Medicine - 2024 Entry

[LaMereDuChat]

Just thought I'd start a thread for anyone else who feels like me... Dd has just announced that she'd really like to apply for medicine. It seems pretty much impossible to get into and I'm dreading the process as the odds are stacked against her - private schooled, grades a bit iffy as she's chosen a language as an A-Level and it's hard, though she loves it. Anyone want to join the pity party 😬?

So I’m feeling a bit of a dunce now. Didn’t know anything about keyboards and have no idea what DS is scoring.

He says he’s not done a mock yet - sitting test on 17th August- 😳 - he’s using Medify

My daughters mocks are all over the place. 2790 - 2400. She’s getting SJT 1 consistently though. I’ve no idea about keyboards, should I?

Same here , up and down . At least we got to 2600 which is improvement, he has it at end of August so we still have time. We bought the keyboard to practice. I hope our centre have it !

Don't worry too much about scores, weeks out from UCAT. Look at weaknesses and work on those. Most will go up just before the exam. And from my experience most will score higher in the actual thing.
SJT1 are counting at more Unis now, so they are useful. But not essential. As long as not getting a 4 you're ok.

@mumsneedwine that is reassuring. Thanks.

@LaMereDuChat hope you don’t mind me asking but what does the test centre have if they don’t use keyboards? Also how do you find this out, I can’t see anything about that kind of thing online. Thanks

@mumsneedwine thank you - I'll be back with her score once she does it - we've now put it off again 😄

@XmasEveshopper Dd spoke to someone who took the test last year who warned her about the lack of keyboard. Must just be an interactive screen, I suppose. I think using the shortcuts can make you quicker (https://www.medify.co.uk/blog/ucat-keyboard-shortcuts), so great to know we don't have this option where we are 🙄Ah well!

I've never heard of a centre without a keyboard. They are Pearson test exam centres, used for all sorts of exams so I'm sure you can ask for one if needed.

I know - it's really odd. I'll get her to turn up early and ask. Every second counts!

Any whispers of what the bmat unis will use for next year? We are kind of late to the party wrt medicine. She only decided in about march this year so I’m new to this. My rudimentary research suggests she may have scored better in bmat, but whatever… 🤷‍♀️

I know Imperial has joined the UCAT consortium, so I assume they'll be using UCAT for 2025 entry. Leeds will already be using it for 2024. I haven't heard about any others.

DD has her UCAT booked for 2 weeks time - she’s finding the revision really hard going and dull but persevering nonetheless! Not sure what scores she’s getting in her mocks but won’t be delaying it anyway as she’ll burn out if she has to go much longer. I suspect the BMAT would suit her better but there’s not that many options for that. Speaking of which, now Leeds has gone to UCAT, what do people think it will end up as - similar cut off to Sheffield and Newcastle perhaps? I know it’s a complete guessing game but it’s raining here and dog is not keen on walking anyway 😂

I read about Leeds for this year. Where did you hear about imperial going to ucat next year ? Thanks

Where did you hear about imperial going to ucat next year ? Thanks

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/study/undergraduate/medicine-mbbs-programmes/schoolinfo/

The Admission Process
We highly value the elements of the admission process where we can find out more about our candidates, in particular, the interview process. There are important elements you have to complete to get through to this.

• Your UCAS application
• The Admissions Test (BMAT until 2024 entry only, UCAT from 2025 entry)
• Academic Requirements*. Be predicted the minimum entry requirements: A in Biology; A in Chemistry; A in a third subject. For IB: 38 points overall, to include: 6 in Biology at higher level; 6 in Chemistry at higher level.

I really hoped they will do their own exam , my son is applying next year. So for his year it will be all on the UCAT . What happens if the child had bad day! Let see what the others do ?

thank you for the information

What happens if the child had bad day!

This is the case for any exam: UCAT, BMAT, a university's own entrance exam, any individual A-Level paper...

People are advised to do 30+ hours of preparation for UCAT, including practice tests, to make it less likely that they will have an off-day. And they can reschedule if they don't feel they're quite ready in the run-up to their test date. BMAT is one date, and you can't change your choice of where to apply when you receive your BMAT result.

I understand your point, but there was a lot really good students that didn’t do well in UCAT but then done BMAT and got offers. It will now more limited if you don’t do well then that it and apply next year. Also doing well is getting harder now as the UCAT minimum for universities is rising every year.

UCAT Unis are going to have to either change their entry criteria and use other exams, or run huge waiting lists. This year the higher UCAT student have got multiple offers, so the Unis are all fighting for the same students. They can all only go go 1 place.
I think results day will throw up some spaces. Usually does.

That’s really interesting @mumsneedwine I’d not realised that there’d still be places available on results day. I’d thought they would have lots on a waiting list ready to go. DD really likes Plymouth but when she showed me the interview-offer stats on their website, I was really surprised (I’ve pasted it below) . Is this usual or was it just an odd year because of COVID exams disruption and they knew they wouldn’t have many missing their A-level offer?

Application statistics for 2022 can be found below:
Number of Places: 156
Number of applications for 2022: 2420
Number of applicants interviewed: 708
Number of offers made: 170

@Undecidedat46 Plymouth seemed to interview a lot this year - this is a good thing ! Getting the interview can be the hard bit - interviews can be prepped for. I'd always say apply to the 4 courses you like most where you are most likely to get that interview. Don't get too caught up in the stats, as someone has to get those offers.

Thanks @mumsneedwine - yes will definitely focus on getting that interview first!! One step at a time…

@LaMereDuChat My daughter did exactly the same levels as yours. French,Biology and chemistry. She had 4 offers from medical school and turned them all down to study biomedical science at Uni when she saw what an absolute shitshow the nhs had become from watching her brother navigate his way through medical school, the pandemic and becoming a junior doctor. She now out earns her brother considerably. We too had no contacts and whilst it was hard work ploughing through the system, it is a desire for Medicine 'they' are really looking for.

Seriously, if I had my time as a parent again, I would absolutely steer my children well away from medicine. The government are making it quite clear about their attitude towards doctors and as I have read on here so many times, when somebody shows you who they really are-believe them!

@Iwantroplayanothergame but you don't have to stay in the UK. Doctors are v sought after and v well paid abroad. Most of DDs year have investigated exit routes if things don't improve v quickly. Not good for the NHS. Vote carefully I'd say.

@Undecidedat46 - 2022 was an unusual year. Medical schools were ordered by the government not to run any risk of over-recruiting following the emergency increase in places in 2021 owing to the second A-Level results fiasco. Health Education England interpreted this as a requirement for medical schools not to make more offers than the number of places they had. This was guaranteed to result in under-recruitment, so all medical schools ran long reserve lists. The use of reserve lists - outside the UCAS process and rules - is now established and the whole business is much more complicated than it was before the pandemic.

Thanks @NoNotHimTheOtherOne that would definitely explain 170 offers for 156 places, which seemed really low to me