St Andrews Medical School Interview Questions (A100), 2026 Entry

👋 Applying to Medicine at the University of St Andrews (A100)? This final draft brings together official information from St Andrews with expert practice material tailored for sixth formers. It’s optimised for SEO and designed to be genuinely helpful — colourful, concise where it counts, and packed with realistic questions you can rehearse today.

🎯 Ready for coached practice? Book our Medical School Interview Course – taught by NHS doctors who teach at 3 UK Medical Schools. Want complete timed circuits? Join our MMI mock circuits.

🏫 A short introduction to Medicine at St Andrews

St Andrews delivers a three-year BSc (Hons) in Medicine, then you progress to a partner medical school for the clinical years to graduate MBChB/MBBS — a distinctive 3+3 pathway with Scotland/England/No-Preference routes. Overseas-fee applicants progress to Manchester for clinical training. 

✅ How St Andrews decides who to call for an interview

St Andrews uses a hurdle-based selection: your application is not scored/weighted; instead, you must meet baseline standards in academics, personal statement & reference, and UCAT. Applicants who meet these criteria are ranked by UCAT global score, and around 650 of the highest-ranked are invited to interview. Offers are based on interview performance; UCAT is used as a tiebreaker if interview scores tie. 

Contextual uplift & UCAT update: Widening-participation applicants who meet criteria receive a 10% UCAT uplift for interview ranking. Because the UCAT changed for 2025, the maximum score is now 2700, making older UCAT figures not comparable to 2026. 

🧭 How St Andrews interviews for 2026 entry

• Style: Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) with four stations, each about six minutes. At least one role-play with an actor. Assessors look for insight into medicine as a caring profession, communication, ethics, critical thinking and reflection.

• Mode (2026 entry): Home-funded applicants interview in person in St Andrews; all other fee statuses interview online. 

🗓️ When are the medicine interviews held?

Invites go out from November up to March. Interview dates are early December, then January–March. Decisions are mostly issued in line with UCAS deadlines (some earlier). Notifications come via UCAS.

🧠 What topics are covered?

Expect: motivation and realistic insight into medicine, communication & interpersonal skills (assessed at every station), role-play with an actor, plus ethics, critical thinking and reflection. 

🔢 How many applicants receive an interview, and how many receive an offer?

St Andrews publishes five-year admissions data. For 2024–25 (most recent snapshot):

• A100 & A990 combined: 649 interviews; 189 entrants. (They publish entrants rather than total offers.) 

• Tables also show, by fee status, applications, interviews, entrants, and lowest/average UCAT among those selected for interview (note: not offers, and pre-2026 UCAT scores use the old scale). St Andrews also flags the 2700 max under the new test. 

🟦🟩🟧 Mega-bank: 60+ St Andrews-style MMI scenarios (statement ➜ question)

Use these exactly as stated: a brief scenario statement followed by a question. They map to St Andrews’ assessed qualities (communication, insight into a caring profession, ethics, critical thinking, reflection, teamwork, numeracy). 

Communication & empathy (incl. actor-led role-play)

1. A patient’s sister is upset after a long clinic delay. How would you de-escalate the situation and maintain trust?

2. A flatmate failed a resit and is devastated. How would you break the news sensitively and plan next steps together?

3. A ward nurse feels you aren’t listening to patients. How would you respond and repair the relationship?

4. A GP receptionist is overwhelmed by angry callers. How would you support them while keeping patient safety first?

5. A patient keeps using medical jargon they found online. How would you re-explain the issue in plain language?

6. A relative challenges your explanation mid-consultation. How would you acknowledge concerns and align on a plan?

7. A peer dominates a group task. How would you rebalance roles without embarrassing them?

8. A distressed carer is near tears about medication side-effects. How would you show empathy and share options?

9. An elderly patient struggles to hear you. How would you adapt your communication to include them fully?

10. An interpreter is late to the appointment. How would you manage consent and understanding safely in the meantime?

Ethics & professionalism

1. A friend asks you to check a neighbour’s results. What would you do, referencing confidentiality and GMC duties?

2. A junior shares photos from the ward on social media. How would you respond and why?

3. Two patients need one high-dependency bed. How would you reason through fair allocation?

4. A parent refuses vaccination for their child. How would you balance autonomy with public health?

5. You witnessed cheating in an exam. How would you act and justify your approach?

6. A candidate exaggerates work experience on UCAS. How would you address integrity and consequences?

7. A patient with early dementia wants to leave the ward. How would you consider capacity and best interests?

8. A student posted derogatory comments about patients online. How would you respond professionally?

9. A pharmaceutical rep offers hospitality to your team. How would you manage conflicts of interest?

10. A colleague made a minor drug-dose error and is panicking. How would you support candour and learning?

Insight & motivation for medicine (caring profession)

1. Your caring placement was emotionally taxing. What did you learn about resilience and boundaries?

2. St Andrews’ 3+3 pathway involves transferring schools. Why does this suit you, and how will you handle the transition? 

