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Requirements for Medical School

07/07/2021•24 minute read

Find out how YOU can get into medical school!

You know you want to be a doctor. You know it's going to take many years of hard work before you can actually operate on a patient. You know you need to go to medical school. But do you know what it actually takes to get into the top medical programs in Australia and New Zealand? What are you waiting for? It's time to find out what the prerequisites for medicine are in Australia and New Zealand!

What we’ll be covering:

Entry Requirements to study Medicine in Australia & New Zealand
UCAT Scores
GAMSAT Scores
Extracurricular Activities for Medical School
Medical School Interviews

We’ll give you guidelines on the admission timeline and entrance exams, insider tips on building your extracurriculars, interview tricks, and the importance of high school grades. Enjoy this comprehensive breakdown!

1. Entry Requirements to study Medicine in Australia & New Zealand

What subjects do I need in high school to become a doctor?

The good news is, it doesn't matter whether you do IB, A Levels, ATAR, NCEA, or any other curriculum – you can get into New Zealand/Australian medical school!

The bad news? There are a few subjects you should take to increase your chances of getting into your dream med program. Usually, universities want to see chemistry and a mid-level maths subject but let's let the university requirements speak for themselves.

Entry Requirements for Australia & New Zealand Med Schools

University	Recommended Courses
University of Otago	Chemistry, Physics and Biology (NCEA Level 3), Statistics (recommended) or Calculus (useful). Language-rich i.e. English, History, Classics and Art History is useful
University of Auckland	Final year of high school or NCEA Level 3: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and a subject that enhances literacy: English or Humanities-based subjects
Univeristy of Notre Dame	N/A
University of New South Wales	N/A
Univeristy of Newcastle / University of New England	No subject prerequisites
Western Sydney University	N/A
University of Sydney	Band 3 in NSW HSC Maths (not general maths) or a similar result in alternative curriculums such as IB
Curtin University	N/A
Univeristy of Tasmania	N/A
Australian National Univeristy	N/A
Monash University	Chemistry
Deakin University	N/A
University of Melbourne	Pass Year 12 English or equivalent
Univeristy of Queensland	N/A
James Cook University	Chemistry
Bond University	N/A
Griffith University	Maths, either Biology, Chemistry or Physics
Flinders University	N/A
University of Adelaide	SACE Stage 2: Biology or Chemistry or Mathematical methods or IB Biology or Chemistry or Maths
Charles Darwin University	N/A
University of Western Australia	N/A

Studying Medicine in Australia vs New Zealand

As you can see, you do not need to fill your schedule with all science and maths courses in order to get into your dream medical school – no matter what your friends say!

If you're interested in Australian medical schools, you should be good to go as long as you take chemistry and a mid-level maths. Then, you can fill the rest of your schedule with subjects you're passionate about and focus on getting the best scores possible!

As for New Zealand medical schools, it would be wise for you to take the highest level of chemistry, physics and/or biology you can, as well as either statistics or calculus, and a language-rich class as described above. The rest of your schedule should be filled with subjects you will do well in, to ensure you get the highest score possible.

Australian Medical School Admission Requirements

Speaking of scores, let's talk about what you need to get into AU and NZ medical schools!

If you are interested in Australian med schools in any state or territory except for Queensland, you will need an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank).

How do you get an ATAR if you're not from Australia?

Easy! The universities you apply to convert your grades into an ATAR for you. However, if you're interested in checking out what your ATAR might be, check out our table below!

ATAR, A Levels, IB Score Calculator

ATAR	A Levels	IB
99.45	AAA*	43
99.10	AAA*	42
98.55	AAA*	41
97.90	A*AA	40
97.10	A*AA	39
96.25	AAA	38
95.20	AAB	37
93.90	AAB	36
92.60	ABB	35
91.30	ABB	34
89.50	BBB	33
87.70	BBC	32

What grades do you need for Australian medical school?

To be safe, anyone interested in Australian medical schools should aim for an 98-99 ATAR at a minimum; that being said, if you're chasing top universities, your ATAR needs to be closer to 99.95. In fact, the USyd direct entry program only accepts people with a 99.95 ATAR so if you're keen on attending that program, you better start studying!

In Queensland, on the other hand, you need an OP (Overall Position), which is similar to an ATAR, just presented differently.

If you're applying tThe University of Queensland you need an OP of 1.

Side note: If you are in year 10 or below and are studying in Queensland, you will receive an ATAR. Surprise! Queensland is eliminating OPs and replacing them with ATARs in 2020. If you are in year 10 or above and/or don't study in Queensland, this will not affect you.

New Zealand Medical School Admission Requirements

New Zealand medical school grade requirements are a bit different because there's no direct entry into medicine. If you are applying directly from high school you will need to apply to and complete a First Year program in either health sciences (Otago/Auckland) or Biomedical Science (Auckland).

Because of this system, The University of Auckland and Otago University use your GPA score from your first year to assess your candidacy. Auckland has a GPA cut-off of 6.0 while Otago mandates that you receive a minimum of 70% in all of your first year papers, which equates to a GPA of 5.0, but realistically you will need a much higher GPA to have a shot due to the number of students vying for a place.

Still unsure about medical schools in New Zealand? Check out this video to learn about a day in the life of a medical student at Otago!

2. The UCAT Exam

The UCAT is a standardised admissions test used by Australian, New Zealand, and UK universities for admissions into medicine and dental programmes. If you're applying for an undergraduate medical degree in either Australia or New Zealand, you will be required to sit the UCAT.

The UCAT exam does not actually test you on any academic knowledge. So, what does it test?

Your logic! Sort of.

