’s GAMSAT Free Trial, which includes 50 MCQs from our Intelligent MCQ Bank, access to our week-by-week study guide for each section, and a wealth of our GAMSAT resources. But unfortunately for some, improving your GAMSAT® still won’t result in an interview. If that’s the case, and you still want to study graduate medicine, then you will need to boost your GPA, and this means further tertiary study. For medical schools that consider postgraduate study in GPA calculations (UQ, Griffith, ANU and UWA), you could enrol in a Masters by Coursework. If an Honours year to continue your bachelor study is an option, that can be an excellent way of boosting your GPA. All first-class results in first semester of Honours (generally a few coursework subjects, with your thesis or final assessment not yet completed until second semester) counts as a perfect GPA and is extrapolated to cover for the whole year, which is generally triple weighted accounting for 50% of total GPA calculation! Furthermore, the earlier years of study will count for less, with your second and third year (assuming Honours is your fourth year of study) will be weighted x1 and x2 instead of x2 and x3 in the standard GPA calculation, and your first-year marks being removed entirely! As such, doing well in an Honours year can boost even the lowliest GPA into a competitive range. For more information, check out our article on What are My Options for Studying Medicine If I Have a Low GPA? For others who are not eligible for Honours, your best option to boost GPA is to complete another Bachelor’s degree. The good news is that lots of institutions offer some great distance options, and you can study anything! Indeed, the GEMSAS admissions guide specifically emphasises that “a science major is not a prerequisite, and that academic excellence in other areas, such as the humanities and social sciences, is encouraged and recognised.” Most people consider degrees that will allow them to study certain biomedical science subjects (either to help with GAMSAT Section 3 or to satisfy prerequisites for UMelb/Monash) but don’t forget that the whole point is to boost your GPA so if you love humanities and know that you can excel at an Arts degree, then go with that! Futhermore, for future admission into medicine, some universities look especially favourably upon further study such as a Master’s degree or PhD. For instance, UWA will apply a bonus of 0.2 to your GPA if you have completed a Master’s, while UWA and Griffith will give an automatic GPA of 7.0 if you have completed a PhD! Details of the use of postgraduate study in GPA calculation is available in the FAQs section of theGEMSAS guide. Check out our Definitive Guide to GAMSAT Results to learn more about what GAMSAT® score you should aim for or what your score means. And of course, read theGEMSAS guide carefully (and USyd/Flinders direct application information), as well as the specific information relating to your schools. In summary, the best way to boost the competitiveness of your application is to be strategic above putting in even more work which may not be as high yield. If GPA is not your strong suit, consider medical schools where this is less important (or is just a hurdle requirement) than other rankings like the GAMSAT® or portfolio. Also be tactical with improving your GPA, not only focusing on this throughout your ongoing study, but also in choosing subjects that may best permit this into the future. Consider further study, especially an Honours year. Once you have passed the GPA hurdle, also consider improving your GAMSAT to boost your combined ranking score for your medical school application. Check out our page onHow to Prepare for the GAMSAT for useful tips & advice.How do Australian medical schools treat your GPA?
GAMSAT + GPA schools
Check with your individual school, but generally applicants are ranked using a combination of GAMSAT® and GPA per the following formula which weighs both scores equally:GAMSAT + GPA + Portfolio schools
There is also the option of a portfolio school such as Notre Dame Fremantle, Notre Dame and Wollongong (which also has a hurdle requirement, the CASPer). For schools such as Sydney University, a GPA of 5.0 is used as a cutoff for applications to be made. Even then, the average GPA for these schools seems to be quite high because they do expect a variety of achievements (including academic). So, unfortunately, a low GPA is often the Achilles heel of the medical school application.How to boost your GPA
For those still completing their degree
The obvious answer is to try and do better in your subjects. But apart from simply putting in more effort and working even harder, it may also be worth thinking about whether you can be a little more strategic with your subject choices for next semester. If you’re not bound to core subjects, what about taking some more cruisy ones? While that may sound like a cop-out, if it means you’re more likely to walk away with a better GPA, then why not? Talk to students in your degree and see if there are some lighter courses that students busy with other commitments tend to take on. Have a think about what the assessment methods are like – do you do better with mostly assignments or exams? Group assignments or individual oral presentations? Take home exams or open book? Read carefully through the course descriptions and consider what would work best for you and your learning style. Taking on lighter courses may have added benefits because it will also allow you more time to focus on your more difficult courses or to prepare for a repeat attempt at the GAMSAT®.For those who finished their degree
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FAQs
Boosting your GPA for Medical School Applications? ›
If possible, improve your GPA.
