[oldbatty]

(Original post by Facticity)
Not applying.

Are you at med school then?

[Facticity]

(Original post by oldbatty)
Are you at med school then?

Something like that.

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Facticity)
Something like that.

Erm my GCSE's are 5A*'s 4 A's and 3B's, however 3 of the A*'s come from a CACHE Child Care and Education Level 2 and 3 qualification. Just wondering if they will refuse to take those A*'s into account and if they do then would 2A*'s 4A's and 3B's be enough to apply or will I now be considered? (AS grades AAAA predictions A*A*A and I have yet to take UKCAT)

I originally started of at a very low secondary school school with a GCSE pass rate of about 65% and then went to a grammar sixth form

Thanks!

[Facticity]

Hmmm that is hard to say. Well, lets assume for a moment that your 3A*s are ruled out, then you would need a minimum of 416 points to be considered for SGUL according to their tailored point system for GCSEs. I've taken the liberty to calculate it for you and, amazingly, your point score excluding the 3A*s gives you a score of 416!
So in this event you would be eligible just by the skin of your teeth. However, if they were included, you would have a larger score of 446 which would place you nicely for application. In any case, you've got very good AS results and good predictions which seem to match and your GCSEs work, as long as your UKCAT goes smoothly (I'd recommend 650+ just to be comfortable for other unis too) you should be fine to apply to SGUL. Although your GCSE score is on the cuff, all they want is for you to meet the minimum and you should be fine.

If in doubt though, just ring them and ask about those extra ones as I have never even heard of them. Are they NVQs? Just ring and ask them how they deal with it, but even if they say they don't accept them, I would say you'd be alright

No problem

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Facticity)
Hmmm that is hard to say. Well, lets assume for a moment that your 3A*s are ruled out, then you would need a minimum of 416 points to be considered for SGUL according to their tailored point system for GCSEs. I've taken the liberty to calculate it for you and, amazingly, your point score excluding the 3A*s gives you a score of 416!
So in this event you would be eligible just by the skin of your teeth. However, if they were included, you would have a larger score of 446 which would place you nicely for application. In any case, you've got very good AS results and good predictions which seem to match and your GCSEs work, as long as your UKCAT goes smoothly (I'd recommend 650+ just to be comfortable for other unis too) you should be fine to apply to SGUL. Although your GCSE score is on the cuff, all they want is for you to meet the minimum and you should be fine.

If in doubt though, just ring them and ask about those extra ones as I have never even heard of them. Are they NVQs? Just ring and ask them how they deal with it, but even if they say they don't accept them, I would say you'd be alright

No problem

THANK YOUUU! Yay! Although are you sure they wont take students with higher points? I hope they take the 3A*'s into consideration!!!

Any advice on UKCAT?

No they are not NVQ's I don't really know how to explain but the CACHE Level 2 is equivalent to 3 GCSES and so 3 A*'S and the Level 3 is an AS level which is an A. Thank you I will definitely call but thank God I still meet the minumum requirements

[Facticity]

(Original post by SylveeDiggs)
THANK YOUUU! Yay! Although are you sure they wont take students with higher points? I hope they take the 3A*'s into consideration!!!

Any advice on UKCAT?

No they are not NVQ's I don't really know how to explain but the CACHE Level 2 is equivalent to 3 GCSES and so 3 A*'S and the Level 3 is an AS level which is an A. Thank you I will definitely call but thank God I still meet the minumum requirements

Hmmm, if they aren't NVQs then unfortunately I can't say its likely they'll accept them. Considering they don't accept BTECs or GNVQ (and I would suspect this is true of the other med schools) I'd hazard the guess they wouldn't. However as I said, all we can do is speculate, call them up and you can get a definite answer, I 'd recommend caling every uni you are thinking about applying to in regards to that as you don't want to waste a choice if they have strict GCSE requirements.

Well SGUL just use GCSEs to filter out the students, so as long as you make the minimum, then your application will be looked at in full

Errm for the UKCAT, all I can recommend is, PRACTICE PRACTISE PRACTISE. That is all there is to it! Get this book:

Spoiler:

Show

Word of warning, its much more difficult (especially in the quantitative reasoning) than the real exam however for all the other sections it should match up, but even if it is harder in the QR, you want to be as prepared as you can, so when you get to the real thing, you can score well. If you can score high in this book, you'll smash the real exam! Oh and check out UPO - ukcatpraciseonline.co.uk which is great. It costs however if its still messed up from last year, you simply buy 1 pack and you have access to all the sections, though I don't know if this still happens so don't quote me on that!

