You’ve probably heard about the UCAT before. It feels like a terrifying, daunting, time-consuming, exhausting exam you have to take in the summer that determines your entire future. This is what my view of the UCAT was when I was in Year 12.

However, this is not the case at all, and I’m going to be telling you the exact information I wish I had been given to actually quash my anxieties about the UCAT.

The first important thing is to understand what the UCAT is. This is an online admissions exam that everyone applying to medicine and dentistry has to sit. Your score from this exam is based on 4 subsections

• Verbal reasoning - on a scaled score from 300 to 900
• Decision-making - on a scaled score from 300 to 900
• Quantitative Reasoning - on a scaled score from 300 to 900
• Situational Judgment - scored from Band 1 (highest) to Band 4 (lowest)

The VR, DM and QR sections will give you a score between 900 and 2700 and your SJT band next to it. This is the score sent to your university.

The reason the UCAT exam has to be sat by applicants is to showcase their aptitude to medical schools. It is NOT an IQ test. So it is completely possible to learn, improve and refine your technique to get a good score. The typical preparation time is 6-8 weeks before your exam date. However, it’s still a good idea to start gaining an understanding of what the exam is from now on.

You can sit the UCAT exam from 13th July to 24th September. When you book the exam depends on when you have sufficient time to prepare for it. To make sure you can book the UCAT exam, there are some essential dates you HAVE to put into your calendar.

From 12th May, you can create your UCAT account. The 23rd June is when booking opens at 6 am, and it is vital that you log on as soon as possible to book the date you want to sit the exam. The dates below are all highly important as part of the UCAT process, so make sure you have these written down!

For many of you, interviews are nearly over. But now comes the hardest part: the waiting game. So how do you get through this waiting period without going slightly insane?

Firstly, this is a vital time to reset your priorities, especially your A-levels. With interviews out of the way, this is a crucial window that many students underestimate. Grades often slip during interview season, and waiting until exams feel “close enough” is how panic sets in. Starting early gives you time to identify weak topics, rebuild consistency, and revise with intention rather than stress. This is the moment to refocus, get organised, and treat your A-levels with the seriousness they deserve. They still matter immensely as they are the last hurdle to securing your offer. If you’re studying Biology or Chemistry and feel like things have drifted, a bit of structured guidance can make a huge difference. Having someone help you clarify content, plan revision, and stay accountable can turn this post-interview period into a real turning point. This period can become the moment everything turns around. The right guidance can help you regain control of your grades in Biology and Chemistry, rebuild momentum, and work towards the grades you know you’re capable of. If you want support that’s genuinely aimed at getting results, email me at loveleenj241@gmail.com. Future you, on results day, will be extremely grateful you took action now.

Secondly, make deliberate time for rest and a mental reset. This might mean reconnecting with a hobby you dropped during interview season, or trying something completely unrelated to medicine or academics. Giving your brain space to breathe is not wasted time - it’s essential. Constantly tracking who has offers or comparing timelines only fuels anxiety. Every medical school works differently, and someone else’s outcome tells you nothing about yours. Stepping back from the noise allows you to regulate your thoughts, regain perspective, and stop your entire identity from being tied to offers you can’t control.

As someone who received 4/4 offers and was in the first batch of offer holders at both King’s College London and the University of Birmingham, I’ve poured everything I know into creating the best possible interview resources, so you can achieve your dream of studying medicine. If you want to get your medicine offers, check out my interview resources on my website!

Additionally, you can check out my website for resources such as the A* AQA A-level psychology notes and my notes templated designed in an active recall format.

📸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