Glasgow Medical School Interview Questions for 2027 Entry: Format, Dates, Example Questions & Top Tips

Written by The Blue Peanut Team

Last updated: 19 October 2026. The application deadline for 2027 entry has now closed, and Glasgow has published its official admissions figures for 2025 entry, which are included below.

Applying to study Medicine at the University of Glasgow for 2027 entry? This guide covers the Glasgow Medicine interview format, dates, shortlisting, University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) thresholds, official offer statistics and more than 50 example interview questions, with practical tips for the day itself.

Here is the headline fact. At Glasgow, your final decision is made solely on your interview performance. Your grades and UCAT score get you to the interview, but the interview decides the offer. The good news is that Glasgow's interview is one of the most open and preparation-friendly in the United Kingdom (UK): a 30-minute, two-part panel conversation with no writing and no surprise stations. Let's get you ready for it.

πŸ”΅ An Introduction to Glasgow Medical School

The University of Glasgow has been changing the world since 1451, and the medical school dates its teaching of medicine to 1751. Its history includes Joseph Lister, who pioneered antisepsis, William Hunter, who shaped anatomy and obstetrics, and Ian Donald, who developed medical ultrasound.

Today the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) is a five-year course starting each September, with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) code A100. Glasgow describes itself as one of the largest medical schools in the UK, and in 2025 it enrolled 341 new Year 1 students.

Your base is the Wolfson Medical School Building on the Gilmorehill campus, but you will not spend all five years there. Teaching also takes place at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, one of the largest acute hospitals in Europe, and the newly refurbished Lister Building at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Clinical placements run across 25 hospitals and 150 general practices in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, so you see everything from big-city emergency medicine to rural family practice.

The course uses a spiral curriculum, which means topics are revisited with increasing depth and clinical focus. Teaching includes small-group sessions, problem-based learning, lectures, laboratories and e-learning. You get clinical contact early, with a visit to an accident and emergency (A&E) ward or general practice in the first half of Year 1. Glasgow is also unusual in offering two electives, and you can intercalate a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree between Years 3 and 4 with more than 20 options to choose from.

Academic entry requirements for 2027 at a glance:

  • πŸŽ“ A-levels: AAA, including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics, with General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) English at grade B/6 or above. GCSE Biology at grade B/6 is also needed if Biology is not an A-level.
  • 🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Highers: AAAAB at Higher in S5, then BB at Advanced Higher in S6, with Higher Chemistry, Biology, and Physics or Mathematics.
  • 🌍 International Baccalaureate (IB): 38 points, including 6,6,6 at Higher Level and the required subjects.
  • ⚠️ Resits are not accepted. Required grades must be achieved at the first attempt.

πŸ’™ How Does Glasgow Stand Out from Other UK Medical Schools?

A few things set Glasgow apart.

A panel interview rather than a circuit of stations. Many UK medical schools use Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). Glasgow uses a two-part panel conversation with two interviewers. If the thought of rotating through timed stations makes you nervous, this format may suit you better.

The interviewers know almost nothing about you. Glasgow's interviewers have no knowledge of you beyond your name. They have not read your personal statement, so everyone starts on a level playing field and has to bring their own examples.

The interview decides the offer. Glasgow states that no interview score adjustments are made for any applicant, including widening participation candidates or anyone who was unwell on the day.

The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is ignored. Glasgow does not consider the SJT section of the UCAT at all.

No bonus points for extras. Taking more qualifications than required, or being predicted higher than the minimum grades, gives no advantage. Preparation counts for more than CV padding.

Two electives and a very wide clinical footprint. Placements across 25 hospitals and 150 general practices mean unusually varied clinical experience.

Honest odds. Glasgow publishes detailed admissions data, including application, interview and offer numbers for different applicant groups, so you can see exactly where you stand.

