Medicine 2026 entry - part 1

[rockstuckhardplace]

Starting a new thread for parents of prospective medical students looking to start in 2026.

A friend’s child got rejected by kmms pre interview. And offered an interview and place at imperial. Now there.

@inae I hear you on the eating away at our lives atm comment. This is how I feel and am looking forward to the application going in so at least we have made one step forward.

DD is more stressed than usual and I'm sure it is being the clock is ticking. It also doesn't help when one of her peers (yet to sit UCAT) made a point of telling her that her UCAT is now 'only just in the 8th decile now'. Gosh how rude can some kids be!

Well Liverpool tomorrow should hopefully help clarify more. Those who are thinking of Leeds, what are you basing your choice on, as there genuinely doesn't seem to be much to go on as to how they select? From what I have researched it needs great GCSEs and a reasonably good UCAT. DD will apply and is ok on the GCSE front but UCAT might be an unknown. I trawled through last years TSR Leeds thread and there were interviews and offers made around 2800 upwards so I'm going by that!

Definitely feels like a horrible game of change right now.

Leeds have this about UCAT on the website -(screenshot coming) but GCSEs are an unknown for us. Are 8 and 9s scored differently? Why can’t they just say?! My daughter has 6 9s and 2 8s. Also, how are predicted grades weighed up? 2A* 1A for us.
Will be interested to hear impressions of Liverpool @bluefineliner as we can’t make it unfortunately.

Thanks @PurryGrowls your DDs stats sound very similar to mine. DD has 10 grade 9s and one grade 8, 3A* pred A levels. I hadn't seen that bit about UCAT on the Leeds website, so thank you.

We are going to the Leeds open day on 4th Oct, so although too late for UCAS I will try and pin someone down to ask if 8/9 are scored differently and get a better idea of UCAT (maybe by asking their students).

Also will report back on Liverpool too.

Thanks @bluefineliner
With the full house of top GCSEs and predicted grades, I’d imagine your daughter has a v good chance of getting an interview!

Leeds seem to like a mixture, so a higher UCAT can compensate for lower GCSEs, and vice versa. But it's not easy to predict cut offs (although think both your DCs will be good enough based on previous years).

I love the Liverpool course. Not so keen on the video interviews (if they are still doing them this year). But it's a great Uni city.

Leeds sounds rather flexible (where they say high GCSEs can compensate and vice versa). To be honest, I think @bluefineliner - you won't have any issues with getting an interview. Don't know what happens after! (only because we all haven't got there yet!). We would have got a 'full house' too, if his darn illness didn't flare up! And I have no idea where that would be mentioned (other than his PS).

Or maybe I'm wrong - ignore me. We aren't considering universities up north so won't have any definitive thoughts on this. Sorry! Have a good visit to Liverpool and would love to hear the review.

I asked Leeds last year re gcses. They just add all of the grades up for the 8 that they score. So 8 x 9 grades at gcse = a score of 72 etc.

Will also look to confirm on 4/10.

@Thefatbutteredpig thanks, can you please also ask Leeds about UCAT scoring?

My DD is really up and down with her four choices. UCL, Exeter, Sheffield, and Southampton are her current four, but she wants to replace Southampton with one of Leicester (score 82/96), Newcastle (score 67/80), or Leeds.

I don't get the addtional risk when Southampton is a much safer option, but it will all depend on the open day at Southampton - I hope she likes it.

She's also decided against shortlisting QMUL, SGUL, and BSMS, which would all be safer interview options for her.

Will certainly ask and see what information I can find out. They were very cagey last year.

My ds has just gone into 4th year at Newcastle. He turned down an Edinburgh offer and hasn't regretted it. Loves the course and all that Newcastle has to offer.

DD is going into y3 at UEA. Its a great option for those students with high ucat as the offer for a place is based 50% interview and 50% ucat.

UEA tends to offer early so the kids get an offer under their belt whilst awaiting rest of their decisions.

Hi, could I please get some advice for my DD on med schools

GCSE 9999999888
A level predicted 3xA* (Chemo, Maths Bio)
EPQ predicted A
UCAT 2160 SJ Band 2

Not Contextual, Lots of WEX

Her Uni choices are Imperial (not sure if this is way to aspirational), UCL, KCL, Leicester (scores 90/96), QMUL and ARU (we are in a East London Borough)
DD is keen to stay in London and happy to commute from home.
Be great full for a honest appraisal on her chances for first 3 choices. Unfortunately DD has set her heart on London (I know not always the best way to apply for medicine).

