Aberdeen
Very friendly and relaxed, more like a chat than an actual interview. Two interviewers of different backgrounds (one of mine was a consultant and the other an admissions assistant). Typical questions such as "Why Aberdeen?", ethical scenarios and your work experience. Lasts for 20 minutes and is preceded or followed by a tour of the medical school.
Although friendly they may push you and ask you slightly "out of the ordinary" questions, but if you stay calm and answer them best you can you'll be fine.
Barts and the London
The interviews at Barts and the London are fairly friendly and relaxed. Along with your invitation to interview, Barts will send you a recent medically related article which is usually based on an ethical issue. They expect you to have read this before the interview as this is usually the first thing they will ask you about. The panel usually comprises of a professor from the school as well as another medical professional. During the interview both interviewers will take turns in asking questions. Whilst one interviewer is asking question the other will seem to shut off completely. The usual questions are to be expected which may include: "What attracted you to Medicine?", "Why Barts?", "How do you cope with stress?" as well as others.
Despite what is written on the Barts and the London website, results from interviews are given out towards the end of February/early March.
Birmingham
Birmingham interview around 900 people and give offers to around 90% of those interviewed. Statistically, this makes it the easiest medical school to get an offer from post-interview. The interviews last around 15 minutes and are very friendly. Normally, the interview panel consists of a chairperson, two doctors and a medical student. The medical student does not ask any questions. Typical questions such as "Why Birmingham?" and "Why medicine?" are common as well as questions which focus on the personal statement. The questions do not tend to be very challenging in nature. The latter half of the interview tends to focus on hobbies, sports and what the applicant does to relax. Candidates are also often asked factual questions such as the role of the GMC, the career progression of doctors and the structure of MMC, NICE, who assesses physicians/surgeons etc., so be prepared for these! Applicants typically hear within two weeks of interview and the typical offer is AAA (was AAB until recently), although the grades specified vary from person to person.
For 2010 entry, Birmingham piloted a new written aspect to the interview: before the interview, candidates were given a sheet of paper with a scientific scenario laid out, and were asked to write down their response to the questions asked. These questions tested the way you thought about things scientifically and how you approach problems in general. However in the 2011 interviews (for 2012 entry) there was no written aspect, simply a 15 minute interview.
Brighton and Sussex
The interview at BSMS is fairly relaxed and not designed to try and trip you up. You will be asked a variety questions to try and establish what sort of person you are, why you want to be a doctor and if you have a realistic impression of what it will be like. The panels are made up of 3 people usually including a member of the academic staff, a clinician and a student. The interviewers are friendly and encouraging, and are there to get the best out of you.
Questions I got asked:
Why are you hear? i.e why medicine? why bsms?
Team work related questions
NHS related questions about reforms etc..
research related questions
Bristol
People who have had interviews here seem to be saying that the interview is relatively friendly and quick. Some of the questions that you can expect are:
- my work experience - quite a lot on this
- evidence of leadership, personal qualities and so on
- hobbies/extracurricular bits
- problems of being a doctor and so on
There is a set mark scheme for Bristol medical interviews. This can be found in their admissions statement here [1].
Bristol interview a relatively small number of people so if you have an interview things look positive for you getting in providing things don’t go too badly. It is also important to be aware that that Bristol continues to interview until late March early April so you may not hear until quite late.
Cambridge
Cambridge currently interview the majority of applicants, though some colleges are now using BMAT scores as a cut-off prior to interview. All interviews are held within the first few weeks of December, so you should be contacted a few weeks before that. All applicants for all subjects are then told the results of their interview by post on the same day, postal strikes/delays notwithstanding - usually just after New Year. You should NOT expect UCAS track to update before the letter comes; in previous years it has been weeks or even months before it updates online!
The interviews can be quite varied depending on your college. Generally there will be two, lasting between 20-30 mins each, usually with 2 or 3 interviewers in each. Some colleges have one "academic" and one "personal" interview however in the coming years it is more likely to just get academically focused interviews. They may not ask you much about "Why Medicine?" or your work experience, but will ask you a lot of science-based questions, mostly starting on the A-level syllabuses and then progressing off them to see how well you can think scientifically. If you have mentioned any specific scientific interests or activities they may ask you about these, so be prepared!
