Ideal UCAT Preparation & Medical School Application Timeline For 2024

The UCAT is one of the most important standardised tests for students looking to study medicine in the UK. It’s used by schools such as Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, etc.

The UCAT exam can be taken from July to September, but we recommend students start preparing early, since the summer is a busy time for exam preparation.

The timeline below provides a clear and concise overview of the key milestones and deadlines for UCAT preparation. By maximizing your preparation period, you will be able to stay on track and ultimately achieve your desired results.

Singapore

• Application Deadline: End February / Mid March 2025
• Intake: August / September 2025

Local universities typically accept applications until mid-March. NUS Medicine has separate application deadlines based on your school curriculum. If you are an IB student applying to the medical programs at either NUS or NTU, you will have an earlier application deadline in end-February. If you are an A-levels student, you will be allowed to apply upon the release of your A-level results all the way until the application closing date in mid-March. NTU follows a similar application deadline in mid-March for both IB and A-level students.

Do note that depending on the scheme through which you choose to apply (Standard vs. Aptitude), you may have slightly differing deadlines.

UK

• Application Deadline: 15 October 2024
• Intake: September 2025

The UK is home to some of the most prestigious medical schools and is one of the top destinations for international students. It has the earliest deadline of October 15th in the year preceding your entry to medical school.

If you plan to start medical school in September 2025, you will need to submit your applications by October 15 of 2024. In the UK, applications to medical programs take place through a centralized platform called the UCAS. Students will be allowed to choose up to 4 medical programs, and all have the same deadline of October 15th.

Students in the final year of JC or high school should plan around this deadline since it usually falls right before their final A-level examinations or other important school deadlines.

Australia

• Application Deadline: June – End September 2024
• Intake: February 2025

Australian university admissions take place last since they work on a different application cycle in which entry to all courses starts in February rather than September. This means that a student taking their final IB exams in May 2023 will only be starting their course in February 2025. Applications usually open at the beginning of March the year before the intake. Application deadlines range from June to the end of September the year before the intake, depending on the university.

Ireland

• Application Deadline: March 2025
• Intake: September 2025

Applications will take place after the UK deadline, and students will apply through the Irish Universities and Medical Schools Consortium (IUMC). The IUMC comprises four of the oldest and most prestigious universities, including Trinity College, Dublin. These applications take place through the IUMC agency in Singapore, and they accept applications from end December 2024 till March 2025 on a rolling basis but students are encouraged to send in the applications early.

Looking at the timeline, if students have not started preparation they should start ASAP. On an average students spend about 3-5 months to prepare for UCAT, especially if you are gunning for a high score. If you are a student in the local curriculum, your June holiday might be the best time to prepare for the UCAT.

Prep Zone is currently running a UCAT Intensive Training Program in June – so if you are interested, click here to see our schedule: