TISC for Undergraduate Medicine

The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) was established in 1975 by universities in Western Australia to process year 12 student applications who are enrolling in undergraduate degrees. TISC has continuously worked in conjunction with Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, and The University of Western Australia, and most recently, has partnered with the University of Notre Dame throughout the application processes.

The centre is also responsible for conducting the Special Tertiary Admission Test (STAT), an aptitude test for applicants with an unsatisfactory ATAR, or mature applicants who cannot meet other entry requirements’ and are planning to undertake tertiary education. To sit the STAT, you don’t need any specific academic knowledge as it only tests your competency to get into tertiary education.

Developed by ACER, the STAT exam is conducted under the supervision of TISC and allows applicants to choose a testing venue all over Western Australia. With a STAT result, you can apply to any institution across Australia not bound to apply only in Western Australia.

The TISC ****organisation’s primary objective is to evaluate students applying to Western Australian universities for Tertiary education courses. Their roles and responsibilities also extend towards:

• Managing the Western Australian University Foundation program
• Ranking the applications in order of merit under the specified criteria of universities.
• Delivering university curriculums
• Calculating the ATAR and required grades for Western Australian universities

Amongst the universities that TISC is partnered with, Curtin University is the only institution that offers an undergraduate medical pathway in Western Australia to prospective applicants. However, there are TISC universities that provide alternate undergraduate healthcare degrees and pathways to a career in medicine.

For example, the University of Western Australia, which is associated with the GEMSAS consortium, provides a postgraduate entry pathway into medicine. In this case students can complete an undergraduate degree in any field and then apply for graduate entry into medicine provided they meet the admission requirements.

Before applying to a medical school, it is always advised that you go through individual medical schools’ entry requirements and their different pathways to better understand what you need to do in order to be successful.

A mandatory eligibility requirement to apply for a medical degree at Curtin is to be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident. The applicants are mainly classified as:

1. Western Australian applicants
2. Non-Western Australian Applicants

Western Australian applicants enjoy the perks of having a pre-registered ID that declares them as residents of WA, hence making their application process less tedious on the TISC portal. In addition to this, you will require the following documents:

• A WACE certificate from your high school to highlight the completion of Year 12 in the most recent two years.
• A residency document of proof to show that you have resided in WA for at least 12 months prior to the application closing date.

These two factors are the requirements to apply as a WA applicant. Otherwise the application is processed as a Non-Western Australian application.

With regards to applying for a medical degree at Curtin Uni, the below mentioned steps need to be followed:

1. WA applicants are required to provide a minimum ATAR of 95, while non-WA applicants need to have a minimum of 92 to be considered for the medical program.
2. All Applicants must register and acquire a UCAT score. The UCAT is an aptitude test designed to help select students for medical schools and is held once a year. In order to sit the test, you need to book a test date between July-August in the preceding academic year.
3. Applicants must also sit the Casper test, which is a situational judgement test measuring aspects of the individuals social intelligence, professionalism, ethics and problem solving skills. The Casper test can be scheduled between March and August of 2025.
4. Another important admission requirement is proficiency in the English language. In addition to this Curtin demands performance in Chemistry as a mandatory subject prerequisite.
5. The final step in the admission process is the MMI medical interview, where applicants must demonstrate certain skills relevant to a career in medicine, in order to receive a final TISC offer for entry into medicine.

A ratio of 35:35:30 for the ATAR, Casper Test and UCAT score will be used in combination to invite applicants for a medical interview. In addition to this, applicants with a post-secondary education or higher degree qualification are not deemed eligible for the undergraduate program.

Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking or ATAR is an academic rank based score given to year 12 students across Australia for use in gaining entry into a tertiary course. The rank can range from 0 to 99.95 and clearly indicates an applicant’s position in comparison to their cohort. For example, an ATAR of 99.95 means the student is in the top 0.05 of that academic years’ cohort.

ATARs helps universities to select future students and is an important factor to gauge a student’s academic excellence and abilities.

For Western Australian students, ATAR is used as a primary selection criteria to compare results with other students applying from interstate in Australia.

The Casper test is a recent addition to Curtin Universities medical school selection process. it is an online situational judgement test which evaluates the applicants’ non academic qualities such as ethics, empathy, communication and professionalism through a series of video and written scenarios that require a typed or recorded response.

Once you register through the TISC online portal, you will be assigned a username and password to complete the application form. If you are a Western Australian applicant, your WACE candidate number will be your default USER ID to lodge your application.

Be mindful that navigating through the TISC portal can be challenging as it offers a broad spectrum of course details, therefore:

1. Thoroughly read the instructions and understand the course structure before filling out the application form.
2. Once you log into your TISC account, you can choose up to 6 courses and can alter them at any point of your application process.
3. Be careful in filling out your personal information and academic background. This record includes the ongoing studies as well as any past qualifications.
4. After accepting the mentioned conditions, you declare the application and pay an administrative fee. You can make the payment either via credit card, mail, or in person at the TISC office.
5. The last step will ask you to upload scanned copies or provide soft copies of your qualifications, proof of identity and any other required documents depending on your application type.

As previously mentioned, Curtin University ranks students for a medical interview based on a 35:35:30 ratio of ATAR, Casper test and the UCAT. In order to gain interview offers from TISC, a score in the top decile in the UCAT is considered to be a competitive score for entrance.

Curtin’s Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their personality and demonstrate their qualification to be considered for the final round and possible entry into medical school.

Applicants can select an interview slot from the sessions given by TISC for Curtin University, processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applicants may cancel their interview or reschedule, but are prohibited from changing it to a date or time not provided by TISC.

The MMI Interviews are primarily in person but they can be attended online if required.

Based on the medical school’s assessment of your ATAR, Casper test performance, UCAT score, and Interview performance, TISC releases first and second round offers to the future medical students. In some cases, Curtin University may directly release offers to students.

NOTE: Submitting personal statements, character certificates, testimonials, reference letters or awards to boost your chances of admission is strictly NOT allowed under TISC guidelines.

For a Standard University Application the fees are set at $92 being a one time payment. These application fees contribute to the cost of administering the application hence TISC does not refund these fees if you change your mind, withdraw your application or if your application does not result in an offer.

In conclusion, TISC is a government-funded statutory body, serving as a sole intermediary between students and tertiary institutions.

We hope this guide has been useful to you and could provide insights on the undergraduate application process through TISC. If you have any questions around the tertiary admission process in other Australian states, refer to our VTAC, SATAC, QTAC and UAC guides that are highly detailed and discuss everything you need to know - from ATAR calculation to final offers and release dates.

Furthermore, on the Fraser’s platform you can freely access our articles for in-depth information regarding the UCAT, or choose a 30-minute free consultation with one of our UCAT leads.

We wish you the best of luck for your med school application process!