3. You shadowed a GP and saw time pressure. What did you observe, and how might you work effectively under constraints?

4. You supported a patient with limited English. How did you promote shared understanding?

5. You failed an early assessment. What changed in your approach and why?

Critical thinking & reflection

1. A headline claims a “miracle cure”. How would you appraise the evidence before advising patients?

2. Screening uptake is low in one area. What data would you examine, and what simple interventions could help?

3. A ward handover list is chaotic. How would you prioritise tasks and risks?

4. A study shows a small risk reduction. How would you explain absolute vs relative risk to a patient?

5. A patient rejects your advice. How would you reflect and adapt for next time?

Teamwork & leadership

1. A peer repeatedly misses meetings. How would you address this supportively and set accountability?

2. You’re leading a student health fair. How would you delegate roles and manage risk?

3. After a simulation, your team missed a diagnosis. What would you say in a constructive debrief?

4. A conflict arises between two team members. How would you mediate and keep patient safety central?

5. Your team’s plan excludes Allied Health Professionals. How would you bring them in effectively?

Numeracy & reasoning (light-touch)

1. A 24 kg child needs paracetamol. How would you calculate a safe mg dose and explain it simply?

2. A drug is 1:1000. How would you explain what this means when drawing up a dose?

3. Disease prevalence falls. How would you describe the effect on PPV/NPV to a patient?

4. A patient brings a blood-pressure diary. How would you summarise trends and next steps?

5. A clinic has 12 appointments/hour and frequent overruns. How would you reason about capacity vs demand?

Role-play (actor interaction)

1. A patient is angry about a delayed scan. How would you acknowledge feelings and agree on a plan?

2. A student made a thoughtless remark to a patient. How would you apologise and rebuild trust?

3. A parent is fearful of MRI safety. How would you reassure them using clear analogies?

4. A patient is non-adherent with inhalers. How would you explore barriers and support change?

5. A colleague appears tearful after feedback. How would you check in and signpost support?

Equality, diversity & inclusion

1. A patient declines care due to cultural concerns. How would you adapt respectfully while keeping safety first?

2. A clinic letter uses gendered language. How would you improve inclusivity without losing clarity?

3. A student mocks an accent. How would you challenge the behaviour professionally?

4. A deaf patient attends without an interpreter. How would you make the consultation accessible today?

5. A patient requests a chaperone. How would you respond and document appropriately?

Data interpretation & prioritisation

1. A graph shows rising A&E waits. What likely drivers would you explore, and how could primary care help?

2. A ward has multiple potential discharges. Who would you prioritise and why?

3. A vaccination campaign lags in one postcode. Which targeted messages and routes would you try first?

4. You’re given a table with diagnostic sensitivity/specificity. How would you explain limitations to a layperson?

5. A hospital feedback survey shows low communication scores. What actions would you propose?

Personal reflection & resilience

1. You received tough feedback you initially disagreed with. What did you do and what changed?

2. You made a small mistake in your work experience. How did you handle it and learn from it?

3. Multiple deadlines collided. What triage strategy did you use and why?

4. You helped someone grieving. What did you say and what did you avoid saying?

5. You didn’t get an offer last year. What did you change this cycle, and how will you measure progress?

🧪 Practise these under 6-minute timing to mirror St Andrews’ station length. Get actor-led role-plays and clinician feedback on structure and empathy: Book our Medical School Interview Course • MMI mock circuits.

💬 Student comments (anecdotal)

Recent applicant posts on The Student Room described receiving emails confirming four MMI stations, finding the experience “friendly but time-pressured”; using official guidance for format, and treating forums as informal perspectives only. 

💡 Top tips for the St Andrews interview

1. Train for the four-station rhythm: structure answers (intro → exploration → summary) within ~6 minutes.

2. Role-play excellence: listen actively, reflect feelings, signpost choices, and safety-net. 

3. Ethics = framework: stakeholders → principles (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice) → options → justify.

4. Know the course: be able to explain 3+3, partner routes, and why this suits you. 

5. UCAT is the invite, not the offer: ranking fills ~650 interview places; offers follow interview scores. 

6. Context matters: if eligible, know how the 10% UCAT uplift works and what evidence is needed. 

7. Practise aloud with timed feedback — it’s the fastest way to improve clarity and empathy. (We can help: course • MMI circuits)

📤 When are offers released?

Most decisions are issued in line with UCAS-published deadlines (some earlier), via UCAS. 

📚 Sources (official where possible)

• University of St Andrews – How students are selected (official): selection method; ~650 interview places; MMI format; dates; 2026 in-person/online; offer timing. University of St Andrews

• University of St Andrews – UCAT (official): UCAT use; 10% WP uplift; note on 2025 changes (max 2700). University of St Andrews

• School of Medicine – Admissions Data (official): five-year tables for applications, interviews, entrants; lowest/average UCAT for those selected for interview; 2700 max reminder. University of St Andrews

• Medicine A100 overview & partner schools (official): 3+3 pathway; routes and progression. University of St Andrews+1

• UCAT Consortium – UCAT 2025 (official): structure and scoring (900–2700), test timings. UCAT

🚀 Turn prep into offers

• Book our Medical School Interview Course – taught by NHS doctors who teach at 3 UK Medical Schools

• Join an MMI mock circuit
  We’ll run realistic four × six-minute stations (including actor role-play), sharpen your ethics structure, and give targeted feedback so you walk into St Andrews calm, clear and ready.