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*MEGATHREAD* Interview discussion thread '15-'16

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Original post by cookiemonster15
I just received an interview from UEA!! My first interview! *faints and dies*

Anyone else heard from them?

Also, I know they do MMI but what should I expect and how do you prepare for MMI's??


Congrats! I also applied to UEA but still nothing
Hi guys, I'm just wondering if anyone thought of setting up a group in Skype to practise interview together? We can discuss about common questions being asked at interview or any current issues,and provide each other some feedback.
Original post by futureDOCTOR2k15
Lol when u find out, tell me as well 😛


Will do :smile:
Original post by Francesco Monaca
Congrats! I also applied to UEA but still nothing


You'll probably hear from them soon :smile: I think they send out interviews until January. I got mine at around 4 today
(I feel like I'm binge posting on this thread...ah well....)

What do you guys think would be appropriate to wear for an interview? UEA have just said that you should dress like you would for a job interview. I was thinking of wearing something like this:
http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/dresses/burgundy-jacquard-funnel-neck-layered-bodycon-dress-_360918067?isRecent=true

paired with a navy blazer but would that be too much? too colourful?

This is so frustrating, I know it's not the biggest aspect of the interview but I don't want to muck up before I even enter the room!!
Original post by Tanishqa
Hey, I'm an international applicant and literally in the same situation as you. I've applied to Newcastle, Birminghawm, Exeter and St. George's. I have a conditional offer for medical science at Newcastle but nothing from my medicine choices so far.
How much did you score on the UKCAT, if you don't mind me asking? The lowest score Newcastle has sent out an interview to is 687.5 so far.

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My ukcat average was around 640 😐 Not very hopeful for Newcastle & Cardiff for that reason. I would like to keep my country private - for the person who asked. But I can say it's not that easy to get a visa in here...
Original post by mothrana
My ukcat average was around 640 😐 Not very hopeful for Newcastle & Cardiff for that reason. I would like to keep my country private - for the person who asked. But I can say it's not that easy to get a visa in here...


Just got a Newcastle interview. My first interview so I'm pumped!

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Original post by Tanishqa
Just got a Newcastle interview. My first interview so I'm pumped!

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Congrats!
When is it?
Original post by futureDOCTOR2k15
Congrats!
When is it?


21st January or 26th January. I'm yet to schedule it because my counselor says that we might be able to book a Skype interview or one in our home country.
But I don't think they do that because my email said that
Regardless of campus choice, all international students will be interviewed at Newcastle.

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Original post by Tanishqa
21st January or 26th January. I'm yet to schedule it because my counselor says that we might be able to book a Skype interview or one in our home country.
But I don't think they do that because my email said that
Regardless of campus choice, all international students will be interviewed at Newcastle.

Posted from TSR Mobile


Congratz! The dates you're given are quite far, which is what I'm hoping for too! Need time for preparation ^^ Was your UKCAT score above 687.5 ?
Hi 2016 Medicine applicants, I am a first year Medic at Cardiff. I hope everythings well. :smile:

I wanted to share with you a guide I created about my experiences with MMI's. I hope it will be of benefit to you and help ease some nerves you may have of the interview day.


I will try and explain MMIs and my experiences with them in general. The overall way the MMIs are designed and run is probably very similar for all med schools but the actual stations will always vary.

In both my MMIs we were given a briefing before the session outlining how the process runs, so don't worry too much. We were also asked to sign a confidentiality agreement saying that we won't disclose any information about the stations.
MMIs usually last between 60-90 minutes (mine were this long however it depends on the medical school itself). I think around 75 minutes is probably the right amount of length.

The purpose of Multiple Mini Interviews is basically to see if you have the right qualities to be a doctor. In a normal panel interview you can't really test someones empathy and patient communication, you also can't test someones ability to take in and process a lot of information under pressure in a minute and then communicate it back and hold and develop a conversation.
These are all essential qualities of a doctor hence MMIs have been developed.

After your briefing you will probably be split into a circuit. This means you will start at a particular station and then they will explain where you will have to go next. I.e if you start at 7 you will go to 8 then 9 etc.. until you complete all the stations.

When your about to start you will stand outside the station and be presented with some instructions relating to that particular station. You will hear a bell ring and will have one minute to read through the instructions. Make sure you read this carefully and DONT panic, I repeat DONT panic. Also I would spend around half the time reading and the other half planning in your mind how your going to spend the 5 minutes in the station. Have some key points in your head to make sure you know what your doing/saying when you go in.

You will then hear another bell and will have usually 5 minutes at the station. The general types of stations are Roleplay,Ethics,Personal questions,Motivation questions etc..
There may also be connecting stations, for example you may be shown a video clip at one station or interpret some text/data and then at the following station you will have to do the actual task.

The aim for these MMIs is basically to stop people preparing for them and rehearsing answers. Honestly at one of my MMIs last year everyone came out saying that preparation was a waste of time as some of the stations were not even Medical related (I remember I had a station of politics in the UK and we had to debate an argument).

