Lancaster Medical School Interview Questions (2026 Entry)
If you’re applying to Medicine in the UK, chances are you’ve heard two words that can make even the calmest Year 13 slightly sweatier: medical interview.
Lancaster Medical School is known for its Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) and its supportive, community feel — but to do well, you’ll want to prepare in a way that feels confident and natural (not robotic, and definitely not memorised).
This guide breaks down how Lancaster selects interviewees, what the MMI actually looks like, what they assess, how scoring works, and gives you 40+ practice questions written in the right style for Lancaster.
Key facts at a glance 🟦
Here’s the stuff most applicants want upfront:
🎓 Course(s):
A100 Medicine and Surgery (5 years)
A104 Medicine and Surgery with a Gateway Year (6 years)
📍 Where: Lancaster University (with placements across Lancashire & South Cumbria)
🧠 Admissions test: UCAT
🗣️ Interview type: MMI (Multiple Mini Interview)
💻 Interview delivery: Online via Microsoft Teams
⏱️ Typical interview length: around 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes end‑to‑end
🧩 Stations: 6 assessed stations + 1 break station (short stations, fast pace)
🗓️ Interview months: usually January–February
📬 Offers/rejections released: typically end of March / early April (after interviews finish)
🧾 Personal statement: required, but not scored
🟨 Places (2026 entry): 130 Home/UK + 4 International on A100; up to 15 in the Gateway Year (A104)
A quick introduction to Lancaster Medical School 🌿
Lancaster Medical School is often described as a place where you’re known as a person, not just a UCAS number.
A few things that stand out (and are worth weaving into a “Why Lancaster?” answer):
🧠 Problem‑based learning (PBL) is a big feature. You learn through realistic patient scenarios, typically in small groups (often 7–8 students).
🩺 Early clinical exposure: Lancaster talks openly about getting you into patient contact early, then building up placements and responsibility as you progress.
🤝 A strong emphasis on communication, patient perspective, and professional behaviour from the start (very relevant to what they assess at interview).
🧬 You’ll also get structured teaching in things like clinical anatomy and clinical skills, designed to build confidence before placements.
Lancaster isn’t trying to catch you out in the interview. The vibe is more:
🟩 “Can you show us you’d be safe, thoughtful, and genuinely motivated — and would you thrive in the way we teach?”
How Lancaster decides who to invite to interview 🧭
Lancaster’s selection process is easiest to understand as a series of gates. You have to get through each one to reach the next.
Stage 1: Eligibility + academic screening 📚
First, Lancaster checks whether you meet their minimum academic requirements and eligibility rules.
They look at things like:
GCSE profile (Lancaster sets a minimum points approach across eight GCSEs)
A‑level subjects and predicted/achieved grades (or equivalent qualifications)
English language requirements (where relevant)
Domicile/fee status and whether you’re applying for A100 vs A104
🔎 Important reassurance for stressed applicants: once you meet the academic threshold, Lancaster’s shortlisting is not about having “perfect” grades, but about meeting requirements and then performing well in the parts they actually rank (UCAT + interview).
Stage 2: UCAT ranking for interview invites 🧠
Once you’re academically eligible, Lancaster uses UCAT to decide who gets an interview.
What this means in real life:
You must sit UCAT in the year you apply.
Lancaster then ranks applicants by UCAT score for interview shortlisting.
The exact UCAT “cut‑off” changes each year depending on the applicant pool.
Contextual/WP eligibility can matter for borderline scores (more on that below).
Contextual admissions and widening participation 🟨
Lancaster asks all applicants to complete an additional survey (often referred to as a contextual survey) and may request evidence where relevant.
If you meet widening participation/contextual criteria, Lancaster may:
invite borderline UCAT applicants to interview using a lower UCAT threshold, and/or
consider a contextually lowered offer after interview (depending on the criteria).
Stage 3: Interview (MMI) 🗣️
No interview = no offer.
Lancaster uses the MMI to judge the things UCAT can’t measure well — like communication, empathy, judgement, professionalism, and how you think.
Stage 4: Fitness to practise checks ✅
Medicine comes with trust. Lancaster is explicit about probity (honesty and integrity) and expects professional behaviour throughout the process.
They may also verify parts of your application — especially experiences you’ve described.
How Lancaster interviews (style, structure, timings, delivery) 💻
Lancaster runs MMIs online via Microsoft Teams.
The structure on the day
Lancaster describes the MMI day in three stages:
1) Briefing (group Teams call)
You join a first Teams room, get welcomed by staff, and watch a briefing explaining how the process works.
2) ID + room check (your personal Teams link)
You’re moved to a personal Teams room where an interviewer checks:
your photo ID
a 360° sweep of your room and desk
that your setup meets rules (no notes, no other people, camera on)
3) The MMI circuit (stations)
Lancaster’s MMI circuit typically includes:
6 assessed stations
1 break station
Each station is 5 minutes, with a 2‑minute break between stations
You’ll usually get a 1‑minute warning before time is up
Total time from start to finish is often 1h 30m–1h 45m
Who interviews you?