πŸ”΅ Glasgow's Rankings: University and Student Experience

World rankings

The University of Glasgow sits comfortably inside the world top 100:

  • 🌍 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2027: 80th globally out of 1,504 institutions and 13th in the UK.
  • 🌍 Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027: 83rd globally, up one place, and 10th in the UK. These were published on 30 September 2026.
  • 🩺 Subject rankings: Glasgow is 41st in the world for Life Sciences and Medicine in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, and 48th for Medical and Health in the Times Higher Education subject rankings 2026.

UK medical school rankings

In the Complete University Guide 2027, published in June 2026, Glasgow's Medicine course ranks 5th out of 40 UK medical schools. The University's own course page also lists 3rd in the UK in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide and 7th in the Guardian University Guide for Medicine.

Student experience and outcomes

The Complete University Guide 2027 gives Glasgow 73% for student satisfaction in Medicine and 99% for graduate prospects. Glasgow's own course page reports that 98.5% of graduates were in work or further study 15 months after finishing, with 95.9% of those in work in graduate-level jobs. That is based on the Graduate Outcomes survey of 2023–24 graduates.

Once your score gets you the interview

Your UCAT gets you the interview. The interview gets you the offer.

A mid-range score can win offers when your interview is strong, and even a high one can fall short without preparation. Our interview course is taught in small groups by NHS doctors, with realistic MMI practice and feedback on every station.

See the medical interview course Add a mock MMI circuit

πŸ’™ How Glasgow Decides Who to Call for Interview

Glasgow's own admissions team describes a four-stage process.

Stage 1: your UCAS application. The team reads your UCAS application as a whole, looking at academic grades, personal statement and reference. Nothing is weighted or scored. If you meet the requirements, your application is held until UCAT results arrive. If anything is missing at the point of submission, it is rejected automatically.

Stage 2: the UCAT. UCAT scores reach the medical school in early November, and the result is the final screening element. Applicants who meet that year's threshold are invited to interview.

Stage 3: the interview. Interviews run from late November 2026 to March 2027.

Stage 4: the decision. Interview scores are ranked, and those above the threshold receive offers.

So your personal statement and reference must be satisfactory to stay in the pool, your UCAT score decides whether you are interviewed, and your interview decides whether you get an offer.

πŸ”΅ How Glasgow Uses the UCAT

The UCAT is mandatory at Glasgow. The 2026 testing window ran from 13 July to 24 September 2026, so if you applied for 2027 entry, your test is behind you. Here is how it is used.

  • Ranking for interview. Applicants who meet every other screening requirement are ranked by UCAT score, and interviews are allocated accordingly.
  • No fixed pass mark. The range of scores considered changes each year with the performance of the cohort.
  • Different cut-offs for different applicant groups. Glasgow must manage intake against targets set by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, so the lowest score considered for interview can differ between Scotland-domiciled, Rest of the United Kingdom, and International and European Union (EU) applicants.
  • The SJT is not considered. Only your cognitive subtests count.
  • Contextual support. Contextualised (adjusted) offers are available to eligible applicants living in Scotland only, and applicants from the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) route can receive a UCAT uplift.

Recent UCAT thresholds

⚠️ Read this before comparing years. From the 2025 test sittings, Abstract Reasoning was removed. The cognitive total is now out of 2,700 instead of 3,600, so older thresholds cannot be compared with newer ones.

  • πŸ“‰ 2025 entry (old 3,600 scale), lowest score considered for interview: 2520 for Scotland-domiciled applicants, 2610 for Rest of the United Kingdom and 2950 for International and EU.
  • πŸ“‰ 2026 entry (new 2,700 scale): 1870 for Scotland-domiciled applicants, 1990 for Rest of the United Kingdom and 2150 for International and EU. Glasgow confirms this is its only year of data on the new format.

What about 2027? Glasgow will not know its 2027 thresholds until November 2026, and it will not publish them until the admissions cycle ends in September 2027. Treat any figure you see online before then as an estimate.

