Birmingham Medical School Guide

Birmingham Medical School was included in the University of Birmingham from 1825. The University of Birmingham is a leading Russel Group University and has contributed ground-breaking research to the medical world. Birmingham is a vibrant city in the UK and is known for its diverse population, museums and art. The medical school offers a 5 year MBChB course for undergraduates and aims to create competent and compassionate doctors. Read more to find out about how to get into Birmingham Medical School!

Birmingham Medical School Entry Requirements

Academic

Qualification	Grades	Subjects
A levels	A*AA	AAA predicted in Biology and Chemistry. General Studies and Critical Thinking aren’t accepted.
GCSEs	min. Grade 6/B	To determine who is invited to interview, seven GCSEs (Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, Biology, Chemistry) will be scored in the following way: 8/9/A* = 4 points 7/A = 2 points 6/B = 1 point 2 unspecified subjects will score 2 points for grade 8/9/A*. The sum of your points will be scaled to a maximum score of 4.5.
IB	min. 32 points	Higher Level = 7,6,6 in Biology and Chemistry.

Admissions Test

Birmingham Medical School requires all applicants to sit the UCAT admissions test. Your total UCAT score (except SJT) will be converted to a score between 0-4.0 according to the national deciles.

There is no cut-off score but in 2021:

Total UCAT Score	Converted Score
2860+ (10th decile)	4.000

Your total application score (maximum 10 points) is therefore made by the sum of your GCSE score, UCAT score and contextual points.

In 2022-2023, these were the cut off statistics for home applicants.

Total Score	Total UCAT Score	GCSE Score
8.067	2880	4.125

Work Experience

Birmingham Medical School requires you to demonstrate your motivation for medicine and embody the values. Although it’s not essential to have clinical work experience, it can definitely be beneficial to your application. The main focus is on the reflections and transferable skills you gain from any experience that you have. You can gain these objectives using online platforms such as Observe GP, BSMS Virtual Work Experience, and MedicHut’s virtual work experiences.

Personal Statement

The medical school does NOT score your personal statement. However, it is essential that you reflect on your experiences. The personal statement is your opportunity to display the skills you have learnt and can be discussed at interview.

Interviews

1,300 applicants are invited to interviews and 750 offers are made out of them. Interviews have returned to face to face Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI).

Interviews take place between January and February. Offers are given at the end of March.

How many places are there for Home and International Students at Birmingham Medical School?

Home	372 places
International	28 places

Birmingham Medical School Ranking

The University of Birmingham is ranked 67th for Medicine in the QS World University Rankings 2024. It is also ranked 19th in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2024.

It’s important to keep in mind that university rankings are subjective and can be based on different criteria. These rankings must only be one of your deciding factors. It is important to have a holistic approach when making your decisions and consider which universities you would thrive in the most.

Birmingham Medical School Fees

Home	£9,250
International	£30,330 (Year 1 and 2) £48,660 (Year 3, 4 and 5)

Birmingham Medical School Acceptance Rate

Here are the statistics from the 2022-23 application cycle:

	Applications	Interviews	Offers	Acceptance Rate
Home	2299	1075	781	33.9%
International	530	71	59	11.1%

Birmingham Medical School Course Structure

The MBChB course is split into preclinical and clinical years as follows:

Preclinical – Year 1 and 2	Structure and Function of the Human Body Anatomy Psychology and Sociology of Health 8 days per year in GPs
Clinical – Year 3, 4 and 5	Clinical Skills Placements – community, cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, paediatrics, emergency medicine During Year 4, you are also given a month to choose a medical elective in the UK or abroad!

Birmingham Medical School Teaching Style

In Year 1 and 2, content will predominantly be delivered by lectures. Therefore, the course has quite a traditional structure. Anatomy will be taught in small groups via prosections not dissection. However, this is still a practical approach and some may say that prosections help to learn the anatomy better. There is also early clinical contact from week 2 to build your interpersonal skills with patients.

In Year 3, 4 and 5, you will be on placements in renowned teaching hospitals. You will work with junior doctors, clinical teaching fellows and other clinicians who will mentor you through each specialty. The city of Birmingham has a diverse population so you will be exposed to a variety of different conditions.

Birmingham Medical School Teaching Hospitals

Royal Orthopaedic Hospital

Sandwell Hospital

Good Hope Hospital Heartlands Hospital Solihull Hospital

Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust (New Cross Hospital)

Hereford County Hospital

Rusells Hall Hospital Corbett Hospital Dudley Guest Hospital

Alexandra Hospital

Walsall Manor Hospital

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Birmingham Children’s Hospital

Birmingham Women’s Hospital

Birmingham Medical School Interview Format

The medical school uses in person Multiple-Mini Interviews (MMI). The MMI circuit will be 6 stations which are 8 minutes long. There will also be 2 minutes of reading time given.

