Nottingham Medical School Interview Questions (2026 Entry): The Complete Guide
Introduction
The University of Nottingham’s Medicine BMBS remains one of the UK’s most competitive courses. This guide pulls together official admissions information and curated intelligence to help you understand how interviews work for 2026 entry, what Nottingham looks for, and how to prepare with focus.
Ready to turn preparation into offers? Book our Medical School Interview Course – taught by NHS doctors who teach at 3 UK Medical Schools.
Want the real thing? Join our MMI mock circuits.
How Nottingham decides who to invite to interview
At a glance (A100):
Shortlisting uses GCSEs + UCAT. Nottingham scores eight GCSEs (including English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry/and Double Science) using a 9–6 points scale.
UCAT is component‑based; Verbal Reasoning is double‑weighted. Band 4 SJT is not accepted. There is no fixed cut‑off; thresholds vary annually.
Fast‑track to interview may apply if you’ve completed Pathways to Medicine, Sutton Trust (Nottingham), or Lincoln Medical School Summer School, and meet minimum requirements; elite athletes may also be fast‑tracked.
Personal statements and references are checked after the interview to ensure they’re satisfactory; offers are made based on interview performance.
✅ Official note: Nottingham states it doesn’t publish previous years’ interview thresholds and that they change each year. Use historic data below only as context, not prediction.
A quick word on UCAT 2025 (for 2026 entry candidates)
The UCAT you sat in 2025 consisted of three cognitive subtests (VR, DM, QR), with a total score of 900–2700, alongside the SJT (Bands 1–4). Universities, including the University of Nottingham, continue to use component scores and SJT bands in their processes. Always read Nottingham’s page for any cycle‑specific scoring.
Historic UCAT data & shortlisting snapshots (context, not a guarantee)
2024 entry (A100) – FOI disclosure
Lowest UCAT invited to interview: 2370
Interview UCAT cut‑off (general): 2620 (SJT Bands 1–3)
Contextual interview UCAT cut‑off: 2361 (SJT Bands 1–3)
Average UCAT of interviewees: 2796; average of offer‑holders: 3004
Home interviewees: 1,057 → Home offers post‑interview: 637 (~60%)
International interviewees: 136 → International offers: 57 (~42%)
2024/25 cycle (headline application figures): Home applicants 1,410; Home offers 733; International applicants 473; International offers 50.
Interpretation tip: Nottingham emphasises that thresholds vary with applicant numbers and performance. Treat the figures above as rear‑view mirror insights only. Always cross‑check the current cycle’s official guidance.
How Nottingham will interview for 2026 entry
Format: Multiple Mini‑Interview (MMI) delivered online via Microsoft Teams (Nottingham states it is expecting interviews to be online for 2026).
Structure: Six scenarios, at least one role‑play, up to one hour total. Nottingham aligns station design with the Medical Schools Council's core values and attributes.
Focus: Communication and listening, professionalism, teamwork, respect for patients and the wider healthcare team.
Tech check: You’ll need a webcam, microphone, stable internet, and a private, quiet space. Please get in touch with Nottingham in advance to request any reasonable adjustments.
When are Nottingham Medicine interviews and offers?
Interview window: Usually December to February.
Offer timing: Typically March, usually after the UCAS offer‑holder deadline.
How many are interviewed, and how many receive offers?
Nottingham publishes recent ranges to show typical competitiveness:
Home applicants meeting criteria: ~1,874–2,100
Home interviewed: ~823–1,219
Home offers made: ~267–642 (about 200 home places)
International meeting criteria: 190–327; interviewed 60–96; offers 28–60 (about 20 international places).
Recent FOI (2024 entry) context: 1,057 home interviewed → 637 offers (~60% offer‑rate); 136 international interviewed → 57 offers (~42%). Your year can differ.
What topics are covered at a Nottingham interview?
Expect stations sampling the MSC core values—communication, teamwork, ethics/professionalism, insight and reflection—with at least one role‑play. Stations are scenario‑based rather than knowledge tests. Nottingham notes interviews assess personal qualities important for practising medicine.
