Getting into medical school isn’t one of the easiest things to come by. It could be very frustrating when you submit your applications to several schools and getting invited for only few interviews or being wait-listed by several other schools.

Although the process of trying to get an admission can be overwhelming and highly competitive, you could still make it by dint of hard work and a stroke of luck.

The following tips will help you get into medical school without much stress.

1. Get good grades

You need to get high grades to get into medical school. Grades count for a lot so the higher the better. You need to focus on your pre-med classes and make good grades in your science courses. These are the main prerequisites for any medical school program.

Schools want to be sure if you’ll be able to make it through medical school and the only way to do that is by looking at your grades in high school. Typically, this is what puts you forward as a qualified candidate when you apply to medical school.

2. Get a Good UKCAT Score

The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (or UKCAT) is a very challenging test that ensures that the candidates selected for medical school have the most appropriate mental abilities that are required to become successful doctors. Most people don’t make it to medical school because they can’t get high scores in the UKCAT.

To get a good UKCAT score, start your preparation for the test early and thoroughly. Enrolling for a UKCAT course and taking several practice tests will help you get familiar with the kinds of questions that you might come across and the best approach to answering them. It will also make you familiar with the UKCAT computer platform ahead of the actual test.

3. Submit a superb application

Besides good grades and high score in UKCAT, your application must be persuasive. Your personal statement must be convincing, the description of your experiences and accomplishments must also be impressive. Also gather your recommendations early and get writers who can be personal about your accomplishments.

For example, it’s important that you reveal that you’ve gained clinical experience; you need to convince to the admissions committee beyond doubt that you’re able to pursue a career in medicine. Doing a clinical internship or volunteering to work in a hospital will also give you clinical exposure.

4. Apply to different schools

You don’t have to put all your eggs in a basket by sending your application to just one school - your dream school. Because the competition to get into medical school is strict, you would be improving your chances of acceptance by applying to many medical schools. Remember that these schools have low acceptance rates. Also, getting enough details about the schools you’re applying to will help you make the right choice.

While sharing tips on how to get into medical school, David Steinhardt narrated how he applied to 25 schools, got 6 interviews, was accepted at 4 schools and wait-listed at 2. So the more schools you apply to, the better your chances of getting picked. You should also make sure you apply early enough.

5. Be prepared for admission interview

Once you make it to the interview stage, be ready to explain why you want to be a doctor. This stage is very important to achieving success in the admission process thus you must be prepared to have a great interview experience.

To prepare for your interview, you need to do some practice interviews. Note that current doctors who’ve gone past that stage and premed advisors are the best people to do practice interviews with. Lastly, to be successful at the interview, you need a lot of composure and state your achievements as much as possible.