Medicine 2016 entry - low UKCAT score

Have you contacted Uni's you are interested in to ask how they will treat your GCSEs? Because as baseline stats, your GCSEs are not likely to be good enough for Oxford or Nottingham (in combination with your UKCAT), but if they can tell you what allowances they may make for your schools performance level, it will be easier to give advice.

Birmingham, Cardiff, QUB would like your GCSE results. Birmingham is using 70% academics (which I am guessing you will have full, or nearly full, marks in) and 30% UKCAT which will be based in centiles (your score would have been in the 8th centile last year and in 2012-in 2013, scores were all inflated)
Leicester, Manchester, Aberdeen, HYMS, Dundee, Nottingham and UEA would like your combination of academics and what is actually a pretty good UKCAT, but, as pointed out previously, you would need to work out your score for Leicester (cut off 59.5 last year) and Nottingham (cut off was weird as SJT was messed up, but you should be able to get an idea from last years thread-bear in mind Nottingham also scores PS, which can be a bit of a lottery). Aberdeen use predicted A2 + UKCAT and then carry this score forward to be used as 50% of the post interview score to decide who will be offered a place, so with your predicted A2s, you would score very highly there. Manchester rank on UKCAT (check threads here for last year's cut off), then score PS.
I suspect you would meet Plymouths UKCAT cut off (check the "how the Unis use the UKCAT" document for past years cut offs, bearing in mind 2 years ago was artificially high.
Your UKCAT will not be enough for the UKCAT big boys, I suspect, ie Newcastle/Durham, Kings, Southampton or Exeter, although Exeter apparently allow a lower UKCAT score for people with lots of A*s predicted at A2, so might be worth a punt if you really liked it.
I would pick 1 BMAT Uni if you want to as you will not have the result until after you put your application in, and good GCSEs and A levels does not necessarily equate to a good result in aptitude tests.
Then, if you want to be safe, you would score very highly and be very likely to get an interview at QUB, Leicester, HYMS, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Dundee and, if you want to add the uncertainty of PS ranking in, then Cardiff, Nottingham, Manchester, UEA, Glasgow. I suspect your UKCAT will be in the top 20% or higher (remember, it is a normal distribution curve!) and with such good academics, I doubt anywhere is out of reach for you, except the UKCAT big boys, though if it were me, I would not want to be relying on the subjectivity of PS assessment given such good stats. Good luck


Edit: Just checked Plymouth cut offs, and don't know your individual scores but looks like you would have made the cut off for 2012 and 2013, and check the thread here for last year

Oxford is always a risk as the competition is so high, and you do not sit your BMAT until after you put your application in, so a considerable portion of your stats are"blind".
Edinburgh is incredibly competitive too, and your UKCAT would not be particularly high for them, plus they place quite a bit of emphasis on your PS, which is always subjective.
Manchester rank UKCAT then PS
Sheffield have a threshold UKCAT and then score PS.
This would seem to me to be too many risky choices to me when you have good enough stats to be reasonably confident of interviews at other places.
I would be looking at Leicester, Birmingham, HYMS, SGUL, QUB, Aberdeen, Dundee, Plymouth as some safer choices mixed with your favourite of the riskier ones.
Good luck

Hey there,
A friend of mine has got 602.5 in UKCAT average, 2 A*s at GCSE's and 4 5 A's and 3 B's. Also has AABC at AS in P.E, Chemistry, Maths and Biology respectively. He dropped the Maths (B) and is predicted AAA in Chemistry, Biology and P.E. He has applied for Manchester as one of his choices, what are the chances he will be rejected before interview? Thanks!!

Your 'friend' is very unlikely to get an interview at Manchester unless he has a geodemographic/educational/been in care flag, and even then still unlikely to get an interview.
Look at the table below, if he doesn't have any of the above flags he will be in the 'no contextual flags' column:

Birmingham, Cardiff, QUB would like your GCSE results. Birmingham is using 70% academics (which I am guessing you will have full, or nearly full, marks in) and 30% UKCAT which will be based in centiles (your score would have been in the 8th centile last year and in 2012-in 2013, scores were all inflated)

Im currently using medify and just got 630 average and band 1 in a mock. I think i need to use flagging more to help with timing, but any other advice on how to get my score up would be really welcome? I have 9A*sAB at GCSE, AAAA at AS and predicted A*A*A at A2. Have my UKCAT in 2 days!!! What sort of unis would be best to apply to with a score around that? If i got 650 in my real UKCAT, would there be any point in applying to manchester, glasgow or sheffield? Not too fussed about the UKCAT big boys you mentioned. Thanks

Very good stats, might as well try the GCSE heavy unis.

650 might be enough for Manchester but idk, 700 would be safe.

Good luck anyway!

Dear All, I did my UKCAT yesterday and was quite disappointed when i received a score of 690 (SJT band 1), as I felt that i should and was capable of getting much higher. My other stats so far have been good. I received 10 A* at GCSE and 4 high As at A level ( so getting predicted 4 A*), and prior to doing UKCAT i had my hopes on UCL Cardiff Birmingham and Nottingham (was thinking of oxford too in the place of UCL perhaps). I know that Nottingham look a fair bit at the UKCAT, which is a shame because i really liked it and i Know that Birmingham does too now I quite like Leeds aswell and I am aware that it uses the BMAT. Can anyone who has knowledge on this area i.e. if you recently applied for medicine or are in the process of going to for 2016 entry, could you give me advice on whether you think that my UKCAT score is so low for Nottingham that it would be better for me to apply to Leeds instead and risk having two BMAT universities if i apply with UCL (or oxford). Also how would my chances at getting an interview with Birmingham fare now that they use ukcat.

Thanks all x

My stats:
VR: 560, QR: 790, AR: 570, DA: 610, SJT: Band 1, Average: 632.5
GCSE: 6A* 4A 1B - The B was english language. This was at an underachieving school with only 45% of pupils getting 5+ A*-C including English and Maths
AS: Biology A, Chemistry A, Maths A, History A
Predictions: Biology A*, Chemistry A, Maths A
I've done lots of work experience/volunteering. Three week-long placements in hospitals, a week in a GP and volunteering when I could in a nursing home since this time last year. However, I only have one extra curricular, which is gospel choir, but I do a lot in it (competitions and stuff).I was thinking of applying to Oxford, UCL and Nottingham? Haven't decided on my fourth yet.. Anyone have any recommendations for a fourth or some better choices?Thanks!

Thanks for the reply. It is my friend haha as I can't decide between Dentistry/medicine so I will take a gap year and the decide next year. And he does have a WP flag for his area so I hope he gets in this year!

My stats:
VR: 560, QR: 790, AR: 570, DA: 610, SJT: Band 1, Average: 632.5
GCSE: 6A* 4A 1B - The B was english language. This was at an underachieving school with only 45% of pupils getting 5+ A*-C including English and Maths
AS: Biology A, Chemistry A, Maths A, History A
Predictions: Biology A*, Chemistry A, Maths A
I've done lots of work experience/volunteering. Three week-long placements in hospitals, a week in a GP and volunteering when I could in a nursing home since this time last year. However, I only have one extra curricular, which is gospel choir, but I do a lot in it (competitions and stuff).I was thinking of applying to Oxford, UCL and Nottingham? Haven't decided on my fourth yet.. Anyone have any recommendations for a fourth or some better choices?Thanks!