Student Help Section

When choosing which medical school to apply for, it’s really important to know that different medical schools use different criteria to help them decide who to select for interviews, and who to give offers to.

There are a few important factors to consider:

1. Grades

• Your GCSEs: Some universities use your GCSE grades with a scoring system, i.e. Grades 8/9 are worth 3 points, a 7 is 2 points and a 6 is 1 point, and then those with the highest number of points are selected for interview, whilst other medical schools only require you to have a 5 or 6 in maths English and science. If you have really good GCSE’s it may be a good idea to apply to universities that use the point system, whereas if your GCSE’s are slightly weaker, it is probably better to avoid these schools and instead apply for schools that put more emphasis on other aspects of the application process.

• A-levels: most medical schools require at least AAA predictions, and if you are predicted less than this they won’t even look at your application any further. Some medical schools use you’re A-level predictions more than others, for example, Exeter use them to help select applicants for interview. If you already have you’re A-level grades, this puts you in an even better position because you have secured them, it means the grades are guaranteed.

2. Your admissions exam

Whether it’s the UCAT or the BMAT, different schools put a different emphasis on them. Some give a minimum cut off that applicants need to be invited to interview, and they will use these alone, whereas others use a more holistic approach- giving weight to things in more equal proportions. Be careful with the UCAT to read how they use your situational judgement section. Some may look at just this alone, so if you have a band 3 or 4, it may not be worth applying to these schools.

3. Your personal statement

Surprisingly, the majority of medical schools won’t even read your personal statement. Make sure you research which do or don’t. If any do read them, be fully prepared to be asked about it should you have an interview. This means you should be completely truthful- and not exaggerate things- as you will have to talk about them fluently to an interviewer under pressure. The interviewers are likely to grill you, for example, on the book(s) that you have mentioned, or any medical terminology you have used.

4. The type of interview that suits you best

There are 2 really common types of interview, for the more traditional Universities, a panel interview is the most likely, whilst most others use MMI’s (multiple mini interviews). Experiment with them and see which you prefer, it may be best to select more schools with the style you feel more comfortable with. And remember, if you have made it as far as an interview, you have done really well, and you have done most of the hard work already!