Free Resources
Planning your Medical School Application
So, you’re thinking about applying for Medical School?
The very first thing to say is: Congratulations on taking the first step of your medical journey!
The process of applying to Medical School is exciting. Indeed, there is a lot to look forward to at both Medical School and in your future career as a Doctor. From learning about the science of the human body to using that knowledge to benefit the person sat in front of you, you will enter a career where you will truly be making a difference everyday.
It is also true, however, that applying to Medical School can be challenging and stressful. You will be competing against a whole cohort of exceptionally talented people, and so you need to be prepared. As the old, and somewhat clichéd saying goes: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Here, we will take you through some general tips and tricks on how to plan your application.
The Initial Stages - Ensuring Medicine is right for you
Planning for your Medical School application should begin well before the application cycle starts in October. In fact, some would even say that it should begin years before you apply. This is because the first step of your Medical School application should be to actually think about if Medicine is the right fit for you.
Some would be reading the above sentence and thinking: Duh, of course. But you would be surprised by how many people don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. It is therefore extremely important that you take the time to ensure that you get work experience organised, voluntary work and spend some time trying to understand what the life of a Medical Student and Doctor is like. This can be done through attending Medical School Open Days, talking to Doctor or Medical Students who you may know or attending courses aimed at exploring what it’s like.
Medicine is a long path. Although we love it, we also know that it’s not for everyone and so it’s extremely important that you do your research into what it’s like before applying. It becomes apparent to interviewers very quickly when someone has not done their research into the career. Don’t be one of those people.
Is work experience important?
The short answer is: YES, work experience is important.
By talking about work experience, both the admissions panel and the interviewer knows immediately that you have gone out of your way to try to understand what a career in medicine entails. It doesn’t matter if you do work experience in a GP practice or in a hospital setting - the key thing that admissions panels are looking for is to find out what you learnt from that experience. If you have already done work experience, have a strong think about the things that you saw, what you learnt from them and how you can accurately convey that in a sentence or two.
If you haven’t yet done work experience - don’t panic. Try to approach GP surgeries or your local hospital to ask how you can get work experience organised. This shows initiative and is something you should reflect on as well. However, if you’re really struggling still - don’t worry. There is an increasing recognition these days that getting work experience isn’t as easy as it used to be, and it is slowly translating into admissions policies as well.
How can I organise voluntary work?
Voluntary work is extremely important - in fact, in many ways, it is more important than getting work experience. As stated, there is an increasing understanding amongst admissions panels that getting work experience is not always possible. However, the same is not true for voluntary work.
If you look hard enough, you should be able to find voluntary work somewhere. The nature of it doesn’t matter necessarily - although if you can get some in a care setting, that would be easier for you to reflect on and link back to medicine. Try reaching out to your local hospice or care home to see if they need any volunteers there. Sometimes hospitals need volunteers to support as well, so you should research opportunities within your local hospital.
Remember that there are also other avenues to volunteer as well. Does your school have any opportunities for you to mentor younger years? Is there a nearby charity shop where you could spend an afternoon every week volunteering in? Like work experience, the key thing is being able to think about what you learnt from these experiences. Any voluntary work is looked upon very favourably so make sure you don’t miss out on these opportunities.
What extracurriculars should I do?
You shouldn’t be doing extracurricular activities just to impress a Medical School Interview panel. You should be doing them because it’s something you genuinely enjoy. The whole process of applying for Medical School is challenging, and so it’s extremely important that you have an avenue to de-stress. This can be done through extracurricular activities. People often find that if they do activities they enjoy, they are able to remain more focussed on their other tasks at hand. This then translates into good interview performance when you are asked about your hobbies - not only does it show that you have ways of dealing with stress, but people often get enthusiastic when talking about activities they enjoy, which comes across nicely at interview.
So, there is no right or wrong answer for extracurricular activities. Make sure you do some, do what you enjoy and don’t do them for the sole purpose of Medicine. You will need a life outside of Medicine as well.
Do I need to do Duke of Edinburgh?
