Medicine 2023 Entry

[opoponax]

Hi all,

I don't think there is a Medicine 2023 Entry thread yet, so it might be an idea to get one started.

Anyone out there with DC applying or reapplying for Medicine 2023, please join a friendly thread for mutual support and useful advice from those who understand the UK Medical School application process.

Thank you @Monkey2001 and @mumsneedwine . DD did marginally score higher than DS but neither of them is really bothered. She knows that, above a certain score, it doesn't really impact and that there are more hurdles to come where you can easily trip up. Thank you for the Exeter info. DD's shortlist is still a long list but she's not complaining about that. Definitely no BMAT here though. She doesn't want a traditional course and doesn't want to be in London so there's no real point.

@BungledBundle please could you tell me where to find the document "a guide to the medicine application process" thanks

GANFYD's document on p29 of this thread

Thank you 🙂

@GANFYD @Monkey2001 @mumsneedwine Does anyone know what the cut off score for an interview at Lincoln Med School was last year? If I have understood it correctly my DD would score 32/32 for GCSEs 38/60 for UCAT and 45/60 for SJ giving a total of 147/152. Will they look at each score separately or the total score? She had a low VR score so I assumed that Lincoln (& obviously Nottingham) were out but she is limited with options so I wanted to check cut off for Lincoln. Thanks for your help

@Tiz3 did you mean a score of 115 ? I think the cut off was around 117/8 last year so it would be v v risky I'm afraid. Unfortunately so many students are going to have full marks for GCSEs because of TAGS so it's going to rely so much on UCAT. But we are all only guessing as no one knows until everyone has applied 🤞

@Tiz3 that looks like 115/152. According to @Africa2go excellent post on page 31 Lincoln was around 120 for 2022 and GCSEs grades are generally more inflated, so 115 looks very risky. If she scores full marks for GCSEs have you looked at QUB? If you share UCAT score we can give more guidance.

Thanks very much for this, @opoponax .

Thank you @mumsneedwine and @Monkey2001 that's really helpful (and yes I did mean 115 no idea why I wrote 147). We've already got QUB as an option (thanks to all your helpful advice on this thread and also from @GANFYD 's advice on TSR). The only other advice is with reference Keele and Sunderland. I know last year they used score from R&R form but I've seen some suggestions on this thread that Sunderland might be shortlisting differently this year?

@Tiz3 there was a post on TSR I think from someone considering Sunderland who had noted that the reference to an R&R form had been removed from the application document although there was some mention (IIRC) of a selection "tool" or words to that effect - but they didn't provide any explanation. I think again (IIRC) there was reference to a Caspar test (not sure if thats the correct term) and the advice was to email admissions at Sunderland for clarification.

thank you @Africa2go

Looks like Sunderland are using an on line submission together with UCAT to shortlist. See pG7 in Appendix G of their Admissions Policy.

----
The Admissions Process
The admissions process involves three phases – academic screen, UCAT/shortlisting and interviews.

Phase 1 – Academic Screen
All applicants who fulfil the Academic requirements will be sent an online interview selection tool to be completed before the given deadline.

Phase 2 – UCAT/CASPER
Applicants with UCAT total scores in the bottom 2 deciles and/or with a UCAT Situational Judgement Test (SJT) score in band 4 are excluded from further consideration. All remaining applicants whose UCAT score meets our criteria and have fulfilled the requirements detailed in phase 1 will be invited for
interview. Shortlisting for interview is based mainly on UCAT score and the interview selection tool. Applicants are encouraged to write about and reflect on an experience they have had which they believe allowed them to develop the skills and attributes they may need for a future career in medicine.
Admissions Tutors assess the interview selection tool results using the following criteria:
• Evidence of extensive engagement in activities involving care, support and/or service
• The nature of the experience(s) undertaken and the level of the responsibility undertaken
• Open ended responses in an SJT assessment
• Personality assessment covering the five top level traits of openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism

www.sunderland.ac.uk/images/external-websites/www/help-and-advice/applying/related-downloads/Admissions-Policy-and-Procedure-2023-24-Final_compressed.pdf

@Tiz3 it looks like your DD has lots of 9s for GCSEs but a low UCAT. It would be worth considering Cardiff as well as QUB and Keele. How about doing BMAT for Leeds and Lancaster? With those GCSE grades BMAT should suit her much better than UCAT, and for Leeds she would only need a "better than average" BMAT if she has full points for GCSEs.

I think the "online interview selection tool" is CASPAR.

She is looking into this as an option. Thanks again for all your help 😊

Can i ask a daft question. Ds getting ready to submit ucas. How does his ucat result get recorded?
Thanks

Not a daft question at all @Lottsbiffandsmudge. The test result is automatically registered online in the DC's UCAT account on the day of the test . UCAT gives the result directly to the chosen universities in November. You don't need to include it in your application. If your DC goes on to the UCAT website and logs into their profile, they will be able to see that their UCAT result is logged.

He will also get print out of the score immediately afterwards.

Does anyone know the RUK number of places available for Glasgow 2023 entry, please? Also, Monkey's table says that selection is UCAT but I'm just wondering if it is a straight linear process depending on UCAT like Bristol/Newcastle/Sheffield or is there a degree of opaqueness like some of the other schools with RUK application?

@opoponax for the last 2 years the SFC did not ring fence Scottish numbers. They publish approved numbers in Feb, so we don't know yet! 2022 numbers linked. Yes, Glasgow just UCAT unless it has changed this year. www.sfc.ac.uk/publications-statistics/announcements/2022/SFCAN112022.aspx

Thank you @Monkey2001 that's very helpful.

It looks like the last time they had ring fencing, the number for RUK was 38, but it has not been super competitive in the past (not that super competitive is an issue for your DD with her stellar UCAT!). And it is not until April that they release approved numbers, which must be a nightmare for the medical schools! In case you wonder about the St Andrews numbers, I have concluded that the 80 or so English Route numbers are not included in the SFC targets, presumably because it is the clinical years that are controlled.

www.sfc.ac.uk/publications-statistics/announcements/2020/SFCAN042020.aspx

Straight UCAT ranking, but has been a bit crazy the last couple of years, with cut off 2830 for 2021 and around 2850/60 for 2022 (aware not going to affect your DD, but may be useful for others)

Thank you @GANFYD and @Monkey2001

Hello again, my dd has to decide v soon if she is doing bmat or not. She has 5 As at Scottish higher but disappointing ucat. I think it has knocked her confidence wrt bmat. Do you think it is foolhardy to just apply to 4 ucat unis to avoid bmat? The only bmat unis she is interested in are Leeds or Lancaster. As we are Scottish, she gets a lower bar for the Scottish unis. So she is thinking Dundee, Aberdeen, QUB and poss Cardiff (Thanks to advice from this thread.)

She is open to possibility of gap year and redoing ucat if all else fails. Should she grit her teeth and do bmat? She is determined and a grafter.

Many thanks for this thread. It has been so helpful.