3rd attempt at UCAT - Should I give up ?

Looking for some honest possibly brutally honest advice here. Should I throw in the towel at this point ?

This is my 3rd time doing the UCAT and even though there has been an improvement in my score, its just not enough to get any interview offers due to rising UCAT cutoffs.

Context
IGCSEs - 1 A* 7As 2Bs
IB - 36 points with 666 HL in Biology, Chemistry and History
UCAT 2020 - 2080
UCAT 2022 - 2490
UCAT 2023 - 2590

Also its not like I can apply to " low UCAT" universities because for that you'll need to be 10A*+ (at GCSEs) and 40+ (at IB) student.

So I guess my question is... what now ? Should I just quit despite spending so much time trying to get work experience/volunteering at the hospital ? It feels like such a waste at this point.

However I also can't imagine doing another career..

You've done the UCAT exam so you might as well try to get into a medical school during this application cycle, even though the chances might be low, but failing that you need pursue something else I would say. Would you not be interested in a related medical field, such as biomed, researcher, scientist, medical sales etc? At least that way you will put your hospital work experience to good use. Work experience is never a waste as you learn not just job related skills, but you also develop confidence and interpersonal skills etc, so try not to be too hard on yourself.

You've got two threads running with the same question.

Have you considered BMAT?

I'm sure you'll make a good doctor from just taking a read of this. I also took the UCAT 3 times for differing reasons and did well in them but its just an aptitude test. Don't give up on your dream! Check out Bulgaria if need be.

Thank you for your kind words and that's the biggest problem. I am rubbish at aptitude tests ! I remember my school would make us sit apptitude tests to generate our predicted grades and I would perform quite poorly on them. I was predicted C&Ds at IGCSEs but thankfully ended up with better grades in the end. Also due to visa purposes I can't leave the UK. However I would have loved the opportunity to study medicine abroad.

According to my research the only university the might MIGHT give me an interview is QUB. No other university would even look at me with my current UCAT score. Should I still make an application for just one university ? Also I did apply to biomed back in 2021 and got offers from all 5 choices. However I decided against biomed because I really don't want to work in a lab and I enjoy conversing with people. Thank you for your response and you're right. I'm just extremely disappointed in myself. It shouldn't take these many attempts to get a "good" UCAT score. It probably means I'm just not smart enough to study medicine and should probably take this as a sign.

Looking for some honest possibly brutally honest advice here. Should I throw in the towel at this point ?

This is my 3rd time doing the UCAT and even though there has been an improvement in my score, its just not enough to get any interview offers due to rising UCAT cutoffs.

Context
IGCSEs - 1 A* 7As 2Bs
IB - 36 points with 666 HL in Biology, Chemistry and History
UCAT 2020 - 2080
UCAT 2022 - 2490
UCAT 2023 - 2590

Also its not like I can apply to " low UCAT" universities because for that you'll need to be 10A*+ (at GCSEs) and 40+ (at IB) student.

So I guess my question is... what now ? Should I just quit despite spending so much time trying to get work experience/volunteering at the hospital ? It feels like such a waste at this point.

However I also can't imagine doing another career..

Also due to visa purposes I can't leave the UK. However I would have loved the opportunity to study medicine abroad.

Consider international unis ie. Grenada, Cyprus, etc. They ask for lower IB points and yours are pretty good. They also don't require UCAT. St.Georges School of Medicine in Grenada will take you in almost*certainly, but it is quite expensive. They also have a rolling application process where you can enrol in either August*or January.

Good luck and don't give upp!!

Hey why don't you sit the bmat it is the last year that this exam will exist. I highly encourage you to sit the bmat.
I am applying as a graduate for dentistry and I have sat the ucat 6 times now. This time I got my highest score so far 2520 band 2 sjt. Hope it will be fine for my application.

It looks like you would now be considered a mature non-grad by most med schools (as you do not mention a degree?)
This can be an issue as most ask for some form of academic endeavour in the 2 years before you start the course, so do check this out carefully.
As you say, QUB would be an option, as may Sunderland (not sure on their mature non-grad policy).
Southampton has a different cut off for this category and it is generally much lower
Other med schools may ask for GAMSAT (I think Plymouth and Exeter do), so check requirements carefully and ask some of them how they would treat a mature non-grad

Consider international unis ie. Grenada, Cyprus, etc. They ask for lower IB points and yours are pretty good. They also don't require UCAT. St.Georges School of Medicine in Grenada will take you in almost*certainly, but it is quite expensive. They also have a rolling application process where you can enrol in either August*or January.

Good luck and don't give upp!!

Looks like that is not an option