Medical School Interview Questions (UK): 120+ by Topic (with School Mapping)

How to use this guide (and why the topics matter)

UK medical schools publish what they assess at interview—often aligned to NHS values and GMC standards—and those signals should shape your preparation. We distilled the common competencies from official school pages and the Medical Schools Council (MSC), then built original practice questions that mirror how MMIs and structured interviews probe your insight, values, and communication.

Good to know (UK context):

• MMIs vs. panels: Many UK schools use MMIs to sample multiple attributes in short stations; a few use structured panels. Imperial (ICSM), Birmingham and Manchester explain their formats and what they test.

• SJT/UCAT and interviews: Some schools combine interview performance with UCAT components (e.g., Birmingham weights UCAT SJT alongside MMI stations). For 2025, the UCAT cognitive subtests are Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Reasoning (Abstract Reasoning has been withdrawn), plus the SJT. 

• Professional standards: Expect values‑based questions mapped to GMC Good Medical Practice and NHS Constitution values. 

Note on sources: We prioritised official medical school pages. Where helpful, we also reference dental school sites (e.g., King’s/Leeds materials explaining MMIs used across Medicine & Dentistry); we flag these in‑text when used.

The Medical School Interview question bank (120+)

Each topic lists where UK schools explicitly assess it (examples, not exhaustive), with links to their official guidance.

1) Motivation for Medicine & realistic fit

Assessed at: Manchester (motivation), Imperial (motivation to study medicine), UCL (motivation/robustness), Newcastle (motivation & programme compatibility), HYMS (motivation/insight).

1. You’ve had time to explore caring careers. What specifically anchored your choice of Medicine over other professions, and what convinced you it’s a realistic fit for you?

2. Not every aspect of Medicine is glamorous. What unappealing elements have you considered, and how will you manage them on a day-to-day basis?

3. Career paths can change after exposure. How will you test and refine your interests during medical school without losing sight of your core reasons for applying?

4. Clinical training is demanding and long. How did you weigh opportunity cost (time/finance/wellbeing) when deciding to pursue Medicine?

5. Patients often see doctors at difficult moments. Why are you personally drawn to that space, and how have you prepared yourself emotionally?

6. Medicine requires evidence‑based thinking. Which experience showed you prefer structured, data‑driven decisions—and how will that shape your practice?

7. Doctors work within systems as well as with people. What attracts you to the NHS setting specifically, and why this school?

2) Understanding the role of a doctor & career awareness

Assessed at: Imperial (understanding the role), Manchester (why doctor), HYMS (insight into a medical career), UCL (motivation & understanding), Newcastle (compatibility with MBBS).

1. A doctor’s role spans clinician, advocate and educator. Which role do you think you’ll grow into first, and why?

2. Team‑based care is the norm. Where does a junior doctor add unique value on the ward, and how is that value measured?

3. Safety culture demands escalation. Describe a time you raised a concern; how will that translate to a clinical setting?

4. Doctors teach routinely. How will you approach teaching peers/patients with different learning needs?

5. Doctors balance autonomy with supervision. How will you handle uncertainty and seek help appropriately?

6. Modern practice involves digital tools. Where are the limits of using AI/decision support in care, and how should doctors set those limits?

7. Doctors manage follow‑up and continuity. What would “good follow‑up” look like in a busy clinic with limited slots?

3) Work experience & insight into caring

Assessed at: Manchester (previous caring experience), Imperial (work‑experience questions)

1. Observation isn’t the same as insight. What did you learn about pressure, pace and priorities from a caring setting—and what surprised you?

2. Boundaries protect patients and staff. Describe a moment you had to set or respect a boundary; what principle guided you?

3. Reflection turns experience into learning. Walk me through your reflection cycle on one interaction—what would you do differently now?

4. Care is multidisciplinary. What did you notice about how roles complement each other—and where friction arose?

5. Consent and capacity appear even outside the hospital. Share a non‑clinical example where you respected someone’s choice you disagreed with.

6. Confidentiality builds trust. How did you handle sensitive information appropriately in a voluntary role?

7. Equity matters. What barriers to access did you observe, and how could you, as a student, help mitigate them?

4) Communication & empathy (including role‑play)

Assessed at: Birmingham (communication role‑play), Imperial (empathy/breaking bad news), UCL (communication skills), Leeds (patient‑talk station: student account), SGUL (role‑play in MMIs). 

1. A parent is worried after reading online forums. How would you acknowledge their concern, check understanding, and agree on the next steps?