No problem, i'm here to help

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Facticity)

I don't actually know because CACHE is the qualification so I will just call up and let you know what they say. And yes I was worried about the other unis too do you know which ones don't focus on gcses.

I have the book! I actually cried when I did QR, I really did AR is my fav section. I was gonna ask, is VR harder in the exam and if so by a scale of what? Because so far im not crying which is odd . Thanks again for the help.

[Facticity]

(Original post by SylveeDiggs)
I don't actually know because CACHE is the qualification so I will just call up and let you know what they say. And yes I was worried about the other unis too do you know which ones don't focus on gcses.

I have the book! I actually cried when I did QR, I really did AR is my fav section. I was gonna ask, is VR harder in the exam and if so by a scale of what? Because so far im not crying which is odd . Thanks again for the help.

Yea ring up and let us know, it could help other applicants in similar situations! For other unis check out the TSR Medicine Wiki on GCSE requirements for every med school

Aha, I know that feeling, maths isn't my favourite subject and so I understand well when you say you had a hard time with QR. I thought I was going to fail QR completely when I did it but when I got there I found them surprisingly easy. I think you should focus more on the techniques the book is trying to teach you and adapt them. Just keep practicing and if you put the work in, and practise GCSE style maths questions with some a bit more advanced. Remember all the questions will be something you can work out on a whiteboard and a basic calculator so don't bother with any complex maths.

I did not like AR, it annoyed me most of the time but with enough practice I got it, I think its the easiest to practice for! Hmm I don't know whether I could tell you if it was harder as I found the VR in the book to be one of my favourites however it was my lowest in the UKCAT oddly So you might be like me. DA I found to be pretty even with the 600 book though. UKCAT is a tricky one really, it varies from person to person so as I said its simply a matter of practise. If you put the time in, you should get the results back - only got 1 chance remember so do as much as you can.

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Facticity)
Yea ring up and let us know, it could help other applicants in similar situations! For other unis check out the TSR Medicine Wiki on GCSE requirements for every med school

Aha, I know that feeling, maths isn't my favourite subject and so I understand well when you say you had a hard time with QR. I thought I was going to fail QR completely when I did it but when I got there I found them surprisingly easy. I think you should focus more on the techniques the book is trying to teach you and adapt them. Just keep practicing and if you put the work in, and practise GCSE style maths questions with some a bit more advanced. Remember all the questions will be something you can work out on a whiteboard and a basic calculator so don't bother with any complex maths.

I did not like AR, it annoyed me most of the time but with enough practice I got it, I think its the easiest to practice for! Hmm I don't know whether I could tell you if it was harder as I found the VR in the book to be one of my favourites however it was my lowest in the UKCAT oddly So you might be like me. DA I found to be pretty even with the 600 book though. UKCAT is a tricky one really, it varies from person to person so as I said its simply a matter of practise. If you put the time in, you should get the results back - only got 1 chance remember so do as much as you can.

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I will most definitely keep practising I'm going to even read all the tips and techniques in the book a day before the exam again to remember what they said. I only have a week left and I have sixth form, which means I can only do an average of about 3 hours per day. Do you think that will be enough?

Btw I heard the St Georges interview is extremely difficult, is this true?

[Facticity]

(Original post by SylveeDiggs)
Thanks for the advice! Yeah I will most definitely keep practising I'm going to even read all the tips and techniques in the book a day before the exam again to remember what they said. I only have a week left and I have sixth form, which means I can only do an average of about 3 hours per day. Do you think that will be enough?

Hmmm. It depends - how long has it been since you started practicing?

Btw I heard the St Georges interview is extremely difficult, is this true?

Errm, I wouldn't be inclined to say difficult rather than very different. I personally found it quite suited to my style so I didn't find it particularly stressful (though before hand I was shaking! haha) but it flies by once your inside. It is an MMI style: Multi mini interview. 8 booths, 7 topics. I thought it allowed division of what we should be looking into for a career in medicine nicely and so was organised, which suited me. For others though, it can be stressful as you have to think about multiple different things, role play, and think on your feet all in the space of 40 minutes. But I think it allows for SGUL to test whether you have the right attributes, attitude and back ground knowledge of medicine in history, practise and law. As long as you have background knowledge and are honest, I think you should be alright. Again though, this is just personal experience! It could be different.

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Facticity)
Hmmm. It depends - how long has it been since you started practicing?