πŸ’™ How Glasgow Interviews: Style, Structure and Timings

The format at a glance

For 2027 entry, interviews are held online. Each session lasts 30 minutes in total and is split into two sections. The same two interviewers cover both parts, and the whole thing is conversational with no writing at any stage.

πŸ…°οΈ Panel A: being a doctor

Panel A explores your motivation to become a doctor, teamwork and related topics. Expect questions about why medicine, what you understand about the role, how you work with others and what you have learned from your experiences.

πŸ…±οΈ Panel B: communication and an ethical scenario

Panel B focuses on communication and includes an ethical scenario. You are shown two scenarios, each only two or three sentences long, and you choose one to discuss. This is the only reading in the whole interview, and Glasgow builds in extra time for it, including for applicants with additional needs.

The practical rules

  • πŸ’» You will be told everything you need before your interview date.
  • 🚫 You must not use artificial intelligence (AI) software, a phone, any other device or any written resource during the interview.
  • πŸŽ₯ You must not record the interview. Glasgow does not record interviews either, and keeps only the interviewers' score sheets.
  • 🀐 You must not discuss the questions or scenarios with anyone afterwards. Glasgow treats breaches as a fitness-to-practise concern that could put any offer at risk.
  • βœ… By attending, you declare yourself fit to sit. Repeat interviews are only offered where serious issues arise, such as severe technical difficulties, not because you felt you underperformed or were unwell.
  • β™Ώ If you need adjustments for a health condition or disability, email the admissions team as early as possible.

πŸ”΅ When Are the Glasgow Medicine Interviews Held?

Interviews for 2027 entry take place between late November 2026 and March 2027.

  • πŸ“§ Invitations are sent by email only, to the address on your UCAS application, so check your spam folder.
  • πŸ”€ Invitations go out on a rolling basis and in no particular order, so a friend hearing before you means nothing.
  • ⏳ Glasgow aims to give at least 10 days' notice. For invitations in the last week of November, notice may be as little as 7 days.
  • πŸ” Rescheduling is only possible for a clashing interview at another university, a clashing school or university exam, illness, or significant technical problems. You will be offered the next available slot, which could be weeks later.
  • ❌ If you do not attend and have not contacted the admissions team beforehand, you will not be considered further.

πŸ’™ What Topics Are Covered in the Glasgow Interview?

Glasgow's own preparation guidance points to these areas:

  • 🩺 Motivation for medicine and understanding of a doctor's role
  • 🀝 Teamwork and working with others
  • 🌟 Personal characteristics, achievements and skills
  • πŸ’¬ Communication
  • βš–οΈ Medical ethics, through the Panel B scenario
  • πŸ₯ Current issues and challenges within the National Health Service (NHS)
  • πŸ“‹ Reflection on previous interactions and experiences

πŸ”΅ How Many Are Interviewed and How Many Receive Offers?

Glasgow publishes its own admissions data, which is rare and very useful. Here are the figures for 2025 entry, the latest published.

  • πŸ“₯ 2,001 applications
  • 🎀 1,128 interviewed, which is about 56% of applicants
  • πŸ“¨ 719 offers, which is about 64% of those interviewed and 36% of all applicants
  • πŸŽ“ 341 students started in Year 1

The picture is very different depending on where you apply from:

  • 🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland-domiciled applicants: 942 applied, 658 were interviewed and 499 received offers. That is about 76% of those interviewed.
  • πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ Rest of the United Kingdom: 491 applied, 351 were interviewed and 123 received offers. That is about 35% of those interviewed, which makes this the most competitive route after interview.
  • 🌍 International and EU: 568 applied, 119 were interviewed and 97 received offers. Few are interviewed, but about 82% of those who are go on to receive an offer.

For comparison, in 2024 Glasgow received 1,443 applications, interviewed 941 and made 719 offers. Application numbers rose sharply in 2025, and Glasgow notes that these figures change from year to year.

πŸ’™ What Is the Interview Scoring Method?