Hi @inae Can I ask why your DD has decided against SGUL and QM? Also, BSMS?

I think we might have to do abit more thinking now if people are strategising around offer chances etc (a rather sensible thing to do I might add!!).

@Thefatbutteredpig (love your nn btw!!) we’ve not checked out UEA although people we know got offered a place there (couldn’t take it up as missed a grade). Your comment about the 50/50 is making me think harder now. Would appreciate if you could shed some light especially since you have two close together in different schools!

thanks so much.

QMUL, SGUL - she visited them both and she ranked them low after the visit.
BSMS - no particular reason, but somehow fell to the bottom of the list

I think it's a matter of liking the others better and thinking she truly has a good chance of interview at any of those 4.

Southampton - we have yet to visit, but she got in touch with one of her friend's sisters who is studying med there, and she has asked tons of questions so I am hoping she will choose it as her 4th. - because of higher interview chances but also it's closer to home than Sheffield or Exeter :)

Ultimately DD will choose her 4 but I want her to weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision, which is hard... They are teens after all 😄

UCL - somehow she fell in love with it although initially she said she didn't want London unis. She is fully aware that it is not a safe choice.

A truly impressively detailed explanation by Leeds why they won’t give any more detail about their scoring (from an FOI post)

“We consider that to release this information would unduly prejudice the applications process. It is essential that applicants do not aim for a specific score in an attempt to unduly influence the process. We consider that releasing UCAT scores would be likely to encourage this behaviour and would therefore jeopardise our ability to objectively judge candidates and make offers accordingly. Applications must be made based on the candidates' individual merits, and the process is designed to test not only the applicants' academic achievements, but also a range of wider skills which are required for a career in medicine. To pre-empt this process would therefore undermine the process as a whole.
Furthermore, candidates who attempt to 'learn the test' or 'game the system' may well have short term success (i.e. a score sufficient to secure an offer) but lack the inherent values and attributes to study medicine. Equally, candidates who are determinedly pursuing a particular score may fail to demonstrate their wider personal skills, as they are too focussed on 'the number' they are trying to achieve. It is therefore important to ensure that candidates are offering an honest account of themselves throughout the application process; it would be imprudent to release information which could increase the likelihood of candidates being coached to pass the selection process, only to struggle while on the course, or vice versa.
As outlined above, to release this information would prejudice the admissions process. It would also be likely to unduly damage the prospects of prospective applicants to the medicine course; disadvantaging genuinely strong candidates who may lose out on places in favour of candidates whose artificially strong applications belie poor overall suitability. Accordingly, we are satisfied that disclosure would be likely to result in prejudice to the effective conduct of our ordinary business. It is therefore the opinion of Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, the Qualified Person for the University of Leeds, that the exemption is engaged.”

That makes no sense - all candidates aim for the highest score they can get. I can’t see any saying ‘Leeds want 2200 so I better learn the test for my ucat because until I saw that I was just going to rely on my innate talent!’

@inae your comment on 'they are teens after all' rings so true for me atm, we think she has set her ideas on a uni, then she has seen something else someone said and is now rethinking. It is exhausting 😂.

@MiceandFrogs yep, makes no sense from Leeds when all other unis give much more info and it doesn't seem to affect their ability to recruit suitable students. We are taking the risk with Leeds but only on the basis of DDs GCSEs.

So just before we look at Liverpool today DD now is rethinking whether Sheffield might be an alternative if she doesn't like Liverpool enough. My question is last years cut off for interview at Sheffield was 2760, DDs UCAT is 2180, with the adjustment for higher final deciles this year will it be too close to risk an application does anyone think? Prior to interim deciles 2180 would convert to 2930/2940 ish, so even with a downward adjustment would her UCAT be enough? Any views? Anyone else going for Sheffield? I am leaning towards it being ok but 2023 cut off was higher at 2850 so might be close.

Thanks for sharing. I’m not entirely sure about QM but DS is keen on SGUL, at least until last weekend when we went to see Southampton!! He needs to submit his form this friday!

Interestingly, DS didn’t take to UCL at all - slightly ironic since his all amazing consultant is a prof there, and she even asked him about it.

