First, well done
An interview invite means a medical school has read your application and wants to meet you. That is a real achievement. It also means the next few weeks matter, so it helps to have a plan.
Interview timings differ by school. Newcastle's 2027-entry admissions policy says interviews generally take place between December and February. Manchester offers interviews either in person on campus or online through Zoom. Our interview dates page brings the published windows together, and each school guide, such as Newcastle or Manchester, sets out the format in more detail.
The plan below assumes about four weeks. If you have less time, squeeze the weeks together. If you have more, add extra timed practice in weeks two and three.
Before week one: the admin
Read the invite slowly, twice. Note the date, time, format, location and anything you must bring or prepare. Reply by any deadline. Newcastle's 2027-entry policy says applicants who miss email deadlines are not offered another opportunity, so check your inbox and junk folder every day.
If your interview is online, the Medical Schools Council's guidance for candidates (published May 2021) suggests checking the interview format and platform in advance and choosing a quiet, neutral background. Test your camera, microphone and connection in the room you will actually use.
- Save the invite and any joining links in one place.
- Book travel early if the interview is in person, and plan to arrive with time to spare.
- Tell your school or college, so they can help with time off and any mock practice.
Week one: know the school, know yourself
Start with the school. Is it a multiple mini interview (MMI) or a panel? How many stations, and how long is each? Our MMI vs panel guide explains the difference. Some schools add a specific task. For example, Leicester's interview page for 2026 entry described one on-campus station as a simple numeracy task with no calculator needed. Check the current year's page for your school, because formats can change.
Then re-read your own application. For 2026 entry onwards, UCAS uses a personal statement built around three questions, with 4,000 characters in total. Interviewers may ask about anything you wrote, so make sure you can talk about each experience in your own words.
Finally, read the values you will be judged against. The Medical Schools Council's statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (2018) links them to the GMC's Good medical practice. If you are applying in England, the NHS Constitution lists six NHS values, including compassion, respect and dignity, and everyone counts.
- Practise Mock 1, Station 1 (Q01): why medicine, and not another healthcare career?
- Practise Mock 1, Station 2 (Q05): what you learned from an experience that surprised you.
- Write five short stories from your own life that show teamwork, a mistake, a challenge, caring for someone and leadership. You will reuse them.
Week two: motivation, reflection and communication
This week is about the stations that appear almost everywhere. Answer aloud, time yourself and listen back if you can. Aim for a clear structure rather than a perfect script.
Reflection stations reward honesty. Interviewers are not looking for someone who has never failed. They want to hear what you did next and what changed. Communication and role-play stations reward listening first, checking understanding and showing that you care about the other person.
- Reflection: Mock 2, Station 1 (Q02) and Mock 1, Station 5 (Q26).
- Teamwork: Mock 3, Station 5 (Q20) and Mock 1, Station 4 (Q21).
- Role-play: Mock 2, Station 3 (Q16), Mock 3, Station 4 (Q19) and Mock 5, Station 4 (Q17).
- Explaining: Mock 1, Station 3 (Q18), where you explain handwashing to a seven-year-old.
Week three: ethics, the NHS and thinking on your feet
Ethics stations worry many applicants, but they follow patterns. You are not expected to know the law in detail. You are expected to think fairly, keep the person at the centre and know when to ask for help. Our guide to ethics stations walks through capacity, confidentiality and consent using GMC guidance.
For NHS and health questions, pick two or three issues you understand well and can discuss calmly, with examples. Avoid strong political opinions. Show that you can see more than one side.
Some MMIs also include data, calculation or prioritisation tasks. Talk the assessor through your reasoning step by step.
- Ethics: Mock 2, Station 2 (Q08), Mock 3, Station 2 (Q09), Mock 5, Station 2 (Q10) and Mock 4, Station 2 (Q12).
- Health and the NHS: Mock 3, Station 3 (Q13) and Mock 5, Station 3 (Q15).
- Data and priorities: Mock 2, Station 4 (Q23), Mock 6, Station 4 (Q24) and Mock 4, Station 4 (Q25).
Week four: full run-throughs, then rest
Now put it together. Sit at least two complete mock MMIs under timed conditions, with someone playing the interviewer if possible. Our six complimentary mock MMIs each have five stations, so they work well as full practice runs.
Remember that the interview is usually one part of the decision. At Newcastle, for 2027 entry, the final score combines the academic screen and the interview 50:50, and the UCAT Situational Judgement band is counted within the interview score. Other schools weigh things differently, so read your school guide and our UCAT cut-offs page. This is a reason to stay calm: one shaky station rarely decides everything.
In the last two or three days, stop learning new material. Re-read your five stories, sleep well and prepare your clothes, documents and travel.
On the day
Arrive early or log in early. Read each station prompt carefully. If you are unsure what is being asked, it is fine to say so and check. If a station goes badly, let it go before the next one. Each station is usually marked by a different person.
Be kind to everyone you meet, including other applicants and staff. Afterwards, write down what you were asked while it is fresh. It helps if you have more interviews to come.
If you would like more support
Most applicants can prepare well with the complimentary mocks and the school guides. If you want structured help, the Interview Handbook (£249) sets out a full preparation method, and a one-to-one mock MMI (£180) gives you timed practice with written feedback. If you are not sure where your application stands, the Applicant Diagnostic (£399) is a private review with Dr S Farooq. None of these can guarantee an offer, and all are educational guidance only.