Retaking GCSEs for medicine as a mature student and its impact on applications

I'm hoping to go to med school in the near future, but I didn't take my GCSEs in high school due to mental health issues that started around age 11. As a result I had a very low average attendance in high school. I was still entered into the exams as a candidate but never took them so technically I would be resitting.

From what I've read resits impact your chances of being accepted, especially when you had poor results previously or don't have a valid reason for a resit or absence that anyone can verify.

I'm unsure about how much this history will affect applications and the universities I can go to. If anyone has any information about universities, applying with personal circumstances that can't be verified or insight on how universities view GCSE resits I would really appreciate it.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

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Reply 2

ErasistratusV

You need to write to the admissions teams of the institutions you intend to apply to and ask for their guidance on the next steps.

Some medical schools will not look at GCSE results for a mature student at all or otherwise discount them because of the length of time that has passed. I know of one person who completed medical school who had no GCSEs whatsoever.

Reply 3

McGinger

If there is a reason why you didnt take GCSEs and this can be confirmed by whoever writes your UCAS reference, and potentially also that school, many Uni will overlook this - especially if you are a mature student. What they may want is evidence that you have an equivalent level of Maths and English as their GCSE requirements via A levels or whatever. Unis do not usually penalise GCSE retakes - many 17/18 year olds do this alongside A levels.

As above, email or phone each Uni and ask what their individual policy is.

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