Some candidates who are pooled are interviewed again during pooling in January.
Cardiff
Cardiff interviews generally seem to be quite friendly and based predominantly on your personal statement. Be prepared to answer any questions on it, such as what skills have you gained from your part time job (in a shop), what did you learn from such and such course, how did you get into tutoring etc.... They also seem to like asking about the Welsh NHS (they won't expect you to understand all the ins and outs of it as I don't think anyone really understands it, but they basic things in the news e.g. free prescriptions, free parking, and generally being a bit more socialist than the English counterpart.
There are normally three people interviewing - a clinician, an academic and a student.
Most friendly interview out of all of mine. I was interviewed by 3 women: 1 student, 1 doctor and a member of admissions team. Really smiley and interested in what you are saying. Got asked very 'personality' related questions. Why med? Why Cardiff? What can you contribute to our med school? and stuff from my personal statement
Dundee
The Dundee interview is MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews) instead of the traditional format. What this is, is ten stations each with a seven minute allocation. 70 minute interview I hear you say! It sounds daunting, but it honestly goes by so fast you wonder where the time has gone. The ten stations are divided in to two categories: 5 regular, generic medical interview question stations and 5 interactive role-playing stations. The whole format is almost like speed dating; you go to the first station and seven minutes later a bell rings and you move on. When you get to a station there will be a laminated piece of paper containing a brief description of that station. At the normal interview question stations the card will give you either a question or will set out an ethical situation. A medical proffesional (doctors from the local area) then ask you questions on what you've just read. The interactive stations are the challenging ones and rightly so. The idea of these stations is not to test any medical knowledge or scientific knowledge, they're designed to test your communication skills and to make sure you're not an emotionless robot/psychopath/or other unsuitable future medic. At these stations will be an actor and a piece of laminated paper which will tell you what you're supposed to be doing at the station. I'm not sure I can tell you what to expect, but juse be prepared for anything! At the end of my interview, our tour guide who was a medical student told us that these stations were to test whether you kept your cool and could empathise with the actors.
Durham
Similar to Newcastle. Panel of two interviewers, usually a clinician and somebody from the community. Neither panel member has seen your personal statement, so it is up to you to get what you want to say across to them. It's 45 minutes long, so you should use this to your advantage and have a good stock of material from your statement to bring up and develop on. Standard questions (Why medicine, why Durham, etc.), ethical scenarios and the like. Generally relaxed, they will try to tease the answers out of you.
As with Newcastle, replies begin around March.
East Anglia (UEA)
The interview at UEA is OSCE style, involving 7 stations with 1 question from 1 interviewer at each station.
The OSCE style means that if you don’t get on well with one interviewer, you have the possibility to impress the others and still be in with a chance. However, you lose the opportunity to build up a rapport with your interviewers.
2 stations are based on scenarios which you are given to read and then answer questions on. One of these questions is usually based on empathy and the support provided by the medical school. The other scenario is usually ethics based where you have to show your ability to look at both sides of the argument. Examples of these scenarios can be found here
When you arrive, there will be 6/7 other applicants who will be in the same 'round' as you. Outside each station is a piece of paper telling you what the first question in the station will be, then the interviewer will follow on from the initial question with others which will be largely dependent on the responses you give.
The questions at each of the stations are structured to find evidence of the following criteria:
1. Capacity to thrive in the UEA curriculum (tested over two stations)
2. An acceptable approach to decision making when given incomplete or conflicting information (Scenario 1)
3. A caring and supportive attitude towards peers (Scenario 2)
4. A high level of determination towards a medical career
5. Evidence of personal effectiveness
6. Summary of candidates suitability for the course
For some universal medicine interview questions see Medicine at University: Interviews and here (external site)
The style of these interviews is very structured, allowing you a fairly good idea of what to expect before the interview. However, over-preparation is discouraged as the university want to know if the course suits you, not whether you can say what you think they want to hear. Interviewers can be clinical, academic or other medical school staff.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh do not normally interview applicants, however if they want to clarify anything, you may be invited for interview.
