How Can I Help My Child Get Into Medicine?

Introduction, tips and advice from Dr Ray

We know the journey to medical school can feel overwhelming for both students and parents. Between the UCAT, applications, and interviews, there’s a lot to navigate—and it’s easy to feel uncertain. That’s why MedEntry is here: to provide clear guidance, trusted preparation, and practical support every step of the way. This page is designed to help you cut through the jargon, understand the medical admissions pathway, and confidently help your son or daughter through this process.

Your Step-by-step Guide to Medical Entry

Medical entry can seem very daunting, especially if you dive in too deeply and quickly. But if you follow our progressive tutorials in chronological order, you'll ensure students always prepare in advance, hit every deadline and maximise their chances of studying at their preferred medical school.

In this guide you'll see a summary of every important requirement. You can expand each panel to see a more detailed explanation, and at the foot of each panel you'll find links to download documents or navigate to important resources. You can even click the checkbox when each task is completed, and the panel will disappear so you can focus on the next step.

Choose the right subjects

In addition to your child’s academic results, UCAT score and university interview performance, some medical schools require (or strongly recommend) specific subjects at Sixth Form.

Each university has its own set of requirements, so it’s essential that you carefully review and understand the admissions guidelines.

All universities expect at least a Grade B (or 6) in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. While there is no universal rule for A Levels/Highers/IB, most universities require at least one science subject at grade A or above.

MedEntry publishes the basic admissions guidelines for most UK universities, helping you support your child in choosing the right subjects.

You can also read more about the prerequisites for Medicine and Dentistry.

Learn about the career

Is Medicine Right for Your Child? If you’re reading this, your child likely has the academic ability to gain entry into medical school. However, it’s important to understand the full picture before such a significant commitment is made.

Aptitude

Medical schools select students based on qualities that reflect the demands of the profession.

Your child’s academic results demonstrate their mastery of core subjects. The UCAT assesses reasoning skills and performance under pressure. Interviews often evaluate whether applicants embody the values of the National Health Service (NHS), including compassion, teamwork, respect, commitment to quality care and improving lives.

These are not simply admissions criteria — they are the foundation of effective medical practice.

Passion

Sustained success in medicine requires authentic interest and motivation.

Encourage your child to explore doctors’ career journeys and gain exposure to healthcare settings wherever possible. Dr Ray Boyapati shares personal insights and experiences in our UCAT workshops, helping students better understand what the career entails.

Commitment

Medicine is a long and demanding pathway.

In addition to 5–6 years at university, it may take up to ten years of further training before independent practice in some specialties.

The responsibility that comes with patient care is significant. While the profession is deeply rewarding, it requires resilience, sacrifice and lifelong learning.

Understanding

Before your child commits, encourage them to speak with practising doctors, review case studies and research the entry process carefully.

Sit the UCAT

Most students considering medicine understand the discipline required to perform well in academic exams. They are familiar with structured revision and content-based assessments.

The UCAT, however, is unlike most school exams. Students who assume their academic strength alone will carry them through often find the experience challenging. The combination of unfamiliar question formats and intense time constraints makes it one of the most demanding parts of the medical application process.

The UCAT is designed to assess the specific reasoning skills and attributes required in future doctors. Because of this, preparation must be strategic and deliberate.

The test typically runs from July to September each year. Students who begin preparing early and practise consistently give themselves the strongest chance of achieving a competitive score. With the right support and structured preparation, many MedEntry students perform strongly in the exam, sometimes even enhancing scholarship opportunities.

If you would like more information about registration, question types and preparation strategies, visit the UCAT page.

Apply to Universities

By this stage, your child should already understand the academic requirements for medicine, starting with subject selection. Now it’s time to focus on submitting a strong application.

You’ll need to ensure your child meets the required academic standards and achieves a competitive UCAT score, along with minimum grades in any prerequisite subjects.

Each university applies its own weighting to academic results, UCAT performance and interviews. Understanding how different universities assess applicants will help you guide your child strategically. Before applying, it’s wise to contact admissions departments to confirm the most up-to-date requirements.