Enjoy your trip to Liverpool @bluefineliner ! How far is it for you guys again? We are too far south, but family is only an hour away from there… so we’ve always um and ahed about it.

Sheffield is on our list of 4 (occasionally falling off when we think about others)… we are slightly biased. DH and I were at Sheffield (though not in med), and we just think it’s a solid place to study. The med school seemed like a happy place - but we did check it out just after GCSEs, so we had none of the knowledge that we now have…!

Regarding the UCAT cut offs, I’ve read elsewhere that the UCAT cutoffs are just that - ergo, if we aren’t contextual then we will have a higher number to contend with. And it’s like saying we consider 2000 a minimum viable standard, but the people admitted last year were higher. We think our 2240 will be ok - I should think yours will be too?

@MyGreyBiscuit thanks for the advice on Sheffield, I am thinking it might be ok but there is a risk if applicants all have higher UCATs, your DS sounds safe though. I've always thought of Sheffield as a very good uni and living in Yorkshire ourselves it seems very familiar when we visit. Only a few more days to deliberate then we can move on to stress about interview prep 😂.

We are about 1.5 hrs from Liverpool so not bad distance, it's looking a bit wet though so we are taking umbrellas. I'm looking forward to seeing it as have also heard positive things about the medical school.

@Michaelah That Leeds statement is not only longwinded but totally bizarre. All would-be medics are aiming for the highest possible scores (yes, ‘gaming the system’) because they know that’s what they have to do to get into medicine. There isn’t really an alternative!

To say it would be ‘imprudent’ to reveal their scoring methods is hilarious. Surely it’s imprudent to allow students who don’t have the right academic profile to apply and waste a precious application - because they don’t know how Leeds weight their grades. Grrrr…

Don't over think it all ! Sheffield is usually about 2700-2800 so this year about 2100. But no one knows what will get you interview, it's all educated guessing.
Choose 4. Send UCAS. Then move on as nothing will happen until early Nov at the v v earliest as that's when Unis get the UCAT scores. BUT, and it's a v huge but, focus must be on A levels. Many students get so caught up in the application process they take their foot off and end up not getting the grades. Grades first !

And Leeds just didn't want tell us their scoring system, but had to justify it legally to avoid the FOI.

And love Sheffield and Liverpool. V good courses with fun cities to live in. And cheap !

Leeds is very annoying. They could at least specify if they differentiate between 8s and 9s when scoring their best 8 GCSEs. They do state they treat A stars the same as A for A-levels.

I asked AI to critique their admission policy, here's the result :)

Lack of Transparency: The policy is widely perceived as non-transparent because it does not use a fixed cut-off score for interview invitations. Instead, it employs a "combination score" that is deliberately flexible, allowing high academic achievement to compensate for a lower UCAT score and vice versa. While this is designed to be a more holistic approach, it makes it impossible for applicants to know the exact score they need to be shortlisted.

Discrepancy in Stated vs. Expected Grades: The university publishes a minimum A-level requirement of AAA and a minimum of six GCSEs at grade 6 or above. However, it explicitly states that applicants with these minimums are "unlikely to be shortlisted to interview". This creates an information gap for applicants who might believe the minimums are a realistic target when, in practice, a higher academic profile is needed to be competitive.

Instability of Aptitude Test Data: The recent shift from the BMAT to the UCAT for 2024 entry, and the subsequent restructuring of the UCAT itself for 2025 entry, has meant that historical data and benchmarks are not directly comparable. This constant evolution of the scoring system makes it difficult for applicants to predict their chances based on previous years' data, creating a sense that the criteria are a "moving target."

Ambiguous Role of Personal Statement and Work Experience: The university states that personal statements are "not formally part of our shortlisting process" and clinical work experience is "not required". However, these are immediately followed by the caveat that the personal statement is "essential" for interview preparation and work experience is a "valuable aide" for reflection. This creates a high-stakes ambiguity, as applicants are forced to invest significant effort in elements that are officially "unscored" in the initial stage.

Subjective Interview Experience: The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) process, while intended to be objective, is described by students as "dreadful" and emotionally taxing. Applicants report feeling unable to "gauge" if interviewers wanted them to elaborate or stop speaking, and describe assessors as being "very disinterested" or "stoic, zero emotion". The lack of a public-facing scoring rubric for the MMI reinforces the narrative that the final selection is made on hidden, qualitative criteria.