Tips for Improving Your General Knowledge in Preparation for GAMSAT

General knowledge is something everyone has, right? It’s kind of like common sense? Well, no. Just as common sense is not all that common, general knowledge is not something that is held by the general public at large. But you need not worry if you feel that your general knowledge is not up to standard – for there as some sure-fire ways to quickly bring your knowledge up to snuff.
Your first port of call should be the newspapers. Luckily, we now live in an era where newspapers are freely and easily available online. Now, in selecting which newspapers to read don’t be too snobby. More respectable newspapers are often, not as in touch with popular culture or the subject’s du-jour as more popular and widely read newspapers. This does not mean you should take a dive into the nearest tabloid, as you are unlikely to find much worth in most of them, but instead select a popularly read national newspaper. The most useful parts for you to read in preparation for the GAMSAT will be the headline stories and the opinion pieces/editorials. It is important to be familiar with the thoughts and opinions of notable commentators along with the major stories. It is advisable that you read these sections of the newspaper daily for at least three months before you sit your GAMSAT.
Watching popular news and current affairs shows will also be helpful. Many of the stories and opinions will mirror what you have read in the newspaper, but the information will be presented in a more concise and dynamic way. Your skills of communication can certainly benefit from acquainting yourself with the way people debate.
Talk to people! And preferably not just people you know well or are friends with, as they are likely to already share your thoughts and opinions on most topics. If you want to broaden your general knowledge it is better to talk to strangers. Thankfully, we live in the Internet-age, in which this can be done safely. So strike up a discussion by leaving comments on someone’s blog, join a news group or an online community or use your MSN Messenger to search for people keen to discuss topics that are currently in the news.
When speaking about general knowledge topics it is always good to have something specific to say. The United Nations website (www.un.org) is an excellent searchable resource for highly specific information on a wide range of topics and issues currently pertinent to our world.
Finally, you do not want to be perceived by a GAMSAT marker as having the same generic opinions on popular topics as everybody else. We all agree that Global Warming is a concern and that governments ought to do more to combat the problem, but such a belief is so common that it is neither impressive nor inspiring to a GAMSAT marker. Have something original and specific to say about the world. Lastly, be sure to run some of your thoughts among the people that you speak to, so that you already have a number of clearly formulated and interesting ideas on a variety of topics before you walk into the GAMSAT test hall.