Applying for Medicine – Notes from one of our tutors

October 27, 2014

• A Levels
• / Guest Blog Series

Read on for some notes from one of our tutors about his experience when applying to do Medicine:

General Tips

It is important not to neglect the steps you would take before ANY exam. Make sure you begin your preparation well in advance and make sure that you are well rested for the day of the exam. Preparing early will allow you to familiarise yourself with the type of exam questions – and lets things ‘sink in’ a bit. It will allow you to reflect more on how you feel when you answer them so that you can better identify your strengths and weaknesses. SLEEP is so important for brain function. No matter how much you prepare you will always be thrown things you haven’t seen before or haven’t even considered. You will need to think outside the box and not simply act in robot mode. When this happens, take a step back, a deep breath and think. I feel candidates are more able to do this when they are well rested.

BMAT

Concentrate your preparation efforts around your weaknesses. It is all too easy and tempting to focus on what you are good at. I made this mistake and did not put enough time toward the tricky and some what unique format of the BMAT essay. As for the essay, be sure to be concise. They are looking for a strong intro and conclusion and a FEW relevant points in the meat of the essay. Keeping your structure, as opposed to waffling, will help to convey your ideas to the reader more effectively. It is not some much knowledge they seek, but communication skills.

If you are not studying all three science A levels then be sure to cover more thoroughly the material of the one you don’t study. I did not study A level physics and had to brush up on my knowledge to at least a high GCSE standard.

Make sure you are familiar with the time constraints of the exam.

UKCAT

This exam is very difficult to prepare for. It is very abstract. As mentioned, familiarise yourself with the questions well in advanced and be well rested for the exam. More information can be found on the UKCAT website. Use their practice questions and find IQ tests online which encourage you to think outside the box. Do not stress too much over this exam because in my opinion, little can be done to prepare and most medical schools only consider your score in a small way.

Finally – something I would say to anyone apply for medicine at any stage – do not be disheartened by rejection. Do not take it personally. Medical school is extremely oversubscribed and much of the application process is flawed. If you have got yourself into a position where you are applying for Medicine it is likely that you would make a very good doctor. Contact us at Kings Tutors for advice and guidance with application process.