Admissions Tests, Interviews and Clearing
The competitive end of UK admissions (Medicine, Law, Oxbridge, portfolio courses) is not about your predicted grades. It is about admissions tests, interviews and selection days. This pillar covers each of them, plus Clearing and Results Day, so you have a plan for every outcome.
Where to start based on where you are
The guides in this pillar cover four distinct stages. Jump to whichever matches your current situation rather than reading in order.
- Still applying: you are preparing admissions tests (BMAT, UCAT, LNAT) or writing a personal statement for competitive courses. Start with the test prep and interview guides below.
- Offers in, waiting for results: firm and insurance choices are locked. Read the results day walkthrough so 13 August (A-level) or 4 August (SQA) does not catch you off-guard.
- Results landed, grades met: you are placed. Nothing else to do on UCAS beyond confirming accommodation and student finance.
- Results landed, grades missed: your firm will either confirm with lower grades, confirm a changed course, or release you into Clearing. Jump straight to the Clearing sections.
Admissions tests
Admissions Tests Overview
University admissions tests act as an extra filter for highly competitive undergraduate degree courses. Universities use these standardised exams to differentiate between thousands of applicants who all have...
BMAT UCAT LNAT Explained
The BMAT has been cancelled, making the UCAT mandatory for all UK medical and dental school applications. Learn about the updated UCAT scoring, which UK universities require the LNAT for law, and when to sit your admissions tests.
Interviews and selection
University Interview Guide
Prepare for your university interview with our essential guide for 2026. Discover key deadlines, interview formats like Oxbridge and MMIs, and expert tips to help you succeed.
Common Interview Questions
University admissions tutors use interviews to assess your critical thinking beyond grades, seeking to understand how you approach problems. Discover essential strategies for common interview questions, including the STAR method and preparing A-Level examples, to boost your chances.
Preparing for Selection Days
Preparing for university selection days requires understanding various assessment formats, from MMIs to group tasks. This guide helps you master key competencies and demonstrate core values to secure your place.
Early Entry (Medicine and Oxbridge)
Understand the critical early entry UCAS deadline of October 15, 2025, for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Oxford, and Cambridge 2026 entry. Learn about required admissions tests like UCAT and new UAT-UK tests, plus strategic UCAS choices.
Results day and Clearing
Results Day and Clearing: A Step-by-Step Guide for UK Students
What happens on results day, what UCAS does automatically, how Clearing works, and how to self-release if you change your mind.
The 2026 Clearing timetable in plain English
UCAS Clearing 2026 opens on 2 July 2026 and closes on 19 October 2026. Most universities post their biggest batch of vacancies on the two results days: 4 August (Qualifications Scotland) and 13 August (Level 3 / A-level). You can browse courses in Clearing before results day, but you cannot accept a place until the relevant results day opens.
Hour by hour on A-level results day, the pattern is:
| Time (UK) | What happens |
|---|---|
| 07:00 | Adviser portal opens. UCAS Hub updates so you can see whether your firm or insurance choice has been confirmed. |
| 08:00 | Schools and colleges release grades. Log into UCAS Hub to see your status. |
| From 13:00 | If you are placed, nothing more to do. If you are in Clearing, you can add a Clearing choice through UCAS Hub once you have phoned the university and been given a verbal offer. |
On Scottish results day (4 August 2026), the adviser portal opens at 09:00 and students can add a Clearing choice from 10:00 UK time. Different day, same process.
Results day scripts, what to actually say when you phone
The only awkward part of Clearing is the phone call. You are ringing an admissions office that is taking hundreds of calls an hour. Have this in front of you before you dial:
- Your Clearing number (found in UCAS Hub on results day).
- Your exact grades and subject breakdown.
- The course code and course title you are applying for.
Opening line that works: "Hi, I'd like to apply for a place in Clearing. My Clearing number is [number], I'm ringing about [course], course code [code]. My grades are [A, B, B]. Are you able to make me an offer?" That single sentence gets you past the queue screener faster than anything else.
If you miss the grades on your firm by one grade, do not skip the firm choice. Ring them first. Universities often confirm on a near miss, especially where your personal statement was strong and the course is undersubscribed. Go to Clearing only once your firm has formally released you.
Clearing Plus, how the 2026 matching service works
UCAS Clearing Plus runs 5 July to 20 October 2026. Once you are eligible (released from your firm, or declined at both firm and insurance), the "See matches" button appears in UCAS Hub.
You will see an initial list of up to 50 courses ranked by how well your qualifications and original choices match the vacancies. From that list, you can express interest in up to five courses at a time. Providers who want to talk to you then contact you directly, which saves the phone-call step for those five.
Clearing Plus does not replace ringing the universities you already wanted. Use it as a second pass: first call the two or three courses you had researched before results day, and only drop into Clearing Plus matches if those do not pan out.
UCAS Adjustment is gone, stop looking for it
If an older guide tells you to use UCAS Adjustment when you exceed your offer, ignore it. Adjustment was removed from 2022 entry onwards. If you beat your predicted grades in 2026 and want to trade up to a different university, the only route is to decline your confirmed place and go into Clearing as a self-released applicant. That is a risk: you lose your original offer the moment you decline it, with no guarantee the new course has space. Most advisers recommend against it unless the new course is materially better for your plans.
Pillar FAQ
Can I hold more than one Clearing offer at a time?
No. You hold a verbal offer until you enter it into UCAS Hub, at which point it becomes your formal Clearing choice. You can only have one active Clearing choice in UCAS Hub at a time. If it is rejected or withdrawn, you can add another.
What happens if I don't get any Clearing offer on results day itself?
Nothing is lost. Clearing runs until 19 October 2026. Universities add vacancies continuously as other applicants decline places, and some of the most useful courses open up in the week after results day when the initial rush calms down.
Is Clearing worse than a firm offer from January?
No. The course you end up on, the degree you earn and the employment rate are identical whether you arrived via your firm choice, insurance choice or Clearing. Universities use Clearing to fill genuine vacancies, not to offload failing courses.