Many applicants find the application forms, tests and interviews required when applying for undergraduate medicine daunting.

The School of Medicine has tried to make the process as clear and transparent as possible by giving you this step-by-step guide to what it is looking for when it selects students at Manchester.

Remember, the admissions tutors want to get the best students as much as you want to go to the best university, so make sure you let them know how good you are.

All applications are co-ordinated by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

The UCAS code for the:

• Five-year Medicine (MBChB) course is A106
• Six-year Medicine (MBChB) course with a foundation year is A104

For further details on the application procedure, please see the UCAS website.

Applications from students who fulfill the minimum academic requirements of Manchester Medical School are examined in detail. Particular attention is given to adherence to our entry requirements, examination grades already achieved (GCSE, A2, degree, UKCAT score), the personal statement and the academic reference from the school/college/university. The purpose of this assessment is to identify candidates for interview at Manchester. It is not possible to gain entry without interview.

From the UCAS form, the School of Medicine looks at information on the following areas:

• Reasons for choosing/changing to medicine
• Amount of work experience in a caring role
• Knowledge/experience of healthcare system in the UK
• Interests/hobbies
• Examples of when you have worked in a team
• Communication skills
• Determination
• Conscientiousness
• Intellectual potential

Reasons for choosing medicine

This may appear obvious to you. It is not obvious to us. The Admissions Team have not met you and know nothing about you. It is vital that you tell them why you wish to be a doctor. There is no 'correct' answer to this question but not to address it at all would seriously weaken your application.

Amount of work experience in a caring role

This does not necessarily mean medically-related work experience, such as shadowing a GP or consultant. Such experience can be difficult to obtain for students under the age of 18. However, we are interested in caring experience which may or may not be medically related. Tell us how you got involved in such work, how long you have been doing it, how much time you spend each week and, most importantly, what you have gained from it.

Interests/hobbies

Doctors must be able to communicate and empathise with their patients. This is enhanced by some shared life experiences. The student who is totally absorbed in his/her studies to the exclusion of almost all else is less likely to make a good doctor. Tell us about your interests and hobbies. Tell us why you pursue them. How long have you been involved? Have you achieved any outside recognition (eg awards, certificates, etc)? The Medical School is aware that some students may have more opportunities than others to pursue a wide range of interests. The concern is not so much exactly what you do in your spare time but that you have some spare time and that you do something with it.

We are also interested in:

• Knowledge/experience of the healthcare system in the UK
• Evidence of teamwork
• Communication skills
• Determination/conscientiousness
• Intellectual potential
• How you deal with stress

This is likely to be written by your Head Teacher, college Principal or the head of your year/form tutor. Those not at school should approach an academic supervisor whenever possible. A 'character reference' is not sufficient. We do, however, want to know what the writer of the reference thinks about you as a whole person, not merely about your academic achievements and potential.

Mitigating circumstances

The Medical School strongly recommends that any mitigating circumstances which may affect not only academic performance but any aspect of the information contained in the UCAS form should be included in the referee's report. These may be personal or family illness, other family circumstances, change of teachers during a course or problems with school facilities.

Once we have received an application, we would also expect to be informed of any mitigating circumstances that might occur during the application process.

All applicants for both the standard five-year (A106) and six-year (A104 with Foundation Year) programmes are required to sit the UK Clinical Aptitude Test* (UKCAT).

UKCAT has been designed to help universities determine whether applicants have the best combination of mental abilities, attitudes and professional behaviour appropriate for an aspiring doctor. The test is taken online at centres throughout the UK and internationally. Its aim is to probe innate skills and competencies rather than test acquired knowledge. Further details are available through the UKCAT website, which applicants are advised to visit early in application process.

Applicants are strongly advised that the best way to prepare themselves for the test is by practising the sample questions on the UKCAT website.

Please note that the UKCAT result is valid only for the year in which you apply (either for direct or deferred entry). If you are making a second application (see relevant section), you must retake UKCAT.

