The Student Room Group

Medicine

Hi, I am trying to study medicine at uni but i bombed my UCAT (i got 1860 band 3) so not the best. I am predicted A*A*A in chem bio and maths I have a bunch of volunteering and qualification. I am currently thinking of applying this year to Cardiff and 3 other medical uni and Bristol for biochemistry. Does anyone know what univiersities i could apply to or if its better for me to take a gap year and retake my UCAT (sorry for the yap)

Reply 1

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

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.


Megathreads (Please read the first post before posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work
GANFYD's "Which medical schools accept retake A-Levels" list

2026 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry
Medicine 2026 entry for resit/retake/gap year applicants
International Students for Medicine 2026 Entry (overseas students applying to the UK)
UCAT 2026 Entry Discussions Megathread
GAMSAT Megathread 2026/2027 entry
GAMSAT Megathread 2025/2026 entry
2026 entry A100/ A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2026 entry
Medical Schools Index 2025 entry

UCAS Extra and Clearing:
Medicine UCAS Extra for 2025
Medicine UCAS Clearing for 2025

Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2027 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2027 Entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2028 Entry

Current Medical Students and Doctors:
Guidance on posting in this subforum
So, you're going to medical school.... MKII
OSCE Tips and Advice
Increase in the NHS Bursary and expenses for placement
The postgraduate exams thread

Useful Articles:
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree

Our Community:
Medicine Community Feedback and Suggestions
Medicine Gap Year Stories
Project: Minimum UCAT Score Trends

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

Original post
by oliverwiejak
Hi, I am trying to study medicine at uni but i bombed my UCAT (i got 1860 band 3) so not the best. I am predicted A*A*A in chem bio and maths I have a bunch of volunteering and qualification. I am currently thinking of applying this year to Cardiff and 3 other medical uni and Bristol for biochemistry. Does anyone know what univiersities i could apply to or if its better for me to take a gap year and retake my UCAT (sorry for the yap)
tldr : apply anyway , worse comes to worst you have to take a gap year
I would apply to unis that don’t use the UCAT too heavily. Try Keele, Aston and Cardiff ( provided you have good GCSE’s). In any case there is no harm in applying now , who knows you may end up getting an interview/offer. If you end up not getting an offer then doing a a gap year shouldn’t really he an issue( my friend was in the same situation as you and is now studying medicine having completed his a levels in 2024) .

Reply 3

Original post
by zubindileepkumar
tldr : apply anyway , worse comes to worst you have to take a gap year
I would apply to unis that don’t use the UCAT too heavily. Try Keele, Aston and Cardiff ( provided you have good GCSE’s). In any case there is no harm in applying now , who knows you may end up getting an interview/offer. If you end up not getting an offer then doing a a gap year shouldn’t really he an issue( my friend was in the same situation as you and is now studying medicine having completed his a levels in 2024) .

thank you

Quick Reply