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What would I need to achieve/do to get into a BMAT Med School?

I know it's a massive achievement to get into any med school, but I always like to aim high and therefore would love to work towards having a chance at applying and getting into Oxbridge, Imperial College or UCL :smile:

About me:

16 years old and about to start A-levels, studying Chemistry, Maths, Biology, Geography (I really dislike physics)

11A*s at GCSE, I attended a poorly achieving/average secondary school, my grades are the highest GCSEs in the history of the school to date

Member of my secondary school's Student Voice

Science Leader at my secondary school

Have attended MedLink and ICSM Vision Junior Conference

Currently volunteering at Oxfam

Have a part time job which I may leave in a couple of months so that I have 6 months work experience under my belt, which would be useful when applying for another job in the future



My question is, what would I need to do/achieve in order to stand out and have a chance of at least getting interviewed by one of these medical schools? I will of course be volunteering/carrying out work experience at a hospital and doctor's surgery, and will also be revising early for the UKCAT and BMAT, as well as aiming for A's at AS and hopefully at least A*AA at A-Level.

What scores would I need to achieve in the BMAT to get an interview?
Will I need 90%+ ums in all my AS modules?
Will I need to take 4 A-Levels to A2? As I've seen a lot of people who aim for these unis to be doing 5 AS and then 4 A2, especially when reading the 'stalking page..' articles for these unis

Thanks in advance :redface:
Reply 1
Original post by d.parmar96
I know it's a massive achievement to get into any med school, but I always like to aim high and therefore would love to work towards having a chance at applying and getting into Oxbridge, Imperial College or UCL :smile:

About me:

16 years old and about to start A-levels, studying Chemistry, Maths, Biology, Geography (I really dislike physics)

11A*s at GCSE, I attended a poorly achieving/average secondary school, my grades are the highest GCSEs in the history of the school to date

Member of my secondary school's Student Voice

Science Leader at my secondary school

Have attended MedLink and ICSM Vision Junior Conference

Currently volunteering at Oxfam

Have a part time job which I may leave in a couple of months so that I have 6 months work experience under my belt, which would be useful when applying for another job in the future



My question is, what would I need to do/achieve in order to stand out and have a chance of at least getting interviewed by one of these medical schools? I will of course be volunteering/carrying out work experience at a hospital and doctor's surgery, and will also be revising early for the UKCAT and BMAT, as well as aiming for A's at AS and hopefully at least A*AA at A-Level.

What scores would I need to achieve in the BMAT to get an interview?
Will I need 90%+ ums in all my AS modules?
Will I need to take 4 A-Levels to A2? As I've seen a lot of people who aim for these unis to be doing 5 AS and then 4 A2, especially when reading the 'stalking page..' articles for these unis

Thanks in advance :redface:

You are doing well so far. BMAT scores required for interview vary each year and between institutions. With 11 A*s at GCSE you would be in a strong position for Oxford, but would still need to do above average in the BMAT. For Cambridge it all depends on your AS UMS - >90% is ideal. They are the only university interested in this, as far as I can tell. You do not need to take 4 A2s unless you are enjoying them and think you will be able to get As/A*s in all of them.
Answering your questions at the bottom of your post:

1) These vary year to year as they're relative to the cohort applying to each institution. But for Ox/Cam you ideally want 6.0 in S2 of the BMAT to stand a good chance.
2) For Cambridge, this is really important. For other med schools, not really.
3) No
Reply 3
Original post by Helenia
You are doing well so far. BMAT scores required for interview vary each year and between institutions. With 11 A*s at GCSE you would be in a strong position for Oxford, but would still need to do above average in the BMAT. For Cambridge it all depends on your AS UMS - >90% is ideal. They are the only university interested in this, as far as I can tell. You do not need to take 4 A2s unless you are enjoying them and think you will be able to get As/A*s in all of them.


Thank you for the reply!

Do you think that my GCSE grades would allow me to afford to score slightly lower in the BMAT to get an interview at UCL/Imperial or would I still need an above average score too?
Original post by d.parmar96
Thank you for the reply!

Do you think that my GCSE grades would allow me to afford to score slightly lower in the BMAT to get an interview at UCL/Imperial or would I still need an above average score too?


As far as I am aware, Imperial decides their interview shortlist purely on the basis of BMAT score. UCL allegedly gives "even weighting" to all factors including BMAT, but it's still dangerous to think that you don't "need" a high BMAT score given your GCSEs - besides, with your grades and proper preparation, the BMAT isn't that bad and you can definitely get at least above average :smile:
Reply 5
Thank you for the advice! :smile:

In your honest opinion would you think it better to apply to one or two BMAT unis? If I did well in my AS Levels of course :rolleyes:

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