Lancaster uses trained interviewers. Depending on the station, you may be assessed by:
clinicians,
university staff,
students,
and/or patient/public representatives.
Can you ask for the question again?
Yes — Lancaster explicitly says you can ask for a question to be repeated and have a moment to think before you begin.
Big rule reminders (don’t ignore these) 🟥
Lancaster is very clear about interview conditions:
No AI tools
No internet searching
No notes / prompts on walls or desk
No other person in the room
Camera and mic on throughout
They treat dishonesty as a serious probity issue.
When Lancaster interviews are held 🗓️
Lancaster interviews are usually held in January and February.
A few timing points worth knowing:
They aim to give at least two weeks’ notice of your interview date.
They send a detailed email with your schedule and Teams links about a week before your interview.
Lancaster does not release offers until they’ve finished interviewing all applicants.
What topics are covered in the Lancaster Medical School interview 🎯
Lancaster’s MMI is designed to assess whether you’re suited to studying medicine and practising safely.
You should be ready for stations that commonly explore:
🩺 Career choice & motivation
🧠 Understanding of medicine (realistic, not idealised)
🤝 Work experience / volunteering reflection (what you learned, not what you did)
💬 Communication skills (including empathy and clarity)
👥 Group work / teamwork (Lancaster really values collaboration and small‑group learning)
⚖️ Ethics and professionalism (honesty, boundaries, safeguarding, confidentiality)
🧩 Responding to a prompt or stimulus (e.g., reading a paragraph or reacting to a short clip)
🌍 Wider healthcare awareness (pressures, patient needs, fairness)
How UCAT is used at Lancaster for 2026 entry 🧠📈
Lancaster uses UCAT primarily to rank eligible applicants for interview.
What matters most
UCAT is used as a shortlisting tool once you meet academic eligibility.
The cut‑off score changes yearly.
Lancaster publishes recent cut‑off data so applicants can understand competitiveness.
A realistic idea of UCAT cut‑offs
To give you a feel (not a promise!), Lancaster’s published admissions data for 2025 entry shows different UCAT cut‑offs depending on route and context.
That’s why your smartest strategy is:
🟩 Aim as high as possible, and don’t treat a previous cut‑off as “the target”.
What about the SJT?
Lancaster considers UCAT overall scoring for ranking and sets expectations around SJT acceptability (this can vary year to year).
Practical takeaway: don’t ignore SJT — treat it as part of being a safe, professional candidate.
How many are interviewed and how many receive offers? 📊
Lancaster publishes admissions data to show competition levels.
Looking at the most recently published cycle in their dataset (2025 entry, to give context):
A100 (UK) — 2025 entry snapshot
Applications: 926
Interview places available: 581
Offers made: 325
Students enrolled: 131
That roughly works out as:
🟦 ~63% invited to interview
🟩 ~56% of interview invites resulting in offers
(these are approximate because “interview places available” includes everyone invited, whether or not they attended)
A100 (International) — 2025 entry snapshot
Applications: 60
Interview places available: 18
Offers made: 9
Students enrolled: 3
A104 Gateway — 2025 entry snapshot
Applications: 168
Eligible applications: 153
Interview places available: 46
Offers made: 31
Students enrolled: 15
📌 The key message: Lancaster is competitive, but if you reach interview, a solid proportion of candidates do go on to receive offers — so your MMI performance genuinely matters.
What is the interview scoring method at Lancaster? 🧮
Lancaster scores each station against clear criteria.
In plain English:
Each assessed station is marked by the interviewer(s)
Those station scores are combined into an overall interview score
Applicants are then ranked accordingly
Lancaster states they can only consider applicants who attend the MMI
Interviewers can flag concerns (for example, professionalism/probity issues)
Lancaster indicates that, in the absence of concerns, offers are made to those with the highest overall interview scores.
They also operate a reserve list for strong applicants who aren’t offered immediately.
When are offers released? 📬
Lancaster does not release offers until after interviews are completed.
Typical timing:
Interviews finish around mid‑February (varies slightly by year)
Decisions are usually released towards the end of March / early April
Reserve list decisions can follow (often late March onwards)
40+ Lancaster Medical School interview questions (by topic) ✅
These are practice-style questions designed to match Lancaster’s short, station-based MMI format.
A good Lancaster answer usually sounds like:
🟩 clear → reflective → balanced → linked to patient care / teamwork → honest about limitations.
Motivation and career insight 🩺
Statement: You’ve considered medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. Question: Why do you want to be a doctor specifically?
Statement: You love biology, but you also enjoy debating and writing. Question: How does medicine combine science with people skills?
