How To Increase Your Chances of Getting Into Med School

If you’re in high school and aspiring to study medicine, you probably already know it’s super competitive to gain admission into any Australian medical school.

The required exam scores are incredibly high, there’s the added pressure of the UCAT and then you have to take into account the sheer number of students applying for limited spots.

All told, top Australian medical schools accept around 12-15% of applicants straight out of high school and it’s only going to get harder - that’s why you need to do everything you can to improve your chances!

So let’s break the application down into three major components - the curriculum you study, the subjects you choose and how you prepare for the UCAT.

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The Curriculum You Study

For years, students serious about getting into med do one of two things going into Year 11 and 12:

1. They choose the five hardest subjects - chemistry, biology, physics and the two hardest maths subjects or
2. They choose to study the IB

But what if there was a curriculum where you only had to study four subjects rather than six, it converted super well to an ATAR and you can even retake exams?

Introducing the International A Levels, a curriculum taken by millions of students around the world and accepted by every major university here in Australia and abroad. 

Based on the British education system, the International A Levels are an academically challenging curriculum usually around 6 months more advanced than the local options of HSC, VCE etc. In fact, the final year of A Level chemistry even overlaps with a lot of first year medical school content.

The academic rigour of the A Levels and it’s popularity with universities is why CGA chose it to be the main curriculum to students everywhere.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that all the curriculums - be it the A Levels, IB or local Australian ones - are completed over two years (Year 11 and 12). Given the advanced content of the A Levels, it’s best to make the switch from at least Year 10 to prepare for the final two years and give yourself the best chance of getting the scores you need.

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Subject Choice 

When it comes to med, pretty much every university agrees that the most important subject is… Chemistry!

Of course, biology and maths are often either required or strongly recommended but students in Australia often put themselves through the most difficult maths courses simply for the sake of the scaling system. 

In an ideal world, the subjects you would study for med in order of importance would be:

1. Chemistry
2. English
3. Maths
4. Biology

And guess what. If you study the A Levels, that’s the only four subjects you would need to do. No need for extra hard maths (although there is that option) and no need for physics (although you can if you want).

By scoring 4 A* (this is called an ‘A star’ and is awarded to students in the 85-100% exam range), you would be getting a 99.95 ATAR equivalent / 45 IB equivalent and more than meeting the academic requirements for any medical school in Australia, New Zealand and even top universities like Oxford and Cambridge!

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UCAT Preparation

And finally, there’s the UCAT - the required exam for students applying to any medical or veterinary science courses. 

Practice exams, tutoring, buying a massive UCAT textbook, there’s a myriad of strategies out there but what you really need is a way to increase your score by the maximum amount in the minimum amount of time.

So before you start going through practice test after practice test without knowing your strengths and weaknesses, here’s a strategy that actually works.

At MedView, their team of current medical students have created the ultimate UCAT Learning Tool, MedView Spark - the easiest way to get started on your UCAT preparations. You can pair Spark with MedView’s 40-hour curriculum that’s written by the top 1% of tutors.

After logging in, you’ll take a 20 minute diagnostic test focusing on the key academic challenges of the UCAT. The results of the test generates a personalised UCAT study plan from a huge bank of questions. You’ll work on areas for improvement and be able to see how you compare to other students along the way.

After building your confidence and skills, MedView Spark will give you recommendations for when to take the next step by taking practice exams. If you find you might need more help along the way, MedView can also connect you to tutors and mentors to ensure you achieve the UCAT score you want! 

The team behind MedView Spark have ensured all UCAT practice exams simulate the actual test environment, so you can be at your confident best when you sit down for the real thing!

MedView Spark is included for CGA or MedView students or for $20 a month. 

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Final Thoughts

Changing schools is a big decision but aiming to study medicine is a BIG goal. More and more students are doing everything they can to get into med straight out of high school and one of the best strategies is to study the A Levels. 

Crimson Global Academy (CGA) is an online private high school with more than 1000 students from 30 countries. Students are taught by world leading teachers in classes less than half the size of the Australian average. 

The major advantages for CGA students aspiring to study medicine are:

• Studying an international curriculum so they can apply to med schools in Australia, NZ and the UK
• Less time spent studying subjects that med schools aren’t interested in
• Overall score not impacted by cohort score or scaling
• Free access to the UCAT study program designed by MedView
• Less time spent on compulsory school activities and more time to organise important experiences like shadowing doctors or attempting their own research which make a big difference during med school interviews.

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If you want to learn more about CGA, the A Levels, UCAT support with MedView or paths to medical school, request a meeting with a CGA Admissions Officer.

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Written by the CGA Admissions Team