Aberdeen Medical School Interview Questions (2026 Entry): Complete Guide
If you’re aiming for Medicine at the University of Aberdeen, the interview is one of the biggest moments in your whole application. It can feel mysterious (and a bit intimidating) because it’s not a classic “sit down and chat” interview — Aberdeen uses a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) style, meaning you rotate through short stations, each looking for something different.
This guide is written for 2026 entry applicants and focuses on what you actually need: ✅ how Aberdeen selects for interview, ✅ what the MMI looks like, ✅ what they score, ✅ how UCAT fits in, and ✅ a big bank of Aberdeen-style interview questions grouped by the exact topics they assess.
Meet Aberdeen Medical School 🩺🌊
The University of Aberdeen is home to one of the UK’s long-established medical schools, with teaching based on the Foresterhill Health Campus — a major NHS site where students learn in and around real clinical services.
A few “Aberdeen” features that often come up when candidates are asked “Why here?”:
Integrated, systems-based learning (you don’t learn subjects in isolated silos for long — it’s joined up)
Early and ongoing clinical experience, including community settings
Strong General Practice & Community Medical Education (GPCME)
A remote and rural option later in the course (including time based in Inverness for some students)
All of that matters because Aberdeen expects you to choose the school for positive reasons — not just because it’s “a medical school”.
Key facts at a glance 🔍
Here are the headline facts most applicants want straight away:
📌 Course: Medicine MBChB (UCAS code A100)
🧭 Interview style: Modified MMI
⏱️ Station length: 5 minutes per station with two selectors
🕐 Total interview time: About 1 hour
🧑💻 Online or in-person? In-person for 2026 entry (at the Suttie Centre, Foresterhill)
🗓️ 2026 entry interview dates (published): 15–19 December 2025
🧠 What’s assessed (domains): Motivation, Core Qualities, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Teamwork, Professionalism
📊 Admissions weighting (Medicine): Academics 30%, UCAT 20%, Interview 50%
📬 Offers released: Once interviews finish — by end of March (via UCAS)
📈 Most recent published admissions stats (2025 entry): 1,735 applications → 1,168 interviews → 911 offers → 320 entrants
How Aberdeen decides who gets an interview
Aberdeen is refreshingly clear that they score multiple parts of your application, not just your grades and not just your interview.
1) Minimum requirements and the UCAS form
First: you must meet the minimum academic entry requirements for your route and apply by the UCAS deadline (15 October).
Aberdeen also states that the UCAS form is assessed and an academic score is allocated in October–November, once applications are received.
2) Academic scoring (before interview)
Your application is reviewed and scored for academic attainment/predictions. This academic component later makes up 30% of the overall admissions weighting for Medicine.
3) UCAT scoring (before interview)
Aberdeen uses UCAT as part of selection for interview (and later overall ranking). It is not used as a simple “pass/fail” cut-off.
More on UCAT (and what the numbers actually mean) is below — because this is one of the most misunderstood parts of Aberdeen admissions.
4) Personal statement: reviewed, then assessed
Aberdeen states that personal statements are reviewed prior to interview invites being sent out. If you are invited, your personal statement may be assessed during the interview.
So yes — the personal statement still matters. Not as a standalone “score”, but as evidence they can test you on.
5) Ranking and invitations
Applications are ranked against the full applicant pool for that cycle. Those with total scores above the threshold are invited to interview.
📌 Important detail for Scotland-based applicants: Aberdeen’s selection policies can include specific provisions (including contextual approaches), so always check the most current official guidance for your category.
When are Aberdeen MBChB interviews held for 2026 entry? 📅
For 2026 entry, Aberdeen has published interview dates for Medicine (MBChB) as:
15th–19th December 2025 (in-person)
More generally, Aberdeen describes its interview period as running across the winter months (you’ll often hear “November to March” mentioned as the broader window in general admissions timelines), but for 2026 entry you should plan around mid-December 2025.
✅ Practical takeaway: if you’re applying to Aberdeen for 2026 entry, don’t assume your interview will be in February — for this cycle, it’s before Christmas.
How the Aberdeen medicine interview works
The interview format: modified MMI
Aberdeen uses a modified Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) approach:
You rotate around a number of stations
Each station focuses on one area/domain
At each station, two selectors assess you
Each station lasts 5 minutes
Your communication and interpersonal skills are scored at every station
The full experience lasts roughly one hour
In-person vs online
For 2026 entry, Aberdeen has published Medicine interviews as in-person at the Suttie Centre on the Foresterhill Health Campus.
They also note that some candidates may have online interviews in certain circumstances/cycles, and if that applies to you, you’ll be told directly and should follow the official guidance provided.