Statement: A friend says, “Doctors are basically scientists in hospitals.” Question: What do you think they’ve misunderstood about the role?
Statement: You’re told medicine is a long training pathway with tough days. Question: What’s motivating you to choose it anyway?
Statement: You’ve had limited formal work experience in healthcare. Question: What has still given you insight into what being a doctor involves?
Statement: Someone says, “Medicine is a guaranteed respected job.” Question: Why is that a risky reason to apply?
Work experience and reflection 🧠
Statement: On placement you noticed a clinician had to explain the same thing in three different ways. Question: What does that teach you about communication?
Statement: You saw an elderly patient become frustrated during a long wait. Question: What did you learn about dignity and respect?
Statement: A healthcare assistant reassured a patient more effectively than anyone else. Question: What did you learn about teamwork and roles?
Statement: You witnessed a difficult conversation with a family member. Question: What would you want to learn to handle that well as a future doctor?
Statement: You made a small mistake during volunteering (e.g., forgot a task). Question: How did you respond, and what did you learn?
Statement: You only did “online work experience”. Question: How have you turned that into genuine insight rather than just a certificate?
Communication and empathy 💬
Statement: A patient tells you they’re scared, but they don’t want to talk. Question: How would you respond in a supportive way?
Statement: Someone is angry and says, “No one is listening to me.” Question: What do you do first, and why?
Statement: You have to explain a procedure to a 12‑year‑old. Question: How would you adapt your language?
Statement: A patient keeps interrupting you. Question: How do you regain structure without sounding rude?
Statement: A friend shares something personal and asks you to keep it secret. Question: When might confidentiality have limits in healthcare?
Statement: You realise you’ve used jargon in your explanation. Question: How do you recover and check understanding?
Teamwork, PBL and group work 👥
(Lancaster’s teaching style makes these especially relevant.)
Statement: In a group discussion, two people dominate and one person goes quiet. Question: What would you do to improve the teamwork?
Statement: Your PBL group disagrees on what the learning objectives should be. Question: How would you handle it constructively?
Statement: You’re paired with someone who’s unprepared. Question: How do you manage the situation without being unfair?
Statement: You’re the one who’s unprepared for a session. Question: What would you do next to rebuild trust in your group?
Statement: A teammate makes a confident claim that sounds wrong. Question: How would you challenge it professionally?
Statement: You receive feedback that you talk too much in group work. Question: How would you act on it?
Ethical reasoning and professionalism ⚖️
Statement: A student on placement posts a photo in scrubs outside a ward on social media. Question: What concerns might this raise?
Statement: A patient refuses a treatment you believe is best. Question: How do you balance autonomy and beneficence?
Statement: You overhear staff joking about a patient. Question: What should happen next?
Statement: A friend asks you to “guess” what their relative’s diagnosis is based on symptoms. Question: How do you respond safely?
Statement: A colleague admits they made an error but doesn’t want to report it. Question: What principles matter here?
Statement: A patient confides something that suggests they may be at risk of harm. Question: How do you think about confidentiality and safeguarding?
Statement: You’re running late and tempted to skip a safety step. Question: Why is that dangerous thinking in healthcare?
Statement: You notice you’ve written something inaccurate in an application or form. Question: What do you do, and why?
NHS awareness and wider healthcare 🌍
Statement: A patient complains about long waiting lists and blames doctors. Question: How would you respond, and what factors might contribute?
Statement: You’re asked, “Is the NHS sustainable?” Question: How would you answer in a balanced, non‑political way?
Statement: A GP practice is overwhelmed, and appointments are short. Question: What skills matter most for a doctor in that setting?
Statement: You see health outcomes differ by postcode. Question: What do you think drives health inequalities?
Statement: A team must decide who gets the last ICU bed. Question: What ethical principles might guide decisions?
Statement: Someone says, “Doctors should just focus on medicine, not public health.” Question: Do you agree?
Critical thinking and responding to a prompt 🧩
(Lancaster may ask you to discuss information you’ve just read or watched.)
Statement: You read a short news paragraph about a vaccination campaign. Question: What questions would you ask before judging its success?
Statement: You’re shown a brief scenario where a patient refuses to attend follow‑ups. Question: What explanations could there be besides “they don’t care”?
Statement: You read a simple study summary that claims a new drug is “twice as effective”. Question: What would you want to know before trusting that claim?
Statement: You’re given a chart showing rising A&E attendances. Question: What are three possible causes, and how could we test them?
Statement: A short video clip shows miscommunication in a team. Question: What went wrong, and what would you change?
Resilience, self-awareness and learning 🧠💪
Statement: You get a disappointing UCAT score compared to your practice results. Question: How would you respond and adjust your plan?
Statement: You find you’re comparing yourself to others constantly. Question: How would you manage that at medical school?