They always interview graduate applicants.
Glasgow
The interview panel consists of two members of the Admissions Committee. They are reasonably informal compared to some other medical schools.
You are assessed on the following:
- Commitment to Medicine
- Understanding of the core qualities of a Doctor
- Team Work/Other interests
- Knowledge of the Glasgow Curriculum
Interviewers have your personal statement with them, so be sure you can talk about anything you included in it.
Glasgow are also really fond of questions about the course and Problem Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a way of teaching which is substantially different to the traditional lecture-based system, so they want to ensure you have researched it fully before applying. You can find information on the differences between PBL and traditional courses here.
Hull-York (HYMS)
A fairly relaxed, small interview with two interviewers. Quite varied questions (for example, I was asked what difference I thought Barack Obama's election as president of the USA would make on a) the US population and b) the world), they provide a list of example questions on their Admissions Website closer to the interview dates (so keep checking back for that, it is very useful to prepare - the chances of you getting questions off that list is fairly high). They expect you to have done a little research on medical issues, particularly current issues and will ask you about that!
The most difficult part for the majority of applicants is the article. They give you a period of time directly before your interview to read an article on a medical issue and ask you to discuss "something you found interesting" about the article. The articles can be rather obscure (for example orphan diseases) so not that easy to discuss! However, it's important to remember the interesting point doesn't have to be medical - it can be anything you find interesting - even use of certain phrases/choice of words to make it more effective!
For 2009 admissions there were two sets of interviews, December and January - offers come fairly early - around the end of January for the earliest (although they'd said they'd offer by the end of February).
Imperial
The Imperial interview is very led by YOU. You are likely to be asked the traditional questions, for example "Why do you want to be a doctor?", "Why do you want to come to Imperial?", "How do you deal with stress?", "Give me an example of a time you worked in a team." and "How do you think you would contribute to life at Imperial?". The interview then continues with emphasis on your personal statement and wider reading (such as current medical issues). You will also be asked about an ethical situation relating to a topic such as organ donation, autonomy, and so on.
For the 2008/09 applicants, the interviews panel consisted of three members of staff and a current Imperial medical student (who asked all candidates "How do you think you would contribute to life at Imperial?"). There will occasionally be a member of the public present as a lay observer. The interviewers all have a copy of your personal statement, and appear to have read this before hand.
All prospective applicants are given the opportunity to arrive early and be given a tour of the medical school and the college prior to their interview (12pm). This is not compulsory, although candidates are commonly asked if they did attend the tour.
The panel will assess you according to the following criteria:
- Motivation and realistic approach to medicine as a career
- Response to stress
- Evidence of working both as a leader and a team member; ability to multitask
- Contribution to Medical School life
- Communication skills and maturity of character
If you prepare thoroughly for questions that target these criteria (so questions on teamwork, leadership, multitasking etc.), that will go a long way to helping you get ready for an Imperial interview. See below for sample questions.
Approximately 600 candidates are interviewed for the 6 year course, of whom roughly 75% receive an offer.
See also: Sample Imperial Interview Questions
Keele
The interview at Keele is 20 minutes long and is carried out by a panel of three interviewers which include an academic, a doctor and a lay person with the academic usually acting as the chair. Only one of the interviewers would have read your personal statement so the interview provides a fresh look at you, with no preconceptions based on the written application. The interview can be divided into three basic parts:
1) motivation to study medicine
Questions will explore your reasons to study medicine at Keele, your understanding of PBL and how it relates to life as a doctor, the skills and qualities required to be a doctor, and the pros and cons of a career in medicine.
2) preparation for a medical career
Questions will explore your work experience and voluntary work in depth, your ability to cope with stress (including hobbies and extracurricular interests) and your ability to reflect. Expect to be asked to reflect on your work experience and your strengths/weaknesses.