What the day feels like (realistically)
Think:
professional check-in ✅
a briefing (what happens, where to go, timing)
rotating stations 🧭
finishing with that weird feeling of “Did I just say something brilliant… or nonsense?” (totally normal)
One big advantage of the MMI: if one station goes badly, you reset at the next station. You’re not stuck in one long conversation where a shaky start ruins the whole thing.
What topics are covered in the Aberdeen medical school interview?
For MBChB, Aberdeen lists these interview domains:
✅ Motivation to study medicine
Not just “I want to help people”. They’re looking for insight into:
what you understand about the role
what you’ve learned from experiences
how realistic your expectations are
✅ Core qualities
Your personal attributes (think empathy, integrity, communication, resilience, self-awareness).
✅ Critical thinking & problem solving
How you handle unfamiliar scenarios, make decisions, and explain your reasoning.
✅ Teamwork
How you work with others — and whether you understand what good teamwork looks like in healthcare.
✅ Professionalism
Confidentiality, honesty, responsibility, patient safety, boundaries, fairness — the behaviours expected in medicine.
🔎 Note: Aberdeen also says you won’t be assessed by “cramming science facts” — the interview is not intended to test academic knowledge, since academic potential has already been assessed.
How many are interviewed — and how many get offers?
Aberdeen publishes admissions data from previous cycles. For 2025 entry (most recent published), totals were:
Applications: 1,735
Interviews: 1,168
Offers: 911
Entrants: 320
They also publish breakdowns by domicile (Scottish / Rest of UK / International), plus school leavers vs graduates.
🎯 What this means for you: Aberdeen interviews a significant number of candidates, but offers and places are still limited. The interview performance matters a lot — because at Aberdeen it contributes 50% of the overall selection weighting.
How Aberdeen uses UCAT (and what that means for your application)
UCAT is required — but there’s no “minimum score”
Aberdeen states clearly:
UCAT is used in selection for interview
It is not the sole indicator
They do not use a simple minimum UCAT cut-off
They allocate a UCAT score based on how you perform compared with other Aberdeen applicants
UCAT changed in 2025 (important for 2026 entry applicants)
If you sat UCAT 2025 (which is what most 2026 entry applicants will have taken), there was a major change:
Abstract Reasoning was withdrawn from the test.
So UCAT now includes:
Verbal Reasoning (VR)
Decision Making (DM)
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
…and your cognitive total score is now out of 2700 (instead of 3600 in earlier years).
“Lowest UCAT invited to interview” (Aberdeen’s published guidance)
Aberdeen publishes “lowest invited to interview” figures — but stresses they are only a rough guide, and should not be treated like a guaranteed threshold.
Because of the UCAT changes, Aberdeen also publishes adjusted figures intended to help applicants compare.
For example (2025 entry data), adjusted lowest scores invited to interview included:
Home (Contextual school leaver): 1610
Home (Non-contextual school leaver): 1630
Home (Graduate): 1590
Rest of UK (Non-contextual school leaver): 1970
International (Non-contextual school leaver): 1900
⚠️ Take these as context, not a target. Aberdeen scores UCAT relative to applicants, so thresholds shift each year.
What is the Aberdeen interview scoring method?
Aberdeen explains that candidates are scored at each station against predetermined criteria, including:
how clearly you express ideas
how well you use your existing knowledge to tackle unfamiliar areas
whether you can build a reasoned argument and form an opinion
how prepared you are for the types of questions asked
your ability to explore different sides of an issue (pros/cons)
your motivation, commitment, reflection and sensitivity
And crucially:
communication and interpersonal skills are scored independently at each station
How offers are decided
Aberdeen’s overall weighting for Medicine is:
30% Academics
20% UCAT
50% Interview performance
In other words: you’re not “saved” by UCAT if your interview is weak — and you’re not “saved” by a great interview if you haven’t performed strongly enough overall.
When are offers released?
Aberdeen states that:
offers are made once the interview cycle is complete
this is by the end of March
decisions are then communicated via UCAS
They also note they do not offer Medicine places through Clearing; if further offers are needed, they use a waiting list.
Aberdeen Medical School interview questions for 2026 entry (40+ examples)
Below are Aberdeen-style MMI practice questions, grouped by the same five domains Aberdeen assesses for MBChB.
A quick way to practise: set a timer for 5 minutes, answer out loud, and finish with a 10–15 second summary (“So overall…”) 🟦
Motivation to study medicine 🎓
Statement: You’ve wanted to do Medicine for a long time, but your reasons have changed as you’ve learned more.
Question: What are your reasons now — and what specifically changed?Statement: A friend says, “Medicine is just a safe job with status.”
