what is the most important out of....

[_avfc00013]

hi, what does imperial tend to look for in an application? obviously each university will look for the same thing, however in what proportions does imperial look for?

can u please order the following in importance:

grades (score out of 5 please)
work experience (score out of 5 please)
personal statement (score out of 5 please)
extra curriculars (score out of 5 please)
interview (score out of 5 please)
BMAT (score out of 5 please)
reference (score out of 5 please)

and can u include anything i've missed which is necessary for an application please thankyou

[Sanjetti]

Hi there,

I'm not sure ranking those separate criteria in order of importance is the easiest thing to do, so instead I'll give you a brief outline of how the admissions system works (from what I can gather).

All applicants go through the fairly routine initial checks to make sure they have the minimum requirements. Needless to say, not satisfying them will lead to an automatic rejection (unless there are exceptional extenuating circumstances): this includes having a prediction of AAAb or above, so obviously having the necessary predicted grades is essential.

After this stage comes the BMAT screening. Imperial employs a cut-off system, whereby the scores for each of your three sections must equal or exceed their cut-off, which varies from year to year. Last year, for example, it was 4.7,4.7,7.5, and this year it was 4.6,4.6,7.5. The cut-offs are determined by ranking all the applicants' scores, and finding the 50th percentile (I believe), so you have to be at least average for each section. The BMAT screening stage knocks off the vast majority of applicants, so it is by far the most important.

If you satisfy the cut-offs, you are passed onto the final stage of interview selection. Exceeding the cut-off does not guarantee an interview. Instead, your GCSEs, reference and personal statement are looked at. In particular they look for the following from the personal statement: Motivation and understanding of medicine as a career; Community activities; Leadership and teamwork; General interests. It is important to try and hit these points in your PS. This stage of the selection process, however, is not as intense as the BMAT screening.

Of the 3000 or so applicants, approximately 650 will be invited to interview. If you have passed all three interview selection stages, you've basically done the hard bit. 500 offers are given out to the 650 interviewed, so with a 78% chance success rate you have the right feel confident. Once you recieve an interview, it will only be your interview performance that determines whether you get an offer or not- nothing else is looked at. If you want to know exactly how Imperial interviews are structured and the kind of questions you can expect, their website would be a good place to start: Candidate Selection Process

Sorry about the massive essay, I feel like such a nerd now! :P But I hope this is helpful to any prospective Imperial applicants in the future! Best of luck

[Dr.Black Knight]

Hi there,

I'm not sure ranking those separate criteria in order of importance is the easiest thing to do, so instead I'll give you a brief outline of how the admissions system works (from what I can gather).

All applicants go through the fairly routine initial checks to make sure they have the minimum requirements. Needless to say, not satisfying them will lead to an automatic rejection (unless there are exceptional extenuating circumstances): this includes having a prediction of AAAb or above, so obviously having the necessary predicted grades is essential.

After this stage comes the BMAT screening. Imperial employs a cut-off system, whereby the scores for each of your three sections must equal or exceed their cut-off, which varies from year to year. Last year, for example, it was 4.7,4.7,7.5, and this year it was 4.6,4.6,7.5. The cut-offs are determined by ranking all the applicants' scores, and finding the 50th percentile (I believe), so you have to be at least average for each section. The BMAT screening stage knocks off the vast majority of applicants, so it is by far the most important.

If you satisfy the cut-offs, you are passed onto the final stage of interview selection. Exceeding the cut-off does not guarantee an interview. Instead, your GCSEs, reference and personal statement are looked at. In particular they look for the following from the personal statement: Motivation and understanding of medicine as a career; Community activities; Leadership and teamwork; General interests. It is important to try and hit these points in your PS. This stage of the selection process, however, is not as intense as the BMAT screening.

Of the 3000 or so applicants, approximately 650 will be invited to interview. If you have passed all three interview selection stages, you've basically done the hard bit. 500 offers are given out to the 650 interviewed, so with a 78% chance success rate you have the right feel confident. Once you recieve an interview, it will only be your interview performance that determines whether you get an offer or not- nothing else is looked at. If you want to know exactly how Imperial interviews are structured and the kind of questions you can expect, their website would be a good place to start: Candidate Selection Process

Sorry about the massive essay, I feel like such a nerd now! :P But I hope this is helpful to any prospective Imperial applicants in the future! Best of luck

For GCSE they require a minimum of AAABB I have only AAABB at different sittings is it ok?
And if its from different boards is it ok?
Does Imperial value GCSE greatly?

[Sanjetti]

For GCSE they require a minimum of AAABB I have only AAABB at different sittings is it ok?
And if its from different boards is it ok?
Does Imperial value GCSE greatly?

Different boards=completely fine, my GCSEs were a huge mix.
Different sittings= Mine were from different sittings as well, and Imperial don't seem to have a problem with it. If you mean you've had to resit GCSEs, however, I'm not quite sure- you'll have to check with admissions.

A strong PS will easily outweigh average GCSEs. Imperial place very little emphasis on GCSEs so you'll be fine. By far the most important bit is your BMAT scores. Sorry about the ridiculously late reply, but it's still a while before the deadline so hopefully I'm not too late!