* Residents of a small number of countries outside the EU may be exempt. Please see UKCAT website for details.

Further information

• How do we deal with your application? (Word, 23 KB)

• UKCAT website

Most short-listed candidates will be called for interview in the Medical School. We hold some interviews overseas. No candidate will be offered a place at Manchester without an interview. Interviewees will be sent details of the interview in their invitation pack.

Occasionally, applicants arrive for interview even when they are feeling unwell. If you are not feeling 100%, please tell the admissions staff before the interview; we will be happy to re-schedule it. Please understand that the School cannot accept pleas of infirmity after the interview.

The interview itself is a formal, though friendly, process. The majority of the interviewers are practising clinicians. The interview is not a test of a candidate’s academic knowledge. The pre-interview screening process operated by the Medical School (based on academic grading, personal statement, reference and UKCAT ranking) will already have ensured that all candidates called to interview appear to have sufficient academic potential. The purpose of the interview is to take a wider view of the applicant.

The interviewers appreciate that some candidates will be nervous and will, of course, make allowances for this.

Ability to communicate

Communication skills are essential to the practice of almost all aspects of medicine. We expect candidates to be able to express their ideas clearly and coherently and to be able to follow a reasoned argument. Candidates who give spontaneous yet well-thought-out answers to questions are more likely to impress the interviewers than those who give obviously rehearsed and 'coached' responses.

Why do you want to be a doctor?

This is an obvious but vital question. It is also the question to which candidates most frequently reply with a coached and practised answer. We will seek specific evidence of the experiences which have influenced your decision to study medicine.

Previous caring experience

Your experiences in a caring role will be of great interest. These need not be in a traditional mainstream medical environment. The interview is an opportunity for candidates to relate not only to the facts and details of their experiences, but also their emotional responses to them and what they have gained from them.

Matters of a medical interest

Candidates will not be expected to have detailed knowledge of medical processes. However, the interviewers will expect you to have an intelligent layperson's view on contemporary aspects of medicine particularly those of current media interest.

Ethical and other issues

Ethical issues may be raised by the interviewers, but only to assess your ability to coherently summarise the issues at stake. Candidates should be reassured that neither the interviewers nor the Medical School will take a position on any ethical issue. It is not the candidate’s ethical views that the interviewers may be interested in, but how coherently the candidate expresses the ethical dilemmas facing medical practitioners. Candidates will not be asked questions in any of the following areas: gender, sexuality, marital or parental status, race, religion, social background.

 

What will the interview involve?

The interview process held in Manchester is in two parts:

• The first 30 minutes will be spent with other applicants in a group task discussing a medical scenario. The first ten minutes will be allocated to individual thought; the remaining time will be spent trying to reach consensus within the group. Three interviewers will observe the process. We do not expect you to have any more than a layperson’s general knowledge of the medical issues. The intention is to get you to relax and for us to be able to assess your team working skills
• In the second 30 minutes, you will have one-to-one interviews at three separate stations. At one station you will be asked to reflect on the group discussion, at a second to talk about the experiences that led you to apply to study medicine and at a third to discuss other wider issues. Interviewers will have a copy of your personal statement

After the interview

At the end of the interview process, the interviewers complete various assessment forms. However they will not collate the information to reach a decision. This is done later in the office. You will not be given a decision on the day of the interview, this will be sent to you by post.

All offers are conditional upon the achievement of the appropriate standard in forthcoming examinations (if you have not already satisfied our academic requirements for entry), and upon completion of health screening and clearance by the Criminal Record Bureau within specified time frames.

 

Updated: April 2011

If you wish to request feedback on your application please contact the School of Medicine undergraduate admissions office in writing. ug.medicine@manchester.ac.uk

The Medical School will invite all successful candidates for interview between the end of November and the middle of March. Successful international applicants will be offered interviews in either Manchester, Singapore, Malaysia or Mauritius. Interviews in Singapore and Malaysia will be held in January or February and in Mauritius during March.

The School aims to notify all applicants of its final decisions by the end of March each year.