What’s the best way to prepare for an interview?

The best way to prepare for an interview is practice. Everyone who has been offered a med school interview will have the requisite grades and exam scores - the whole point of the interview is to differentiate the top candidates. While this is something you can prepare for, it’s not achieved by making notes or flashcards - the best preparation is being asked questions and answering them! If that sounds stressful - our interview tutoring packages are specifically designed to prepare you in the most efficient and thorough way. We give you as much practise as you need, so when you’re in the interview, you are completely confident.

Should I ask a question during the interview?

This is dependent on the context of the interview, and will really vary from situation to situation. For example, in an MMI situation it is unlikely that it would be appropriate to ask a question to the examiner - it is not a conversational format. Conversely, it is recommended during an oxbridge interview to ask questions to further your understanding. Interview tutoring with our medical students is an excellent way to understand the nuances of the situations and help you get to grips with what exactly you should be doing in your interviews.

What does the interview tutoring involve? What do I get?

1-1 tutoring with an experienced medical student, with a comprehensive and focussed plan tailor made to you. We focus initially on building confidence and answering questions, and then moving on to refining via mock interviews. The interview tutoring package allows you access to over 100 different tutorial videos that have been curated to allow you to learn in your own time as well.

Should I shake their hand during an interview? What should my body language be like?

The best way to answer this question is to think about the most welcoming and friendly people that you have met in your life - part of being a medical professional is interacting and helping many different people and it is key that you have an open and inviting demeanour. Part of this includes smiling, open body language - you are more likely to think positively of someone if they are welcoming and friendly towards you. Depending on the context of the interview, it may or may not be appropriate to shake their hands - in times of COVID it may be best not to, but the most important thing is that you are smiling and open with them. You have nothing to fear, and allowing yourself to be open lets them see your best characteristics and really let your personality shine.

How do I stand out during medical school interview?

At medical school interviews, they are looking for two things. Will you be a good doctor, and will you be a good student. The qualities of both of these individuals often overlaps, and one of the ways to stand out (in a good way!) at interview is to clearly display these. Make sure that you are friendly and open - many of you will already have these characteristics intrinsically, it is just a question of making sure that they are shown to the interviewers. Confidence in yourself and your answers is a great way to stand out at interview. If you feel that this is one of the areas that you lack, interview tutoring and the practice that it brings may be a good option for you.

How long should med school interview answers be?

A quality that is required in medical professionals that are under pressure is an ability to be concise without sacrificing the quality of the communication. As such, your answers should fall into the category of being long enough that all the relevant experience and evidence for your answer is communicated, but not too long in that the interviewers lose interest and you begin to repeat yourself. The answer is not precise and depends on the context, but for many questions this will be around 1-5 minutes. The exact timing can be very difficult to get right - as we know, but with practice this will become much easier. If in doubt, er towards a more concise answer.

I’m really shy - will I still be able to do well at interview?

100% yes! The skill of interviewing well is one that can be learnt and can be taught. If you have the ability to practice and learn from others, you will absolutely be able to do well. Confidence is something that comes with practice and time, and as such has nothing to do with natural disposition. If you are already at interview stage, you are a competent and competitive interviewee, and so you need to trust yourself - you have every right to be there. Practise is the single most effective thing to increase confidence and your ability to do well at interview, and as such we would recommend interview tutoring as a good way to achieve this.

Should I ask a question after the interview?

This is dependent on the context of the interview, and will really vary from situation to situation, and depend on the question that you want to ask! If the question is illustrating a deeper interest in a scientific or ethical principle that has been brought up, then asking a question can be a great way to illustrate understand and curiosity. Conversely, we would never recommend asking 'how did I do?' Or a question that asks for immediate feedback - it doesn't give a confident impression and is likely to undermine your answers. Ultimately, there is no one answer and rather the way forward would be to increase your confidence in interview situations through practise, so you will be able to judge for yourself if or if not it is an appropriate time to ask a question.

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Coronavirus

Medical School Interview Questions

🏥 NHS

😷 Coronavirus

⚖️ Medical Ethics

🔥 Motivation

Coronavirus

Medical Ethics

Motivation

NHS

Professionalism

Values & Skills

Public Health

Oxbridge

Coronavirus

How would you spend Captain Tom's donations?
Should doctors stop raising PPE issues?
You are the Head of the World Health Organisation. A new virus has just broken out in Birmingham, what would you do to prevent the virus from becoming a pandemic?
How would this graph of cumulative cases change if R was 1.1, 1 or 0.9?
How would you monitor the true effect of coronavirus? e.g. cancer delays
What would you advise a patient who wanted to attend George Floyd protests?
How would you calculate R and herd immunity?
The coronavirus may have arisen from the close proximity of wildlife in Wuhan markets. Discuss the viewpoint "It is Wuhan's fault; the trade of wild meats should be banned".

You are a GP and have an appointment with Mrs Eckhart who has withdrawn her child from school because she is concerned of the risk of transmission. You are about to have a consultation with her and her daughter.
You're a GP and one of your patients tell you they plan on going to Bournemouth beach. What do you do?
How do you reassure someone when you're wearing a mask?

