Best ATAR Subjects for Medicine in WA

Almost every parent who books a trial with us in Year 10 or early Year 11 has the same question: "If our daughter wants medicine, which ATAR subjects should she pick?" It is one of the highest-stakes subject-selection moments in a WA student's school career, and it is also where the most contradictory advice gets handed out.

This article walks through what the three WA medical pathways (UWA, Curtin and Notre Dame) currently expect, the four subjects that always belong in the conversation, and the realistic ATAR and UCAT thresholds you are aiming for in 2026 and beyond.

The three WA medicine pathways

WA students applying to medicine at undergraduate level realistically look at three options:

• UWA · Doctor of Medicine (MD) via the school-leaver Assured Pathway. Successful applicants get a conditional MD place, complete the Bachelor of Biomedicine (Specialised) with the Integrated Medical Sciences and Clinical Practice major, then progress into the MD. Combined duration is six years (the IMS&CP major gives one year of credit towards the MD). UWA also has a graduate entry route open to bachelor's graduates from any university.
• Curtin University · Direct entry Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), a 5-year undergraduate degree accredited by the Australian Medical Council. One of the only direct-from-school MBBS pathways in Australia.
• Notre Dame Fremantle · Two routes. (1) Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Assured Pathway) into Doctor of Medicine, a school-leaver pathway. A 3-year Biomedical Science degree at Notre Dame Fremantle, then progression to the postgraduate MD provided the student maintains a minimum GPA of 2.5 each semester. (2) Standard postgraduate MD entry following any recognised bachelor's degree.

Each pathway has its own ATAR thresholds, aptitude tests (UCAT, Casper, GAMSAT) and interview process. The subjects that prepare you well are largely the same across all three.

The four subjects that always belong

If you ask ten current WA medical students which Year 12 subjects they would choose again, eight of them will name the same four. They are:

1. Chemistry

The only ATAR subject Curtin lists as essential for direct-entry MBBS. School-leaver applicants must complete Chemistry ATAR or equivalent. UWA's Assured Pathway recommends Chemistry (or Chemistry as a Level 1 university unit during the bachelor) but does not strictly require it. Notre Dame's postgraduate route does not list Chemistry as compulsory, but the undergrad biomedical degrees that feed into it almost always do.

2. Mathematics (Methods, Applications, or Specialist)

Curtin lists Maths Applications, Maths Methods, or Maths Specialist as desirable (not essential) for direct-entry MBBS. UWA's MD recommends "Maths Applications or higher" for school-leaver Assured Pathway applicants. So Applications keeps both doors open at the prerequisite level. That said, most successful applicants we see still take Methods because it scales harder, supports first-year STEM units in the biomedicine bachelor, and gives flexibility if goals shift later. Specialist on top is a scaling lift, not an admission requirement.

3. English or English Literature

WACE requires an English subject for ATAR eligibility. That is not the only reason to take it seriously. Medicine interviews are a written and verbal communication test as much as a knowledge test. Strong English marks are a tiny part of the visible signal; the practice of constructing arguments and reading texts closely is a much larger invisible benefit.

4. Human Biology or Biology

Curtin lists either Human Biology ATAR or Biology ATAR as desirable (not essential) alongside the Chemistry prerequisite. UWA recommends prior Biology or Human Biology study at first-year university level for graduate entry, and the bachelor that feeds the Assured Pathway covers human biology content extensively. Human Biology is more applied to medical contexts: anatomy, homeostasis, immunity, disease. Biology is broader: ecology, plant systems, evolution. Both work. Take whichever your school teaches more strongly and you can score higher in.

What about Maths Applications?

Common question. Both Curtin and UWA list Maths Applications as a permitted subject for the school-leaver pathway: Curtin lists Applications, Methods, or Specialist as desirable; UWA recommends "Maths Applications or higher". So Applications keeps both Perth doors open at the prerequisite level. The reason most successful WA medicine applicants still take Methods comes down to scaling and downstream flexibility, not Curtin or UWA's prerequisite lists:

• Curtin direct-entry MBBS: Applications is acceptable as a desirable subject. Methods is more popular because it scales harder.
• UWA Assured Pathway: Applications meets the recommendation but you'll meet Methods-level content in first-year biomedicine units (and need a 5.5 GPA across the first two years to progress to the MD).
• Notre Dame Assured Pathway (Bachelor of Biomedical Science into MD): no specific maths prerequisite at Year 12 level. The gate is the 92 ATAR plus UCAT plus interview. The biomedical science bachelor covers chemistry-heavy first-year content, so Year 12 Chemistry helps even though it's not strictly required.
• Notre Dame standard postgraduate MD: flexible. Pick whichever maths you can excel in. The undergrad degree you choose dictates the maths you'll need.