3) a scenario
This may not be an ethical scenario but can be any type of complex problem. The interviewers are more interested in gauging your thought processes in arriving to a solution than the solution itself. You may be asked to sum up the whole of your conversation on the scenario in a few sentences.
Each interviewer tends to question you on one of the above parts. Although the interviewers are usually friendly, they may sometimes appear indifferent just to see how you react. A point to note is that the offer of a place depends solely on your interview performance, meaning that your personal statement and academic achievements will not be considered beyond the interview stage.
King's
Prior to the interview, prospective applicants are asked to sign a contract saying that they will not talk about the content of the interview after the interview has finished. This makes it hard to establish what you will be asked. A few titbits of information do suggest that you will be asked about your personal statement, what you can contribute to the medical school (perhaps with examples of what you have done at your current school/university) and generally quite typical questions.
During these general questions it may be a good idea to refer back to your personal statement; personally I was asked about 3 times what I would contribute to the medical school before they finally gave up and asked me directly about a line off of my personal statement pertaining to my extracurricular sports activites.
Prospective interviewees are also given an ethical case study about 15 minutes prior to the interview to study and then discuss during the interview.
However, in the 2006/7 admissions cycle, enough ethical scenarios were leaked by interviewees post interview that King's scrapped all the scenarios and wrote new ones. This went against the agreement that all prospective applicants had to sign before their interview.
During the interview there will be 2 interviewers present. There may also possibly be a third person in the room who will not interview you or indeed talk, but is there only to oversee the process.
Lancaster
Lancaster universities interview is almost identical to liverpools structure. Although the interview is friendly you will be asked serious ethical questions and your commitment to medicine will be examined. Many medical applicants have had interviewers go through certain aspects of their personal statement(which the interviewers had with them) that need clarifying. It is recommended that you learn about the course before interview also being able to explain why you chose lancaster, also understanding the collegiate system of the university is helpfull. For the day of the interview you will be required to fill in a questionaire in which you provide information and contact details of your work experiences plus originals and photocopies of your academic records.
Leeds
The interview was really friendly and relaxed - they aren't trying to interrogate you! The interview panel is fairly standard with 2/3 people - usually two doctors/healthcare professionals and one medical student. The questions are fairly normal. The questions are scripted and fairly normal, with the obvious 'Why Medicine?' for starters. Most are on motivation and character - I got none on science, current medical issues, my career plan or the Leeds course, though 'Why Leeds?' and socio-economic/ethical issues have been known to come up. There will probably be a scenario - I got one on what I would do if I discovered a patient had been given a double dosage - and I also got an interesting question on the factors that affect the health of an individual or population. The questions probably won't be specifically aimed at you, but it will be clear they have read your personal statement and application beforehand. They will be supportive and positive in relation to your answers, and they don't expect you to know everything!
The interview is about 20 minutes and they give you time at the end to ask questions or expand on something you want to emphasise. I was kind of thrown by this last option of expanding on something when they told me about it at the beginning of the interview, and I wasn't sure what to say. I ended up talking a bit about some volunteering I did but I regretted it afterwards because I think I was repeating stuff I'd said earlier. My advice would be not to expand unless you can clearly think of something important you had prepared but didn't get to talk about.
Leicester
The interview has been described as friendly with lots of open ended questions on the topics that you would expect. The interviewers have not read your personal statement so be ready to discuss about what you have written. Keep in mind the interviewers literally know nothing about you other than your name. You should be able to talk about why you want to be a doctor, aspects of team work, how much you know about working as a doctor (pros and cons) and leadership skills. Talk about any experiences you have which are relevant to the questions asked (which you may or may not have written about in your personal statement). Questions usually follow logically on from one another, and are sometimes tailored to elucidate aspects of the answer you gave to previous question. The interviews are usually conducted by two people, a doctor and 5th year medical student at Leicester. The interview generally lasts 20 minutes.