Back when I applied to Medical School, we were told that Duke of Edinburgh can make or break your application. A lot of emphasis was placed on it. Now, on the other side as an interviewer, I realise that this wasn’t quite true.
Don’t get me wrong - Duke of Edinburgh is an excellent thing to do if you want to do it. Not only will it increase the extracurricular activities that you do, but you will also have a set, focussed way to volunteer through Duke of Edinburgh which will help your Medical School application. You will also learn many life lessons during the expedition as well which, if you can reflect on, come across well at the interview.
However, don’t feel as though Duke of Edinburgh is the be-all and end-all of your application. Like extracurriculars, it is something certainly work doing if you want the experience. However, to say that it makes or breaks an application is a bit of a myth.
Approaching the Application
When the time comes to start preparing your actual application, it is imperative that you take it seriously. Make sure you are aware of how to set up your UCAS account and the deadlines by which you need to submit everything. Be aware that your internal school deadline may actually be before the actual UCAS deadline in October. Don’t leave everything until the last minute, as that’s when mistakes end up happening.
All of this sounds really obvious, right? But you’d be surprised at how many people take this lightly and subsequently end up making mistakes. Don’t be one of those people.
Choosing your Medical Schools
Deciding on which Medical Schools you will apply for is one of the most important parts of your application. In fact, I would go as far as saying that it is the most important part of the application. This is because a lot of Medical Schools value different things on your application, so you need to ensure that you apply wisely. For example, imagine you’re academically strong, have achieved all 9s at GCSE and are predicted all A*s at A-Levels. However, you may not have as much work experience as other people. It’s therefore extremely important that you research to see which Medical Schools place more emphasis on academic grades as opposed to work experience and apply to those Medical Schools.
You can only select 4 Medical Schools to apply to on your UCAS application. It is extremely important that every single one of those options counts. Don’t select a risky option ‘just in case’ - this is likely to lead to heartbreak later on. Every single one of your options that you select should be carefully researched so that your strengths match the entry requirements. This also sounds obvious - but in my experience, poor selection of Medical Schools is one of the most common reasons why people are rejected.
Of course, you also need to look into the teaching style of the Medical School, the location and somewhere where you are happy to spend 4-6 years of your life. However, don’t use this as an excuse to not apply wisely. Your choice of Medical School should primarily be based on the entry requirements. Remember - you will end up a doctor whichever Medical School you go to. Most people end up loving their own Medical School as well.
Preparing for the Entry Tests
To get into Medical School, you will need to do an entry test. This could be the UCAT or, if you are a graduate, the GAMSAT.
First things first - make sure you are aware of the fees and dates by which you need to book these tests. For the UCAT, you will need to pay £70 if you are doing it from the UK. Bursaries are also available. Registration for the UCAT opens on the 20th May 2026, and bookings for the actual test open on the 23rd June 2026. Testing will take place between the 13th July 2026 and 24th September 2026. So what does the actual test involve?
The UCAT is a computer-based test that takes just under 2 hours. There are four sections: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Situational Judgement. The test is time pressured, so preparation is absolutely key. You should get your result on the day, so use this to help decide which Medical Schools you should apply to (and which you should avoid, should your score be less than you hoped).
The GAMSAT is an entry-test used by some Medical Schools for those who are applying for Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM). This means that to be eligible to sit it, you need to have either completed or be in the process of completing another undergraduate degree. It costs £296 to sit the GAMSAT, and there are two sittings per year. The test is done over two sittings, with a total test time of 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Whichever entry test you are doing - remember that you are competing against those people who have scored top grades in their exams so far. This means that the test is supposed to be hard, so don’t get demotivated as you are doing the test. There are several resources out there which can help support you in preparing - take full advantage of them.
Writing your Personal Statement
The personal statement has undergone several changes recently. Before, you used to have free-reign to write a single statement that was either a maximum of 4000 characters or 47 lines. Now, it is more structured. You have to answer three separate questions, and you will have to write a minimum of 350 characters per question. There is still a character limit of 4000 characters, and this applies across all three questions. So what are the questions, and how should you approach them?