2. A colleague interrupts you repeatedly on the ward round. How would you assert yourself while preserving team rapport?

3. A patient uses unfamiliar slang for symptoms. How would you clarify meaning without patronising?

4. An interpreter is late for the clinic. How would you optimise communication in the meantime and ensure accuracy later?

5. Your explanation confused a patient. How do you repair the conversation and confirm understanding?

6. You need to gather a brief history in a noisy ED. How will you structure the conversation for safety and clarity?

7. A patient’s values differ from yours. How do you show empathy while supporting their autonomous choice?

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5) Ethics I — Autonomy, consent & capacity

Assessed at: Manchester (ethical issues), Imperial (ethics scenarios), UCL (professional attitudes & values), HYMS (scenario station). Also grounded in GMC student guidance.

1. An adult with capacity refuses a beneficial treatment. How do you proceed, and what would you document?

2. A 15‑year‑old requests contraception without parental knowledge. How would you assess capacity and best interests?

3. A patient with fluctuating capacity wants to leave. What safeguards and reviews would you consider?

4. A family insists on treatment that the patient declined earlier. How do you navigate prior wishes vs. family preferences?

5. A patient asks you to decide for them. How do you support choice without coercion?

6. Language barriers complicate consent. What thresholds must be met for valid consent, and how will you meet them?

7. A patient changes their mind mid‑procedure. What happens next, and why?

6) Ethics II — Confidentiality, privacy & data

Assessed at: Manchester (ethical issues), UCL (professional attitudes & values), Imperial (ethics scenarios). 

1. A friend asks about a patient you saw on placement. How do you respond and why?

2. You witness gossiping about a patient in a lift. What immediate and follow‑up actions would you take?

3. A parent requests access to a 16‑year‑old’s records. What principles guide your decision?

4. A patient shares a risk of harm to someone else. When can/should confidentiality be breached?

5. You receive patient data on your personal phone by mistake. What steps would you take to contain risk?

6. Research team requests identifiable data for audit. How do you check legal and ethical safeguards?

7. A journalist calls for comment. What should you do and why?

7) Ethics III — Justice, prioritisation & public health

Assessed at: Imperial (current news relevance), Manchester (matters of medical interest), HYMS (current issues).

1. Two patients need the last HDU bed. What principles would you apply to decide and communicate the outcome?

2. A costly new drug improves QOL for a few. How should limited budgets influence access?

3. A no‑show policy increases efficiency but risks inequity. How could you redesign it fairly?

4. Vaccination uptake is falling locally. What ethical levers are acceptable to raise coverage?

5. Rural patients face travel barriers. How can services be prioritised to reduce inequality?

6. A winter surge stretches staff. How should rotas balance patient safety and staff wellbeing?

7. A data‑driven triage tool shows bias. How do you respond and keep care just?

8) Professionalism, integrity & GMC standards

Assessed at: UCL (professional attitudes/values), Newcastle (integrity: honesty & probity), Manchester (values & NHS Constitution). Anchored by GMC Achieving Good Medical Practice. 

1. You made a non‑harmful mistake. How would you disclose and learn from it?

2. A peer asks you to sign them in. What do you do and how do you address the relationship?

3. Your social media post is misinterpreted. How do you remediate and prevent recurrence?

4. You observe unprofessional behaviour from a senior. What options exist for speaking up safely?

5. A conflict of interest arises on a student project. How will you manage transparency and impartiality?

6. A patient offers an expensive gift. What is your response and rationale?

7. You’re too tired to be safe. What does professionalism require you to do?

9) NHS values, structure & current issues

Assessed at: Manchester (NHS Constitution/values), SGUL (questions aligned to NHS values), Cardiff (NHS topics), UCL (teamwork/communication within NHS context). 

1. NHS values shape behaviour. Which value have you most embodied recently, and how?

2. Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) aim to join up services. Where might integration help a patient with multiple conditions who is frail?

3. “Prevention first” saves resources. What is one actionable prevention step you’d advocate locally?

4. Waiting lists create dilemmas. What does “fairness” look like when booking limited slots?

5. Workforce pressures persist. What would you observe and learn about safe staffing as a student?

6. Patients compare NHS and private care. How should doctors navigate dual‑provision ethically?

7. Digital front doors (e‑consults/111) are expanding. Who benefits, who misses out, and what could reduce gaps?

10) Teamwork & leadership

Assessed at: Imperial (teamwork/leadership), UCL (teamwork/leadership), Newcastle (teamwork including leadership), HYMS (group exercise).