Glasgow's interviewers record your performance on score sheets, which are the only record kept of your interview. When the interview season ends, all applicants' scores are ranked, and offers go to those above a threshold that varies each year with the strength of the cohort.

Three details from Glasgow's official guidance are worth remembering:

  • 🎯 Your final decision is made solely on interview performance.
  • βš–οΈ No score adjustments are made for any applicant.
  • πŸ“ Detailed feedback is not provided. Glasgow can give only a general overview, and feedback requests are not handled until April.

πŸ”΅ When Are Offers Released?

Decisions are made on a rolling basis and appear on UCAS. Glasgow aims to process outcomes by 31 March 2027, but this can stretch to the end of April. It cannot give you a date, and someone interviewed in November may not hear until late March.

Other points about the outcome stage:

  • πŸ“„ All offers are conditional, including on qualifications and a police records check.
  • πŸ”„ Applicants who narrowly miss out may be contacted to say they will be reviewed if places become available.
  • πŸšͺ Eligible applicants who are unsuccessful for A100 may be offered a change of course to the Gateway to Medical Studies programme (A900), depending on spaces.
  • πŸ›οΈ Successful applicants are usually invited to an Offer Holders' Day in March or April.

πŸ’™ 50+ Glasgow Medical School Example Interview Questions (Sorted by Topic)

The questions below follow Glasgow's two-panel structure. They are written the way Glasgow's interviewers work, with open, conversational questions and plenty of follow-ups, plus brief ethical scenarios in the two-or-three-sentence style Glasgow describes.

πŸ…°οΈ Panel A: Motivation for Medicine

  1. Why do you want to become a doctor?
  2. Why medicine, rather than nursing, physiotherapy or another caring profession?
  3. When did you first decide medicine was for you, and what has kept you committed since?
  4. What do you think you will find most rewarding about a career in medicine?
  5. What do you think you will find hardest about being a doctor?
  6. What have you done to test whether medicine is the right career for you?
  7. If you could not study medicine, what would you do instead, and why is it not your first choice?
  8. What do you understand about the day-to-day realities of life as a junior doctor?
  9. Medicine means a lifetime of learning and exams. How do you feel about that?
  10. What would you say to someone who told you medicine is too stressful a career to choose?

πŸ…°οΈ Panel A: Teamwork

  1. Tell us about a time you worked in a team to achieve something. What was your role?
  2. Describe a time a team you were part of did not work well. What went wrong, and what did you learn?
  3. Have you ever had to work with someone you found difficult? How did you handle it?
  4. Why is teamwork so important in modern medicine?
  5. Which members of the healthcare team, other than doctors, might care for a patient in hospital?
  6. Tell us about a time you took the lead. How did you bring others with you?
  7. Would you rather lead or follow in a team? Can a good doctor be both?
  8. Tell us about an activity outside your studies that has made you a better team member.

πŸ…°οΈ Panel A: Personal Qualities, Skills and Experiences

  1. What personal qualities do you have that will make you a good doctor?
  2. What is your biggest weakness, and what are you doing about it?
  3. Tell us about an achievement you are proud of. Why does it matter to you?
  4. Describe a time you failed at something. How did you respond?
  5. How do you cope with stress and pressure? Give us a real example.
  6. Tell us about a time you received criticism. How did you react?
  7. What did you learn from your work experience or volunteering that surprised you?
  8. Tell us about a person you met through caring or community work who made an impression on you. (Remember: no confidential details.)
  9. How do you balance your academic work with your other commitments?
  10. What does resilience mean to you, and when have you shown it?

πŸ…±οΈ Panel B: Communication

  1. What makes someone a good communicator?
  2. Why is communication so important between a doctor and a patient?
  3. Tell us about a time you had to explain something complicated to someone. How did you make sure they understood?
  4. How would you adapt the way you speak to a young child compared with an elderly patient?
  5. Describe a time you had to have a difficult conversation. How did you approach it?
  6. How could a doctor communicate well with a patient who does not speak English?
  7. What role does listening play in good communication?

