Dr Chris Paton

Almost every UK medical school interviews shortlisted applicants before offering a place. The two dominant formats are the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) and the traditional panel interview. The MMI consists of a circuit of short stations (typically six to ten, each five to ten minutes long) in which the applicant is assessed by a different interviewer on a different scenario. The panel interview is usually a single longer conversation with two or three interviewers covering motivation, ethics, experience, and current affairs in healthcare.

MMI stations commonly probe: ethical reasoning (often a clinical dilemma), communication and empathy (sometimes with an actor playing a patient or relative), data interpretation, motivation for medicine, reflective ability, and understanding of the realities of a career in medicine. Stations are rated against a scoring rubric, which reduces the influence of any single interviewer.

Preparation should focus on reflective practice (drawing on your own work experience and reading) rather than memorising answers. The UK Medical Schools Council and the BMA both publish guidance on what interviewers are looking for, and individual schools usually publish a short interview guide for the year you are applying.