Updated
OMSAS ABS: How to Write Your Autobiographical Sketch
The OMSAS Autobiographical Sketch (ABS) is your list of activities since age 16, in six categories, that OUAC collects for Ontario's medical schools. Every activity needs a verifier, and OUAC says the sketch cannot be changed after you submit. OUAC posts the next cycle's dates on its Key Dates page. The fall 2027 application closed October 1, 2026.
Below is what the OUAC guide asks for, how each school says it uses the sketch, and example entries we wrote, all checked on October 30, 2026.
What is the OMSAS autobiographical sketch?
OUAC calls it a detailed and comprehensive list of your activities since age 16. It wants structured and non-structured experiences, and its own example is a volunteer who helped run a sick neighbor's farm. Write in point form, and do not send a CV, extra pages or letters. OUAC collects the sketch on behalf of the schools and arranges it in the order each one requires.
OUAC also says it cannot advise you on the ABS, because the universities want to see how you choose to present yourself. That choice is part of what they read.
What are the OMSAS ABS categories?
| Category | What to include |
|---|---|
| Employment | What to include: Education level, summer or school year, part-time or full-time, total hours, dates, location, your title and responsibilities |
| Volunteer Activities | What to include: Education level, timing, total hours, dates, the organization, location and your responsibilities |
| Extracurricular Activities | What to include: Education level, timing, hours, dates, location, whether individual, team or club, and for sports the level you played at |
| Awards and Accomplishments | What to include: The distinction, when and where you received it, its duration, what it required and the competition, if known |
| Research | What to include: Education level, project title, location, any publication with its type and status, and your role |
| Other | What to include: Additional details |
For awards, OUAC suggests describing the competition when you know it, with the example of 1,000 applicants for 50 scholarships. For sports, give the level: recreational, varsity, intramural, provincial, national or international.
OMSAS verifiers: who and how
For each activity, give the name, address, phone number and email of someone who can verify your involvement. In the application you choose “Add Verifier” or pick one you already entered, and you may use the same verifier for several activities where it makes sense. The schools reserve the right to contact them, so tell each verifier what you listed and check their details are current.
How do Ontario medical schools use the ABS?
Each school decides. Here is what each one's own page or OUAC says:
| School | What it does with the ABS |
|---|---|
| University of Ottawa | What it does with the ABS: You pick your top 3 activities in each category, up to 18 in total, that best prepared you for medicine. |
| Queen's University | What it does with the ABS: You pick your top 3 in Employment, Volunteer Activities and Extracurricular Activities, up to 9 in total. |
| University of Toronto | What it does with the ABS: A 500-word ABS statement on one impactful experience from your sketch, read together with the ABS. |
| Western (Schulich) | What it does with the ABS: A separate Western ABS on the Kira Talent platform, with instructions sent after OMSAS closes. |
| NOSM University | What it does with the ABS: The ABS is part of the final file review, with your Confidential Assessment Forms and academic history. |
For McMaster and Toronto Metropolitan University, check their admissions pages for how the sketch is used. TMU's selection page describes a timed Kira Talent assessment for all applicants before file review. Our Kira Talent guide covers that format, which Western's ABS also uses.
The Toronto ABS statement and what it looks for
Toronto asks for one ABS statement of 500 words or less: “Write about an impactful experience from your Autobiographical Sketch that demonstrates your personal growth, character, and values. How did this experience prepare you for medical school?” Its non-academic requirements page says the 500-word limit excludes your activity title, references or verifiers, and there is no required number of activities or hours and no activity that gives you an edge. It evaluates the ABS and the statement as a whole across four CanMEDS-based clusters (Professional, Communicator/Collaborator/Manager, Advocate and Scholar) and performs random checks of verifiers.
How to write strong OMSAS ABS entries
- List everything first. OUAC recommends recording every activity since 16 outside the application, then sorting them into categories.
- Then choose quality over number. Enter what you can verify and talk about, not everything you have ever done. Toronto says there is no required number of activities or hours, and a short, well described sketch reads better than a long one padded with one-day events.
- Lead with what you did. A verb, a number and a result in point form: hours, people, what changed.
- Count the informal things. Caring for a relative, helping a neighbor or running a family chore can belong in Volunteer Activities if someone can verify it.
