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:
- University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is used by a consortium of UK medical schools
- The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a subject-specific medicine and related courses admissions test
- The Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) is used by a few graduate-entry medical schools
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.
Our GAMSAT bursary award has more information on our available funding and criteria.
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.
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:
- UCAT preparation advice and practice tests page. UCAT say that students who do the best have carried out at least 30 hours practice on their free web resources.
- UCAT YouTube channel - advice from past candidates. Also a playlist collecting admissions videos from the majority of their consortium universities
- Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing - Preparing for BMAT - free materials, including past papers
- The medicportal - guide to BMAT
- The medicportal - UCAT advice
- The medicalportal - GAMSAT guide
- GradMed also offers preparatory courses for GAMSAT. You have to pay for some of their resources but they do have some free advice.
You can buy books or even go on courses to practice, but some medical schools feel the courses aren’t worth the money.
The bursary covers the £271 Test Fee.
The bursary does not cover:
- late registration fees
- travel to the test centre
- revision material
For all students applying for the GAMSAT bursary:
- You must be applying for 2024 Entry to Medical School at one or more of the following medical schools:
- University of Nottingham Medical School
- ScotGEM (University of Dundee and University of St Andrews)
- St George’s, University of London
- Swansea University Medical School
- Ulster University School of Medicine
- University Of Worcester MBChB
- University of Liverpool School of Medicine
- University of Exeter Medical School (5 year programme)
- University of Plymouth Medical School (5 year programme)
- You must be a current Newcastle University undergraduate student. You also must be working at an academic average of 65% and above.
There are a total of 5 bursary awards available for students who meet the criteria above.
Additional awards
There are a further 10 bursary awards available for those who are paying Home UK fees and meeting at least one of the following criteria:
- entered the university through the PARTNERS programme
- entered the university through the Realising Opportunities programme
- are in receipt of the Opportunity Scholarship from Newcastle University
- are in receipt of the Care Leaver Bursary from Newcastle University
- are in receipt of the Student Parent Bursary from Newcastle University
- are in receipt of a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or DSA
- are a mature student (you were 21 or over on your first day at university)
- have declared a disability or specific learning difficulty to the university
- have a home address representative of a low HE participation neighbourhood
- have experienced time in care
- are from a black or minority ethnic group and before university attended a state school or college in the UK
- are a student carer (with sole or shared responsibility for the care of a relative. This could be due to illness, a disability, mental distress or substance abuse)*
- either/both of your parents/carers are serving or have served in the armed forces at key educational times. Alternatively, if you have served in the armed forces yourself*
- are estranged and living independently of your family/carers due to a relationship breakdown*
- are from a Gypsy Roma travelling community*
- have refugee status*
*you will be asked to provide evidence supporting your status if you indicate one of these criteria in your application
Contact us if you have any questions about eligibility.
Applications for the September test cycle GAMSAT Bursary Award usually open in May.
When applications are open, you can apply using the GAMSAT Bursary Application Form.
The form asks which of the medical schools that require the GAMSAT you are planning on applying to. You may want to do some research if you have not yet thought about this.
You can refer to the eligibility criteria to see which schools are accepted for this bursary.
We recommend looking at the Medic Portal guidance on choosing medical school and using their comparison tool.
We want to give you as much time as possible to prepare your application. You can find the three application questions which we use to select candidates for the bursary below:
Why do you aim to pursue a career as a doctor? (300 words max)
You should use this section to explain your motivations for a career in medicine. We are looking to see you understand the realities of a doctor's role. This includes what sets it apart from other patient-facing staff in healthcare.
Please use this space to provide a list of the extracurricular activities you have undertaken since entering university which will support your goal of pursuing medicine.
You should provide this in the following format:
date commenced - date concluded/ongoing position, title.
The list can include activities like part-time work, internships, volunteering, positions of responsibility. It can also include work experience, shadowing, sport and society membership etc.
Reflecting on your time in university so far, including your degree and extracurricular activities, how are you developing the core values and attributes needed to study medicine? (300 words max)
If you are unsure of the core values and attributes needed to study medicine, consult the following guide. We do not expect you to evidence all 17 attributes. Please select those you feel are the most relevant to your application.
If you are successful in your application for a bursary fund you will need to fulfil the following commitments.
We require you to:
- provide proof of registration for the GAMSAT test. (We will provide details of how to do this if you are successful in your application)
- inform the Careers Service of your GAMSAT test results
- keep the Careers Service updated on the status of your application to medical school
- if successful in your application to medical school, we will ask you to write a short 500 word blog. This will reflect on your experience of applying and provide advice and insights for future applicants
The Careers Service is committed to supporting your application to medical school. We offer guidance appointments, personal statement checks and interview coaching sessions. This is throughout the process.
Please note if you are awarded a bursary and you do not sit the GAMSAT test, you will be required to refund the bursary amount (valid extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration).