Kent and Medway (KMMS) Medical School Interview Questions — 2026 Entry
🟦 Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) uses a very deliberate, values‑based approach to selecting future doctors — and their interview reflects that. If you’re applying for 2026 entry, this guide breaks down exactly how the KMMS MMI interview works, what topics come up, how it’s scored, when interviews happen, and (most importantly) gives you 40+ realistic practice questions, sorted by what KMMS actually assesses.
A quick heads‑up: admissions policies can change year to year, so always check the official KMMS pages too.
Key facts at a glance 🔑
Course: BM BS Medicine (UCAS A100)
Course length: 5 years
Start date: September 2026
Interview style: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) — online and in-person are both used (depending on circumstances), but KMMS states interviews are in-person for most applicants.
MMI structure (typical): 6 stations (7 minutes each) with short gaps, plus a group station (~40 minutes) with individual assessment.
Admissions test: UCAT (threshold used)
Extra assessment for some applicants: Casper (Situational Judgement Test), used to rank candidates when school data isn’t available for contextualisation and for certain groups (including graduates).
Predicted grades: Not used at any point in selection
Offer timeline: First offers can arrive from January, with further batches up to May.
Meet Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) 🩺
Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) is a collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent. It launched in September 2020 and trains doctors with a strong focus on the needs of the NHS and local communities.
KMMS also highlights modern learning spaces across both university campuses — including clinical skills and simulation facilities, and an anatomy learning centre.
A big milestone: KMMS states it achieved full General Medical Council (GMC) accreditation in April 2025.
How KMMS decides who gets an interview 🎯
KMMS selection is often described as a multi‑stage filter — and it’s worth understanding it properly, because it shapes what the interview is trying to test.
Stage 1: Minimum requirements (you must meet these) ✅
Your application is checked against minimum academic and eligibility criteria (GCSEs, A levels/IB/Access/degree requirements, depending on your group).
KMMS divides applicants into five groups (A–E), each with a slightly different process.
Stage 2a: UCAT threshold (the first big cut) 🧠
Everyone must sit the UCAT in the year of application, and KMMS uses a threshold to decide who progresses.
For context (because applicants always ask): KMMS states that in 2025–6 it operated a UCAT threshold of 2490+ (about the 47th centile) and SJT Band 3+ for school‑leaver groups, and SJT Band 2+ for graduate applicants. KMMS also clearly says it does not necessarily commit to the same threshold for 2026 entry.
KMMS also states it gives extra emphasis to the SJT component, and that Band 4 results in rejection.
Important: a high UCAT ≠ guaranteed interview
Even if you smash UCAT, KMMS warns that there’s a Stage 2b after the UCAT threshold, so higher scorers are not automatically prioritised over lower scorers who still pass the threshold.
Stage 2b: Contextualisation (KMMS’s “signature move”) 🟩
This is where KMMS stands out.
KMMS operates a “contextualise everyone” policy for school‑leaver applicants. That means they compare your achievement to your school’s average, rather than using postcode or free school meals status as their main contextual flag.
In their admissions policy, KMMS describes contextualising academic performance and using it to rank applicants, then selecting the top-ranked to interview.
Casper: who might have to sit it (and why) 🟨
KMMS uses Casper for applicants where it’s hard to contextualise fairly (for example, applicants without suitable school data and graduates). KMMS describes Casper as an SJT with no pass/fail threshold, used to rank candidates.
KMMS also notes that for those who must sit Casper and are above the UCAT threshold, invitations are sent, and interviews can be offered in batches from the end of November once results are received.
Personal statement and reference: where they matter (and where they don’t) 📝
KMMS states that personal statements and references are used for borderline candidates at every stage, and are read positively to find evidence of outstanding achievements or circumstances that merit progression.
KMMS also says clinical experience is not required — work experience is considered as part of the personal statement, but is not specifically marked.
How the KMMS interview works 🧠
KMMS uses a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). It’s less about one long chat and more like a circuit of short stations testing different skills.
Delivery: in‑person vs online 🌍
KMMS states interviews are in-person, and describes how the process has differed only in exceptional circumstances (for example, past pandemic arrangements), with some online approaches also used. The Medical Schools Council listing also states that online and in-person MMIs are used.