- Pick your top 3 deliberately. For Ottawa and Queen's, choose activities that show different strengths and that you can talk about for two minutes each. Our CanMEDS roles guide helps you spot the range.
- Check every field before you submit. Draft short and check each limit in the application itself.
OMSAS ABS example entries
Examples written by our team. The applicant is invented. Each description is point form and under 125 characters, with the number of characters shown.
| Category | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | Title: Pharmacy assistant, part-time | Description: Served 60+ customers a shift. Trained 3 new hires on the insurance system. Flagged 2 refill conflicts to the pharmacist. (120 characters) |
| Volunteer | Title: Drove a neighbor to dialysis | Description: 3 mornings a week for 8 months after her son moved away. Kept her appointment log and called the unit when rides changed. (121 characters) |
| Extracurricular | Title: Intramural soccer captain | Description: Team activity, intramural level. Ran practices for 14 players. Set up a ride share so first-years could get to night games. (123 characters) |
| Award | Title: Faculty entrance scholarship | Description: Awarded on admission for top 5% average. About 40 awards given to an entering class of roughly 900. Renewable each year. (120 characters) |
| Research | Title: Sleep and grades survey study | Description: Built the survey and cleaned data for 412 students. Poster at the faculty research day, accepted. Wrote the methods draft. (122 characters) |
OMSAS dates
OUAC posts the next cycle's dates on its Key Dates page. For the fall 2027 cycle, which is now closed to new applications, the dates were:
- October 1, 2026, at 4:30 pm ET: application, ABS, transcripts, references and payment were due.
- October 21, 2026: the deadline for OMSAS to receive MCAT scores.
- May 11, 2027: first round offers of admission.
- June 30, 2027: the deadline for OMSAS to receive final transcripts.
Applying next cycle? Start your activity list now, and check the OMSAS Application Guide when OUAC posts the new dates.
Use your sketch to prepare for interviews
Interviewers can ask about anything you listed, so your sketch doubles as your interview prep list. For each entry you might be asked about, and every Ottawa or Queen's top 3 pick, prepare one two-minute story: what you did, one moment that stood out and what it changed about how you work.
Ottawa and Queen's screen with an early-phase MMI. See our Ottawa, Queen's and NOSM interview guides.
“Tell me about one activity on your sketch that changed how you work with other people.”
Interviewers can ask about any entry on your sketch. Pick one, tell the moment behind it in a minute and say what you do differently now.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
For eight months I drove a neighbor to dialysis three mornings a week after her son moved away. At first I just drove. Then I noticed she was missing changes to her schedule, so I started keeping a log and calling the unit when rides changed.
It taught me that helping someone well means paying attention to the system around them, not just the task. I now ask what else is going on before I offer help, at work and on my team.
Sources: the OUAC OMSAS Application Guide (Sketch and Verifier Requirements, Key Dates) and each school's admissions page, linked throughout and checked as of October 30, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the OMSAS ABS?
The Autobiographical Sketch is the part of the OMSAS application where you list your activities since age 16 in six categories: employment, volunteer activities, extracurricular activities, awards and accomplishments, research and other. OUAC collects it for the Ontario medical schools and arranges it the way each school requires. Read the OUAC sketch guide.
When is the OMSAS ABS due?
With the OMSAS application, by the application deadline. OUAC posts the next cycle's dates on its Key Dates page. The fall 2027 application closed October 1, 2026, at 4:30 pm ET, a strict deadline with no exceptions. See OMSAS key dates.
Who can be an OMSAS verifier?
Someone who can confirm your involvement in the activity. OUAC asks for each verifier's name, address, phone number and email, lets you reuse one verifier for several activities where appropriate and says schools may contact them. See the verifier rules.
Which schools ask for top 3 ABS activities?
The University of Ottawa asks for your top 3 activities in each category, up to 18 in total. Queen's asks for your top 3 in Employment, Volunteer Activities and Extracurricular Activities, up to 9 in total. Read OUAC's note on top 3.
Can I edit my ABS after I submit?
No. OUAC says you cannot make changes or corrections to your ABS or school submissions after you submit your application, so check every date, hour count and verifier first. See the OUAC guide.
Do informal activities count on the ABS?
Yes. OUAC asks for structured and non-structured experiences that show you can see a need in your community and help fill it. Its own example is helping run a sick neighbor's farm, which counts as volunteer activity. You still need a contact who can verify it. Read OUAC's example.