But you can prepare for these to an extent.

For Personal questions/Motivational/ Ethics questions. I would advise preparing exactly the same as you would for a normal panel interview. Buy some interview books (ICS one is good), go over your statement and perhaps do mock interviews.
The only difference is that you will need to speak about that one topic for around 5 minutes so be sure to have a couple of points in your mind to develop and elaborate on.
One thing to remember is ITS OKAY TO THINK. Honestly you don't have to constantly talk all the time. It's better to take 10-20 seconds out and think through what your saying BEFORE you speak.


The other type of stations are roleplay. It is very likely there will be a roleplay station in your MMI, infact it is also likely that there will be 2. These were my absolute favourite stations. This is not a test of your acting skills but more of a test of your empathy,body language and communication.
The types of roleplays you could be asked include Breaking bad news, Consouling someone, Talking to a friend whose depressed etc.. The scenarios may even be related to real life sitations (e.g they may ask you to play the role of a shopkeeper for instance and you will have to deal with an angry customer and they will see how you react).

DONT freeze or panic. As long as you have a few steps in mind on how to tackle the problem, then these stations are alright. Your tone of voice and body language are just as imporant as what you say.

The best way to prepare for these stations is to grab a family relative (My sister helped me loads) and practice different scenarios out on them, so that way when you get to your interview and are presented with one of the types of roleplays you know how to tackle the problems.
Ask the other person to think of new random scenarios and act them out in 5 minutes.
The more you practice the better you will hopefully become. Also these are stations where you cannot be shy and you must speak clearly and confidently like you would to a friend.
The actors are generally very good and they will play out a script. There will be someone watching in the corner and scoring you. Just ignore that person and focus on the actor ONLY.


The last type of stations are rest stations. MMIs are intense and the interviewers know it is nearly impossible to concentrate for 75 or so minutes. They will integrate around 1-3 rest stations onto your circuit.
In these rest stations JUST RELAX. They will usually give you something to drink/eat Don't dwell on what happened or overthink the next stations. Just relax and zone out !!


Obviously one thing you need to remember (and you will hear this soo many times), every station is a new station. So technically you could completely mess up on one station and still get an offer. Always try and stay optimistic and forget the previous stations. Keep in your mind that you can always do better and get full marks on the next station and you will be fine!!

How do you answer vague questions such as Tell me about yourself, or take me through your personal statement??
Original post by mothrana
Congratz! The dates you're given are quite far, which is what I'm hoping for too! Need time for preparation ^^ Was your UKCAT score above 687.5 ?


Yeah, it's 690.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by futuremedic19
Hi 2016 Medicine applicants, I am a first year Medic at Cardiff. I hope everythings well. :smile:

I wanted to share with you a guide I created about my experiences with MMI's. I hope it will be of benefit to you and help ease some nerves you may have of the interview day.


I will try and explain MMIs and my experiences with them in general. The overall way the MMIs are designed and run is probably very similar for all med schools but the actual stations will always vary.

In both my MMIs we were given a briefing before the session outlining how the process runs, so don't worry too much. We were also asked to sign a confidentiality agreement saying that we won't disclose any information about the stations.
MMIs usually last between 60-90 minutes (mine were this long however it depends on the medical school itself). I think around 75 minutes is probably the right amount of length.

The purpose of Multiple Mini Interviews is basically to see if you have the right qualities to be a doctor. In a normal panel interview you can't really test someones empathy and patient communication, you also can't test someones ability to take in and process a lot of information under pressure in a minute and then communicate it back and hold and develop a conversation.
These are all essential qualities of a doctor hence MMIs have been developed.

After your briefing you will probably be split into a circuit. This means you will start at a particular station and then they will explain where you will have to go next. I.e if you start at 7 you will go to 8 then 9 etc.. until you complete all the stations.

When your about to start you will stand outside the station and be presented with some instructions relating to that particular station. You will hear a bell ring and will have one minute to read through the instructions. Make sure you read this carefully and DONT panic, I repeat DONT panic. Also I would spend around half the time reading and the other half planning in your mind how your going to spend the 5 minutes in the station. Have some key points in your head to make sure you know what your doing/saying when you go in.

You will then hear another bell and will have usually 5 minutes at the station. The general types of stations are Roleplay,Ethics,Personal questions,Motivation questions etc..
There may also be connecting stations, for example you may be shown a video clip at one station or interpret some text/data and then at the following station you will have to do the actual task.

The aim for these MMIs is basically to stop people preparing for them and rehearsing answers. Honestly at one of my MMIs last year everyone came out saying that preparation was a waste of time as some of the stations were not even Medical related (I remember I had a station of politics in the UK and we had to debate an argument).

But you can prepare for these to an extent.

For Personal questions/Motivational/ Ethics questions. I would advise preparing exactly the same as you would for a normal panel interview. Buy some interview books (ICS one is good), go over your statement and perhaps do mock interviews.
The only difference is that you will need to speak about that one topic for around 5 minutes so be sure to have a couple of points in your mind to develop and elaborate on.
One thing to remember is ITS OKAY TO THINK. Honestly you don't have to constantly talk all the time. It's better to take 10-20 seconds out and think through what your saying BEFORE you speak.