Structure and timings ⏱️
KMMS explains its MMI setup as:
Six stations, each around 7 minutes
Short gaps between stations (KMMS describes 3 minutes)
Plus a longer group station (around 40 minutes), where you’re assessed individually while working in a group
What’s actually assessed? (KMMS station themes) ✅
KMMS maps stations to specific competencies. In their admissions policy, examples include:
Motivation & insight into medicine
Problem‑solving & adaptability
Judgement & integrity (including SJT‑style scenarios)
Empathy, compassion and respect (often via role‑play)
Conscientiousness & resilience (including task‑based stations)
Ethics and moral reasoning
Teamwork, leadership and group interaction
When are KMMS interviews held? 🗓️
Timings can vary slightly year to year, but KMMS describes:
Interview invitations can start going out from the end of November (especially relevant where Casper is used).
Interviews are typically held in December and January, with the possibility of additional interview rounds later, depending on numbers and decisions.
KMMS also notes it may hold additional MMIs in February/March if needed.
How KMMS scores the interview 📝
Here’s the part most applicants don’t hear clearly enough:
KMMS states you’re marked at each station, and the scores are added up.
They mainly select candidates with the highest average scores, but also note they can discuss applicants who show excellent scores in specific areas, depending on recommendations.
KMMS says applicants are scored but not ranked, and outcomes include offer, hold/waiting list, or reject.
Offer thresholds are agreed by the Recruitment and Admissions Board.
That last point matters: it means there isn’t always a single “magic number” you can predict — it’s about performance against their criteria, then decision‑making based on cohort needs.
How many are interviewed — and how many get offers? 📈
Exact figures change each year, but KMMS data released via the University of Kent shows the following for Home (UK) applicants:
2020 entry: 1,392 applicants → 273 interviewed → 178 offers
2021 entry: 1,463 applicants → 384 interviewed → 191 offers
2022 entry: 1,714 applicants → 429 interviewed → 171 offers
From the same University of Kent response for the 2021/22 cycle, KMMS also reported:
429 interview invites and 171 offers, with 146 offers accepted that year, plus a waiting list process.
The Medical Schools Council also publishes competition ratios, including home applicants per interview and per place, giving a sense of overall competitiveness.
When are offers released? 📬
KMMS states:
First offers can be made from January (after early interview rounds).
Offers are then released in batches, and KMMS notes they will be made through UCAS, with decisions continuing up to May.
KMMS interview topics (what you should revise) ✅
If you want your prep to be efficient, focus on what KMMS explicitly assesses in the MMI:
Professional knowledge, motivation and insight
Why medicine, why now, and what you understand about the reality of training and the NHS.
Problem solving, critical thinking and adaptability
Thinking on your feet — especially when information is incomplete or messy.
Judgement, integrity and values
SJT‑style reasoning, professionalism, honesty, and safe decision‑making.
Compassion, respect, empathy and communication
Often via role‑play — calm, patient‑centred, and respectful communication.
Conscientiousness and resilience
How you handle pressure, how you organise yourself, and how you respond after setbacks.
Ethics and moral reasoning
Consent, confidentiality, autonomy, fairness, and safeguarding — with justification.
Teamwork and group interaction
Collaboration, listening, leadership when needed, and being a good teammate.
40+ KMMS interview questions, sorted by topic 💬
These are written to mirror the skills and station types KMMS describes (question stations, problem stations, video SJT‑style scenarios, role‑play, tasks, ethics scenarios, and a group station).
1) Motivation, insight and commitment to medicine 🩺
Statement: You’ve had a positive work experience in a GP surgery, but you also saw long waiting times and stressed staff.
Question: What did it teach you about the reality of working in the NHS, and why does it still make you want to be a doctor?Statement: Someone tells you “medicine is just a stable job with good status.”
Question: How would you respond, and what are your real reasons for applying?Statement: A friend says they’re applying to medicine because they “love Biology”.
Question: Why isn’t enjoying science enough on its own, and what else do you need to understand about being a doctor?Statement: You didn’t get the leadership role you wanted in Year 12.
Question: How did you respond, and what did you learn that would matter in medical training?Statement: You’ve had to revise for UCAT, exams, and manage commitments all at once.
Question: What does that tell you about your readiness for the workload of medicine?Statement: You meet a patient who is angry and distrustful of doctors.
Question: What does this situation teach you about the doctor–patient relationship?Statement: You’ve never had a dramatic “lightbulb moment” that made you choose medicine.
Question: How would you explain your motivation in a genuine, convincing way?
2) Problem solving, critical thinking and adaptability 🧠
Statement: You’re in a team project and the plan stops working halfway through.
Question: Talk me through how you reassess the problem and decide what to do next.Statement: You’re given a task with unclear instructions and a tight deadline.