The interview will have a variety of stations from the following:

• Critical Thinking – this station will assess your knowledge of medicine in the news recently. They may ask you about a topic and you are expected to use some prior knowledge to give arguments for it.
• Commitment for Medicine – you will be asked about your work experiences, caring experiences and extra-curriculars. It is important to always reflect on what skills you gained/saw and why that skill is vital in medicine.
• Dealing with person/ethical challenges – you will be given a scenario/medical dilemma. You will have to demonstrate your understanding of medical ethics and qualities that a doctor should possess and act accordingly.
• Data interpretation – this station is about how you communicate your understanding of the information given. You may also have to draw conclusions from the data.
• Interaction in a healthcare setting (roleplay) – you will interact with a professional role-player and simulate a medical conversation with them. This will assess your verbal communication, empathy and ability to build rapport.
• Interaction in a Social Setting (roleplay) – this will be a roleplay where you will be interacting with a university student. This is more about you being able to adapt your conversation according to the student’s prompts.
• Calculation (computer-based station) – in this station, you will have to answer simple mathematical calculations (below GCSE level) and assesses your logical approach.

Birmingham Medical School Interview Questions

What motivates you to study Medicine?

This is a great opportunity to discuss work experience or any other experience that inspired you to pursue a medical career. Make sure to demonstrate an understanding of the realities of a medical career – discussing articles you’ve read or discussions you’ve had with medical professionals can help with this. It is also good to briefly talk about the struggles of medicine and how you will tackle them.

Should COVID-19 vaccines be mandatory?

This question may be asked on the critical thinking station. It tests your ability to consider multiple points of view and express your own opinion. It is important to demonstrate a good understanding of both sides of the mandatory vaccination debate when answering – use the four pillars of medical ethics as a base for these arguments. Make sure to present your own beliefs on the subject after considering these viewpoints, and use your earlier arguments to justify this.

Your friend, who is also a medical student, has been absent for many lectures recently. They have now asked you to sign in for them for a mandatory workshop. What do you do?

This question may be given as a roleplay or just a discussion. The medical school wants candidates to demonstrate qualities of a medical student (as required by the GMC). These are professionalism, integrity and honesty. In these types of dilemmas, you must make it clear that you WILL NOT sign in for your friend – as this would be unprofessional of you. You should also show empathy for your friend and try to ask them if they are struggling. If it is a serious matter then you can encourage your friend to speak to pastoral staff at the medical school.

Life as a Birmingham Medical School Student

During first and second year, you will mainly have lectures, small group teachings and anatomy sessions. Some days may be from 9am-6pm. However, this is balanced by having Wednesday afternoons off. This is your time to socialise, catch up on work and relax. Every 2 weeks, you will visit a GP practice to have some patient interaction as well.

The University of Birmingham has over 500 students groups and associations. This is a great way to meet like-minded people who share your hobbies and interests. There is something for everyone from sport, arts and culture to academics.

In terms of Birmingham as a city, it is always bustling! You can go shopping, try out different cuisines, visit the beautiful canals and of course meet new people!

Intercalated Degree at Birmingham Medical School

Intercalation is when you can study an additional degree for a year – bachelors or masters. This is a great opportunity to develop research skills, attain an extra qualification and broaden your medical interests. Options include:

• B.A. Medical Humanities
• BMedSc Medical Science
• MSci Clinical Sciences
• MSci Clinical Anatomy
• Masters in Public Health
• MSc Trauma Science
• MRes Cardiovascular Sciences

FAQs

How much of the Birmingham Medical School Medicine Course is Clinical vs Preclinical?

Year 1 and 2 are considered preclinical as they mainly have lecture-based teaching. Year 3-5 are clinical because you will be on clinical placements majority of the time.

Is Birmingham Medical School a good medical school?

The University of Birmingham is a renowned Russel group university and ranks good as a medical school. It is ideal for all medical students however, it depends on what your priorities are when selecting a medical school. It is best to visit the university on their Open Days to gain a realistic insight of the place and speak to the friendly staff!

Support With Getting Into Birmingham Medical School

UCAT Tutoring

As Birmingham Medical School has competitive entry requirements, it’s a good idea to get a UCAT tutor to help you elevate your UCAT points. When looking for a good tutor, it’s wise to consider someone who has recently achieved an excellent UCAT score themselves and who has experience with tutoring. Your tutor should be able to assess your strengths and weaknesses to focus your lesson time on improving the areas you need improvement in.

Medicine Interview Tutoring

With an acceptance rate under 35%, entry to Birmingham is competitive. A large part of the admissions process is the MMI, which you’ll need to thoroughly prepare for. This is also because the interview stations at Birmingham are quite unique compared to other medical schools. We recommend booking in with a medicine interview tutor at Birmingham to get the most realistic preparation for the interview. Particularly, for the roleplay and data stations. An interview tutor can help you to gain interview confidence, competence, and the knowledge-base you need to stand out from the crowd.