The exact weighted formula, combo score calculation, worked examples, and what you actually need to get an interview at each Australian medical school.
The Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) is a three-section exam by ACER that assesses your capacity for graduate-entry medical study. Understanding exactly how the scoring works is critical — a few points can mean the difference between an interview offer and rejection.
Each section is scored individually on a scale that typically ranges from around 40 to 90+, with most competitive applicants scoring between 55 and 80. But the raw section scores aren't what matter most — it's the weighted overall score that universities use.
Most Australian medical schools use a weighted formula where Section 3 counts double:
This means Section 3 (Biological and Physical Sciences) has an outsized impact on your overall score. A student scoring 50/70/80 across Sections 1/2/3 would have a weighted score of (50+70+160)÷4 = 70.0, while someone scoring 80/70/50 would get only (80+70+100)÷4 = 62.5 — despite having the same raw total.
For a student with a 7.0 GPA, a GAMSAT of 72 is highly competitive — but 67 could make them ineligible at almost every medical school. Just 5 points separates success from rejection.
Your GAMSAT score is combined with your GEMSAS GPA to produce a "Combo" score. This is the primary screening metric used by most Australian medical schools to decide who gets an interview:
GEMSAS GPA: 6.95 | GAMSAT: 75
(6.95 ÷ 7) + (75 ÷ 100) = 0.993 + 0.750
Combo: 1.743 — Highly competitive for most schools ✓
GEMSAS GPA: 6.75 | GAMSAT: 66
(6.75 ÷ 7) + (66 ÷ 100) = 0.964 + 0.660
Combo: 1.624 — Unlikely to receive an interview at most schools ✗
The average minimum combo for Australian postgraduate medical schools is around 1.68. Student A is competitive. Student B is not — at most universities. There are important exceptions (see our article on university-specific exceptions).
Not every university uses the standard combo threshold. The University of Sydney, for example, dropped MMIs entirely and uses a GAMSAT-only formula that heavily weights Sections 1 and 2. The University of Wollongong uses CASPer instead of the combo for ranking. Notre Dame has historically accepted combos as low as 1.56.
For the full breakdown of every university's approach, read our university exceptions guide.