Queen Mary (Barts and The London) Medicine Interview Questions—2026 Entry Guide
At a glance (2026 entry)
Places (A100 MBBS): 311 Home and up to 24 Overseas for September 2026 entry.
Shortlisting (stage 1): Minimum academics, UCAT sat in the year of application, overall score within the 4th decile or above, SJT Bands 1–3. (Band 4 = rejection).
Shortlisting (stage 2): Selection for interview is by a weighted score that may comprise UCAT + UCAS tariff(predicted/achieved) and, for graduates, degree weighting.
Interview format: Online panel; panel typically includes two senior academic/clinical staff (sometimes a lay selector). Assesses motivation, resilience, teamwork, organisation/problem‑solving, contribution to university life, and communication.
Interview window: January–February; decisions released in March once all interviews finish.
Personal statement: Not scored in selection, but panels may use it at the interview.
UCAT changes from 2025: Abstract Reasoning withdrawn; UCAT now has 3 cognitive subtests + SJT; deciles are published each cycle.
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How Barts decides who to invite to interview (with UCAT cut‑offs)
Barts uses a three‑stage process:
First shortlisting (eligibility screen): application by 15 October; meets minimum academic requirements; UCAT sat in the year of application; overall UCAT within the 4th decile or above, and SJT Band 1–3. Applications below these are rejected.
Second shortlisting (who gets interviewed): applicants are ranked by a weighted score that may include UCAT score and UCAS tariff (predicted/achieved), and degree weighting for graduates. Those above the year’s threshold are invited to interview.
After interview (offers): Barts may consider all assessment factors—interview score, SJT, UCAT, and UCAS tariff—when making offers.
Minimum UCAT threshold (eligibility) in recent cycles (for the first shortlisting):
2025: 2361 (within/above 4th decile)
2024: 2361 (within/above 4th decile)
2023: 2251 (within/above 3rd decile)
Barts notes the 2025 UCAT structural changes and refers applicants to UCAT for mapping scores to deciles.
(Data from Barts’ official Admissions Statistics page.)
⚠️ Interpreting UCAT for 2026: Because UCAT changed in 2025 (3 cognitive subtests + SJT), Barts emphasises you cannot reliably predict thresholds from prior years. Always check UCAT deciles for your cycle.
How Barts interviews for 2026 entry
Format & mode: Online panel interview. Panels typically include two senior academic/clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector.
When: Interviews run January–February; decisions are communicated in March.
What’s assessed: motivation for medicine, insight and realism, resilience and maturity, teamwork, organisation/problem‑solving, contribution to university life, and communication.
PS & work experience: The personal statement isn’t scored, but your panel may ask about it. Work experience is expected in a people‑focused, caring, or service role (shadowing is helpful but not essential).
Will there be a pre‑reading article?
Barts’ London MBBS page doesn’t explicitly confirm a pre‑reading article for 2026. However, student accounts consistently report receiving an article to discuss at an interview (e.g., on an NHS/medical “hot topic”). The QMUL Malta MBBS pages confirm that an article is sent before interviews there, and experiences in London have historically mirrored this approach.
When are medicine interviews held?
Barts schedules MBBS interviews between January and February.
What topics are covered at a Barts medical interview?
Panels assess areas such as motivation and realism, initiative/resilience, teamwork, organisation/problem-solving, contribution to university life, and communication. Expect a discussion of your work experience and reflection on what you have learnt.
Common knowledge areas include safe/ethical practice (based on the four principles), NHS structure & priorities (e.g., waiting times, primary–secondary care interface), health inequalities (with a focus on the East London context), public health, patient safety & quality improvement, digital health/AI, teamwork, and leadership. (These align to the competencies the panel lists.)
How many applicants are interviewed—and how many receive offers?
Recent official stats (A100 MBBS):
Home (H):
2025: 1,613 applicants → 1,294 interviewed → 948 offers
2024: 1,539 → 1,057 → 637
2023: 2,017 → 1,070 → 613
Overseas (O):
2025: 377 applicants → 159 interviewed → 61 offers
2024: 504 → 136 → 57
2023: 603 → 137 → 33
(That’s roughly ~80% of Home applicants interviewed in 2025, with ~73% of interviewees then receiving offers. International rates are lower; e.g., ~42% interviewed and ~38% offered in 2025.)
Example Barts interview themes & questions (panel format)
Article analysis (if provided):
Summarise the article’s key argument in <60 seconds. What’s the strongest counter‑argument?
Who are the stakeholders, and how are benefits/harms distributed?
What ethical tensions can arise here? (Autonomy vs. beneficence; justice; non‑maleficence.)
If you were a junior doctor on this ward, what practical steps would you take?
Motivation & insight
Why medicine at Barts and The London? What about our East London practice population appeals to you?
