Applying to Medical School – Timeline

For a truly successful medical school application you must prepare in advance. Our team of medical students have put together a timeline on what the process was like for them. Now this isn’t to say everyone has to follow this, it’s just to give you a better idea.

Work experience.

Try to shadow doctors in either a GP practice or hospital. Half terms/summer holidays of Year 12 or whilst on a Gap year are great time to do this.

University open days.

Usually run in Autumn and Summer. If you have the chance to visit you should really go and have a look. After all, you will be spending 5+ years studying here! For more info on different medical schools check out other articles in our application guide.

UCAT preparation.

Preparation for the UCAT must be done in the summer before your application and then you sit the exam when you feel comfortable. The Prep Medics one-to-one online tuition prepares you for the UCAT covering all of the different UCAT sections with plenty of tips and tricks along the way, and then a large question bank to give you plenty of practice before you take the exam.

Personal statement & UCAS application.

Write your personal statement and submit your UCAS application by the mid-October deadline. Your sixth form or college should have plenty of information on the process. If you need any help with your personal statement you can always get it reviewed by the qualified doctors at Prep Medics to ensure  your application stands out from the crowd.

BMAT preparation.

The BMAT exam takes place in October after your applications have gone through, for those who applied to BMAT medical schools. BMAT requires good fundamental scientific and maths knowledge and many people may have dropped a science or maths for A-Level. The Prep Medics BMAT course and question bank covers the topics you should understand for the BMAT exam and provides you with hundreds of practice questions to prepare you for the exam.

Medical school interviews.

Interviews for medical school run from October to May. Getting an interview at medical school is tough so you will have done well to get this far! There are two main types of interview: panel (incl. Oxbridge) and MMI (multiple mini interviews). MMI is becoming more common in medical schools and can leave some students daunted at the prospect. Here at Prep Medics, we run a MMI half-day course with practice stations, expert feedback and seminars from doctors and medical students to prepare you fully for your interview. We also run one-to-one practice panel interviews with top doctors and medical students to prepare you for your panel interviews.

Medical schools respond with response.

Medicine is hugely competitive and only a small proportion of applicants receive offers of places at medical school. If you do not get a place you should not be disheartened as many medical students took gap years and reapplied or studied alternative subjects before completing a graduate medical programme. If you do get an offer of a place then well done! All of your effort and hard work has paid off!

Sit your exams in the summer.

You will know your offer grades (commonly A*AA) and you must revise to ensure you make them!

Results are published.

IB results are published in July and A-Level results come out in August. If you have made your grades you will be beginning your medical school journey in the Autumn!

If you require any assistance with your medical application the Prep Medics tutors are here to help. From expert personal statement reviews to comprehensive UCAT, BMAT and interview preparation we can help!