Question: What steps do you take before you start?Statement: A patient explains symptoms in a confusing, jumbled order.
Question: How would you structure your questions to get a clear history while keeping them comfortable?Statement: You notice two possible explanations for the same issue in a scenario.
Question: How do you avoid jumping to conclusions, and how do you check your assumptions?Statement: Your first solution in a station doesn’t seem safe or fair after you think again.
Question: What would you do in the moment to adapt your answer?Statement: You’re in a group station and one idea is clearly popular, but you think it’s flawed.
Question: How do you challenge it without becoming “that person”?Statement: You are asked to make a decision with limited information.
Question: What would you do to reduce risk and protect the person involved?
3) Judgement, integrity and situational judgement 🧭
Statement: You overhear a student exaggerating clinical experience on their personal statement.
Question: What would you do, and why?Statement: A friend on placement posts a selfie in uniform with a patient in the background.
Question: What are the issues, and what action would you take?Statement: You make a small mistake in an assessment or task station.
Question: What do you do next, and how do you show professionalism?Statement: A colleague jokes about a patient in the staff room.
Question: How do you respond in the moment, and what would you do afterwards?Statement: You’re asked to keep a secret that could affect someone’s safety.
Question: How do you decide what to do, and what principles guide you?Statement: A patient refuses advice that you believe is important for their health.
Question: How do you balance respect for autonomy with your duty of care?Statement: You’re offered help in a station that feels like an unfair advantage.
Question: What would you do, and what does integrity mean to you?
4) Compassion, empathy and communication (role‑play style) 💛
Statement: A patient is tearful and says, “No one listens to me.”
Question: What would you say first, and why?Statement: A relative is angry about a long wait and raises their voice at you.
Question: How do you de‑escalate while still taking their concern seriously?Statement: A patient uses language that is stigmatising about mental health.
Question: How do you respond respectfully and keep communication open?Statement: You need to explain a medical concept to someone with no science background.
Question: How would you do it clearly, and how would you check they’ve understood?Statement: A patient says they’re scared of being judged.
Question: What specific communication behaviours help build trust quickly?Statement: You disagree with a patient’s decision, but you must stay professional.
Question: What does “patient‑centred” actually look like in your response?Statement: A classmate keeps interrupting someone who is quieter in a discussion.
Question: How would you step in in a way that supports the quieter person without humiliating anyone?
5) Conscientiousness, resilience and practical task behaviour 🛠️
Statement: You have a packed week with mocks, volunteering, and family responsibilities.
Question: How do you plan your time and protect your wellbeing?Statement: You fail a test you expected to do well in.
Question: What do you do in the first 24 hours, and what do you do in the following week?Statement: In a station you’re asked to complete a task with careful steps.
Question: How do you make sure you’re accurate under time pressure?Statement: You’re criticised by a teacher/coach for something you didn’t realise you were doing.
Question: How do you respond, and how do you apply feedback?Statement: A teammate isn’t pulling their weight on a project.
Question: How do you handle it fairly, and what would you avoid doing?Statement: You’re exhausted, but a commitment still needs you (e.g., a shift, a club session).
Question: How do you decide whether to push through or step back responsibly?
6) Ethics, honesty and professional dilemmas ⚖️
Statement: A 15‑year‑old asks you not to tell their parents about a health concern.
Question: What factors would you consider before deciding what to do?Statement: A patient refuses a treatment for religious reasons.
Question: How would you respond respectfully, and what options could you explore?Statement: A patient with capacity makes a decision you think is harmful.
Question: How do you balance autonomy with beneficence in your reasoning?Statement: You suspect a colleague is working under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Question: What are your responsibilities, and what is the safest action?Statement: You hear a racist comment directed at a member of staff.
Question: What do you do immediately, and what do you do afterwards?Statement: You’re asked to bend a rule “just this once” to help someone.
Question: How do you decide what’s fair, and how do you explain your decision?Statement: A patient’s family asks you to hide a diagnosis from the patient “for their own good.”
Question: How do you approach this ethically and sensitively?
7) Teamwork, leadership and group station behaviour 🤝
Statement: In a group task, one person takes over and assigns roles without asking.
Question: How do you keep the group effective while ensuring everyone is heard?Statement: The group disagrees and time is running out.
Question: How do you move the group towards a decision without steamrolling people?Statement: You realise you’ve misunderstood the task, and the group is heading the wrong way.
Question: How do you correct course calmly and constructively?Statement: Someone is silent and looks nervous in the group station.
