Dr Chris Paton

Applying to study medicine in the UK requires a coordinated set of decisions made well in advance of the UCAS deadline (which for medicine is typically mid-October, earlier than the standard January deadline). A typical application involves: predicted A-level (or equivalent) grades meeting each school's threshold; an aptitude test score (almost always the UCAT, taken in the summer before applying); the UCAS personal statement; a strong school reference; and at most schools a successful interview the following winter or spring.

Applicants can list four medical or dental schools on their UCAS form, with a fifth choice available for a non-medicine course. Each school has its own selection algorithm and weights the components differently, so a strategic application often spreads choices between schools that emphasise UCAT performance, schools that weight academics more heavily, and schools that interview before final scoring.

The Medical Schools Council publishes an annual 'Entry Requirements' guide collating up-to-date thresholds for every UK school — by far the most reliable single resource for applicants and their advisers.