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Admissions Tests for Medical School

Find out about admissions tests for medical school and our GAMSAT bursary.

Admissions tests

Some medical schools need you to sit an entry exam, particularly for graduate entry. You will need to investigate this before applying.

You usually need to register and complete admissions tests by a specific date. Check with the university you want to apply to which admissions test they use. It is likely to be one of the following:

After taking the right test, your score is sent directly to the universities you have applied to.


Bursaries for admissions tests

Check with individual courses, but it is rare for any of them to offer financial support due to the large volume of applicants.

The UCAT offers bursaries, but eligibility criteria apply.


Admissions scores and shortlisting

The threshold is likely to change every year for admissions test scores. The performance of the applying cohort as a whole changes every year.

Thresholds vary depending on the number of applicants, and their average score. Any national changes in scoring will also change thresholds for individual universities.

Some universities do publish information on previous years applications. For example Newcastle University give previous UCAT score thresholds and admissions.

While the score is usually the main criteria used to shortlist for interview, it is not the only criteria.

Many universities take account of contextual information. This is intended to help widen access and encourage participation in medicine by students from all backgrounds, . The threshold may also vary for applicants who fulfil certain criteria.

More information

Our Recruitment Tests page has general recruitment tests. These can be helpful for certain sections of the admissions test.


Preparing for admissions tests

It can help to work through some practice tests online, so you know what to expect. Even 10 minutes preparation a day can help your performance.

The following resources can be helpful when preparing for admissions tests:

You can buy books or even go on courses to practice, but some medical schools feel the courses aren’t worth the money.