Re-sit a year or Poor MTAS application

**smile88egc** · 04-05-2008, 07:24 PM

Hi,
I'm currently a 2nd year med student, having difficulty with my theory exams. I'm fine with all other areas of my course, and I know if I pulled things together I could pass the end of year exam and progress to 3rd year, but only just. I am very aware that once I'm a 3rd year, my exam results start counting towards an MTAS portfolio and I wont get many points for being in the bottom quartile of my cohort. So I'm faced with the dilemma: resit the 2nd year and bump up my exam results, or work my ass off to get into 3rd year and hope I do OK in MTAS.
Any ideas? These worries are consuming me right now!
Thanks,
Emma.

**Touche** · 04-05-2008, 07:40 PM

Just get through med school as quick as you can, and have fun doing it.

Its not worth resitting a whole year just so you might get a higher mark and might be bumped up in your year. There are so many more useful and enjoyable things you could be doing with your life.

Your quartile is not the only thing your foundation allocation is scored on and after that it becomes meaningless anyway.

**smile88egc** · 04-05-2008, 07:55 PM

Thanks for that, I can't really bear to do the whole year again, especially when clinical years are so close

Cheers

**PureMedic** · 04-05-2008, 08:02 PM

Hi,

Yes, I agree that getting through med school as fast as possible is paramount. Do you know the feeling when everyone else in your group has got through and you have a whole year to repeat? I had to repeat a part (and still failed - see my other posts) so I know how it feels when others pass and one is left thinking about re-sitting etc. The very best of luck!

PureMedic
P.S. I think doing an intercalated degree actually held me back as I would have attained the knowledge myself. I should have just gone on to get my M.B. Ch.B. ASAP.

**DamianUK** · 05-05-2008, 05:56 PM

Take the hit.

I was middle of the year, with the form i ended up wth middling ponts too.

Got first choice job in my deanery.

As advice goes, remember everyone wants different jobs, you all have ato do medicine and surgery in F1 and after medical school (and getting your F1) the ranking counts for bugger all!

Plus i will say some people managed to get VERY high scores onthe form and went from bottom quartile at med school to points well in the 70's!

Enjoy medical school, try to do well but if your passing then don't resit a year for a few extra points.

**M Clayton** · 11-05-2008, 02:13 AM

Beware of the medical schools that count resits against you when calculating quartiles - Newcastle certainly put you in the bottom quartile straight away if you've had to resit at any stage.