What grades do I need to get to get into med school

I am currently in year 11 meaning that I am doing my gcses in 2 months, and was just wandering what grades you need to be getting in terms of both gcse and alevel to participate in a med degree to become a doctor ???

Reply 1

Emma:-)

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Original post by _holly_mchale

Different unis will have different entry requirements.
Look on different unis websites and see what sort of grades they expect. This should give you an idea of what to aim for.

Reply 2

callum_law

Original post by _holly_mchale

Manchester says you need 5 A/A* GCSEs to get onto their programme, but many universities do not care too much about GCSEs so you need not worry too much. AAA is generally the required grades at A-Level, with biology and chemistry required subjects.

Reply 3

Physflop

Original post by _holly_mchale

You need at least AAA at A level, different places require different things for GCSE but some have quite high requirements like 8A*-B grades (just an example). You also need to sit an entrance exam (or 2) depending on where you apply. They are the UKCAT and the BMAT tests and all medicine uni require one of these to be taken.
Its also not all about grades, you need lots of work experience and a very strong personal statement, it's hugely competitive to get a place on medicine, lots of people end up taking a gap year to get work experience as its common to get lots of rejections.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

Tronick

You need a decent grade in "using the google search tool" for starters

Reply 5

Ronove

Original post by Physflop

Unless something has changed since I last looked, this is not true.

Reply 6

suedonim

try a search for student room wiki medicine GCSE requirements

Reply 7

Anotherside7

Original post by Tronick

You need a decent grade in "using the google search tool" for starters

I know this comment could definitely be taken as a bit harsh but I really agree with the sentiment that you need this level of independent thought at a minimum because everyone I've ever spoken to in a medical school context has this trait of being able to go away and find something out for themselves without being directed.

What you really need to focus on is doing as well as you can and then applying strategically, there are a lot of medical schools and there will be one that's the right fit for you provided you get your As at A-level. You then apply to the medical schools for which you meet the minimum academic requirements and then score high enough on the entrance exam (e.g. UKCAT) to get the interview (in some cases, but not all.) This would be the part you'd need to research yourself.

Reply 8

Physflop

Original post by Ronove

Unless something has changed since I last looked, this is not true.

Are you talking about UKCAT and bmat? My friends have just applied to medicine and all needed to take one of them... Im interested if you can find me a uni that doesn't use them? It's a big part of how they determine who they interview!

Reply 9

bukosaurus_rex

Original post by Physflop

Birmingham doesn't take either into consideration :smile:

Reply 10

Physflop

Original post by bukosaurus_rex

Birmingham doesn't take either into consideration :smile:

They are using the UKCAT from 2016 entry onwards. So yes, basically every uni will use one of the entrance exams!

Reply 11

Ronove

Original post by Physflop

Bristol and Liverpool?

Reply 12

Physflop

Original post by Ronove

Bristol and Liverpool?

Ok fair enough they don't, but it is still the vast majority of med courses that do use them. 😂

Reply 13

bukosaurus_rex

Original post by Physflop

They are using the UKCAT from 2016 entry onwards. So yes, basically every uni will use one of the entrance exams!

Oh really? I stand corrected :smile:

I should really check my facts next time haha :biggrin:

Wow, next year is going to be so intense!

Good luck to all applying for 2016 medicine!

Reply 14

Parent_help

Original post by _holly_mchale

N.B. For GCSE, you must have top marks for English and sciences and realistically at least 6 A grades and 3 Bs.

Here's a brief breakdown.

9 X A*,
- then you are over the GCSE bar for almost all. You need to aim for this.

6 X A* and 3 X A
- a few med schools are ruled out
.
.
.
.
.
5 X A and 4 X B
- only a few will look at you

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 15

Gnomes&Knights

You need good GCSEs (mostly A*/A grades) and the required grades for GCE A level;
GCSE: Most Medicine students will have like around 6-8 A* & rest A grades for GCSE so aim for that. Some Medical Schools have minimum GCSE requirements. They're not all the same so research on that.
GCE A level: Minimum grades for Medicine is AAAb but I'm not sure about the B for AS. The average Medicine student has 500-540 UCAS tariff points so that's like A*A*A*a, A*A*AA to A*A*A*A.