Do you make this mistake in your GAMSAT preparation?
I’d like to give you another tip on how to increase your GAMSAT score.
This time it is by taking advantage of the study patterns of your fellow GAMSAT candidates.
- 80% of the time you will wear 20% of your clothes.
- 80% of wealth is owned by 20% of people.
- 80% of your GAMSAT score will come from 20% of your study.
It is not the quantity of study you do that will determine your success in the GAMSAT. This is known as the Pareto Principle or commonly known as the 80/20 rule. It has applications in nearly every area where input determines output, from agriculture to the stock market, and it does apply to GAMSAT preparation as well.
The Pareto Principle illustrates a very important point; 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. The trick of course is to identify which 20% of your efforts is producing results.
A dirty little secret of GAMSAT preparation, 80% of people are spending 80% of their time on Section III study.
Here are the reasons why;
1. Section III is considered “harder” so people tend to prioritize it, and leave Section I & II till “later”. Of course “later” usually means the last two weeks before the GAMSAT when you are trying to cram everything, and where training is the least effective.
2. Sections I & II are considered “easier” and therefore less effort is needed.
3. Section I & II skills are considered more “innate” and “natural” and therefore harder to study for.
4. Section II is harder to measure your progress on, since you cannot mark it yourself.
5. Everyone else is studying for Section III, I need to focus on it just to keep up!
Here is the formula for your GAMSAT score straight from the ACER website;
GAMSAT Score = (1 × Section I + 1 × Section II + 2 × Section III) ÷ 4.
Section III is only 50% of your overall GAMSAT score.
Let me ask you a question, how much of your time are you spending on Section III study?
If you are like most people, you are slaving away between 80%-90% of your time on Section III study. If you’ve read my GAMSAT 2009 special report, you will know that the key to a great GAMSAT score is by training and not by studying(get the report here). The simple fact is that the incremental cost in improving your score in Section III is incredibly arduous, it is simply the law of diminishing returns. Because everyone else is also spending 80%-90% of their time on Section III study, the battleground is fierce.
Compared to the bruising battleground that is Section III, most candidates IGNORE preparation for HALF the GAMSAT. The improvements you can make to your GAMSAT score in Section I and particularly Section II are MUCH higher per hour of study than Section III.
In fact, for Section II alone, I would say that any time you spend in this area will be consistently the most effective use of your time in improving your overall GAMSAT score. Unlike Section I & III, it is extremely hard for you to “mark” your own essays. That’s why Section II is ignored by 90% of candidates until some desperate last minute cramming before the GAMSAT.
The secret is that with a consistent and well planned Section II study plan, there is no easier marks to be had in increasing your GAMSAT score, because so many other candidates ignore this section in their preparation.
Now I am not advocating that you ignore preparation for Section III, far from it. In fact the majority of The Guru Method is focused on training you for Section III. But the simple fact of the matter is that with just a little focus and time you can dramatically improve your Section II mark way ahead of the pack.
In fact, I feel so strongly about this that for the first time ever I am including in The Guru Method 2009 Edition a Section II Essay Coaching Program. I’ve never done this before because of the big time commitment it will mean for me, but I’ve made my mind up. I honestly feel like this is probably the most “bang for buck” use of time in anyone’s GAMSAT preparation. I will let you know details of this program closer to launch date.
Let me know in the comments if you have found this tip useful. If you haven’t submitted an entry to my contest to grab a free copy of The Guru Method 2009 edition, then you can still enter by click on this link.
Michael Tan