ukcat for 2008 worry

[icecream]

i previously wanted to apply to a mixture of gep and 5 year courses, and one of the gep courses i considered was the one at warwick... however i took the ukcat a while ago and got the very average mark of 602.5 which doesnt really put me in any advantage for any ukcat selective unis.

i know its the first year the ukcat is used instead of the msat at warwick, but wanted an honest opinion from others on whether they think i should still apply to warwick with this ukcat score..or whether i should apply to a 5year course where it may have less implications on my application?

i know its hard for anyone to answer as its the first year it is used, but i just wanted some thoughts, as im finding it incredibly hard to decide where to apply.

[joanne82]

When i went to the open day they said that they would weigh up the UKCAT score with UCAS form, so if your PS is excellent and had a not so good UKCAT score this would equal an excellent UKCAT score and a not so good PS. This doesnt really help much cause you dont really know what theyre looking for in the PS and wont know unless you apply!

[Tahira]

I've also done the UKCAT and my average was 610, not a lot more than your score. I'm going to apply to Warwick anyway and hope that the score and personal statement combined is good enough to get me an interview!

[Zach2k]

If you have an idea of where that score ranks as compared to other applicants you may be able to get a rough idea. Do you guys get a percentile score at all?

For the last three years when MSAT has been used at warwick, they've had a cut off point around the 60-65th percentile mark i.e. if you were in the top 40 percent or so of people you'd get a place at the selection centre (at which point your chances are very high of getting in - 300 invites, 200 offers).

Even if you can work out whether you're in the top x percent, it can get a bit complicated as its difficult to predict how many of the high scoring candidates apply to warwick, but for the last three years its been pretty much the same as I mentioned, around top 40 percent. But they have also widened access to other subjects this year (until this year it was only bio students) so the number of applications will probably go up and hence increase competition. Also, we MSATers had to apply to UCAS first then sit our MSATs sometime near christmas, its a bit different with UKCAT as a lot of you, if not all, have your scores beforehand and can plan where to apply. Whether that has a bearing on competition at particular universities I'm not sure.

[icecream]

ah thanks zach2k for the post, i think i may not be applying this year then, as i don't feel 602.5 will be anywhere in the top 40% of applicants as 600 is suppose to be the average score, so around 50% of applicants sitting the ukcat should be getting that score. i may have to see how things go this year and apply to sit ukcat again next summer and apply to wms next year.

good luck to anyone else applying this year ~ ^^

[akbren]

It's my understanding that there were some people <60%tile that got invited to the selection centre last time (good application??), and they had a 2nd selection centre too (presumably not enough people got the 2:1 or something). As was said before, a good application and references could carry you over. Can you re-sit the UKCAT?

[okora]

It's my understanding that there were some people <60%tile that got invited to the selection centre last time (good application??), and they had a 2nd selection centre too (presumably not enough people got the 2:1 or something). As was said before, a good application and references could carry you over. Can you re-sit the UKCAT?

as far as i'm aware, you can only do the ukcat, as with most admissions tests, once per application :s

[nicnac84]

Taken from the Warwick MB ChB FAQ website;

What UKCat score do I need in order to be invited to the selection centre?
The decision to invite a candidate to the selection centre is based on consideration of both their UKCat score and application form.

[graemematt]

I honestly think the cut-off will be around the 650 mark, if I'm perfectly honest. Rather, I'm hoping for my own personal application...but generally speaking, the top 40% or so of scores will go through to the selection centre (well, and some exceptional UCAS forms too!). I'd call the top 40% of warwick ukcat applicants to be within the 650 cut-off personally.

Could be wrong though, and please, don't give up hope if you're a bit below that score! You've no idea how many people get lucky on that UKCAT with the guesswork at the end for running out of time. I'm sure the admissions team take that into consideration

[Lucie1983]

You've no idea how many people get lucky on that UKCAT with the guesswork at the end for running out of time.

i certainly did!