ISAT Preparation General Discussion

[BoarVessel]

Alright I didn't realise there are rules restricting that lol. So overall, would you recommend doing preparation there?

Yes. The most important aspect they can help in is getting used to the questions (involving refreshing your memory on how to solve certain math problems and reading paragraphs quickly). You also might find a couple of tricks on how to solve some questions quickly. However, don't expect a huge difference in your knowledge or ability but I strongly believe that even that small edge can help you in getting into med school, especially if time and money isn't an issue.

 

[apexautotroph]

Yes. The most important aspect they can help in is getting used to the questions (involving refreshing your memory on how to solve certain math problems and reading paragraphs quickly). You also might find a couple of tricks on how to solve some questions quickly. However, don't expect a huge difference in your knowledge or ability but I strongly believe that even that small edge can help you in getting into med school, especially if time and money isn't an issue.

Thanks for your insights man really appreciate that! Is there any other way to communicate if you don't mind?

 

[BoarVessel]

Thanks for your insights man really appreciate that! Is there any other way to communicate if you don't mind?

Once you unlock PMs, I'll message you my insta

 

[apexautotroph]

Once you unlock PMs, I'll message you my insta

I don't really know how to unlock PMs lmao just add my insta which is my username.

 

[LMG!]

Alright I didn't realise there are rules restricting that lol. So overall, would you recommend doing preparation there?

I can confirm that BoarVessel is correct re. the banning of prep company discussion, and it's not just naming the company, it's a flat out ban on all discussion, so unfortunately this question can't be openly answered here.

 

[LMG!]

Once you unlock PMs, I'll message you my insta

As long as you can access PMs, then the other person doesn't need to be able to

 

[apexautotroph]

I can confirm that BoarVessel is correct re. the banning of prep company discussion, and it's not just naming the company, it's a flat out ban on all discussion, so unfortunately this question can't be openly answered here.

All righty. Won't talk about it anymore here. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[BoarVessel]

hi! I know this is unrelated but I've seen a post regarding about ISAT.

(DELETED) The best resources are the OFFICIAL ones on the ACER ISAT website, both the free and paid questions.
Please note that it might seem that the free questions are a bit too easy and that paid questions a bit too difficult. I and a lot of others felt that the actual exam had a difficulty level somewhere in between those.

And I know that you will probably finish those in a day or two and be looking for more prep but honestly as you probably know, there isn’t much out there, especially compared to the UCAT. But if you are really committed, the DM and QR sections of the UCAT can be somewhat helpful as they share similarities to the ISAT questions. GAMSAT questions are also similar (BUT are more difficult and time consuming) as GAMSAT is also made by ACER, the ones making the ISAT.

 

[Asynn]

Hey! I don’t think it matters if I can tell you the prep company or not as I actually wouldn’t recommend them either way. The best resources are the OFFICIAL ones on the ACER ISAT website, both the free and paid questions.
Please note that it might seem that the free questions are a bit too easy and that paid questions a bit too difficult. I and a lot of others felt that the actual exam had a difficulty level somewhere in between those.

And I know that you will probably finish those in a day or two and be looking for more prep but honestly as you probably know, there isn’t much out there, especially compared to the UCAT. But if you are really committed, the DM and QR sections of the UCAT can be somewhat helpful as they share similarities to the ISAT questions. GAMSAT questions are also similar (BUT are more difficult and time consuming) as GAMSAT is also made by ACER, the ones making the ISAT.

I see I see. It's because I've already done it once and I got 173 for my ISAT. However, my academic results are not that good (barely meeting the admission requirements by a mere decimal). So, I've already done the free and paid questions from ACER themselves, and I do not know what I can do next. (DELETED). I am aiming for 175 and above for ISAT but god damn it's hard to study for it without help. I am also planning to take the UCAT test this year.

 

[BoarVessel]

see I see. It's because I've already done it once and I got 173 for my ISAT. However, my academic results are not that good (barely meeting the admission requirements by a mere decimal). So, I've already done the free and paid questions from ACER themselves, and I do not know what I can do next. DELETED I am aiming for 175 and above for ISAT but god damn it's hard to study for it without help. I am also planning to take the UCAT test this year.

I would say that you should start practising the UCAT while also trying your best at GAMSAT non-science sections, which again is the closest thing you’ll find, although harder. (DELETED) And also you should aim more in the range of 180-185 for Monash to be on the safe side.

 

[apexautotroph]

Hello
Just want to give an update that I got my ISAT results a couple of days ago and I got a score of 188 (which is 98th percentile). I would 100% agree with BoarVessel that the official questions and section 1 of the GAMSAT are the best resources out there if you want to prepare for the ISAT. (thanks for all the tips Boar!!)
Doing practice questions is extremely important as I personally invested ~200 hours in doing questions similar to the ISAT.
Just keep a calm mind on test day and time management is key! Skip all the more difficult questions to the end as you don't want to finish the exam with 20+ questions unanswered.
Good luck!!

 

[xanqxd]

Does anyone know when to take isat? I’m starting year 11 next week and I’m planning to apply for med in 2023. I know that isat is valid for 2 years and that you can retake after a year. So should I take it this year and so I can retake next year if the result is bad?

 

[BoarVessel]

Does anyone know when to take isat? I’m starting year 11 next week and I’m planning to apply for med in 2023. I know that isat is valid for 2 years and that you can retake after a year. So should I take it this year and so I can retake next year if the result is bad?

The dates for the multiple cycles are here. And yes definitely you should give the ISAT twice if time permits. HOWEVER, there are 2 things you need to confirm first.

First, ask ACER that if one performs worse on the second sitting, can one still use the old score? (Edit: It turns out Unis will have access to all your previous tests and its up to them to determine which one to use. Thanks apexautotroph for this info!)

If the above is true, the second is to ask the universities you intend to apply to is how long your second sitting scores are valid? for example if you give the ISAT in April 2021 and apply for med in March 2022 (for 2023 entry) but your actual interviews are in July 2022 and the offer arrives in September 2022, is your ISAT that was supposed to be “valid” till April 2022 still “valid”? Probably yes but I would still confirm as this will allow you to better time your next sitting (after April 2022) as applying earlier in the admission cycles is much preferred.

 

[apexautotroph]

Does anyone know when to take isat? I’m starting year 11 next week and I’m planning to apply for med in 2023. I know that isat is valid for 2 years and that you can retake after a year. So should I take it this year and so I can retake next year if the result is bad?

You can definitely do that and the universities that you are applying to will have access to ALL of your results. So it's up to the universities whether they decide to use your best result or the latest one.