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Medical School Applications

This document provides information to help someone decide whether to pursue a career in medicine and which medical schools to apply to. It discusses the qualities and responsibilities of doctors. It also covers the application process, including requirements for grades, work experience, the UKCAT admissions exam, personal statements, and interviews. Medical schools are compared based on factors like tuition costs, entry requirements, curriculum structure, and whether they consider the UKCAT or BMAT exam scores. Overall advice is given to thoroughly research each school to find the best fit.

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274 views64 pages

Medical School Applications

This document provides information to help someone decide whether to pursue a career in medicine and which medical schools to apply to. It discusses the qualities and responsibilities of doctors. It also covers the application process, including requirements for grades, work experience, the UKCAT admissions exam, personal statements, and interviews. Medical schools are compared based on factors like tuition costs, entry requirements, curriculum structure, and whether they consider the UKCAT or BMAT exam scores. Overall advice is given to thoroughly research each school to find the best fit.

Uploaded by

TheSmileyOne
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Qualities include :

Good communication skills


Working as part of a team
Non judgemental behaviour
Empathy and integrity.

Qualities include :Taking responsibility


Leadership
Conscientious and honest
Hardworking

Qualities include :-

Intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Scientific interest
Ongoing intellectual curiousity
Caring

Consensus statement on the role of a doctor

Doctors as clinical scientists apply the


principles and procedures of medicine to
prevent, diagnose, care for and treat patients
with illness, disease and injury and to maintain
physical and mental health.
They supervise the implementation of care and
treatment plans by others in the health care
team and conduct medical education and
research.

The nature of these core requirements


emphasises the need to select those with
the appropriate attributes for training.
Medical undergraduate education must
provide a strong grounding in relevant
science and in clinical practice as well as
providing opportunities to develop an
appreciation for research.

CPD/CME
(Life long learning)

Developing your decision to apply or not

Reading newspapers
Websites about medicine
Taste of medicine website
BBC and broadsheet newspaper websites

Developing your interest in medicine

and science and ethics. Reading +++

Talk to any doctor you can,


e.g. your G.P., relatives

Healthcare not as a doctor


OT
Nursing
Psychology
Physiotherapy
Audiology
Optometry etc.

How Schools Decide


Personal Statement
Your grades
Achieved grades
Predicted grades
Aptitude Tests
UKCAT
BMAT
No Aptitude Test
Work Experience
Interview
Characteristics and Abilities

Personal Statement
See specimen PS on Oxford University website

Personal Statement

One thought: Include something about medical


management and the doctor in a non patient
setting

Each school wants something slightly different.


Personal statements will play to the
requirements of those four schools
So each personal statement is trying to achieve
something slightly different.

GCSE /A(S) results


and

A level prediction

Cardiff scoring system


A level predictions ignored
9 best GCSEs
A* = 3
A =2
B=1
Guaranteed interview with 25 points

So with 7 or more A* grades at GCSE


with 2 A grades you are guaranteed
an interview with a 47-50% chance of
success.

Consider applying to Cardiff as


7 A*s means a definite interview.

Cardiff

UKCAT used only as a tiebreaker:


So UKCAT not looked at in 98% of
Cardiff admissions

Work Experience (one week not enough)

List of Hospitals that recently had work


experience candidates. Email me for a list
Use Care Homes/LD institutions for work
experience
GP
Disability Groups

UKCAT: For reasons of brevity I will only say a


little about this, so visit their website, talk to the
school and to candidates who took it last year.

Birmingham and Liverpool use neither


BMAT nor UKCAT

You can decide where to apply ...


After your UKCAT Result
But before knowing your BMAT Results

What is in the UKCAT Test


The test assesses a range of mental abilities identified by university Medical and Dental
Schools as important. For candidates sitting the examination in summer 2011, the UKCAT
will consist:
Verbal reasoning - assesses candidates' ability to think logically about written
information and to arrive at a reasoned conclusion.
Quantitative reasoning - assesses candidates' ability to solve numerical problems.
Abstract reasoning - assesses candidates' ability to infer relationships from information
by convergent and divergent thinking.
Decision analysis - assesses candidates' ability to deal with various forms of information,
to infer relationships, to make informed judgements, and to decide on an appropriate
response, in situations of complexity and ambiguity.
In 2011, unlike in previous testing years, the UKCAT will not include a test of behavioural
traits.
There is no curriculum content as the test examines innate skills. Examples of questions
you may be asked can be found in the Preparation section. It is not necessary or possible
to practise for these questions but you are advised to familiarise yourself with the
format.
The standard test is delivered in just over 1 1/2 hours. Each subtest is in a multiple-choice
format and is separately timed.
There are two versions of UKCAT: the standard UKCAT and the UKCATSEN (Special
Educational Needs). The UKCATSEN is a longer version of the UKCAT intended for
candidates who require additional time due to a documented medical condition or
disability.

