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Join The Student Room TodayBe part of the UK's largest and fastest growing student community. It's free to join and a lot of fun - Get inspired, express your ideas, interact and share What you should expect at a medical school interviewFrom The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a Subject > Medicine > What you should expect at a medical school interview For many people going to a medical school interview can be a daunting affair. This might well be because you don't know what you should expect. Different medical schools have different styles of interviews and will have a different feel to them. This article has been compiled from threads on the medical school forum and will give you some information which you may find useful. The information here is completely subjective and in most cases won't include actual interview questions just general impressions about the style of interview questions. Any criticisms are not meant to cause any offense and feel free to add your own impressions/experiences. This list is also not comprehensive and will hopefully be added to over time.
BirminghamBirmingham 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 and means you have to be pretty inept to get rejected once you have an 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. 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. BristolPeople 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:
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. Brighton and SussexThe 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. CambridgeCambridge 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; in others the interviews are both quite academic. 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! CardiffCardiff 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. Expect to wait a LONG time for a response. NO, yes NO, offers are given out until at least the end of march when all interviews have finished. East AngliaThe 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. 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). ImperialThe 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. See also: Sample Imperial Interview Questions King'sPrior 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. LeedsFairly standard, 3 person interview panel - usually two doctors/healthcare professionals and one medical student. Questions are fairly normal, why medicine, why Leeds, etc etc. Interview is about 20 minutes long, generally friendly and relaxed, they aren't trying to interrogate you! They will ask about your personal statement so remember to read it before your interview. They will also ask about socio-economic/ethical issues, nothing difficult and they don't expect you to know everything! LeicesterThe 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. LiverpoolLiverpool 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. ManchesterThe interview at Manchester for the five year course has now changed for 2009 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. This will be followed by two 15 minute interviews on a one-to-one basis. In one you will be asked to reflect on the group discussion and in the other to talk about the experiences that led you to apply to study medicine and what else is important in your life. 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 or remain to do a video task. 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 four others. Questions that you could be asked are:
The other questions are said to be fairly predictable and the whole process is described as fairly relaxed. NottinghamYou 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! Nottingham interview approximately 800 applicants and aim to give offers to around 55% of those interviewed. The interview is 15 minutes long with two senior staff on the panel (in some interviews both will ask questions and in others one will question you while the other observes). 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! 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. OxfordOxford 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. 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 interview you blind of your BMAT score. PeninsulaThe 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.
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
SGULProvided 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 presentation, 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 a few 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. SheffieldInterviews 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. UCLFrom comment 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. All Medicine Articles
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