Pass rates, drop out rates at Warwick?

**thedude** · 03-05-2009, 11:10 AM

Could anyone tell me the pass rates for the year 1 exams and the drop out rates on the course? I noticed the % of students happy with the assessments was only 35% on the Guardian polling and would be very interested to know why.

**Laikey** · 03-05-2009, 12:32 PM

I'm not 100% sure on the pass rate, but they are very strict on letting people pass - but for that, once we get to the hospitals for FY1, we have a very good reputation. Not only do you have to get 40% of the paper to pass, you have to pass 70% of the questions, and in order to pass a question, you have to achieve at least 60% in that question. It's a bit complex, and can seem very unfair when you've got a higher % than someone else, but they passed 2 more questions, so they are considered to have done better than you. This may be one of the reasons why only 35% said they were happy with the assessments.
As far as drop out rates go, it will obviously differ each year, but we have already lost about 10% of our cohort this year - some even dropped out before we had had any exams at all. As far as the % of us that pass, we won't know till resits in July, but some of the older students may be able to tell you more about these figures.

**Arch_Angel** · 03-05-2009, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Laikey

I'm not 100% sure on the pass rate, but they are very strict on letting people pass - but for that, once we get to the hospitals for FY1, we have a very good reputation. Not only do you have to get 40% of the paper to pass, you have to pass 70% of the questions, and in order to pass a question, you have to achieve at least 60% in that question. It's a bit complex, and can seem very unfair when you've got a higher % than someone else, but they passed 2 more questions, so they are considered to have done better than you. This may be one of the reasons why only 35% said they were happy with the assessments.
As far as drop out rates go, it will obviously differ each year, but we have already lost about 10% of our cohort this year - some even dropped out before we had had any exams at all. As far as the % of us that pass, we won't know till resits in July, but some of the older students may be able to tell you more about these figures.

Great Bhaal really!?!

I wonder why? As the only other graduate only medicine school we're at quite a contrast to have having lost 2 I think the dean said in the last four years.....

Wonder if it's anything to do with the GAMSAT...

Essentially I suppose you can apply to Warwick on a whim, taking the UKCAT, writing a personal statement and applying though UCAS within a couple of days (not that i've ever heard of anyone that's done that) which isn't the case with the GAMSAT...

Interesting. Be nice to hear if you've got any hypotheses as to why...

**Laikey** · 03-05-2009, 02:12 PM

I think you're on the right track there to be honest. Also I think our year probably had the worst hit, as it was the first year that Warwick accepted any degrees, but they didn't warn any of the psychologists/physicists/engineers/etc that they would need to know a fair deal of biochemistry before getting to med school. This year they have sent out a reading list, but a lot of people found that they couldn't handle it, I also know of a couple that just decided that their heart wasn't in it, or that have had to drop out because of illness. Warwick are good about it though, and have offered a lot of those that dropped out the opportunity to come back in September if they change their mind.

**Arch_Angel** · 03-05-2009, 03:05 PM

Again, that problem would be solved by the GAMSAT....

Should be BMAT for all undergrads, GAMSAT for all graduates

**Suchamuppet** · 04-05-2009, 12:52 PM

I'm a finalist at Warwick (2005 cohort). We have lost a lot of our original year. Approximately 140 of the 185 we started with. Though our numbers have been boosted with those from the year above who didn't make it through exams and have been given permission to re-enter in the year below (most definitely not a given).

Everyone in our year is a Biological Science graduate, so not being a science grad is certainly not the reason so many people get lost along the way. Some discontinued the course because of their own reason, others fell foul of the assessments.

I certainly don't agree that the application is on a 'whim'. Yes you do need to fill out the UCAS for and personal statement. Then there is the exam (it was MSAT for our year and I am not familiar with the UKCAT exam...). But there is also the supplementary form and the selection day. It means that you do need to have the work experience etc and something about you in order to get on the course and definitely need to prepare. We had fromal interviews in our year and I was quizzed on clinical governance and the Bio-psycho-social model of health and illness. I would have been clueless had I not prepared and done it on a 'whim'.

The exam system at Warwick is really tough as is the timetabling. It can be a complete shock to the system. I can straightout of BSc/PhD with no gap inbetween and have spent the last 4years knackered LOL. There is little room for messing up and Warwick aren't afraid to fail huge numbers of people on an exam if they don't make the grade. The main end of phase I (pre-clinical) exam (called the overarching in our time) saw 1/3 fail at the first attempt. I have a first in Biomedical Sciences from a good uni and I have struggled at times with some of the exams. My collegues are much the same.

I have heard it said many times that Warwick wants to gain a reputation for being at least the beat grad entry course and providing the best med students. Unfortunately, it seems that the only way it feels that it can do this is by making the course an absolute nightmare to pass!

**Arch_Angel** · 04-05-2009, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Suchamuppet

We have lost a lot of our original year. Approximately 140 of the 185 we started with.

You lost 140? Or you've got 140 left?

Either way that is nothing short of shocking...

**thedude** · 04-05-2009, 03:34 PM

Are you saying 75.6% of students fail and leave the Warwick medicine course completely? Or do they repeat years and end later? That is shocking either way.

**Suchamuppet** · 04-05-2009, 03:53 PM

Sorry guys. Little less panic. 140 left as in remaining! Still shocking I know. Some of those were super bright too! Odd ones left of their own accord, but most due to examinations....

**ProfessorLesser** · 04-05-2009, 03:54 PM

Now would be the time to mention that I'm just finishing a Cambridge degree and am starting to have reasonable fears of having to work even harder for even longer at Warwick :-(

I can only hope that my work up to now will pay off in Phase I, even if it's still a compulsory 9-5 week :-(