Your UCAT plays a massive role in your medicine application. And the biggest fear I had when applying was that my UCAT score wasn’t enough and that only top-decile scorers would get into medical school. But this is completely wrong. Your UCAT score is important, but it is not the only thing that universities consider.

This is where the idea of strategic application comes in. Different universities place a different emphasis on the UCAT.

To help you, I’ve created a general guide of some low, mid and high UCAT universities. This guide I have created is based on UCAT thresholds from last year. So no matter what your score is, your dream of getting into medical school can become a reality!

However, it is important to remember that this is a general guide. The change in the UCAT, specifically the removal of abstract reasoning, can impact UCAT thresholds. Additionally, the change of the personal statement structure could make universities change the emphasis placed on it. It is essential to look at your academic, extracurricular and widening participation profile holistically and research in detail tailored to your personal profile.

High UCAT Universities

• King’s College London
• Imperial College London
• University of Bristol
• UCL
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Oxford
• University of Cambridge
• University of Manchester
• University of Newcastle
• University of Birmingham

Mid UCAT Universities

• University of Sheffield
• University of East Anglia
• University of Leicester
• University of Liverpool
• University of Southampton
• Edge Hill University

Low UCAT Universities

• Keele University
• University of Plymouth
• University of Sunderland
• Aston University
• University of Sunderland
• Bangor Medical School
• Queen’s Belfast

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As an applying student, keeping on top of A-levels whilst also studying for UCAT, writing a good personal statement and preparing for interviews is difficult. I completely understand, as I was in your position last year and had all 4 of my interviews in the space of 10 days, right after 2 weeks of mocks. So to help you stay on top of your workload and perform well in your A-levels, I’m offering the first 5 people who email me the opportunity to receive A-level biology and/or chemistry tutoring from me, as a King’s College London medical student. If you want to maintain that top grade and make your life easy, make sure to email me at loveleenj241@gmail.com as there are limited spaces!

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This week’s interview insight focuses on the book Breaking and Mending by Joanna Cannon. Mentioning your reflections from books is a fantastic way of developing your insight into medicine. The insights you gain from books will not only help you talk about medicine in an x way in your interviews, but can also be extremely valuable within your personal statement. This book actually featured in my personal statement and the lessons I learnt from medical books I had read I spoke about frequently. This in-depth insight into medicine is what helped me to receive 4/4 medicine offers, so I’m giving you a brief overview of this book.

The author, Joanna Cannon, describes herself as a wild card when deciding to choose medicine due to the significantly different path she had taken before deciding to study medicine. She details her experiences of studying medicine and life as a junior doctor, as the job comes with many challenges. Cannon talks about the doctor-patient relationship and how difficult patient cases come with an emotional toll and having to face the reality that it is not possible to save everyone. As the book ends, Cannon talks about how psychiatry was a speciality whose beauty is in supporting a patient and understanding their story. One part of the book I thought was highly impactful was that ‘Medicine is so very much more than a science’. Medicine does not rely on just your clinical skills and ability to treat, but also your ability to empathise, understand and listen.

This interview insight should help you to understand the importance of holistic medicine and what medicine demands of you. I highly encourage you to read it too!

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I am giving you free access to my UCAT notes, which are filled with tips, strategies and confidence-boosting tips, to help support you on your UCAT journey.

Being able to do well in the UCAT isn’t just about practice — it’s about strategy. As one of the UCAT tutors at MedX, we use neuroscience-backed techniques to help you prep smarter and score higher. Join our UCAT webinar running this Sunday, for only £1, to gain expert insight and proven methods that actually work. There are limited spaces, so don’t miss out. Sign up via the link below.

📸Here are the links to each of my social media pages, so make sure you follow! In all, I detail the advice and tips you need to help make your application to medicine so much easier! If you ever need any help, feel free to reach out to me at loveleenj241@gmail.com

If you have missed previous newsletter editions, or would ever like to refer back to previous ones, you can do so by clicking the link to my website!