Question: How would you respond, and what do you think is the real purpose of Medicine?Statement: You’ve done work experience (or research) and saw parts of healthcare that surprised you.
Question: What surprised you most, and what did you learn from it?Statement: Someone tells you that being a doctor is mostly paperwork and pressure.
Question: What do you think the biggest challenges are — and how will you cope?Statement: You’re asked why you chose Aberdeen rather than another medical school.
Question: What are your top three reasons for applying to Aberdeen?Statement: You’re offered a place on a different healthcare degree today.
Question: Why Medicine specifically, rather than nursing, paramedic science or pharmacy?Statement: A doctor you spoke to said they often feel stretched by workload.
Question: What do you understand about the realities of NHS pressure, and what motivates you despite it?Statement: You’ve had limited access to in-person work experience.
Question: How have you still built insight into the role of a doctor, and what have you learned?
Core qualities 🌟
Statement: A patient (or someone you support) becomes frustrated and takes it out on you.
Question: How would you respond while staying calm and respectful?Statement: You made a mistake in school, volunteering or a job that affected someone else.
Question: What happened, what did you do next, and what did it teach you?Statement: You’re in a group where one person is always excluded.
Question: How would you handle that, and why does it matter in Medicine?Statement: You’re asked to describe a time you received criticism you didn’t agree with.
Question: How did you respond, and what would you do differently now?Statement: You see someone share a harsh comment about a patient/customer online.
Question: What does that say about professionalism, and what would you do?Statement: You’re under pressure and notice your communication gets blunt.
Question: How do you prevent stress from affecting the way you treat others?Statement: A patient has beliefs you strongly disagree with.
Question: How do you provide compassionate care without letting bias creep in?Statement: You’re asked what “empathy” actually looks like in practice.
Question: Give an example of empathy in action — not just a definition.
Critical thinking & problem solving 🧠
Statement: A hospital has one ICU bed left and two patients who both need it urgently.
Question: What principles should guide the decision, and why?Statement: You’re given a scenario where a patient refuses a recommended treatment.
Question: How would you approach the conversation and respect their autonomy?Statement: A friend asks you for medical advice based on symptoms they found online.
Question: What would you do, and what are the risks of informal advice?Statement: You notice misinformation about vaccines spreading in your year group.
Question: How would you respond in a way that is factual and not confrontational?Statement: You’re asked to solve a non-medical logic problem under time pressure.
Question: How do you approach unfamiliar problems when you don’t instantly know the answer?Statement: A patient’s family demands to know everything immediately, but the situation is uncertain.
Question: How do you communicate uncertainty without losing trust?Statement: You witness a colleague take a shortcut that might save time but could risk safety.
Question: What factors would you consider before acting, and what would you do?Statement: You’re asked to discuss pros and cons of technology (like AI) in healthcare.
Question: What are the opportunities, and what are the risks?
Teamwork 🤝
Statement: In a group project, one person isn’t pulling their weight and tensions rise.
Question: How would you handle it while keeping the team functioning?Statement: You’re leading a team and someone challenges your decision in front of everyone.
Question: What do you do in the moment, and what do you do afterwards?Statement: You worked with someone whose personality clashed with yours.
Question: How did you adapt your communication to still work effectively?Statement: You’re in a team where a quieter person has good ideas but isn’t heard.
Question: How do you make teamwork inclusive and effective?Statement: A team member makes a mistake that affects the outcome.
Question: How do you address it without blame, but still learn from it?Statement: In healthcare, doctors work with nurses, pharmacists, physios and many others.
Question: Why is multidisciplinary teamwork essential for patient safety?Statement: You’re asked for an example of “good teamwork” that isn’t just “we got along”.
Question: What did you actually do that improved the team’s performance?Statement: You’re overwhelmed and think you can handle it alone.
Question: When should you ask for help, and why is that a strength in Medicine?
Professionalism 🧾
Statement: You overhear staff talking about a patient in a public corridor.
Question: What is the issue, and what should happen next?Statement: A friend asks you to “check” their test results because you’re a medical student.
Question: How would you respond, and what boundaries apply?Statement: You’re asked to define professionalism in one sentence.
Question: What is your definition — and give one example of it in action.Statement: A patient tells you something sensitive and asks you not to tell anyone.
Question: How do you balance confidentiality with safeguarding and patient safety?Statement: You make an error on placement and no one seems to notice.
Question: What should you do, and why?Statement: A colleague behaves in a discriminatory way towards a patient.
Question: What is your responsibility, and how would you act?Statement: You’re offered a small gift by a patient who’s grateful.
Question: What factors should you consider before accepting or declining?Statement: You see students sharing details of interview stations after the day.
Question: Why is that a professionalism issue, and what would you do?