πŸ…±οΈ Panel B: Ethical Scenarios (Glasgow Style)

At Glasgow you read two brief scenarios and choose one to discuss. Practise with these pairs, picking one from each pair as you would on the day.

Pair 1

  1. A 15-year-old asks her general practitioner (GP) for the contraceptive pill and insists her parents must not be told. Discuss the issues the GP should consider.
  2. An elderly man with a treatable infection refuses antibiotics, saying he has had a good life and wants nature to take its course. Discuss the issues this raises.

Pair 2

  1. A friend on your medical course tells you he has been feeling very low and has started drinking heavily before placements. Discuss what you should consider doing.
  2. A patient offers her doctor an expensive gift to say thank you for her care. Discuss whether the doctor should accept it.

Pair 3

  1. One liver is available for transplant and two patients need it: a 30-year-old with alcohol-related liver disease and a 60-year-old with an inherited liver condition. Discuss how such a decision should be approached.
  2. A medical student posts photographs from a hospital placement on social media, and a patient is partly visible in the background. Discuss the issues this raises.

One extra to practise

  1. A terminally ill patient asks his doctor to help him end his life. Discuss the ethical and legal issues involved.

πŸ₯ The National Health Service (NHS) and Current Issues

  1. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the NHS today?
  2. What have you read or heard recently about medicine or the NHS that interested you?
  3. How is the NHS in Scotland organised differently from the NHS in England?
  4. What are your views on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare?
  5. Why might it be difficult to recruit and keep doctors in remote and rural areas of Scotland?
  6. Should healthcare be free at the point of use? Why, or why not?

πŸ”΅ Questions Specific to Glasgow Medical School

Glasgow's interviewers have not read your application, so they may ask why you chose them. Be ready for questions like these.

  1. Why do you want to study medicine at Glasgow in particular?
  2. What do you know about how the MBChB course is taught at Glasgow?
  3. Glasgow uses small-group teaching and problem-based learning. What experience do you have of learning this way, and how do you think you would cope with it?
  4. Glasgow students train across the west of Scotland, from busy city hospitals to rural general practices. What appeals to you about that variety?
  5. What do you know about the health challenges facing the people of Glasgow and the west of Scotland? (Tip: read up on health inequalities and life expectancy in the region. You may come across the phrase "the Glasgow effect".)
  6. Glasgow offers student-selected components, including topics outside medicine such as humanities and languages. What would you choose to explore?
  7. Glasgow offers selected students an enhanced experience of general practice through its Community Orientated Medical Experience Track. What attracts you to primary care?
  8. You could intercalate a Bachelor of Science degree between Years 3 and 4. What subject might interest you, and why?

πŸ’‘ Preparation pointer: Glasgow's own interview guidance tells applicants to read the MBChB curriculum information, revisit their personal statement, think of examples of achievements and skills, consider their personal characteristics, reflect on past experiences and stay aware of NHS issues. That list is effectively your mark scheme, so use it.

πŸ’™ What Do Students Say? (Anecdotal Themes)

Glasgow asks candidates not to share their interview questions, so you will not find verbatim accounts here. These are the themes that come up again and again when applicants describe their Glasgow interviews, paraphrased rather than quoted.

πŸ—£οΈ It feels like a conversation. Many applicants say the two interviewers were friendly and kept asking follow-up questions, so it flowed more like a chat than a quiz.

πŸ—£οΈ The ethics scenario is less scary than expected. Applicants often say the scenarios are very short and that the interviewers wanted to hear them think both sides through rather than land on a single right answer.

πŸ—£οΈ Being unknown is a surprise. Many expected questions about their personal statement and were thrown when the interviewers knew only their names. Those who had prepared flexible examples in advance coped best.

πŸ—£οΈ Thirty minutes goes quickly. Applicants who used a simple structure, such as the situation, what they did and what they learned, avoided rambling.

