Undergraduate Selection Process
We use a combination of your GCSE and UCAT results to check the selection criteria have been met. Offers are made based on your interview performance alone.
Information for 2025 entry
We do not score A levels, AS levels, or equivalent as we do not require predicted A level grades as part of our selection process. However, you'll still need to achieve the A level grades or equivalent required to meet the academic conditions of any offers.
If you meet our entry requirements but have not taken GCSEs or are applying with a degree, we're likely to only use your UCAT results to select for interview. Your application will not be disadvantaged if we only use your UCAT results.
Remember you cannot apply for both our Medicine BMedSci and BMBS courses (A100/A10L) and our Medicine with a Foundation Year BMedSci and BMBS course (A108).
View our admissions policy for 2024 entry
Quick links:
UCAT helps us identify applicants who have the most appropriate abilities, attitudes and skills required of doctors.
It's expected that you'll take the UCAT in the year that you're applying. We don’t use a fixed score to select for interviews. Once you've applied through UCAS and if you meet our academic entry requirements, we'll use each of your UCAT component raw scores in our own scoring and selection process.
We usually use a combination of UCAT and GCSE scoring to select for interview. The threshold for interview varies year by year and cannot be predicted in advance. We do not publish information about previous years’ thresholds
Find out more about how we use your UCAT score.
Register for UCAT
Medicine BMedSci and BMBS (A100) and Medicine at Lincoln BMedSci and BMBS (A10L)
In order to reach the scoring stage you must have:
- a minimum of six GCSEs at Level 7 (A), including both Biology and Chemistry or Double Science, if you haven’t taken the individual science subjects
- achieved a minimum of a grade 6 (B) in Maths and English Language
When selecting for interview, we score eight of your GCSE results. This will include Biology and Chemistry or Double Science, Maths, English Language, and your four highest GCSEs in other subjects.
Medicine with Foundation BMedSci and BMBS (A108)
In order to reach the scoring stage you must have a minimum of five GCSEs at Level 6 (B).
This must include:
- Maths
- English Language
- Chemistry and Biology or Double Science, if you haven’t taken the individual science subjects.
When selecting for interview, we’ll score six of your GCSE results. This will include Biology and Chemistry or Double Science, Maths, English Language, and your two highest GCSEs in other subjects.
All five and six-year medicine courses - A100, A10L, A108
GCSEs taken over multiple years may be accepted for home-schooled students if they meet the minimum entry requirements.
We will consider one GCSE subject resit in Maths, English Language, Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry or Double Science qualifications if the achieved resit grade meets the minimum course requirements.
We do not accept:
- applied science
- short course GCSEs
- functional skills for English and maths
GCSE scoring
| Grade | Points |
|---|
| 9 or A* |
4 |
| 8 |
3 |
| 7 or A |
2 |
| 6 or B |
1 |
Example
If you achieved five 8s and two 7s with a 6 in English language in your GCSEs you would receive a total of 20 points.
The UCAT scores you on five different areas:
- Verbal reasoning
- Quantitative reasoning
- Abstract reasoning
- Decision making
- Situational Judgement Test
We do not accept applicants who score a Band 4 on the Situational Judgement Test.
We double the score for verbal reasoning due to published research evidence.
A maximum of 60 points can be awarded for the cognitive skills element of the UCAT. There is no fixed threshold score to be selected for interview.
Cognitive skills scoring
| UCAT score | Points |
|---|
| 801 to 900 |
12 |
| 701 to 800 |
10 |
| 601 to 700 |
8 |
| 501 to 600 |
6 |
| 401 to 500 |
2 |
Situational Judgement Test scoring
| Band | Points |
|---|
| Band 1 |
60 |
| Band 2 |
45 |
| Band 3 |
20 |
| Band 4 |
0 |
If you achieve Band 4 on the SJT test, you won't be considered for an interview.
