Should I study for GAMSAT or MCAT?

[turrgavi]

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Hello all,

I plan on doing my undergraduate at the University of Queensland (Australia) but I would like to apply to medical school preferably in Canada or the USA.

Do North American medical schools accept the GAMSAT as a viable alternative to the MCAT or should I write the MCAT?

 

[Lawpy]

You should take the MCAT if you want to get into a US medical school. I believe Canada follows the same.

 

[turrgavi]

You should take the MCAT if you want to get into a US medical school. I believe Canada follows the same.

So Canadian and American schools won't even consider the GAMSAT? I'm asking because I would like to be able to apply for both US and Australian schools.

 

[Jepstein30]

This is a question you'll have to do the research on yourself.. check potential schools and their specific policies.

Off the top of my head, I don't recall a single school I looked into accepting any alternatives to the MCAT though. I doubt it.

 

[turrgavi]

This is a question you'll have to do the research on yourself.. check potential schools and their specific policies.

Off the top of my head, I don't recall a single school I looked into accepting any alternatives to the MCAT though. I doubt it.

Okay, will do. Thanks for that.

 

[Lawpy]

So Canadian and American schools won't even consider the GAMSAT? I'm asking because I would like to be able to apply for both US and Australian schools.

No they won't. And you are considered an international applicant at both Canadian and US medical schools so you are expected to be a strong applicant with strong scores.

The MCAT is a requirement to apply and attend a US medical school. I'm pretty sure other countries have their own qualifying exams and it is very unlikely for US medical schools to be so accommodating to these MCAT alternatives for an international applicant.

Furthermore, it is strongly recommended/required to have completed at least 90+ credit worth of coursework at a US university to apply.

Still it doesn't hurt to see the individual school policy but this seems to be the rule.

 

[allantois]

So Canadian and American schools won't even consider the GAMSAT? I'm asking because I would like to be able to apply for both US and Australian schools.

They won't consider foreign coursework either. Also, by the time you are done with med school in Australia, there will be practically no chance of matching in U.S. or Canada as a foreign medical degree recipient.

 

[turrgavi]

By that you mean they won't accept my credits as prerequisite for medical school?

 

[efle]

Hello all,

I plan on doing my undergraduate at the University of Queensland (Australia) but I would like to apply to medical school preferably in Canada or the USA.

Do North American medical schools accept the GAMSAT as a viable alternative to the MCAT or should I write the MCAT?

They won't consider foreign coursework either. Also, I wouldn't go to a medical school abroad if your goal is to practice in U.S./Canada.

This is the important bit. If you take all your science classes in Australia you will not be eligible to apply to US medical schools. If you want to attend medical school in the US, citizenship is not mandatory, but taking the prerequisite coursework at an American university is.

 

[turrgavi]

This is the important bit. If you take all your science classes in Australia you will not be eligible to apply to US medical schools. If you want to attend medical school in the US, citizenship is not mandatory, but taking the prerequisite coursework at an American university is.

Wow, that is a huge factor in my decision. I was completely unaware of that...

Please excuse my ignorance, but in that case, would I have to redo my degree in the US? Or just part of it?

 

[allantois]

Wow, that is a huge factor in my decision. I was completely unaware of that...

Please excuse my ignorance, but in that case, would I have to redo my degree in the US? Or just part of it?

I suppose you are Australian since you said "write" the MCAT 😀

Redoing medical school is complicated because you would have to redo your undergraduate training as well (that's what foreign trained dentists have to go through since foreign dental education is not at all accepted for licensure purposes). But with medical school, you would just have to try to match into a specialty in the U.S. with the education that you have. The problem is that our own medical schools are producing more and more graduates every year effectively diminishing chances of foreign trained physicians to match into residency.

 

[turrgavi]

I suppose you are Australian since you said "write" the MCAT 😀

Redoing medical school is complicated because you would have to redo your undergraduate training as well (that's what foreign trained dentists have to go through since foreign dental education is not at all accepted for licensure purposes). But with medical school, you would just have to try to match into a specialty in the U.S. with the education that you have. The problem is that our own medical schools are producing more and more graduates every year effectively squeezing out foreign trained physicians.

Hahaha I'm actually not Australian, they also give me a hard time for saying "write", when they say "sit".

Okay, I see what you're saying. I may just stick to studying at an Australian university then. I can make these decisions a little later.

 

[vellez]

This is the important bit. If you take all your science classes in Australia you will not be eligible to apply to US medical schools. If you want to attend medical school in the US, citizenship is not mandatory, but taking the prerequisite coursework at an American university is.

**Or Canadian, in many cases. But yeah, this sums it up.

 

[turrgavi]

**Or Canadian, in many cases. But yeah, this sums it up.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[efle]

Wow, that is a huge factor in my decision. I was completely unaware of that...

Please excuse my ignorance, but in that case, would I have to redo my degree in the US? Or just part of it?

You would need to retake all coursework required for each school you apply to. At a minimum to be eligible for most schools in ~4 years this would be a full year each of chemistry, biology, physics, organic chemistry, English, and mathematics, plus a semester of biochemistry and likely psychology and sociology. You could technically do it as a post-bacc but that's a solid 2+ years to redo.

Basically if you want to go US MD you need to go US college.

 

[turrgavi]

You would need to retake all coursework required for each school you apply to. At a minimum to be eligible for most schools in ~4 years this would be a full year each of chemistry, biology, physics, organic chemistry, English, and mathematics, plus a semester of biochemistry and likely psychology and sociology. You could technically do it as a post-bacc but that's a solid 2+ years to redo.

Basically if you want to go US MD you need to go US college.

Okay, thank you 🙂

Is MBBS recognised in the US? Or do I need an MD qualification?

 

[allantois]

Okay, thank you 🙂

Is MBBS recognised in the US? Or do I need an MD qualification?

Check this directory:

http://www.mbc.ca.gov/applicant/schools_recognized.html

As long as your medical degree (an MD/MBBS/whatever other letter combination) is from one of those institutions, then it is recognized.

 

[turrgavi]

Check this directory:

http://www.mbc.ca.gov/applicant/schools_recognized.html

As long as your medical degree (an MD/MBBS/whatever other letter combination) is from one of those institutions, then it is recognized.

Fantastic, I'll take a look at that!

 

[efle]

Fantastic, I'll take a look at that!

Be aware that international med graduates have a much tougher time matching into selective residency programs! If you dream of being something competitive you will need to be a total standout in your program overseas

 

[turrgavi]

Be aware that international med graduates have a much tougher time matching into selective residency programs! If you dream of being something competitive you will need to be a total standout in your program overseas

I'll definitely be keeping that in mind...