Applicants may have missed out on the required A-level grades in order to meet their university offer the first time around and are hoping to improve their grades with a retake course. Fewer and fewer medical schools are accepting students with retakes. Some still do accept them and can view them as an indication of perseverance and dedication, but they will often ask for straight As in the retakes and may put a time limit on when they must be completed by. Of the schools that do accept retakes, most will only do so if the applicant already holds a conditional offer with them and have only missed out narrowly on the required grades.
Applicants should make sure that if they are retaking some A-levels, they only apply to those universities that are sympathetic towards retakes or else they will be wasting an application. Where a university states that it will accept retakes only in “exceptional circumstances” this usually means illness or bereavement, and applicants may need to show evidence of this (e.g. a letter from their GP).
It is the applicant’s responsibility to check these details before they make their applications. Note that in general, medical schools always prefer first-time candidates and so applicants cannot assume that retaking is a viable alternative.
Please note: If applicants decide to retake their A level examinations, their chances of being offered a place are extremely small. Applicants should think very, very carefully about their chances of success before they make this decision.
Frequent Asked Questions
I want to retake GCSEs to improve my chances of getting into medicine – will this help?
Forget it! You will be rejected if you have poor GCSE grades. Medical candidates are expected to be academic high-flyers who should not need to retake any exams under any circumstances.
Which universities may consider retakes?
The following accept retakes under certain conditions:
• Brighton and Sussex
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• East Anglia
• Hull York
• Keele
• King’s College
• Peninsula
• Queen’s University Belfast
• Sheffield
• Southampton
• St Andrews
• St Georges |