Questions that are especially Aberdeen-specific 🧭🏥
These are the kinds of prompts that help you stand out because they show you’ve properly researched this course — not just “a medical degree somewhere”.
Statement: Aberdeen teaches Medicine on the Foresterhill Health Campus with major NHS services nearby.
Question: How would learning in that environment benefit you, and what would you do to make the most of it?Statement: Aberdeen describes its course as integrated and systems-based.
Question: How do you learn best in an integrated curriculum, and how would you stay organised?Statement: Aberdeen places strong emphasis on General Practice and community-based teaching.
Question: What interests you about primary care, and what misconceptions do people have about it?Statement: The course includes opportunities related to remote and rural healthcare (including placements based in Inverness for some students).
Question: What do you think are the biggest healthcare challenges in remote and rural settings?Statement: Aberdeen offers options like intercalation and pathways including Medical Humanities.
Question: How can humanities improve someone’s practice as a doctor?Statement: You’re moving to Aberdeen from far away and don’t know anyone.
Question: How will you build support, manage wellbeing and stay resilient during the first term?Statement: Aberdeen mentions simulation and clinical skills teaching within dedicated facilities.
Question: What makes simulation-based learning valuable, and what are its limitations?Statement: Aberdeen expects applicants to justify their choice of medical school.
Question: If you had 30 seconds to explain “Why Aberdeen?”, what would you say?
What students say about interview day (anecdotal, but useful) 🗣️
Every year group is different, but student ambassadors and interview helpers often highlight similar themes about Aberdeen’s MMI day:
Arrive early so you can settle your nerves and get used to the Suttie Centre environment.
Bring what you need (especially photo ID) so you’re not flustered at check-in.
Treat each station as a fresh start — don’t carry a rough answer into the next room.
The people supporting the day (including student ambassadors) can be genuinely helpful — especially if you want to ask what student life in Aberdeen is like.
Many applicants feel relieved that the process is structured: you know when you’re starting and stopping, and you aren’t trying to “read the room” for 30 minutes.
The overall vibe: professional, timed, and busy — but designed to let you show your potential quickly.
Top tips to smash the Aberdeen MMI ✅
🔵 1) Build your prep around the five Aberdeen domains
If you only revise generic “medical interview questions”, you’ll drift. Instead, create a one-page plan for each domain:
3 personal examples you can reuse
5 quick “mini conclusions” (what you learned)
3 NHS/healthcare themes you can discuss calmly (pressure, patient safety, inequality)
🟩 2) Practise in 5-minute sprints (out loud)
Aberdeen stations are short. In a 5-minute answer, structure matters:
10–15 sec: clarify the problem
3–4 mins: main reasoning + balanced points
final 15 sec: summary and decision
🟨 3) Use YOUR experiences — not memorised model answers
Aberdeen specifically warns against quoting pre-written “perfect answers”. They want your thinking and reflection.
🟧 4) Show reflection, not just achievement
Instead of “I did volunteering”, aim for:
what you noticed
what challenged you
what you would do differently next time
how it links to being a doctor
🟥 5) Keep it ethical, calm and practical
For dilemmas, you don’t need fancy philosophy. You do need:
patient safety
respect and dignity
confidentiality
seeking senior help when needed
clear communication
🟦 6) Research Aberdeen properly (then mention it naturally)
Drop one or two Aberdeen-specific points where relevant — don’t force them. It’s much more convincing when it fits the question.
🟩 7) On the day: reset, breathe, repeat
A good MMI skill is emotional control:
station ends → breathe → reset → walk in like it’s your first one
Relevant Links 🔗
University of Aberdeen – MBChB Medicine (Course Overview)
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree-programmes/111/medicine/
University of Aberdeen – Medicine Application Process (Timeline, Interviews, Weighting)
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/application-process/
University of Aberdeen – Medicine Interview Guidance (MMI Format & Scoring)
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/application-process/interview/
University of Aberdeen – Coming to Interview (Assessed Domains Explained)
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/application-process/interview/coming-to-interview/
University of Aberdeen – UCAT Requirements & How It Is Used
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/entrance-requirements/ucat/
University of Aberdeen – Admissions Data (Applications, Interviews, Offers, UCAT Statistics)
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/admissions-data/
UCAT Consortium – UCAT 2025 Changes (Abstract Reasoning Withdrawal & New Format)
https://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/ucat-2025/
UCAT Consortium – Test Format & Scoring Guide
https://www.ucat.ac.uk/about-ucat/test-format-and-scoring/
Medical Schools Council – Entry Requirements Guide (Search Aberdeen A100)
https://www.medicalschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/making-an-application/entry-requirements