The UCAT has five sections:

You will be assessed on your comprehension, critical thinking, basic mathematics, your ability to understand patterns and anticipate pattern changes, as well as your ability to apply ethical and moral principles to new situations.

Not to say that you can't study for the UCAT, because you certainly can... and should.

For now, let's dig into when you need to sit the UCAT and what score you need to make your doctor dreams a reality.

When should you start studying for the UCAT?

If you want to go to medical school in Australia, you need to sit the UCAT in your final year of high school and your score will be highly important in your admission decision.

The earlier you start studying, the less it will interrupt your normal studies and extracurricular activities (because you're definitely 100% participating in extracurricular activities, right?)

Be smart, don't leave your studying to your last year of high school. You will thank me later, promise.

If you want to go to medical school in New Zealand, on the other hand, you can forget everything you've just read!

There's no UCAT in high school for you!

Before you start celebrating, you still need to sit the UCAT.

However, you'll most likely sit the UCAT in your first year of university.

As mentioned above, there is no direct entry into medical school in New Zealand so you will need to sit the UCAT during your first year of university, in addition to completing your insanely competitive papers.

That being said, many students applying to med school in New Zealand will sit the UCAT in year 13 for practice.

What is a Good UCAT Score?

Regardless of whether you're applying to medical school in Australia or New Zealand, you should aim for the 90th percentile in your UCATS to be competitive; although, the higher your UCAT scores, the better your chances of getting into med school.

For example, if you are interested in the top tier universities like The University of New South Wales, you need to be around the 98th percentile, so if you aim for the 95th percentile you should be very competitive.

3. Extracurricular Activities For Medical School

If you want to get into a top medical school in Australia or New Zealand you better get to work on your extracurricular profile!

Hate to break it to you, but just focusing on your grades and exam scores isn't going to cut it.

Although your written application will rarely ask you about your extracurricular activities (unlike in the US and the UK), the more diverse and in-depth your extracurricular profile is, the better you're likely to perform on your med entrance exams and interviews.

If you and another student get interviews based off your ATAR and UCAT result, you will be able to handle a range of interview questions regarding your character traits (e.g. leadership/teamwork) due to your extracurricular activities; whereas, candidate #2 would struggle with these types of questions if they had not participated in any extracurricular activities.

So, let's be clear on what we mean by "extracurriculars". There are three major criteria you should ensure your extracurricular activities hit:

Medical Experience: i.e. shadowing a doctor in a hospital or general practice clinic or volunteering on medically-related activities. If shadowing a doctor, pharmacy/dental/physio work is less impressive because taking part in medical extracurriculars demonstrates a specific passion, not just an interest in "health sciences".
Service: Volunteering, community work for people with disabilities or low socioeconomic background.
Passion: Sports, music, debating, or something that you've accomplished a lot in outside of school/medicine.

Some universities, most notably James Cook University, have very specific extracurricular qualities they look for in applicants. James Cook University has a heavy rural focus and prefers students who have rural or indigenous extracurricular involvement, so if you're planning on applying to James Cook University, make sure you hit this requirement as well.

Otherwise, it really doesn't matter what extracurricular activities you participate in as long as you include the three aforementioned criteria and get involved early enough to make an impact and stand out.

Learn more about how MedView has helped hundreds of students gain admission into their dream medical school in NZ, AU and the UK!

4. The Interviews

Last but not least, your final prerequisite for medicine is... the interviews!

There are a three different types of interviews:

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
Semi Structured Interview (SSI)
Unstructured Interview

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)

The most common interview is the MMI, which features a series of "mini" interviews set up through eight different stations, including one role playing station. At each station, you will read a prompt and then respond to questions about that specific situation. Then you will rotate to the next station.

It's sort of like speed dating except much harder (and hopefully more rewarding).

The MMI gives the university the chance to assess you in a variety of situations and see how you react in specific scenarios that you're likely to encounter as a doctor.

This is where your medical extracurricular activities come into play. While the MMI Interview can feel quite confronting and may push you out of your comfort zone, the more experience you have in the medical field, the more comfortable you're likely to feel during an MMI Interview. You should also set up mock stations with your friends and/or family to get used to the format.

Universities That Use MMI

The University of Auckland (after your first year)
The University of Sydney
The University of Wollongong
Australian National University
The University of Melbourne
Monash University
Deakin University
Griffith University
The University of Notre Dame
Bond University
The University of Western Australia
Curtin University

Semi-Structured Interview (SSI)

The semi-structured interview is the second most popular interview. Think of it more as a traditional job interview with two interviewers. This interview process analyses your character by asking more typical questions such as "what is a challenge you've overcome?".

By participating in service and/or leadership extracurriculars, you'll have plenty of challenges and leadership opportunities to draw on to ensure you leave a lasting impression on your interviewers.

Universities That Use SSI

UNSW
Flinders University
James Cook University
The University of Adelaide: A mix between MMI and SSI

Unstructured Interview

Last but not least, the unstructured interview. This interview is only used by University of Sydney’s double degree program, so if you're not planning on applying to this particular program, please feel free to skip ahead!

Here's the unstructured low down. This interview consists of a very casual group interview that tests your personality and how you interact to other applicants.

Any and all extracurricular activities will help you do well in this interview style.

Universities That Use the Unstructured Interview

The University of Sydney Double Degree Program

Next Steps

Now that you know all about the prerequisites for medicine in Australia and New Zealand, it's time for you to get to work.

Start by picking extracurricular activities you're passionate about, then pick the right courses, study for either the UCAT or the GAMSAT, crush your interview and you will be good to go.

If you’d like to learn more about getting into Australian and New Zealand medical check out our blogs and free eBooks below!

If you would like support with your high school studies, UCAT or GAMSAT preparation, or expert training for your medical interview, get in touch with the MedView team today!