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Do I need all 9s for medicine?

I’m currently in year 11 and my predicted grades are pretty good…In my top 8 subjects I have all 9s and one 8 in English literature. But I have 2 subjects(Spanish and art) which I’m getting 7s in. I’ve been told university’s only really look at the top 8 subjects and I’m sure I can get all 8s and 9s in them. But a lot of my friends have told me I need all 9s in my gcse for medicine. Is this true?

Reply 1

Autumn223

13

You don’t need all 9s :smile:

most successful medicine students have 7s-9s, many schools are also fine with 6s, really depends more on your A-levels.

They really need medicine students at the moment, I’m certain you will get in (also as your lowest grades seem to be in Spanish and Art, i doubt it will matter as they aren’t too relevant to medicine)

Reply 2

Studentanomaly

OP

6

Original post by Autumn223

You don’t need all 9s :smile:

most successful medicine students have 7s-9s, many schools are also fine with 6s, really depends more on your A-levels.
They really need medicine students at the moment, I’m certain you will get in (also as your lowest grades seem to be in Spanish and Art, i doubt it will matter as they aren’t too relevant to medicine)

Thank you!

Reply 3

Autumn223

13

Original post by Studentanomaly

Thank you!

No problem! Congratulations too those grades are brilliant

Reply 4

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post by Studentanomaly

I’m currently in year 11 and my predicted grades are pretty good…In my top 8 subjects I have all 9s and one 8 in English literature. But I have 2 subjects(Spanish and art) which I’m getting 7s in. I’ve been told university’s only really look at the top 8 subjects and I’m sure I can get all 8s and 9s in them. But a lot of my friends have told me I need all 9s in my gcse for medicine. Is this true?

You absolutely don't need "all 9s in my gcse for medicine", or even all 9s in your best 8 subjects. Get the best grades you can, but don't worry about trying to achieve perfection.

Reply 5

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

11

Original post by Studentanomaly

I’m currently in year 11 and my predicted grades are pretty good…In my top 8 subjects I have all 9s and one 8 in English literature. But I have 2 subjects(Spanish and art) which I’m getting 7s in. I’ve been told university’s only really look at the top 8 subjects and I’m sure I can get all 8s and 9s in them. But a lot of my friends have told me I need all 9s in my gcse for medicine. Is this true?

Hi there,

You certainly don't need all 9s for medicine. I didn't get all 9s but check each university website to make sure you meet any requirements before applying. They normally focus much more on A level grades and the admission test.

I hope this helps,

Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland

Reply 6

jamsparkle

7

no but look up how each uni evaluates applications to make sure you're competitive before applying (i've seen people with really low ucas scores apply to edinburgh because they don't realise how contextual factors affect ucat cutoffs etc)

i think there is a strange myth perpetuated that you need to be some sort of extraordinary genius to do a medicine degree but this is not true - most of the people i know who have been successful in med applications are just hard working enough (and had the foresight) to get the predicted grades they need and look for work experience early

Reply 7

dragon252

8

Original post by Studentanomaly

I’m currently in year 11 and my predicted grades are pretty good…In my top 8 subjects I have all 9s and one 8 in English literature. But I have 2 subjects(Spanish and art) which I’m getting 7s in. I’ve been told university’s only really look at the top 8 subjects and I’m sure I can get all 8s and 9s in them. But a lot of my friends have told me I need all 9s in my gcse for medicine. Is this true?

Depends on the uni but mostly no- some places like oxford and birmingham look at ur gcses in addition to admission test scores so having more 9's is good, but other places like bristol only use the ucat score to rank for interview. With uni's that don't look at GCSEs for interview offers you usually just need a 5 or 6 in english, maths and sometimes science.
So it really depends where you want to apply :smile:

and always check the university website for their requirements (like people said above!)

Reply 8

Vasuky

1

Original post by University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Hi there,
You certainly don't need all 9s for medicine. I didn't get all 9s but check each university website to make sure you meet any requirements before applying. They normally focus much more on A level grades and the admission test.
I hope this helps,
Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland

May I know average gcse grade for medine

Reply 9

Autumn223

13

Original post by Vasuky

May I know average gcse grade for medine

7-9s for most successful medicine applicants :smile:

Reply 10

jamsparkle

7

Original post by Vasuky

May I know average gcse grade for medine

you can just google these sort of data points and hard facts and get a response more quickly

Reply 11

Studentanomaly

OP

6

Original post by dragon252

Depends on the uni but mostly no- some places like oxford and birmingham look at ur gcses in addition to admission test scores so having more 9's is good, but other places like bristol only use the ucat score to rank for interview. With uni's that don't look at GCSEs for interview offers you usually just need a 5 or 6 in english, maths and sometimes science.
So it really depends where you want to apply :smile:

and always check the university website for their requirements (like people said above!)