For the 2011 cycle a written exercise has been introduced. This will be the first thing you do when you arrive for interview, before the tour and your subsequent interview. This will be about an ethical issue and you will have 45 minutes to answer. You will not need any prior medical knowledge, just an ability to argue your point.
Liverpool
Liverpool pride themselves on their easy approach towards interviews. There are 2 doctors that will take you through the interview and they will begin by asking all the normal questions such as 'Why Medicine?' and 'Why Liverpool?' The doctors have your personal statement copies and they will follow questions on by asking you to explain things you have written down in your personal statement: make sure you know it inside out. There will be the one or two questions on recent ethical issues and they also like to talk about any extra-curricular activities you enjoy. As expected, a large proportion of the interview is spent on PBL (roughly 5-7 minutes). You will have to talk about the strenghts and weaknesses of PBL and the aspects that you feel will suit you etc...
The interview lasts between 15-30 mins and is more like a friendly chat than an interview. The interviewers are instructed to be welcoming and nice to all candidates. Just make sure you know your facts: some people have been asked about Liverpool University and its history.
Manchester
The interview at Manchester for the five year course has changed for 2010 entry. Instead of the traditional panel interview used previously, it will now be more like that already used for the six year course. Groups of nine applicants will be asked to participate in a round table discussion for 30 minutes. They will be presented with a ranking exercise; for example “which five of the following ten patients in renal failure would you select for a kidney transplant”. The first ten minutes will be allocated to individual thought; the remaining time will be spent trying to reach consensus. Three interviewers will observe the process. Applicants are not expected to have any more than a layperson’s general knowledge of medical issues; the intention is to get you to relax and for them to be able to assess your team working skills. You may be asked question relating to wider issues. This will be followed by three 6 minute interviews on a one-to-one basis. In one you will be asked to reflect on the group discussion, in another you will be asked about your experiences that led you to apply to medicine (e.g. work experience), while in the other interview you will be asked about your extra-curricular activities.
The interview for the six year course at Manchester is only slightly different. The interview session will start with a 30 minute group discussion between 8 people which will be observed by four interviewers. Once this has finished you will either go straight to your interview you may have to wait a while. The video task involves watching one of a number of videos of patients talking about their experiences. You will then be asked write answers to some questions. The interview will be one-on-one and will be conducted in a room at the same time as three others.
Questions that you could be asked are:
- How do you think that the group discussion went?
- Why do you want to do medicine?
The other questions are said to be fairly predictable and the whole process is described as fairly relaxed, what you'd expect at a medical school interview..
For the interviews held in Malaysia, the traditional panel format remains.
Newcastle
Panel of two interviews which could be either clinicians or laypersons and they have a copy of your application in front of them. Interview lasts for approximately 30 minutes and is 'structured'. As well as the typical questions, an ethical scenario is proposed to answer. A guided tour by current medical students is normally arranged of the medical school buildings. Applicants will not hear the outcome until March.
Nottingham
All interviewees arrive 11:30 for registration, and afterwards you will have a guided tour of the medical school (situated inside the Queen's Medical Cente) with 10-20 other applicants; this involves the highly anticipated trip into the dissection room! After the tour, you are allowed free time to do whatever you want before your interview time. 15 minutes prior to your interview, you are given a location for you to sit and wait. You will then be called to your interview, which lasts around 15 minutes and is conducted by two senior staff members (in some interviews both will ask questions and in others one will question you while the other observes). The interview is formal, and the questions are centred around the themes of motivation and empathy, so expect the standard "Why Medicine" as well as ethical scenarios or questions about your work experience. Remember that they're interested in your communication skills and personality so don't forget to smile and be polite!
Nottingham interview approximately 800 applicants and aim to give offers to around 55% of those interviewed. The majority will hear the outcome in March although some will find out in mid-late January and a rare few will know as little as a week after the interview.
Some people (like myself) experienced a good cop/bad cop routine - don't let this put you off. Others commented on how friendly and welcoming the interview was; so it seems like it depends upon the luck of the draw. In my interview one of the interviewers (the good cop) asked questions about my motivations for medicine (work exp, why not x, y, z and so on) whilst the 'bad cop' simply observed. the 'bad cop' then asked me questions about empathy - where I was given a lengthy ethical situation, and how I would deal with the given situation as a doctor.
