Medicine Applications... early submissions ?

For my medicine courses, I need to do the UKCAT and BMAT exam and those are only in october. My question is what advantage does an early submission have if I'm not going to get an offer without the marks from those exams ?

Do the admission tutors check the applications in the order the receive them but only AFTER the exam results ?

Oh, and the Personal Statement submission date start was 1st of September and deadline is 15th of October, am I right ?

Reply 1

Prudy

I couldn't talk with any knowledge of Medicine applications, but I had the same thing (as everyone does) for Oxbridge applications. I could only presume that for Medicine like Oxbridge, the courses are so popular that they use the earlier deadlines in order to help get there admin in order, sorting out interviews etc before the main bulk of applications.

WRT the tutors checkign the applications, I'd imagine they'd check them as soon as they get them, but only rough checking, like binning those applications with only 1 GCSE as grade G. For all the realistic applicants they would wait for the results before making a judgement.

WRT dates, the deadline sounds about right (same time as last year) but it's worht checking with your college anyways.....

Good luck with the application!

Reply 2

minim

Hmm ok, but if yours is the first application they read, and everything is in order, they still won't be able to offer you an interview without a BMAT or UKCAT grade :confused:

Reply 3

Prudy

No they won't. It's probably because applications are relative and they'd want to compare with all applications once received. Also, the BMAT and UKCAT probably forms quite an important part of the decision procedure, as it gives the unis info they can't glean from the rest of the info provided. A bit, I suppose, like the LNAT, and they would want to review the application 'in the whole' for if ones application isn't quite so strong but one has amazing UKCAT etc grades it may help, and vica versa.

Reply 4

Excalibur

The UKCAT is taken before the UCAS deadline (something like before the beginning of October) so unis (and you!) will know your score before you send your UCAS form off.

Your BMAT is taken on October 31st and the BMAT unis probably won't give you an interview until the results are out for that.

Reply 5

sunspoon

You can take the UKCAT anytime from June to mid-October. UKCAT universities automatically get sent results by Pearson Vue, the people that conduct the test.

BMAT- Similar thing, but you take the BMAT after you've applied, on Hallowe'en. Some BMAT universities eg Imperial select interviewees purely based on BMAT performance so an early application in this instance makes no difference. I know some colleges at Cambridge interview all applicants who exceed the minimum entry requirements, eg Magdalene, so applying early makes no difference here either.

Reply 6

minim

So basically if I've booked my UKCAT test for 9th of October, an early submission won't help :frown:

. Really upset for not thinking of this earlier as those who already have the UKCAT results might already get an offer.

Reply 7

Philosoraptor

Yup, if you have really good grades, you might even get an early interview before BMAT results are given out - e.g. last year UCL interviewed 40 people in this way.