Errm, I wouldn't be inclined to say difficult rather than very different. I personally found it quite suited to my style so I didn't find it particularly stressful (though before hand I was shaking! haha) but it flies by once your inside. It is an MMI style: Multi mini interview. 8 booths, 7 topics. I thought it allowed division of what we should be looking into for a career in medicine nicely and so was organised, which suited me. For others though, it can be stressful as you have to think about multiple different things, role play, and think on your feet all in the space of 40 minutes. But I think it allows for SGUL to test whether you have the right attributes, attitude and back ground knowledge of medicine in history, practise and law. As long as you have background knowledge and are honest, I think you should be alright. Again though, this is just personal experience! It could be different.

Erm just roughly a week and a half now. Going potmed tomorrow so doin the mock ukcat there and I should have finished the 600q book by tomorrow. This week is just basically kaplan test and online practice questions and the recommended ukcat sites put up by the tsr. Is this enough? I feel like I'm gonna do terribly.

And thats a lil scary I don't know if I will survive the interview so dunno if I should apply anymore :| How did you prepare for it?

Sorry for all the questions btw!

[Facticity]

(Original post by SylveeDiggs)
Erm just roughly a week and a half now. Going potmed tomorrow so doin the mock ukcat there and I should have finished the 600q book by tomorrow. This week is just basically kaplan test and online practice questions and the recommended ukcat sites put up by the tsr. Is this enough? I feel like I'm gonna do terribly.

Well I don't know, in all honesty I didn't have that much time to prepare for mine either. Bad planning is your worst enemy in the med application But I came out doing much better than I thought I would and I know this is true of a lot of people I know. So don't get shaken up with nerves, just focus on practicing as much s you can up to the day, take a deep breath before you go in and do your best so you don't regret. You will be fine

And thats a lil scary I don't know if I will survive the interview so dunno if I should apply anymore :| How did you prepare for it?

Sorry for all the questions btw!

Naaa! Its alright, don't be put off by the interview. I can't really offer you too much help as TSR (and the uni) requests I don't discuss the contents of the interview however there are small guides online like this. It really isn't as bad as people imagine, its much easier to prepare for (in some ways) than a regular interview but again its all down to personal preference. I may have scared you with the whole back ground knowledge but its just basic things really - nothing you couldn't google read up on aha.

Prepared by using guides like the one I linked and just getting some back ground knowledge on medical advances, the law with people like NICE and what doctors do. It wasn't extensive preparation but the interview is designed so that if you have the basic knowledge, a good attitude and good decision making skills (like a doctor would need!) you should be fine

No problem, I wouldn't be here if I didn't expect questions. More over, stop thinking about interview, and focus on your UKCAT, thats the first step!

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Facticity)

Yep most definitely. One step at a time and yes I'm gonna do the best I can in terms of preparation

[Jchen]

i got 5 A* and 6 A and 1 B on my IGCSE's, got a prediction of 39 IB points (without 3 extra points) and got an average of ukcat at 642.5. im applying as an internatioanl student, what are my chances?

[Facticity]

(Original post by Jchen)
i got 5 A* and 6 A and 1 B on my IGCSE's, got a prediction of 39 IB points (without 3 extra points) and got an average of ukcat at 642.5. im applying as an internatioanl student, what are my chances?

Your academics give you a good chance and your UKCAT is borderline average but i'd say go for it.

[bencornwell]

Hey everyone,
I haven't really heard much about St Georges.
I have assesed my GCSE's, and I get a score of 498.
I got 650 in my UKCAT

Reckon I have a decent shot at an interview?

Cheers!

[Facticity]

(Original post by bencornwell)
Hey everyone,
I haven't really heard much about St Georges.
I have assesed my GCSE's, and I get a score of 498.
I got 650 in my UKCAT

Reckon I have a decent shot at an interview?

Cheers!

Its not a mega mahoosive school as it is essentially a medical science focused uni and it is still quite a young institution but it is rising in the ranks!

498 is a strong score and you have an average UKCAT but without knowing the cut off they'll set late, I can't say however if you have AAAb at least, then I would say there is a fair chance at interview.

(Original post by kickasskaz01)
For my gces I got A*A*AAAABBBBCC the A*’s in science and art and A’s in maths, science, technology and short course religious education and a B in english which would be 416 pionts if the short course RE is counted as 52 piont, so is this right, are short courses the same?

I don't know if short course GCSEs are accepted as they are not the same as full GCSEs. It would be best to phone up and ask as you can get a clear answer rather than speculating here

[Kingbradley6]

Edit sorry post may not be allowed.

[certainmed]

Is there any point in applying if I've gotten two predicted grades just below the requirements, but a kick-ass UKCAT score and personal statement?

[certainmed]

And my class is doing the IB for the first year, and the teachers are afraid of boosting my grades because they do not want to make mistakes. Is this something I could tell the admissions?