Just an update…say I get a 5 or 6 in art (my teachers rly biased against me) but the rest of my grades remain the same would it change anything baring in mind I don’t want to go to Oxford but want to try for Kings…

Reply 12

dragon252

8

Original post by Studentanomaly

Just an update…say I get a 5 or 6 in art (my teachers rly biased against me) but the rest of my grades remain the same would it change anything baring in mind I don’t want to go to Oxford but want to try for Kings…

According to the entry requirements on their website:
GCSE grade 6/B in both English Language and Mathematics is required.
Under the Shortlisting section:
When considering those students which will be shortlisted for interview the selectors consider the following; GCSE (or equivalent performance), predicted or achieved A-level grades (or equivalent), the personal statement, the reference and the score in the UCAT. These contribute to the shortlisting of candidates, and we do assess for this programme holistically, taking in to account all these factors and your performance in the context of your educational background. Examination results and the UCAT score are perhaps the most important factors when considering applications. These are highlighted as they provide us with the fairest and most consistent method of assessing applicants.

Kings is a university which places more weight on GCSEs than some other places but I've also been told they're a bit more opaque about the entry requirements needed to make a competitive entry. Your best bet is probably looking through the old KCL A100 threads at people's stats, or asking on the Which Medical School should I Apply to? thread. Your GCSEs are pretty good and you have the required subject grades (I think) but you're much better off asking people/teachers with more experience of the admissions cycle if they think that's good enough.

And ofc if you get an insanely high UCAT that can help counterbalance less good results, but that's not something you can bank on- the good thing is you know your score before you apply so you know if you're making a competitive application.

Reply 13

Ambiguous Super

14

Original post by Studentanomaly

I’m currently in year 11 and my predicted grades are pretty good…In my top 8 subjects I have all 9s and one 8 in English literature. But I have 2 subjects(Spanish and art) which I’m getting 7s in. I’ve been told university’s only really look at the top 8 subjects and I’m sure I can get all 8s and 9s in them. But a lot of my friends have told me I need all 9s in my gcse for medicine. Is this true?

You do not need all 9s. Generally, you need a 6 in Maths and English Language and passes in the rest of your GCSEs.

As Medicine is really competitive, the more higher grades you have, the more you stand out. But this does not mean you need to have all 9s. :smile:

Here's some good links for you to have a look at. In general, universities have their own entry requirements which you can look for on their websites. Also, bear in mind there are many other things Medical admissions look for aside from your GCSEs e.g your UCAT or BMAT score, Interview, A-level Results, Extenuating Circumstances and Contextual information.

Making an application | Medical Schools Council (medschools.ac.uk)

Entry requirements for 2024 start | Medical Schools Council (medschools.ac.uk) - if you want to compare entry requirements for different universities, its always good to look for some which have lower entry requirements.

Application Guide - The Medic Portal

The Aspiring Medics | Get into Medical School | United Kingdom - may be useful if you want to familiarise yourself with the different components to the application. A lot of wider reading you can begin to do now.

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 14

Ambiguous Super

14

Original post by Ambiguous Super

You do not need all 9s. Generally, you need a 6 in Maths and English Language and passes in the rest of your GCSEs.
As Medicine is really competitive, the more higher grades you have, the more you stand out. But this does not mean you need to have all 9s. :smile:

Here's some good links for you to have a look at. In general, universities have their own entry requirements which you can look for on their websites. Also, bear in mind there are many other things Medical admissions look for aside from your GCSEs e.g your UCAT or BMAT score, Interview, A-level Results, Extenuating Circumstances and Contextual information.
Making an application | Medical Schools Council (medschools.ac.uk)
Entry requirements for 2024 start | Medical Schools Council (medschools.ac.uk) - if you want to compare entry requirements for different universities, its always good to look for some which have lower entry requirements.
Application Guide - The Medic Portal
The Aspiring Medics | Get into Medical School | United Kingdom - may be useful if you want to familiarise yourself with the different components to the application. A lot of wider reading you can begin to do now.
Hope this helps :smile:

Just to add this is great too: Aspiring Medics - YouTube

Reply 15

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

No. Some medical schools don't even score GCSEs and just require minimum grades in maths and English language (e.g. UCL and Imperial). Some score a fixed number of GCSEs in various ways (e.g. Birmingham) others score all of them (e.g. Oxford).

You can't make sweeping generalisations about medical school admissions. Every medical school will have their own unique and specific admissions and shortlisting criteria, and it's up to you as the applicant to research what these are and find the four which you have the best profile for. So if you have weaker GCSEs avoid GCSE heavy medical schools; if you have a weaker UCAT avoid UCAT heavy medical schools; etc, etc.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 16

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

11

Original post by Vasuky

May I know average gcse grade for medine

Hi,

I am not sure if there is an average grade. Each university will have different requirements. I personally got all 7-9s and had 2 offers to study medicine at Sunderland and Hull-York.

I hope this helps,

Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland

Reply 17