Statement: You’ve had a time when you struggled with stress. Question: What strategies helped, and what would you do differently now?
Statement: A tutor tells you your reflection is “too descriptive”. Question: How do you make reflection deeper and more useful?
Statement: You’re asked about a weakness. Question: How do you answer honestly without making it a red flag?
Questions that feel especially “Lancaster” 🎓🟩
These are the kinds of prompts that link naturally to Lancaster’s teaching style and what they emphasise publicly.
Why Lancaster?
Statement: You have offers to interview at multiple PBL schools. Question: Why Lancaster Medical School specifically?
Statement: Lancaster is known for being smaller and community‑focused. Question: How would you contribute to that kind of environment?
PBL fit (Lancaster cares about this)
Statement: In PBL you won’t be “taught the answers” first. Question: How will you stay disciplined with independent learning?
Statement: PBL relies on shared responsibility. Question: What would your teammates say you’re like in group learning?
Early placements and communication
Statement: Lancaster highlights early patient contact and communication skills training. Question: What excites you about early patient contact, and what worries you (if anything)?
Statement: You’re on placement sooner than friends at other unis. Question: How would you handle feeling out of your depth while staying safe?
Honesty and verification
Statement: Lancaster may verify experiences mentioned in your application. Question: How would you explain what you gained from your experiences in a way that’s accurate and reflective (not exaggerated)?
What Lancaster students say (anecdotal) 💬
(These themes come up in Lancaster’s own student stories and profiles — they’re not “promises”, but they’re helpful for understanding the vibe.)
🗣️ Several students mention the small‑group teaching feels more personal and less anonymous than huge lecture‑only courses.
🌱 Students often describe early placements as daunting at first — but also as a fast way to build confidence and remember why you’re studying all the science.
🤝 A repeated theme is support: students talk about learning to ask for help early, and how the course “jumps straight in” — in a good way.
👥 Gateway students frequently highlight the small cohort feeling close-knit and helping the transition into university study.
🧠 More than one student describes a mindset shift: moving from “revision for exams” to “learning for real clinical problems”.
If you want to use this in interview answers, don’t name-drop random quotes. Instead, translate it into something like:
🟩 “I learn best through discussion and self-directed study. I like that Lancaster uses PBL in small groups, and that clinical exposure starts early.”
Top tips to succeed in the Lancaster MMI 🏆
These are designed to help you score well without sounding scripted.
1) Prepare stories — not speeches 🎤
Pick 6–8 “mini stories” from your life (work experience, volunteering, school, caring responsibilities, a part‑time job, sport, club leadership).
For each one, practise:
What happened (1–2 sentences)
What you learned
How it links to being a medical student/doctor
2) Train for the five-minute station ⏱️
Lancaster stations are short. Practise answering in this rhythm:
Answer the question early
Give one strong example
Add reflection
Finish with a clear takeaway
3) Don’t revise “hot topics” like a debate club 🧠
You’re not expected to be a health economist.
You are expected to be:
balanced,
patient-centred,
aware that resources are limited,
respectful of uncertainty.
4) Know what professionalism looks like as a student ✅
Lancaster points applicants towards professionalism guidance for a reason.
Be ready to talk about:
honesty (probity),
confidentiality,
boundaries,
asking for help early,
learning from feedback.
5) Make your online setup boringly perfect 💻
A great answer can still be derailed by chaos.
Test Teams early
Good Wi‑Fi
Quiet room
Phone on silent and out of reach
Plain desk/walls (no notes!)
Water in a clear glass or label-free bottle
6) Use the break station well 🟩
If you get a break station, don’t “replay” your mistakes.
Reset your posture, breathe, and treat the next station as a fresh start.
7) If you freeze… do this ❄️➡️🔥
Pause
Ask for the question again
Start with: “I’m going to think aloud and structure my answer…”
Structure saves marks.
Final mini-checklist (the day before) ✅
I can explain why medicine and why Lancaster without waffle
I can reflect on 2–3 experiences with specific learning points
I’ve practised short, timed answers
I can handle an ethics scenario with a clear structure
My interview space is ready (no notes, no distractions)
I’ve got my ID ready and I know how the Teams links work
Relevant links (official & authoritative) 🔗
- Lancaster Medical School Admissions Policy (2026 entry PDF)
- Lancaster MMI Interview Guide
- Lancaster Admissions Data (UCAT cut-offs & interview statistics)
- Medicine & Surgery at Lancaster Medical School (Course Overview)
- About the Medicine & Surgery Course (Placements & Student Profiles)
- Welcome to Lancaster Medical School (Student Stories)
- Medical Schools Council – Lancaster Profile
- Medical Schools Council – Core Values for Medicine
- GMC – Achieving Good Medical Practice (Student Guidance)
- The NHS Constitution for England
- UCAT Official Website
All links above are official sources and provide the most up-to-date admissions information for 2026 entry.
