How to choose your four medical schools.

When I applied, I got offers from UCL, King's, Bristol and Imperial, and I now study at Imperial. When I help applicants choose, I push them to think much more strategically than picking the names they like most. Medical schools don't all look for the same thing. Each has its own formula for deciding who gets an interview, and that formula matters far more than rankings or reputation.

Go through it in this order

Work through these in order. The first few decide whether you're likely to get an interview. The last few decide where you'd be happiest for five or six years.

1. UCAT

This is the biggest factor for most applicants. Some schools rank applicants mainly on UCAT score. Others use it as a threshold: once you're above the line, other parts of your application take over. Others turn it into points alongside your grades. A high score opens up schools that rank on UCAT. A lower score means you should favour schools that weight it less — see my low UCAT guide.

Check the SJT as well. Many schools treat a Band 4 SJT as a rejection or a heavy penalty, while a few don't use the SJT for shortlisting at all.

2. GCSEs

Some medical schools score GCSEs heavily — the number of top grades can decide who gets an interview. Others barely look past a minimum requirement in English, Maths and the sciences. If your GCSEs are exceptional, choose schools that reward them. If they're patchy, avoid schools that score them.

3. Predicted grades and subject requirements

Check that you meet each school's A-level (or equivalent) requirements exactly — required subjects, minimum predictions, and whether resits are accepted. It sounds obvious, but a missed subject requirement wastes a choice every year.

4. How they interview

MMI or panel, online or in person? Some applicants do well in the quick changes of an MMI, and others do better in a longer conversation. Look at how each school scores the interview too: at some schools the interview decides the offer on its own, while others combine it with UCAT or academic scores. More on formats in my interview and MMI guide.

5. The course

Traditional, integrated, or problem-based learning (PBL)? Early patient contact or a more scientific pre-clinical stage? Is there an intercalated BSc, and is it compulsory? You'll be there for five or six years, so how you like to learn matters.

6. Location and cost of living

London, a big city or a campus town? Living at home or moving away? Placements can mean travelling across a wide area, so look at where they are, not just where the university is.

7. Personal preference

Once the first six are covered, go with how a place feels. Open days, current students and the city itself are all good tie-breakers — but only as tie-breakers.

Don't rely on last year's numbers

Published cut-offs and "lowest score interviewed" figures are useful clues, but they change every year with the applicant pool and with policy changes. Always read each school's current admissions policy for your application year, not a forum post from two cycles ago.

How I help

On a strategy session, we put your UCAT, GCSEs, predictions and preferences side by side. We look at each shortlist option's current selection criteria, and settle on four choices that give you the best realistic chance — with a clear reason for each one.

Frequently asked questions

More guides

Last updated September 2026 by JeeHwan Ahn. Admissions details change every cycle — always check the final word on each university's own website.