Oxford
Oxford interviews around 425 people each December for Medicine. Of those called to interview, around a third will be given offers. The overall success rate for medicine is generally between 15-20%. Normally a decision will be made over offers within a few weeks, and candidates are usually notified by phone, followed by a letter. As well as interview performance, Oxford places a significant emphasis on BMAT results.
Interviews at Oxford are meant to be different to those anywhere else. Obviously being a collegiate university, the interview experience will differ greatly from college to college. The main differences that come across (between Oxford and other universities) are that the interviewers are far less interested in candidates' extra curriculars, but are far more interested in how candidates think and their general aptitude for learning. Most have heard of the dreaded Oxbrige questions - whilst some stories in the papers are wildly exaggerated, there is some truth in them. These questions are far less straightforward to prepare and the best way to get ready for an Oxford interview is to actually do mock interviews under stacks of pressure. Some Colleges make heavy use of graphs (Medically related graphs, of course) and you are asked to comment on what is happening or how an experiment could be designed to give such results.
Normally Candidates called to interview will have interviews at two colleges over two days, staying in a college overnight. Interviews will normally last about 20 minutes, though their times are not fixed. Each college interviews each candidate twice under normal circumstances. Oxford interviewers short-list you for interview you dependent on your BMAT score and GCSEs combined (e.g A person with a high % A* at GCSE will not need to do as well at BMAT to get an interview than another person who got fewer A*'s at GCSE)
Peninsula
The interview at PMS is designed to be as fair as it can be. The questions are the same for each person as is the process that they go through. When you arrive you will first be asked to fill in a set questionnaire which will contain the following questions.
- What attributes do you think you possess that make a good doctor?
- Why do you want to come to PMS?
- List four problems with the NHS.
- Describe something in your life that you are most proud of.
Before your interview you will be given an ethical scenario which you can choose out of the three that you are offered. This can range from issues around blood donation to consent. You will be given information and then in your interview you will be asked set questions about it. After choosing which scenario you would like your interview to be based around, you have a short period of time in which to make notes (these can be taken into the interview with you). Some other questions that you might get are
- How do you deal with stress?
- Talk about a time that you have been in a position of responsibility?
- How do doctors sometimes react negatively to stress?
- Can you tell us about a difficult decision you have had to make?
The interviews are very informal - 2 or 3 interviewers, no tables between you and them. They'll only know your name and will only tell you their first name - no hint as to what their career is, and they won't have seen your personal statement.
Queen's University Belfast
QUB typically will only call people to interview if they are not coming directly from school i.e. graduates or those who have gone into employment. They will also call you for interview if they have a query regarding a certain aspect of your personal statement. Those who are called to interview will have satisfied the academic criteria i.e. achieved or are predicted to achieve AAA or 2.1/BBB.
Their style of interview is that of Multi Mini Interviews (MMIs), consisting of a number stations. At each station you will have an examiner who will either ask you to comment on issues/responses pertaining to a scenario that you will have been briefed on immediately prior to that station, or the examiner will be accompanied by someone who will play a role, pretending to play as a patient for instance, and you may have to play the role of a GP and enter into a dialogue with them, concerning a set issue/topic of discussion. The MMIs are designed to assess non-cognitive characteristics and skills such as ethics, commitment, motivation, integrity, confidentiality and others. Each station is worth the same amount of marks, so 'failure/poor performance' at one station does not have a major impact on the overall score for the interview, as for the 2011 entry interviews, there were 9 stations & 2 rest stations in the middle, thus 9 scored stations.