The other type of stations are roleplay. It is very likely there will be a roleplay station in your MMI, infact it is also likely that there will be 2. These were my absolute favourite stations. This is not a test of your acting skills but more of a test of your empathy,body language and communication.
The types of roleplays you could be asked include Breaking bad news, Consouling someone, Talking to a friend whose depressed etc.. The scenarios may even be related to real life sitations (e.g they may ask you to play the role of a shopkeeper for instance and you will have to deal with an angry customer and they will see how you react).

DONT freeze or panic. As long as you have a few steps in mind on how to tackle the problem, then these stations are alright. Your tone of voice and body language are just as imporant as what you say.

The best way to prepare for these stations is to grab a family relative (My sister helped me loads) and practice different scenarios out on them, so that way when you get to your interview and are presented with one of the types of roleplays you know how to tackle the problems.
Ask the other person to think of new random scenarios and act them out in 5 minutes.
The more you practice the better you will hopefully become. Also these are stations where you cannot be shy and you must speak clearly and confidently like you would to a friend.
The actors are generally very good and they will play out a script. There will be someone watching in the corner and scoring you. Just ignore that person and focus on the actor ONLY.


The last type of stations are rest stations. MMIs are intense and the interviewers know it is nearly impossible to concentrate for 75 or so minutes. They will integrate around 1-3 rest stations onto your circuit.
In these rest stations JUST RELAX. They will usually give you something to drink/eat Don't dwell on what happened or overthink the next stations. Just relax and zone out !!


Obviously one thing you need to remember (and you will hear this soo many times), every station is a new station. So technically you could completely mess up on one station and still get an offer. Always try and stay optimistic and forget the previous stations. Keep in your mind that you can always do better and get full marks on the next station and you will be fine!!


Thanks a lot.
Lol I have two interviews so far and both MMI so really appreciate ur help....if u have any more advice feel free to share pls 😃
Original post by futureDOCTOR2k15
Guys got an interview at Leichester on 14th Jan
"The Multiple Mini Interviews will comprise 8 stations. The stations will test commitment, written communication, verbal communication, comprehension and interpretation, calculation, personal qualities, physical and social interaction and motivation to read medicine. Each station will be marked independently and the scores collated to achieve an overall mark for each applicant."
Any help and advice?



Hey!! I got a Leicester interview on the same day! How are you planning on preparing?? I'm just reading through books and making notes on how to approach each question. :smile:

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Original post by Rolochlo
Hey!! I got a Leicester interview on the same day! How are you planning on preparing?? I'm just reading through books and making notes on how to approach each question. :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile


Lol yeah I'll start after December 5th since that's the day an important exam finishes.
I'll read the ISC interview bk....as u said try and come up ans to different questions...online medic portal...PS...think that's it really.
Oh yeah and GMC's tomorrows doctors as well...so much stuff in one month😭
That looks really presentable...and as you have said it's with a blazer... So for me that looks fine. Jewellery-wise, probably less is more and the same applies for make-up too. hahaha! I sound like a style guru here... Dark colours will work as well if you wanna tone it down...
Original post by cookiemonster15
(I feel like I'm binge posting on this thread...ah well....)

What do you guys think would be appropriate to wear for an interview? UEA have just said that you should dress like you would for a job interview. I was thinking of wearing something like this:
http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/dresses/burgundy-jacquard-funnel-neck-layered-bodycon-dress-_360918067?isRecent=true

paired with a navy blazer but would that be too much? too colourful?

This is so frustrating, I know it's not the biggest aspect of the interview but I don't want to muck up before I even enter the room!!
Original post by Darkangel1979
That looks really presentable...and as you have said it's with a blazer... So for me that looks fine. Jewellery-wise, probably less is more and the same applies for make-up too. hahaha! I sound like a style guru here... Dark colours will work as well if you wanna tone it down...


Yeah, I just wasn't sure if it wasn't too colourful for an interview, I have brown skin so I wanted to avoid really dark tones
Fair enough. Same as me brown skin. Thing is if we wear something dark, the impression would be a bit dull... Stick with that one Coz you wanted to leave an impression. At least when they're deliberating they'll remember you as 'ah that girl who wore this colored dress..'. That's why I'm looking for a dark tone golden tie for my outfit..
Original post by cookiemonster15
Yeah, I just wasn't sure if it wasn't too colourful for an interview, I have brown skin so I wanted to avoid really dark tones
Original post by Darkangel1979
Fair enough. Same as me brown skin. Thing is if we wear something dark, the impression would be a bit dull... Stick with that one Coz you wanted to leave an impression. At least when they're deliberating they'll remember you as 'ah that girl who wore this colored dress..'. That's why I'm looking for a dark tone golden tie for my outfit..


hmm gold...impressive

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