Student comments (anecdotal)
“Scenario‑based – think on your feet. Be familiar with ethical principles and talk through your thought process.” (TSR forum, Nottingham interview experience; historic but still instructive).
Remember: candidates sign NDAs, so public specifics are limited; treat comments as general preparation pointers.
Extensive example of Nottingham MMI stations & questions
Important: These are original practice prompts crafted around Nottingham’s published themes and the MSC statement—not leaked or actual questions.
Communication & Empathy
A parent is upset that a clinic is running 90 minutes late. Role‑play how you’d handle this.
You’re a Year‑12 volunteer on a ward; a patient says, “No one is listening.” How do you respond?
Break the news to a peer that their behaviour during work experience breached confidentiality (role‑play).
Explain a simple consent leaflet to a patient with limited English.
Teamworking, Leadership & Insight
5) You’re allocated five tasks on a busy GP morning. Prioritise and justify your order.
6) You disagree with a colleague’s approach during a simulated ward round. How do you raise it?
7) Reflect on a time you received constructive criticism—what changed?
8) You notice a medical student posting a patient story on social media (de‑identified). Discuss professionalism.
Ethics & Professionalism (use Four Principles + GMC Good Medical Practice)
9) Parent refuses a recommended childhood vaccination. Discuss your approach.
10) A patient requests antibiotics “just in case” for a viral illness.
11) Teen wants contraception without parental knowledge. Explore confidentiality vs. safeguarding.
12) A colleague attended after drinking the night before—what are your duties?
NHS & Hot Topics
13) Should the NHS prioritise prevention over acute care?
14) Strikes in the NHS—what are the competing ethical considerations?
15) AI triage in primary care: benefits, risks, and equity.
16) Social prescribing: evidence and limitations.
Data & Problem‑Solving
17) Data interpretation: Read a short A&E attendance chart and identify two actionable insights.
18) Medication error rates fell after a new e‑prescribing system—what else would you measure?
19) A waiting‑list text “opt‑out” trial—how would you evaluate impact and fairness?
20) A screening test has 95% sensitivity and 90% specificity; explain false positives to a layperson.
Motivation & Reflection
21) What have you learned from work experience or caring roles about the limits of empathy?
22) A time you failed—what did you change?
23) Why Nottingham’s integrated BMedSci + BMBS route suits your learning style?
24) What makes a good doctor today vs. ten years ago?
Role‑Play Focus (practice your structure, E‑M‑P‑A‑T‑H‑Y):
25) Apologise to a simulated patient after giving ambiguous directions that caused them to miss an appointment.
26) Reassure a nervous teenager before a blood test.
27) Speak to a colleague whose time‑keeping is affecting patient flow.
28) Explain to a patient why you can’t share another patient’s information.
Prioritisation / Situational Judgement
29) You have: a bleep from the ward, a safeguarding call, a relative complaint, an urgent lab result, and a tutorial. Order and justify.
30) You suspect a peer is fabricating logbook entries—what next?
31) Decide who should be booked into a single urgent GP slot from five brief vignettes—defend your triage.
32) A misplaced controlled drug is discovered—outline immediate steps.
Extra quick‑fire prompts (to stretch yourself):
33) Should organ donation remain opt‑out?
34) Duties of candour: when, how, why?
35) Capacity vs. consent in an acutely delirious patient.
36) Misinformation in online patient groups—how would you respond?
37) Reflect on a time you changed your mind after new evidence.
38) What does “patient‑centred” really look like in a 10‑minute appointment?
39) Disagree politely with an actor who interrupts you repeatedly.
40) Explain the COVID booster rationale to a vaccine‑hesitant adult (role‑play).
41) A friend asks you to look at their test result on the system—what do you do?
42) Discuss fairness in allocating expensive cancer drugs.
43) Are virtual consultations widening or narrowing health inequalities?
44) Shadowing vs. hands‑on caring experience—what mattered more and why?
45) A consultant speaks harshly to a nurse—respond with courage and respect.