ATAR thresholds in 2026

WA medicine pathways are competitive but not impossible to model. Recent guaranteed-entry thresholds (school-leaver entry):

The thresholds shift slightly each year. A few WA-specific things worth knowing:

• UCAT ANZ is non-transferable. UWA requires it to be sat in the year of application; previous years' scores can't be carried over. The same applies at Curtin.
• UWA's MD has 206 domestic places per year, with up to 50% allocated via school-leaver entry. Within the domestic quota, up to 10% are Indigenous places, 30% are Rural, and 20 are reserved for Broadway schools. About 28.5% of all domestic places are Bonded Medical Places (commitment to work in a workforce-shortage area after graduation).
• Curtin's StepUp scheme can lift the ATAR for rural and equity applicants. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants at Curtin apply directly to Curtin Medical School via the dedicated Indigenous entry pathway and do not sit the UCAT or Casper Test.
• Always cross-reference with each university's official admissions page in the year you apply.

UCAT, Casper and the MMI

Three things sit alongside ATAR for WA school-leaver medicine applications:

• UCAT ANZ (University Clinical Aptitude Test for Australia and New Zealand). Registrations close in May and sittings run July to August in the year of application. Tests verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and situational judgement. Required by both Curtin and UWA. The score cannot be carried over from a previous year; it must be sat in the application year.
• Casper Test. An online situational-judgement test required by Curtin (in addition to UCAT), sat in the year of application. It assesses ethical reasoning, empathy and communication via short typed responses to scenarios. UWA does not currently require Casper.
• Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). Both Curtin and UWA use an MMI format for shortlisted school leavers. UWA's MMI has 8 stations, 7 minutes each (2 minutes to consider, 5 minutes to respond), with a different interviewer at every station and the whole process taking around 70-75 minutes. Stations assess accountability, ethical and moral judgement, communication, problem solving, self-awareness, teamwork, conflict resolution, empathy and resilience. There are no trick questions and no specific health knowledge is required.

How the final ranking actually breaks down:

• Curtin school leaver: composite of ATAR, UCAT score and MMI score. Casper and UCAT also feed into the pre-interview ranking.
• UWA Assured Pathway (non-rural school leaver): ATAR 30% + interview 50% + UCAT 20%. Note interview is the largest single component.
• UWA Assured Pathway (Rural school leaver): ATAR 22.5% + interview 37.5% + UCAT 15% + rurality rating 25%.

Strong ATAR plus average UCAT is no longer enough. Plan UCAT preparation seriously through the December of Year 11 and again in the months before the test in Year 12. Casper takes a different kind of practice (it rewards reflection and clear written communication, not speed-and-pattern-matching like UCAT). MMI preparation is mostly about practising structured spoken responses to ethical and situational prompts within tight time windows.

Educatta does not run UCAT, Casper or MMI prep courses; we focus on the ATAR side of the pathway. We will, however, point you to the most respected UCAT, Casper and MMI prep providers in Perth during your trial lesson if medicine is the goal. Note: UWA explicitly does not endorse any commercial coaching organisations, including those running sessions on UWA premises.

So what does the ideal Year 12 line-up look like?

For a WA student aiming at medicine in 2026 or 2027, this is the plate that recurs in almost every successful application we have seen at our Bentley and Canning Vale centres:

1. Mathematics Methods · maintain a strong calculus foundation.
2. Chemistry · the universal prerequisite.
3. Human Biology or Biology · pick whichever your school teaches more strongly.
4. English (ATAR) or English Literature · whichever you score higher in.
5. One scaler of choice · Specialist Maths, Physics, Psychology, or a Language.

Five subjects. Four lock-ins. One that is yours to optimise around your own strengths. If you would like a 30-minute conversation with a tutor who has actually walked one of these pathways, book a free consultation and we will sit down with the Year 11 reports and map it out properly.