Applying to medical school is both a long and highly stressful process, requiring a lot of patience and resilience. The time period (Around September/October) where you apply to medical school will likely be the most stressful period you have faced during your time at school, but I am writing this guide to make the application process and the planning of your application a bit easier.
Different universities have different weightings for different aspects of your application (i.e. UCAT/BMAT score, predicted grades, GCSE/MYP results, personal statement, etc.) and you should be aware of these weightings and use them in your favour when applying to schools. For example, if your UCAT/BMAT score is very high, but your predicted grades were not as high as you hoped, you should apply to universities which prioritise your UCAT/BMAT score when giving interviews/offers, whereas if your UCAT is not particularly high, apply to universities which favour the stronger aspects of your application when giving interviews/offers.
Although the BMAT can only be sat on certain dates in the year, you have quite a large period of time in which you can sit the UCAT. I would recommend sitting the UCAT during the summer between the 1st and 2nd year of your IBDP programme instead of during the 2nd year of your programme, because this allows you to give the exam the level of priority it deserves and avoids you having to balance the stress of sitting the UCAT and doing/editing your IAs closer to their deadlines. Although revision times vary per person, I would recommend spending 2-3 weeks of dedicated revision time for the UCAT – This gives you enough time to understand what the exam is like, familiarise with the computer calculator and master the strategies you are going to take for each section. Regarding the BMAT, unless the universities you want to apply do not allow it, I would highly recommend sitting the exam in the September session as this allows you to see your result prior to applying, making it easier for you to decide if you still want to apply to the BMAT universities that you initially intended on applying to. Moreover, prior to deciding what universities you want to apply to, familiarise with the style of both the UCAT and BMAT exams so that you can see which exam you are more likely to score highly in (UCAT tends to be more test-taking strategies/interpretations whereas BMAT has two sections (Sections 2/3) which are more content based).
Receiving an offer to interview is an exciting feeling, your efforts so far have been rewarded and you are so close to receiving that offer that you have been dreaming of! Many of your interviews may come during a time of mock exams, or IB IA deadlines and you will need to balance your preparation for interviews with this. Your interviews/MMIs are incredibly important to prioritise because at many universities once you get to the interview stage all of your hard work which got you an interview in the first place will not matter (Or will have a minor weighting) and your performance on the interview is solely/mostly going to determine if you receive an offer. This highlights the importance of trying to do your IB IAs as soon as you can so that when the interview period comes around you have one less thing to worry about. Perhaps most importantly, be yourself during your interview, you were invited to one for a reason!Applying to medical school is far from an easy process, but careful planning and prioritisation can help you to make the journey less stressful.
Good luck with your applications.