What happens in the UK Pre-Medicine Interview interview
There is no single national format for UK medical school interviews: each medical school sets its own, and the Medical Schools Council says schools use different types of interview and will tell you the format ahead of time. The types it describes are multiple mini-interviews (MMIs), a series of short stations that can include role-play with an actor; panel interviews with two or more interviewers, usually 20 to 30 minutes long; assessment centres; and online interviews, including recorded (asynchronous) ones. The number and length of stations, what they test and how they are scored differ from school to school, as the examples below show.
Checked against the official sources on 27 September 2026.
The parts, in order
A series of short stations, each assessing specific attributes. Stations range from discussing your personal statement and experience to practical scenarios with an actor playing a role, and often include teamwork and communication stations. Examples: Manchester's current process has five 8-minute stations with a 2-minute gap between them, each marked by a separate interviewer, with nothing given in advance and no reading or writing; for 2027 entry, Sheffield's MMI for home applicants is typically divided into eight sections, and Nottingham's interview has six scenarios, including at least one role play, and lasts up to one hour.
Two or more interviewers, who may include clinical and admissions staff, a senior student or a member of the public. They usually last about 20 to 30 minutes, though some universities offer longer interviews or two interviews over two days, and they can be structured or semi-structured. Example: Oxford interviews shortlisted medicine applicants online in December 2026, typically with two tutors per interview; in the 2025 round each applicant was interviewed by two colleges, with at least one practising clinician on the panels. Sheffield uses an online panel interview for international applicants.
A mix of interview formats and tasks that can take up to a whole day, which might include written work, group interviews and individual panel interviews.
Some universities run their interviews online, and some use asynchronous interviews, where you record yourself answering set questions and submit the videos. Examples: Oxford interviews on Microsoft Teams; Manchester lets you choose Zoom or its campus; Nottingham plans to interview international fee status applicants online using Microsoft Teams and home fee status applicants in person.
How it is marked
There is no national marksheet: each school decides what its interview assesses and how it is scored. In general, the Medical Schools Council says schools want to see how you communicate, why you are interested in medicine and whether you have the right qualities to become a good doctor. For example, Sheffield scores each of its eight MMI sections from 1 (unsatisfactory) to 5 (excellent) and adds your UCAT Situational Judgement Test result converted to a score out of five, for a total out of 45; at Manchester the interview is not a test of academic knowledge and each station is marked by a separate interviewer; in Oxford's 2025 round, interviewers assessed each medicine candidate against its selection criteria and each college then ranked the candidates it had seen.
Passing
There is no national pass mark: each school decides how interview performance leads to an offer. For example, Nottingham offers places based solely on interview performance; Sheffield ranks applicants on their total out of 45 and prioritises those who score 3 or better in every MMI section and the SJT; Manchester does not offer anyone a place without an interview.
Worth knowing
- The schools named here are examples only, from their own admissions pages: Sheffield, Nottingham and Oxford describe 2027 entry, Manchester describes its current process, and the Oxford college and clinician details are from its 2025 admissions round. Formats change: Manchester says it may replace one MMI station with a group task for the 2026/7 application cycle, and Sheffield notes that its format may differ from any format described by the Medical Schools Council.
- A school may use different formats for different applicants: Sheffield holds an in-person MMI for home applicants and an online panel interview for international applicants, between December 2026 and January 2027 for 2027 entry.
- The Medical Schools Council's entry requirements tool, with information supplied by the schools, lists each school's interview method: for Oxford's A100 course starting in October 2027 it gives online traditional panel interviews.
Sources
- Interviews | Medical Schools Council
- Medicine (A100), University of Oxford | Medical Schools Council entry requirements
- Interviews | Medicine MBChB | University of Manchester
- Medicine admissions | Medicine and Population Health | The University of Sheffield
- Undergraduate selection process | School of Medicine | University of Nottingham
- Interviews | University of Oxford undergraduate admissions
- Medicine | University of Oxford undergraduate course listing
- Medicine: Shortlisting Process and Admissions Statistics | University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division
Formats change. MedMock is not affiliated with any examining body; always check the current regulations on the official site before you apply.
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