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
Presumably, there are very good reasons for why you want to study medicine. So, on the surface, this question may appear to be pretty straightforward. However, it is important to be articulate, accurate and to avoid waffle. In George Orwell’s 1946 essay in Politics and the English Language, Orwell famously wrote: “If it is possible to cut out a word out, always cut it out.” This applies to writing your personal statement as well. This may mean that you will need to get rid of some adjectives that only make the writing sound pretty but don’t add much. This can be hard to reconcile but you have a maximum number of characters that you can use, so use them wisely.
In general, everyone has very similar reasons for wanting to apply for medicine. The key to making it stand out is to link your reasons to examples. Did you see something on your work experience that really stuck with you, and made you think: ‘Wow, this is what I want to do’? If so, use that as an example to justify what you are saying. Some people may even have more personal reasons for why they want to study medicine. If so and you feel comfortable writing about it, don’t be afraid to do so. Just be careful to ensure that there isn’t too much description; rather, you should be reflecting on the examples to explain why they have made you want to study medicine.
It sounds obvious, but avoid mentioning things like coming from a family of doctors, the money-making opportunities (which are no where near as good as they used to be - see the recent strikes) or the prestige of medicine. These will not come across well, and will raise eyebrows.
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
Like the first question, the key is to ensure that you reflect on your experiences rather than simply listing all of your qualifications. Remember that if you have any non-academic qualifications (e.g. music qualifications), mention these as well and link them to how they will help you in medicine. For example, you may have learnt things like stress management, and this is a big attribute that is important in Medicine.
It is likely that everyone will be doing similar A-Level/IB/GCSE subject to you. Don’t let this put you off - this is expected. Just make sure you really think about what you learnt from your studies, and how that will help you in medicine. For example, did you have a Medical Physics module in your A-Level physics that you can briefly mention? Did your A-Level Maths help you in solving problems, which you will be doing a lot of in medicine? Did you get inspired to do further reading on a topic that you found interesting in your Biology A-Level? Is there an EPQ that you have done where you further developed your knowledge on a niche topic withing medicine? These are just some examples of things to think about.
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is where you should write about things like your work experience, voluntary work, extracurricular activities or any other achievements that you may have. At risk of sounding like a broken record - reflect, reflect and reflect. This is what the admissions tutors are looking for rather than a list of things that you did.
For example, if you did work experience in a GP surgery, did you get the opportunity to talk to patients yourself and subsequently improve your communication skills? Have you volunteered in a hospice, talking to families at their most vulnerable and so building your empathy skills? If so, mention these things and be sure to properly reflect on what you learnt from these experiences. Unlike the first question, your reflection should be focussed on what skills you gained, rather than what you learnt about medicine as a whole.
After you have submitted…
Congratulations! You have submitted your Medical School Application! There’s likely a mixture of fear, excitement and nerves about what to do next. The key thing is to remain focussed. Start preparing for Medical School Interviews early - some Medical Schools give very little notice, so don’t get caught out.
In addition, make sure you remain focussed on whatever you are doing for the rest of the year. If you are in Year 13, make sure you don’t lose sight of the fact that you need to complete your A-Levels (or whatever qualification you are taking). If you’re in your final year of an undergraduate degree, make sure you stay focussed on trying to achieve at least a 2:1. If you are taking a gap year, ensure the year isn’t wasted and think about how best you can maximise any opportunities that may come your way.
The whole process can be long and difficult. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Everyone achieves their own goals and targets at different rates - your time will come as well, so don’t be put off or let yourself become demotivated if you haven’t heard back from Medical Schools yet. Too often, people get so demotivated to the point that they end up messing up their A-Level grades as well. Ensure you are not one of those people - even if the application doesn’t quite go your way, your options will remain pretty open if you’re able to secure good A-Level grades. Heck, there are even options available if A-Levels don’t quite go as you expected them to.
Look after yourself and others during this process. It can be a hard, stressful process, so be mindful towards your other peers who may have also applied.