Example
With the following results you would receive a total of 79 points out of 120.
| UCAT section | UCAT score | Points |
|---|
| Verbal reasoning |
680 |
8 X 2 = 16 |
| Quantitative reasoning |
500 |
2 |
| Abstract reasoning |
710 |
10 |
| Decision making |
580 |
6 |
| Situational Judgement Test |
Band 2 |
45 |
Your GCSE and UCAT scores will be added together. There is no fixed threshold score when selecting for interview.
Non-standard GCSE results
If you have not taken GCSE, iGCSE or equivalents, you will have only your UCAT scored. Your application will not be disadvantaged if we only use your UCAT results.
Fast track to interview
If you meet the minimum entry requirements and have completed any of the following:
- Nottingham Pathways to Medicine Programme
- Nottingham Sutton Trust Summer School
- Lincoln Medical School Summer School
You'll be considered for an interview without having to go through the UCAT/GCSE scoring stage of our selection process.
You must:
- have met our minimum entry requirements and achieved a Band 1, 2 or 3 on the Situational Judgement Test in your UCAT
- have not studied at a University before
Fast track to interview is also available for elite athletes on the A100 and A108 courses if the minimum entry requirements are met. Find out more on our applying for Medicine at Nottingham guide.
For 2025 entry, we are expecting all interviews will be online using Microsoft Teams.
You'll need access to IT equipment with a webcam and microphone, reliable Wi-Fi and a private and quiet space where you'll be alone and not interrupted.
The interview is designed to assess the personal qualities usually considered important for the practice of medicine. You'll be expected to have:
- good communication and listening skills,
- an understanding of professional issues such as teamwork
- respect for patients and the contribution of those working in professions allied to medicine.
These qualities are based on the Medical School Council's guidelines.
The interview will consist of six scenarios, which will include at least one role play. The interview will last up to one hour.
You'll receive more information about your interview if selected.
We will contact you from time to time using the following email addresses:
- mhssupport@nottingham.ac.uk
- UGAdmissionsMHS@nottingham.ac.uk
- feestatus@nottingham.ac.uk
To make sure that emails from the University are not filtered into your junk or spam folders, please add these addresses to your contact list.
Please do still continually check your junk/spam folders so you don’t miss out on any important information from us.
If you require adjustments to be put in place for your interview, please get in touch with as much detail as you can before your interview. We may need you to provide us with some supporting evidence. We require at least five working days' notice before your interview to consider your request. We cannot guarantee we will be able to meet every requirement but we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
We won’t score any additional information you provide, such as personal statements and school references, but they will be reviewed after your interview to make sure they are satisfactory.
We'll offer places to the best applicants based on interview performance. All offers are made subject to:
- being successful at interview
- having an occupational health assessment
- having disclosure and barring service (DBS) clearance
- no fitness to practise issues
If you’re made an offer, we’ll contact you with more information on how to complete these processes.
Important information
If you’re still studying and your predicted grades meet the entry requirements, offers will be conditional on you achieving those grades.
We’re aware that students can face extenuating circumstances, like illness or unforeseen personal circumstances, which may affect you during your studies and may impact your ability to achieve the academic conditions of your offer.
If you have any extenuating circumstances, you must liaise with your school to inform your exam board(s) before or as soon as possible after you sit your exams or tests.
This is to ensure that your exam board(s) can take these issues into account when grading and, where appropriate, provide suitable adjustments or allowances for your exam and test sittings.
We may consider extenuating circumstances (such as severe illness/hospitalisation) that lead to the applicant's period of study extending beyond 2 years for GCSEs and A levels (or equivalent qualifications) or the usual period of study for degrees.
Our selection criteria for the Five and Six Year Medicine courses and course offers will not be lowered for extenuating circumstances.
If you have extenuating circumstances that may have affected your UCAT test, you must notify UCAT before or as soon as possible after you sit your test. Reasonable adjustments can be arranged by UCAT before you sit the UCAT test, or if unexpected issues occur during your UCAT test, annotations to your UCAT results can be suggested by UCAT and submitted to the University on your behalf.