πŸ—£οΈ The wait is the hardest part. Applicants interviewed in November or December often do not hear until the end of March. Most advise switching your attention to your exams and trusting that everyone is in the same boat.

πŸ”΅ Top Tips to Succeed at Your Glasgow Medicine Interview

  1. 🎯 Prepare examples, not scripts. Have five or six adaptable stories ready covering teamwork, failure, communication, leadership and caring experience. Memorised speeches sound stiff in a conversational interview.
  2. πŸ…°οΈπŸ…±οΈ Practise each panel separately. Rehearse talking naturally about motivation and teamwork for Panel A. Then practise reading a short scenario aloud and reasoning through it for Panel B.
  3. βš–οΈ Learn an ethics framework. Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice give you a scaffold for any scenario. Weigh both sides before reaching a balanced view, and remember consent, capacity and confidentiality.
  4. πŸ“° Know your NHS, especially in Scotland. Glasgow tells applicants to be aware of current NHS issues. Read about waiting times, workforce pressures and health inequalities in the west of Scotland.
  5. πŸ’» Rehearse the online format. Do at least one full mock interview over video. Check your camera height, lighting and connection, and look at the lens when you speak.
  6. πŸ“„ Revisit your personal statement. The interviewers will not have read it, but it is a goldmine of your own reflections.
  7. πŸ—£οΈ Think out loud in Panel B. Say your reasoning aloud: "On one hand, on the other hand, on balance I think."
  8. ⏱️ Answer, then expand. Aim for focused answers of a minute or two and let the follow-up questions show you where to go deeper.
  9. 🀐 Follow every rule. No notes, no devices, no AI, no recording and no discussing the questions afterwards.
  10. πŸ“… Start preparing now. The earliest interviews begin in late November, and notice can be as short as 7 days at that point.
  11. πŸšͺ Visit if you can. Glasgow's final Open Day of 2026 is on Saturday 24 October, where you can meet staff and students, and you can book a campus tour at other times.
  12. 😊 Be warm and be yourself. Genuine enthusiasm, honesty and a bit of personality go a long way in a conversational interview.

πŸ’™ Key Facts at a Glance: Glasgow Medicine Interview 2027 Entry

  • πŸŽ“ Course: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Medicine, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) code A100, five years, University of Glasgow
  • πŸ“… Interview window: Late November 2026 to March 2027
  • πŸ’» Delivery: Online
  • πŸ• Length: 30 minutes in total
  • 🧩 Format: Two-part panel. Panel A covers motivation to be a doctor and teamwork. Panel B covers communication plus an ethical scenario, where you choose one of two.
  • πŸ‘₯ Interviewers: Two, covering both panels. They know only your name.
  • πŸ“ UCAT: University Clinical Aptitude Test, mandatory. Applicants are ranked by score to decide who is interviewed, and the Situational Judgement Test is not considered. 2026 entry thresholds were 1870 (Scotland-domiciled), 1990 (Rest of the United Kingdom) and 2150 (International and European Union) out of 2,700. The 2027 thresholds will be known in November 2026.
  • πŸ“Š Latest published figures (2025 entry): 2,001 applications, 1,128 interviewed, 719 offers, 341 starters
  • πŸ† Scoring: Interviewers' score sheets, with applicants ranked. Offers are decided solely on interview performance.
  • πŸ“¬ Offers: Rolling decisions on UCAS, aiming for 31 March 2027, which can extend to the end of April
  • 🚫 Remember: No resits, no score adjustments, and no discussing interview questions afterwards

Good luck. If Glasgow has invited you to interview, they already believe you could be one of their doctors, so go and show them they are right. πŸ’™

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The Blue Peanut Team

This content is provided in good faith and based on information from medical school websites at the time of writing. Entry requirements can change, so always check directly with the university before making decisions. You’re free to accept or reject any advice given here, and you use this information at your own risk. We can’t be held responsible for errors or omissions β€” but if you spot any, please let us know and we’ll update it promptly. Information from third-party websites should be considered anecdotal and not relied upon.

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