Is 3.7 a bad GPA for med school? ›Is a 3.7 GPA too low for medical school? A GPA of 3.7 is far from low and is generally competitive for many medical schools. Remember that medical schools assess various elements of your application, including your MCAT score, extracurriculars, and personal qualities.
Can a 3.5 GPA get into medical school? ›Though a 3.5 GPA is not particularly competitive for medical school, you still have a chance at getting into a good medical school, given that you pay keen attention to the rest of your med school application.
Is a 3.2 GPA good for med school? ›While you can get into medical school without having a 4.0, you will at least need to meet the minimum requirements. Most medical schools have a strict minimum requirement of at least a 3.0 GPA. This means that your application will typically not even be considered if you have less than a 3.0.
Is a 3.87 GPA good for med school? ›At MedEdits, we recommend earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher to be competitive for allopathic and osteopathic medical schools, however, depending on other factors, you can be successful with a GPA lower than this.
Can I get into Harvard Med with a 3.8 GPA? ›If your MCAT and GPA are excellent (517 and 3.8 or higher) or there are other extenuating circ*mstances about your background that distinguish you, try applying. Many people in medicine consider HMS the best medical school in the country so do what is within your control to make yourself a competitive applicant!
Is a 3.4 GPA too low for medical school? ›Only about 30% of all applicants who have a GPA between 3.4 and 3.6 get accepted into a medical school. In other words, 70% of applicants who have a GPA between 3.4 and 3.6 do not get into a single medical school.
What is the lowest GPA accepted to Harvard medical school? ›A 3.8 at Stanford or Duke is as good as a 4.0 from a state university- probably better. While Harvard Medical School is highly competitive, the lowest GPA accepted tends to be around 3.0. However, this can fluctuate from year to year based on the applicant pool and other factors.
How to boost GPA for medical school? ›- If your GPA is very low, you might consider spending a year or two taking non-degree or post-bac courses (and acing them). ...
- Another way of improving your GPA is by enrolling in a Special Master's Program (SMP). ...
- Consider expanding your school list.
In general, 3.6 or above is a good GPA for med school. A 3.8 GPA is needed to be considered very competitive for med school.
What GPA is too low for med school? ›
What is considered a low GPA for medical school? Many medical schools have a cut-off for GPAs below 3.0. The average GPA at most MD medical schools ranges from about 3.7 to 3.9. The average GPA at most DO medical schools ranges from about 3.4 to 3.6.
Is 25 too old for med school? ›There is technically no age limit for applying to medical school, and your age should not impact your application. As long as you meet the requirements, you can apply to the medical schools of your choice.
What is the lowest MCAT score accepted into medical school? ›The lowest MCAT score accepted by most medical schools in the U.S. and Canada is typically in the range of 490-495. Scores below 490 are rarely, if ever, accepted. It's important to note that while 490-495 is the minimum score accepted, the vast majority of applicants score well above this range.
Is 3.7 competitive for med school? ›In the US, applicants to medical school typically need about a 3.7 undergraduate cGPA, and a 3.8 or higher GPA for the required pre-medical courses. It is wise to have a 509 or higher on the MCAT exam. Some medical schools have slightly lower requirements.
Is 3.8 bad for med school? ›Many admissions officers view a GPA of 3.8 as very competitive, and they like to see at least a GPA of 3.5 or above. These scores will be especially competitive if your major is related to medicine, and it's even better if it's a difficult science major like neuroscience or physics.
How bad is a 3.7 GPA? ›A 3.7 GPA is a Grade Point Average of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale. It indicates that you've earned a predominantly A- average in your courses. A 3.7 GPA is considered to be a very good GPA and is often an indicator of strong academic performance.
Is 3.6 a low GPA for med school? ›In general, 3.6 or above is a good GPA for med school. A 3.8 GPA is needed to be considered very competitive for med school.
Is 3.7 GPA good for law school? ›What is a good GPA for law school applications? Top law schools have candidates with an average GPA of 3.7 or higher. However, a GPA of 3.5 or above with a high LSAT score can land you in a good law school. 5.