1. A task is falling behind. How would you coordinate roles and re‑prioritise as team lead?

2. A quieter teammate has the key insight. How will you bring them in respectfully?

3. You disagree with the plan. How do you challenge constructively and reach a shared decision?

4. Handover is rushed. What minimum structure will you insist on and why?

5. A role‑play actor is distressed. How do you balance empathy with task goals in a station?

6. Leadership can mean stepping back. Share when you chose to follow rather than lead—and why it was right.

7. Teams need learning loops. How would you run a short debrief after a difficult task?

11) Resilience, wellbeing & reflection

Assessed at: UCL (resilience), Newcastle (persistence & resilience), HYMS (resilience). 

1. You can’t remove stress; you can manage it. Which evidence‑based strategies will you use in term time?

2. Resilience isn’t solo heroics. How will you use supervision/peers to stay effective?

3. A setback knocked your confidence. How did you recover, and what metric indicates that you have truly bounced back?

4. Wellbeing supports safety. When would you escalate concerns about your own fitness to study/work?

5. You receive mixed feedback. How do you integrate it without losing your voice?

6. Boundaries prevent burnout. What personal boundary will you protect most at medical school?

7. Consistency beats intensity. What daily habit will you keep—even in exam week?

12) Problem‑solving & critical thinking

Assessed at: Birmingham (critical thinking), UCL (problem‑solving/reasoning), HYMS (critical thinking). 

1. You receive incomplete information. How do you triage questions to identify what matters most?

2. Two sources conflict. How will you appraise quality and reconcile it?

3. A process is slow and error‑prone. Describe your method to diagnose root causes.

4. You must choose between two good options. What criteria will you set before comparing?

5. You suspect a hidden assumption in a scenario. How do you surface and test it?

6. Time is short. What’s your approach to making a “good‑enough” decision safely?

7. You changed your mind mid‑answer. How do you present the pivot clearly?

13) Situational judgement & decision‑making

Assessed at: HYMS (scenario station), Imperial (marking for content/communication; ability to explain your thinking), UCL (reasoning ability).

1. You spot a colleague cutting corners. What steps would you take and in what order?

2. A patient’s relative is angry at the receptionist. How would you de‑escalate and safeguard others?

3. You’re double‑booked for teaching and ward work. How do you prioritise and communicate?

4. You witness a near‑miss. How do you support the patient, the team, and learning?

5. A peer is consistently late to clinic. How would you address it compassionately and effectively?

6. You receive a confidential disclosure from a classmate about risk. What do you do next?

7. You are asked to do a task beyond your competence. How do you respond while keeping care safe?

14) Data interpretation (verbal/graph)

Assessed at: Birmingham (data interpretation; explain to a patient), Imperial (data interpretation). 

1. A bar chart shows admissions rising, but mortality steady. What might explain this, and what further data would you want?

2. A forest plot shows a slight relative risk reduction. How would you communicate absolute benefit to a layperson?

3. An A&E heat map shows spikes at weekends. What hypotheses would you test?

4. A screening test has high sensitivity but modest PPV. How does prevalence influence interpretation for patients?

5. A quality dashboard shows variation across sites. How would you explore whether differences are real or artefact?

6. You’re given a confusing infographic. How would you untangle and re‑explain it simply?

7. A trial press release lacks methods. What cautions would you raise before changing practice?

15) Numeracy & basic calculations (GCSE‑level)

Assessed at: Birmingham (calculation station; separate online assessment for some applicants). 

1. You’re shown a dosing table and patient weight. How would you structure a safe step‑by‑step calculation (no arithmetic required here)?

2. IV fluids charted in mL/hr. How would you check if the cannula rate matches the prescription?

3. You’re asked to convert mg to µg for a syringe driver. What checks prevent ten‑fold errors?

4. A graph shows the blood glucose trend. How would you describe the rate of change and clinical implication?

5. A medication comes in 2 strengths. How do you ensure the label matches the intended dose?

6. A patient’s eGFR affects dosing. What extra information do you need before calculating?

7. A protocol uses ratios (1:1000). How do you sanity‑check that you’ve prepared the right concentration?

16) Diversity, inclusion & cultural competence

Assessed at: Manchester (tolerant/accepting/understanding), UCL (professional attitudes incl. compassion). 