If interviewed, the result of your application will not be made until all interviews have been completed, to give all such applicants a fair chance. Thus, offers/rejections for interviewed candidates are made in late February/early March
SGUL
Provided you meet the academic criteria and have taken the UKCAT you will be invited to interview. The medical interviews have changed as of 2009 to multi-mini interviews, which is very similar to UEA's format. There are 7 stations and 8 scenarios, with the first station containing 2 scenarios. These scenarios could be a question, a dilemma or interaction with an actor. You are at each station for 5 minutes before moving on to the next one. You should hear the outcome of your interview within 3 to 4 weeks - this may be an offer, rejection or being put on a waiting list, but if you're put on the waiting list you will not hear the final decision until early May. Waiting list is sorted in order of a score, given based on your UKCAT score and UCAS application.
Sheffield
Interviews at Sheffield are usually relaxed and friendly. The pre-interview tour (bring comfy shoes! Sheffield is very hilly) is worth going on because it gives you a chance to ask your med student tour guide any questions and to get to know your fellow interviewees. It can help you to relax and is also useful if you haven't been on the open day.
The interview should last approximately 20 minutes and there are three on the panel (usually lecturers, doctors or medical students), often with two questioning and one observing. Some questions are personal statement based while others explore your motivations behind Medicine and Sheffield. You may also be questioned on your hobbies and interests, medical work experience, the NHS, medical history, current medical news or ethical issues. You will hear the outcome of your interview within 3 weeks.
For 2010 entry, the UKCAT cut off point for interview was set at 685.
Southampton
Southampton only interview international applicants for BM5, BM4 and BM6 applicants. However, as of the 2011 cycle BM5 applicants will be interviewed as well.
St Andrews
The interview is conducted in a large hall with 8 interviews happening at the same time (sit close to your interviewers because it can be difficult to hear!). Two interviewers (mine were both doctors) and it lasts for about 20 minutes. Quite friendly, although many people found that one interviewer used negative body language and didn't make eye contact (maybe to see how the candidate reacted under pressure?). Typical questions such as "Why St Andrews?", what you learnt on work experience etc. At the end they will ask about your views on an article that you read before the interview. Topics are random (osteoporosis, nicotine vaccine) and the same for each set of interviews. Some academic questions may be asked (I was asked about immune response) depending on the article. The interview is followed by a quick tour of the old medical school. You will hear the outcome before the end of March, but usually after 1 -2 weeks after the interview.
However with the newly complete Medical Building Interviews are no longer done in a large hall. A group of 7/8 are taken into a room with a large table where you all have 15-20 minutes to read a short article. You are then sent into small rooms (one interview per room) with 2 interviewers. The doors to the rooms were open, but I was unable to hear the other interviews and didnt have an issue hearing my Interviewers.
UCL
From comments on the forum it appears that the interview at UCL is very variable. Candidates in similar situations - graduates, gap year applicants, and internationals - are usually interviewed on days only with other graduates etc. There will be an introductory talk from the Dean of admissions and a tour of the Bloomsbury campus guided by a current student. You will have a panel of three people, two of whom will ask you questions while one acts as an observer and will not ask you anything, unless they are desperate to do so (they will still greet you). The questions will be on a wide variety of topics from medical issues/ current affairs, to ones based around the personal statement. You will also be given your BMAT essay question back when you arrive, which you can read and refresh your memory on. You may then be asked questions on it, but it ranges as to the amount you will be asked. The standard "why do you want to be a doctor?" type questions do occur, although anecdotal evidence suggests that they are rarer than elsewhere. There have been reports of some people receiving stress interviews in which the interviewers are rather rude; this is potentially a way to test how you respond to pressure. Candidates will be given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview. You will be informed quickly as to whether you have a place as decisions are made on the same day. Offers are received within 14 days and often within a week.
Candidates are scored on the following qualities:
Intellectual ability
Motivation for and understanding of a career in medicine,
Awareness of scientific and medical issues,
Ability to express and defend opinions,
Attitude,
Individual strengths,
Communication skills.
Each criteria is marked from 1 to 5 (5 being the highest), with each interviewer making an individual assessment. Borderline candidates will be referred to the admissions dean and may be placed on a waiting list. No candidate will be interviewed without a place being potentially available for them, therefore having a later interview will not disadvantage the candidate. | 