46) How would you prepare for your first dissection lab with respect and professionalism?
47) What did you actually do on work experience (not what you observed)?
48) Share a time you handled ambiguity well.
49) How will the Medical Licensing Assessment shape your training?
50) “Doctors should never show emotion in front of patients.” Discuss.
Top tips for succeeding at a Nottingham MMI
Structure your ethics: Use Four Principles (autonomy, beneficence, non‑maleficence, justice) + GMC Good Medical Practice; signpost (“Firstly… Secondly…”).
Role‑play like a clinician: Start with empathy + agenda setting, explore concerns, check understanding, summarise, safety‑net.
Show reflective insight: Turn experiences into growth (“I learned… I changed… the impact was…”), not narration.
Prioritisation = safety first: State assumptions, justify ordering, flag escalation points.
Know Nottingham’s format: Six scenarios, at least one role‑play, online via Teams; practise timing and tech.
Prepare for online delivery: Camera at eye‑line, plain background, notifications off, backup device/connection if possible.
UCAT context: Nottingham doubles VR and doesn’t accept SJT Band 4. Don’t obsess over a mythical cut‑off; focus on interview performance.
Know NHS basics: Consent/capacity, confidentiality, duty of candour, teamworking, pressures on primary care, prevention vs. treatment.
Practise aloud under time pressure: MMIs reward clarity, not waffle.
Do realistic mocks: Simulate six scenario stations with actor‑style role‑play.
Next step: Get personalised feedback from NHS clinicians. Book our Medical School Interview Course – taught by NHS doctors who teach at 3 UK Medical Schools, and join our MMI mock circuits.
Key dates & logistics (2026 entry)
UCAS deadline: 15 October 2025.
Interviews: typically December–February.
Offers: typically March (often after UCAS offer‑holder deadline). Always check Nottingham’s live page for any updates.
FAQs (Nottingham Medicine Interviews)
Is Nottingham MMI or panel for 2026 entry?
MMI, expected online via Microsoft Teams, six scenarios with at least one role‑play, up to one hour.
When are interviews held?
Usually, December–February, offers typically arrive in March.
Does Nottingham publish a UCAT cut‑off?
No. Nottingham says thresholds vary and are not published. (FOI data can reveal past cycles; e.g., 2024 entry general cut‑off 2620; contextual 2361.)
How is UCAT used?
Component scores are used with Verbal Reasoning double‑weighted; SJT Band 4 is not accepted and combined with GCSE scoring for interview selection.
How much do GCSEs matter?
Eight GCSEs are scored (9–6 scale). They’re combined with UCAT to determine who is ranked for an interview.
Will the 2025 UCAT changes affect me (2026 entry)?
Yes—you likely sat the revised UCAT (total 900–2700, three cognitive subtests + SJT). Nottingham still uses component scores/SJT in selection.
How many people are interviewed and subsequently offered?
Ranges vary: recent home applicants interviewed, ~823–1,219, with offers ranging from 267 to 642; international applicants interviewed, 60–96, with offers ranging from 28 to 60.
Do personal statements count?
Reviewed after interview to ensure satisfactory content; offers are based on interview performance (plus meeting academic/other conditions).
Are there guaranteed interviews?
Possible fast‑track for Pathways to Medicine, Sutton Trust (Nottingham), Lincoln Summer School, and some elite athletes who meet the criteria.
Final word
Nottingham selects candidates for interview using a transparent, points-based GCSE and UCAT approach, and then makes offers based squarely on interview performance. For 2026, expect a six‑scenario online MMI that probes communication, ethics, teamwork, and reflection. Use the practice stations above, ground your answers in GMC/MSC frameworks, and rehearse under time pressure.
Level‑up your prep: Book our Medical School Interview Course – taught by NHS doctors who teach at 3 UK Medical Schools.
Get MMI‑ready: Join our MMI mock circuits.
Accuracy note: Information checked on 2 September 2025. Please note that policies and dates are subject to change; always verify the latest information on the University of Nottingham website.
