In lots of cases, having extra time before entering medical or dental school is advantageous. It allows applicants to gain additional life experience and maturity, which often comes across very well in the interview. It can also make it easier to cope with some of the challenges that lie ahead! That being said, you need to make the most of the time you have to ensure this strengthens your next application. You should analyse your previous application to see where you can improve, and use this time to address your weaknesses and build on your strengths.

Try to stay positive throughout – remember, your past does not define your future. In fact, you have one crucial advantage over other applicants: you’ve already gone through the application process. In this article, we’ll take you through how best to approach reapplication for dentistry and medicine, including how to utilise your past experience.

UCAT ANZ

It’s important that you honestly assess how you did in the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). It’s likely you had stronger and weaker sections, as well as specific question types that you struggled with. You may also have some mistakes when preparing for the exam. For example:

• Did you not prepare for long enough? 

• Did you burn out before test day? 

• Did you not engage properly with preparation resources? 

We discuss all of this and more in our article on resitting the UCAT ANZ as a reapplicant.

Non-direct entry pathways

Should I take a gap year or enrol in another degree first? 

The first decision to make when approaching reapplication is which pathway to apply through. One option is to reapply through the direct entry pathway, either by taking a gap year or repeating your final year of high school (if that’s an option in your state or territory). The other option is to begin a different university degree, and then either apply as a postgraduate student or as a course switcher. There is no ‘right’ choice, and learning about the different options will allow you to make an informed decision on which suits you best.

How do graduate entry courses work?

Many medicine and dentistry courses in Australia are graduate entry, or postgraduate, degrees, meaning they only accept applicants who have already completed another university course. These courses use the GAMSAT admissions exam instead of the UCAT, and are typically slightly shorter than undergraduate medicine and dentistry degrees (although completing another university course beforehand means that there is more time spent at university in total). You can read more about this pathway in our article on graduate entry medical schools.

If postgraduate courses appeal to you, remember to look at the requirements for the graduate entry courses you are interested in. Some things to consider are:

• What marks will I need in my undergraduate degree to be competitive?

• Are there any prerequisites?

• Which undergraduate degree will give me the best chance of getting in?

Can I switch to medicine or dentistry partway through a different degree?

Some universities allow course switching, which involves enrolling in another degree and then transferring to medicine or dentistry during your degree. Note that you’ll still need to re-sit the UCAT and meet any prerequisites for medicine or dentistry, and that most universities do not have a pathway for course switching. Additionally, some may have specific requirements – for example, you may need to enrol in a degree at the same university that you apply to for your dental or medical studies. Make sure to check what’s required before you take this route.

Keep in mind that applying to medical or dental school as a course switcher can be very competitive as there are much fewer places available compared to other entry pathways. Even if you start another degree with the intention to switch into medicine or dentistry, there is no guarantee that you will get a place. It may be beneficial to take a gap year instead, particularly if you have a high ATAR, as you can focus on improving your application to put you in a stronger position when reapplying.

State/territory exams

Can I redo year 12 to improve my ATAR? 

Depending on which state or territory you live in, it may be possible to re-enrol in year 12 to increase your ATAR score. However, repeating the year is a huge commitment and it’s important to thoroughly consider the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. Make sure you also understand what repeating the year would involve from a practical sense, and check with your state or territory’s secondary education governing body if anything is unclear. Some questions worth considering are:

• Do you have to repeat the whole year, or can you just resit the final exams?

• Can you retake subjects you’ve done previously, or will you have to take new ones?

• Will any of your previous grades count towards your new ATAR?

Resits should be accepted by most medical and dental schools, however you should always research the admission requirements of universities you’re interested in. Reach out to admissions offices to inquire about their policies regarding Year 12 resits for undergraduate medicine or dentistry.

How do I improve my ATAR score?

If you decide to re-enrol, first identify key areas for improvement. For example, when you previously sat your exams:

• Did you underestimate how much revision you needed to do? 

• Did you use ineffective revision strategies?

• Did you cram in revision too close to your exams? 

Spend some time analysing your approach to exam preparation, as well as your mindset throughout this period. You should then think about what the solution is to overcome the issue. For instance:

• If you didn’t revise for long enough, you should give yourself plenty of time to ensure you don’t become overwhelmed.

• If your revision techniques weren’t effective, take a look at your study practices. You can also experiment with different strategies to see what works best.

• If you’re not sure how to improve your performance, consider using a tutor who will be able to guide you.

Check out our top study tips to improve your ATAR.

Interviews

The interview stage is one of the most stressful parts of the admissions process. If you’ve had an interview before, you should reflect on areas for improvement and make sure to address these in your interview preparation. Whether you’ve experienced an interview before or not, make sure you give yourself as much time as needed to prepare as effectively as possible.

How do I prepare for a medical school interview?

We recommend first learning about/refreshing your knowledge on the different types of medical school interviews and the Australian health system. If you haven’t already, read relevant books and articles such as Good medical practice, and stay up to date with current affairs.

It’s also worth making your own checklist of important topics to read up on ahead of your interview. These can include whichever topics you want, but ones that are often asked about in the interviews include rural and remote health, the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the four pillars of medical ethics.

After this, you should list your strengths and weaknesses, and make a skills bank with examples of certain skills. These examples will help your answers stand out, and are much more convincing than simply listing your skills to an interviewer! You can prepare by thinking back to situations where you have demonstrated these skills, then use these situations as anecdotes when you practise answering interview questions.

It’s difficult to predict exactly what you’ll be asked in an MMI or panel interview, so make sure your interview preparation is as extensive as possible. For MMIs, common scenarios that come up include those relating to conflict resolution, decision making and ethical issues.

For panel interviews, the questions may be more focused on yourself, including:

• Why do you want to study medicine?

• What area(s) of medicine are you interested in?

• How do you cope with stress?

While it’s important to make sure your preparation covers these questions, be careful that you don’t over-rehearse, such as learning responses word-for-word and simply repeating it out loud. Make sure to also reflect on your personal experiences wherever possible, rather than providing a generic response.

How do I practise for a medical school interview?

Once you’ve got the basis for preparation, it’s critical that you translate this into practice. This is key for mastering the interview phase as it allows you to get used to formulating answers on the spot while improving your competency and confidence over time. 

We also recommend practising with different people to help you identify your perfect interview style. While preparing, try to avoid common pitfalls such as:

• Not allowing enough time to practise how you respond to questions

• Rushing into answers rather than taking a few seconds to think first

• Not using appropriate body language, such as avoiding eye contact

Succeed in your reapplication with Medify

Reapplication to medical or dental school shouldn’t just be a repeat of your previous application. Use the time you have to grow and develop, and gain new skills and experiences, then weave this into the admissions process wherever you can. The key to success lies in identifying where things went wrong last time, and making necessary changes so that you don’t make the same mistakes again.

If you need support throughout your reapplication journey, check out the following courses:

• UCAT ANZ Online Course – 2 in 3 UCAT test takers worldwide use Medify to prepare for their exams. Access 20,000+ questions, 24 full mocks, 34+ mini-mocks, and 50+ hours of video tutorials.

• GAMSAT Online Course – Access 5,000+ questions, 7 full mocks, performance analytics, and extensive tutorials.

• Interviews Online Course – Prepare for your interview at your own pace with over 300 authentic answers from real students, extensive video guides, and a Knowledge Bank written by a team of experts.