UKCAT Section
Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative
Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning
Decision Analysis

Time (includes
introduction)
22 minutes

44 items

23 minutes

36 items

16 minutes
32 minutes

65 items
26 items

Items

UKCAT Key dates

Registration opens:

3 May 2011

Bursary applications
processed from:

3 May 2011

Testing begins:

5 July 2011

Registration deadline:

23 September 2011

Bursary application deadline:

23 September 2011

Exemption application
deadline:

23 September 2011

Last testing date:

7 October 2011

UCAS application deadline:

15 October 2011

Where to apply with low UKCAT


Birmingham
Liverpool
BSMS
Cardiff
UEA/Keele

Not used
Not used
Consider pool interview
Tiebreaker
Borderline

Where to apply with high UKCAT

Belfast
Barts
Edinburgh (8% of the applications)
Glasgow
Kings
Leicester
Manchester
Newcastle
Sheffield
Southampton
St. Georges

BMAT
Visit the excellent BMAT website

Sample questions and recommended textbooks

BMAT Schools

Oxford
Cambridge
Imperial

UCL

Date

BMAT Event

1st September 2011

Entries Extranet Opens


Centres can start making candidate entries from this date
Last date for requests for modified question papers
e.g Braille or enlarged
Standard entry closing date
Standard entry fees will apply until 5pm BST
Last date for BMAT Entries
Late entry fees will apply until 5pm BST. Entries cannot be
withdrawn after this date. Candidates or centres who miss this
deadline date should contact Cambridge Assessment.
Last date for requests for reimbursement of BMAT fees
Cambridge Assessment must receive all requests for reimbursement
of BMAT fees by this date.

16th September 2011


30th September 2011
14th October 2011

14th October 2011

2nd November 2011

BMAT takes place

23rd November 2011

BMAT results released


Please note that paper results are no longer issued. All results will
be released via our Results Online system.

Interview Preparation

Interview types:
MMI vs. Traditional

Which schools use MMI?

Dundee
East Anglia
St. Georges
Kings (partial)

What St. Georges test for at MMI


Academic Ability
and Intellect

Empathy

Initiative and
Resilience

Communication
Skills

Organisation and
problem solving

Team work

Insight and
integrity

Effective learning
style

MMIs at St Georges are marked 0-5 per


competency.
Max mark = 40.
Most successful candidates score 4s and 5s.

Offers made to 26+ .

80% of questions can be predicted in advance


Practice improves performance

Watch the Bristol interview video

First Question is always


So why do you want to be a doctor?

What are Medical Schools


looking for at interview?

Questions at Imperial College

Imperial ask about:

Motivation to be a Doctor
Realistic approach to a medical career

Response to stress (Imperial)


Evidence of working both as a leader and team
member; ability to multitask:

Contribution to Medical School life at Imperial :

Reading list to prepare for interview


ISC Website - 200 actual interview questions
TSR feedback on interview formats

Read each college website for interview


information
All on the Handout

Books on Amazon for medical applications


and for UKCAT/BMAT
Outside interview preparation companies.

Mock Interviews with parents and relatives


Time Management

Choosing a Medical School

Tuition Fees
(for a 5/6 year course)

The British Medical Association (BMA)


website has a list of the 31 Medical schools in
the UK.
List of schools (29 undergraduate; Swansea &
Warwick postgrad only)

If not admitted as an undergraduate 16 schools


take postgrads, all require a 2.1 degree

ISC grid of Med schools The pros & cons of each medical school in summary
No of
places

Application
ratio

Entry
requirements

Aberdeen Medical
School

175

9:1

AAB

Chemistry required, plus at least one from


Biology, Mathematics or Physics & one
other. General Studies excluded

Barts and the


London School of
Medicine

282

7:1

AAAb

Chemistry or Biology, General Studies &


Critical Thinking excluded

Belfast Medical
School (Queen's)

266

3:1

AAAa

Chemistry at grade A and Biology,


Mathematics or Physics at grade
A. General Studies excluded

Medical School

A- Level specific requirements

Graduate entry
(BSc grade)

UKCAT

BMAT

GAMSAT

Y
(2:i)

Visit on open days

Take all tours


Read all school websites (to learn the vital
nuances which may help you to chose)

Does the school speak to you?

Be Happy. Choose somewhere you will


love for 5-6 years. Your career may be
spent near that medical school.
A standalone medical school (St. Georges)
or a medical faculty as part of a University
campus (Cardiff/Cambridge)

Choose by offer level : AAB Schools


Aberdeen
Bristol
East Anglia
Keele
Sheffield
A*AA School : Cambridge only
All other Schools: AAAx offer

Choosing by ...
Subjects required at A Level

Schools with no interview


Geographical area

Choosing by ...
PBL vs. Traditional Learning vs. Mixture

The four new medical schools


How early in the course do you see
patients

Dissection Schools
QUB Belfast
Kings(GK&T)
Brighton
Leicester
Cardiff
Manchester
Cambridge
Nottingham
Dundee
Sheffield
Edinburgh
UCL
Keele

5 vs. 6 year course (with intercalated BSc.)

6 year schools
Oxford
Cambridge
Imperial
UCL
St. Andrews

Choosing a school by their admission exam criteria


BMAT/UKCAT

Low UKCAT score schools


UKCAT used as a tie breaker
UKCAT reviewed after interview

Odds of success coming from Kendrick:


Class of 2010

10 offered places to 10 separate medical schools


and 2 reading dentistry

Chance of Admission

60, 042 Applications made


3.9 Applications/student
6,921 places
45% chance of admission

Odds of Admission

Imperial
>2,000
600
450
265 UK/21 Intl.
75%

Cardiff
Applicants
2,700
Interviewed
900-950
Offers
450
Places
280
Probability of offer 47-50%
if interviewed

UCAS Deadline Oct 15th 2011

Deferred entry
Deadlines to sit UKCAT BMAT

For slides, resources and reading list

Please email
[email protected]

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