1. A patient’s beliefs shape choices. How would you adapt explanations to be culturally sensitive while evidence‑based?

2. Clinic letters are in English only. What practical steps would you suggest to reduce language barriers?

3. You observe microaggressions toward a colleague. How do you address and support?

4. Forms don’t capture a patient’s identity accurately. How would you ensure respectful documentation?

5. A treatment plan clashes with a patient’s fasting period. How would you plan safely and respectfully?

6. Health outcomes vary by postcode. What role can a student play in local outreach?

7. A carer does all the talking. How do you make sure the patient’s voice is heard?

17) Breaking bad news & difficult conversations

Assessed at: Imperial (empathy & breaking bad news), Birmingham (role‑play with professional actors).

1. A test suggests a serious diagnosis. How would you set up the conversation (time, place, people) and open it?

2. A patient asks, “Is it my fault?” How would you respond with empathy and facts?

3. A relative disagrees in front of the patient. How do you keep the conversation patient‑centred?

4. There’s diagnostic uncertainty. How do you communicate uncertainty without losing trust?

5. The patient is silent after hearing news. What does supportive silence look like—and when do you speak?

6. You must pause for safety mid‑conversation. How do you signpost, pause, and resume respectfully?

7. Afterwards, the team needs a debrief. What would you include and why?

18) Course knowledge & choosing a school

Assessed at: Imperial (schools may ask why their course), UCL (academic curiosity), Newcastle (compatibility with programme). 

1. Courses teach via PBL/CBL/traditional blends. Which suits you and how will you adapt if teaching varies by block?

2. Intercalation opportunities differ. What would drive your choice to intercalate—or not?

3. Early patient contact varies. How does early exposure fit your learning style?

4. Assessment philosophies differ. What helps you learn: frequent low‑stakes or fewer high‑stakes assessments—and why?

5. Campuses and placements shape experience. What have you learned about this school’s placements that excites you?

6. Support services matter. What do you look for in student welfare/academic support?

7. Community & culture affect your growth. How will you contribute to the school community from day one?

Quick primer: what UK schools say they assess

• Birmingham: Commitment/insight, communication (role‑play), ethical reasoning, critical thinking, data interpretation, calculation. 

• Manchester: Communication, motivation, caring experience, ethical issues, and current medical matters; grounded in GMC Good Medical Practice and NHS Constitution values. 

• Imperial (ICSM): Teamwork/leadership, motivation, understanding the role of a doctor, empathy & breaking bad news, ethics, data interpretation; advice to keep up to date with news. 

• UCL: Academic curiosity, motivation/understanding, problem‑solving, professional attitudes/values (integrity, empathy, conscientiousness), teamwork/leadership/resilience, communication. 

• Newcastle: Assesses integrity, communication, empathy/self‑awareness, motivation, programme compatibility, teamwork/leadership, personal organisation, persistence & resilience. 

• HYMS: Group exercise, two mini‑interviews on current issues/insight/critical thinking/personal qualities(empathy, tolerance, resilience), and a scenario station. 

Dental school sources (noted for transparency):
Leeds publishes an applicant video (by a dentistry student) outlining the MMI structure applicable to Medicine & Dentistry; King’s College London provides MMI materials used in both Medicine and Dentistry recruitment. These help explain the MMI format and expectations. 

FAQs

Do I need to have detailed medical knowledge for the interview?

No. Schools emphasise non-academic criteria such as communication, insight, ethics, and reasoning; several explicitly state that interviews are not a test of clinical knowledge. See Manchester and Birmingham’s pages. 

Will I be quizzed about current health news?

Some schools expect an informed lay perspective on contemporary medical issues and advise keeping up with the news. Manchester and Imperial say so explicitly. 

Are interviews in person or online now?

Formats vary by school and applicant type (home vs. international) and can change yearly. For example, Birmingham runs MMIs in person for home applicants and online for international applicants (with a separate calculations assessment). 

How is UCAT used alongside interviews?

Policies differ. Birmingham, for instance, weights UCAT SJT alongside MMI station scores; UCL adopted UCAT after BMAT’s withdrawal and describes minimums used for shortlisting in 2025

What if I’m unable to secure hospital work experience?

Manchester notes that insight can come from any caring context, including online resources; Newcastle looks for evidence of a commitment to caring, not a checklist of placements. 

Do group exercises still happen?

Yes at some schools. HYMS, for example, runs a scored group exercise assessing collaboration and communication. 

What frameworks help structure answers?

Use simple structures (e.g., situation→actions→impact→reflection) and make your reasoning explicit—exactly what Imperial says interviewers score for (content and communication). Final encouragement

You’ve already shown academic potential by reaching the interview stage. Focus on communicating how you think, what you’ve learned, and who you are within the NHS and GMC values framework. Practise out loud, refine your reflections, and stay curious—schools genuinely want to see your judgement and empathy in action.