What did you actually do during your caring/service experience—and what did you learn?
Tell us about a time when you saw excellent or poor communication in healthcare.
Resilience & reflection
Describe a time you persevered through a setback. What changed in your approach?
How do you look after your wellbeing, and why does that matter for patient safety?
Teamwork & leadership
Give an example of leading/being led in a team. How did you handle disagreement?
What would you do if a team‑mate was under‑performing before a deadline?
Ethics & professionalism
Should doctors be allowed to strike? How would you balance patient safety and staff welfare?
When (if ever) is it justified to override patient autonomy?
NHS, policy & public health
The NHS faces workforce shortages and rising demand. Where should investment go first—and why?
How should the NHS tackle health inequalities in East London?
Data interpretation & prioritisation (verbal)
Here are three admissions to A&E; what is your order of priority and rationale?
An audit shows a 10% increase in DNAs (missed appointments). Propose a quality improvement idea.
Communication scenarios (panel discussion)
A family member asks you to hide a diagnosis from a patient. How would you respond?
A colleague makes an unprofessional comment. What steps would you take?
Student comments (what the experience feels like)
“Barts interviews are unique in that an article on a medical/NHS ‘hot topic’ accompanies the interview invitation.”
One recent account said the interview “was 20 minutes long and was split into two 10‑minute halves”—first on the article, second on traditional questions.
(These are student‑written reflections; always rely on official QMUL pages for definitive policies.)
When are offers released?
Barts confirms decisions are communicated in March once interviews conclude, with outcomes being Offer, Reject, or Waiting List (some waitlist movement after results).
Ready to turn the interview into an offer?
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Key entry & policy notes (what Barts says)
Minimum UCAS tariff expectation for predicted grades: at least 152 points (A*AA) from required A‑levels; ensure all qualifications are listed on UCAS.
UCAT rules: must be taken in the application year; no waivers; Band 4 SJT leads to rejection; scoring below the 4th decile results in rejection at first shortlisting.
Personal statement: not scored, but considered and may be used in interview questions.
Work experience: people‑focused caring/service experience is expected; shadowing helps but isn’t essential.
FAQ (SEO‑friendly)
Is Barts MMI or panel?
For the London MBBS (A100), Barts describes panel interviews with two senior staff members (sometimes accompanied by a lay selector); the Faculty policy allows for panel or MMI interviews across programmes.
Are interviews online or in person for 2026 entry?
The MBBS page states online interviews.
When will interviews and results happen?
Interviews January–February; decisions in March.
What UCAT score do I need just to be considered?
You must be within/above the 4th decile and SJT Band 1–3 (Band 4 rejected). Recent cycles list a minimum UCAT threshold of 2361 (4th decile) for 2024/2025 and 2251 (3rd decile) for 2023.
What UCAT cut‑off gets an interview?
Varies by year and fee status. For Home applicants: 2670 (2025), 2620 (2024), 2720 (2023); Overseas: 2810 (2025), 2950 (2024), 2870 (2023).
How are UCAT and grades weighted?
Barts uses a weighted score that may comprise the UCAT and UCAS tariff (predicted/achieved) and a degree weighting for graduates when selecting interview candidates.
Do they score the personal statement?
No, not scored—but panels may ask about it and your experiences.
Do I need shadowing?
Not essential; caring/service experience (voluntary or paid) is valid and expected.
How many people are interviewed, and how many get offers?
For 2025 (Home): 1,613 apps → 1,294 interviews → 948 offers. International numbers are lower (377 → 159 → 61). See Barts’ admissions stats page for three years of data.
How long is the interview?
Barts doesn’t publish a fixed length on the MBBS page; student reports often mention ~15–20 minutes.
Will I get a pre‑reading article?
This is commonly reported by students and is confirmed for QMUL Malta interviews; London MBBS doesn’t explicitly state it for 2026, but you should prepare for it.
Top tips for Barts (QMUL) Medicine interviews
Master concise structure. Aim for ~2‑minute answers: signpost, analyse, and conclude—then stop. (Helps in 15–20 min panels.)
Prepare for article‑based discussion. Practise quick summarising, stakeholder mapping, and four-principle ethics on recent NHS topics.
Know Barts’ context. Be ready to discuss health inequalities and the realities of serving diverse East London populations.
Reflect, don’t recite. Turn experiences into insight: what changed in your behaviour and why that improves patient care.
Use frameworks wisely. SPIKES/SPIES for difficult conversations; ABCDE for prioritisation; Four Principles for ethics.
SJT mindset. Practise ranking options that are patient‑centred, safe, and professional—Barts considers SJT after interview.
Check the official pages before you interview. Dates/thresholds can shift each cycle, especially with UCAT changes.
Get targeted feedback on your answers:
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