Question: What would you do to bring them in — and why does that matter in healthcare?Statement: You disagree with someone who is confident and persuasive.
Question: How do you challenge the idea while keeping a respectful tone and good teamwork?Statement: You’re naturally more of a listener than a leader.
Question: How can you still show impact and contribution in a group station?Statement: The group finishes early with a weak answer.
Question: How would you use the remaining time to improve the outcome?
Questions specific to KMMS 🧩
These are the sorts of KMMS‑flavoured prompts that wouldn’t feel out of place, because they link to what the school emphasises: contextualised achievement, serving the NHS, and person‑centred learning.
Statement: KMMS compares achievement to a school’s average (“contextualise everyone”).
Question: What do you think the advantages and possible limitations of that approach are?Statement: Some applicants may be asked to sit Casper because school data isn’t available.
Question: Why might that be fair, and how would you prepare mentally for a test with “no pass/fail”?Statement: KMMS involves patients and carers directly in teaching and even in admissions group interviewing.
Question: Why is patient voice important in selecting future doctors?Statement: KMMS looks for applicants who can put NHS values into action.
Question: Tell us about a time you saw (or demonstrated) compassion and respect in a real situation.Statement: KMMS trains doctors for modern practice across Kent and Medway, including community settings.
Question: What challenges do you think local communities face, and how can a future doctor respond?Statement: KMMS says predicted grades aren’t used in selection.
Question: How does that change the way you think about what makes an applicant strong?Statement: KMMS says clinical work experience isn’t required (and isn’t “specifically marked”).
Question: So what does matter about work experience or volunteering, and how do you show learning rather than listing hours?Statement: KMMS has talked about building “digitally enabled” doctors and innovation in healthcare learning.
Question: Where do you think technology helps the NHS most — and where should we be cautious?
Student comments and anecdotal reflections 🗣️
Because KMMS is quite new, one of the best ways to “get” the vibe is to listen to what students and patient educators talk about publicly.
What comes through again and again
🔹 The human side matters. On KMMS’s Patient Engagement Programme page, students describe how hearing lived experiences helps them reflect on “the qualities… a patient would like to see in a doctor”.
🔹 Stories stick more than facts. One student reflects that hearing a personal background “really motivates” because it reminds you there are real people behind health inequalities.
🔹 Resilience isn’t just a buzzword. A KMMS student speaking to their former school emphasised that if you really want it, you can do it “if [you] put the time and effort in”, and staff highlighted perseverance and resilience as key.
If you take one thing from that: KMMS doesn’t just want a polished speaker — they want someone who can keep learning, keep reflecting, and keep caring even when things are difficult.
Top tips to succeed at the KMMS interview 🚀
1) Prepare for the format, not just the content
KMMS interviews are short stations plus a longer group station. Practise answering in tight, clear bursts — and then practise being calm and useful in a group.
2) Be ready for the group station (lots of people underestimate it)
The group station is long, and KMMS assesses you individually within it. Aim to:
Invite quieter people in
Summarise the group’s thinking
Keep the task on track
Show flexible leadership (lead and follow)
3) Learn the KMMS “contextualise everyone” idea
You don’t need to debate it like a politician, but you should understand what it’s trying to do and be able to talk about fairness thoughtfully.
4) Use NHS examples — but keep them real
KMMS looks for NHS values in action. That can come from school, a part‑time job, caring responsibilities, sport, volunteering… not just a hospital ward.
5) Don’t “perform empathy” — show it
In role‑play style stations, use:
Open questions
Acknowledging emotions (“That sounds really tough…”)
Checking understanding
Signposting what you can do next
6) For ethics: structure beats sounding clever
A simple approach that works:
Identify stakeholders
Identify the conflict (autonomy vs safety, confidentiality vs safeguarding, etc.)
Explain what you’d do and why
Show you’d escalate appropriately when needed
7) If you’re asked to sit Casper: treat it like a judgement test
KMMS says there’s no pass/fail, and it’s used to rank candidates. Focus on calm reasoning, fairness, and professionalism.
Final checklist for interview day ✅
🟩 The night before:
Practise 2–3 answers out loud (don’t cram 30)
Plan travel + ID + outfit
Sleep (seriously — your brain needs it)
🟦 On the day:
Slow down before you answer
If you get stuck: state what you’d do first (safety, escalation, communication)
In the group station: help the group succeed, not just yourself
🟨 After:
Write down what felt strong/weak while it’s fresh
Then move on — you can’t change it now