Applications are submitted via UCAS, with a deadline typically in mid-October each year. As students can only choose four medical schools, it’s important to be organised and apply early.

To maximise the likelihood of success, your child should use their UCAT score strategically when selecting where to apply.

MedEntry provides information on most university health science courses, and you can read our Free University Admission Guide for a clearer understanding of the process.

Succeed in the Interview

Universities are looking beyond grades when assessing applicants. In many cases, the interview is weighted even more heavily than academic results and UCAT performance.

This stage is not an informal discussion. It is a structured and competitive assessment process designed to evaluate whether your child demonstrates the qualities required of a future doctor.

Because of the high level of competition, preparation is essential. Students who practise structured responses, understand common station formats and refine their communication skills are far more likely to perform well.

Given how much effort it takes to reach this stage, it’s completely understandable for students to feel nervous. Fortunately, interview performance can be significantly improved with the right preparation. With effective strategies and realistic practice, students can approach the interview with confidence rather than anxiety.

MedEntry offers targeted training, strategic guidance and resources to help students impress universities and strengthen their chances of gaining admission. We also provide free introductory information answering common interview questions.

Medical Interviews & MMI

Choose the Right Medical School

Your child has progressed through a highly competitive process, including the UCAT, applications through UCAS and interviews. Now comes the important decision of selecting firm and insurance choices?

While input from family and friends is valuable, this decision should ultimately reflect your child’s personal preferences and priorities. There is widespread misinformation suggesting that medical school prestige or ranking determines future career success. In reality, career progression depends far more on performance during training and postgraduate development than on institutional reputation.

When weighing options, encourage your child to consider:

Location
Cost of living
Quality and variety of clinical placements
Course structure
Teaching style
Student support and campus life

It’s not an easy decision, especially after such a demanding journey. To support families through this stage, we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to help evaluate medical schools carefully and confidently.

Choosing Your Medical School: A Comprehensive Guide

Become A Doctor

Medicine is one of the most tightly regulated professions, requiring extensive supervised training before independent practice. After medical school, graduates complete at least five additional years of structured training. In the early stages of their careers, they typically work as Foundation Year doctors (FY1 and FY2), then as Senior House Officers (SHO), and later as Registrars within their chosen specialty.

As a parent, it’s understandable to reflect on the long road ahead. The years of academic study, clinical training and professional development demand resilience and sustained commitment.

Despite the challenges, many doctors describe their careers in deeply positive terms. Medicine is intellectually demanding and rewarding, provides strong job security and competitive earning potential, and offers the unique privilege of improving lives every day.

It also involves ongoing examinations, regulatory responsibilities, long shifts and personal sacrifices. Nevertheless, the consistently high number of applicants each year demonstrates that medicine remains one of the most sought-after and respected careers in the UK.

Parent Essentials Common Questions Answered

If your child is in their final year of schooling or in university, they should begin their UCAT preparation as soon as possible. If your child is in a younger year, they can enrol in a UCAT headstart package so they can begin developing their UCAT skills before the stresses of the senior high school years. The highest performers start their preparation early see the following.

Each university will have a different set of prerequisites, which is why it is important to research specific university requirements. Here is a quick guide to subject prerequisites for medicine.

MedEntry offers a range of discounts and scholarships, including teacher-nominated, health professional-nominated, and group discounts. You can find details on our discounts page

Yes! MedEntry provides extensive resources and guidance. A good place to start is to read about How to Apply to Medicine at Australian Universities and Medical School Preferencing.

We have a 92% success rate for students who complete our full program. Over a period of 25 years MedEntry has helped more than 30,000 aspiring doctors across four countries, and earning more than 5,370 five-star reviews globally.

In general, most non-rural students will need to achieve a UCAT percentile of 90 or above. The exact score required varies depending on the university. For more information, please read about what is a good UCAT score, and how universities use the UCAT.