You're a retail assistant. Someone comes in not wearing a mask - what do you do?
There has been a controversy as to whether we should be calling doctors and other healthcare professionals heroes? What do you think?
Discuss how the pandemic has highlighted the importance of doctor’s staying up to date with the latest research.
What is the importance of GP health checks and routine appointments? Outline an example
Was it right to allow junior doctors to start their foundation years early?

Why do we have Royal Colleges and a General Medical Council?
How can we improve our current social care model?
Is it right for medical students to complain about their medical school online?
Should medical students and doctors utilise social media?
Should health decisions be made by a health secretary? Should it be purely be in the hands of SAGE?
"The coronavirus pandemic is like a war". How far do you agree with this statement?
What do you think are the secondary health consequences of coronavirus?

Should face masks be worn in shops?
How can we reduce the transmission of human:human pandemic viruses?
What does risk stratification mean? Give a specific example
Discuss the benefits of a contract tracing app of physical contact tracers
What are the educational benefits and impacts of the coronavirus on secondary schools?
How do you stop scientific research and information from becoming politicised?
How do you stop the NHS from becoming politicised?
Discuss the reasons for and against clap for careers

During lockdown, should people be allowed to drink at a pub?
Should gyms have opened at the same time as pubs?
What actions would you take if you were to visit a vulnerable friend or family member?
You have volunteered to help as a local volunteer during the coronavirus pandemic. What steps would you take to help young children on your street?
Why have some cities been more affected by coronavirus than others?
You are the Health Secretary. During the pandemic, there has been an increase in snacking. What are the health implications for this and which groups in particular are at risk? What solutions would you implement as Health Secretary to ensure that is reduced moving forwards?
Why was there a shortage of ventilators?
You are the health secretary, since the pandemic, many start ups and established companies have offered their help in creating an effective testing kit. How would you decide on a correct testing kit what are the pros and cons?
Since the pandemic, many small firms have offered to help with supplying ventillators at varying prices and varying qualities. As health secretary, how would you decide which ones to accept?
Discuss the mental health effects of coronavirus.

How far can you agree with the statement “The coronavirus only appeared to be spreading because we were increasing testing?”
Should doctors stop raising PPE issues?
Should people pay for face masks?
Should the vaccine be made compulsory?
Challenge trial - infecting human subjects even though there is no proven cure?
Should the sentence for assault to emergency staff workers be doubled from 1 year to 2 years?
Is it right for medical students to provide public health advice on social media?
Is it right for anyone to share public health or coronavirus information on social media?
Is it right for NHS staff to risk their lives and the lives of family members to do their job?
Is it right for junior doctor or medical students on electives to provide substandard care in order to learn to be better doctors?
You are the Prime Minister of the UK and are in talks with Gilead about manufacturing remdesevir. They have agreed to give you first priority. Your country has had 30% of the death rates and 40% of the global infected cases - what proportion of remdesevir global supply would you purchase? What is your thinking?
Is it right to test the coronavirus in South Africa and Brazil? Are developing countries being exploited?
You are a Supplier for NHS Masks; smaller companies have agreed to manufacture PPE such as masks for the coronavirus epidemic. They are 80% as effective as proper surgical masks - would you decide to accept the masks and why?
Should an experimental antibody test be used?

Should the public be forced to wear face masks on public transport?
Should contact tracing app have been a centralised system?
Was it right for care homes to ban visits from relatives?
Should doctors be allowed to have taken part in BLM protests?
Should people be allowed to protest?
You are a junior doctor of colour working at a local hospital. A patient asks to see a white doctor - what do you do?
Considering the coronavirus pandemic, has your view of public health campaigns changed and why?
How can we calculate the true death toll of Coronavirus?
Why has burnout been so common amongst doctors and healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic? What can we do to combat this?
Why has loneliness been so common amongst the general population during the coronavirus pandemic? What can we do to combat this?
If you had to take a gap year and in this pandemic could not travel abroad. What would you choose to do and why?
How do you think the rise in information technology has influenced / will influence the practice of medicine?
How does politics influence healthcare provision Is it inevitable?
What do you think is the greatest threat to the health of the British population today?
How do you think that online work experience is different from physical work experience?
“The controversy over the accuracy of coronavirus deaths has reduced public trust in the healthcare profession especially Public Health England.” Discuss the statement and how far you agree with this statement
Is it right for a company or country to benefit or gain a profit from selling the coronavirus vaccine?
What are the pros and cons of having multiple universities and multiple counties developing a coronavirus vaccine?
Should we let researchers and pharmaceutical companies profit from discovering or manufacturing a vaccine if it incentivises faster vaccine development?

What are the pros and cons of paying people to get the coronavirus vaccine?
What can be done to tackle coronavirus vaccine misinformation?
You are the Health Secretary. How would you ensure that a coronavirus vaccine is distributed fairly on a national level ?
You are the Health Secretary. Which population groups would you prioritise get the coronavirus vaccine and why?
You are the Head of the WHO. How would you ensure that a coronavirus vaccine is distributed fairly on a global level?
Attention has been drawn to the lack of representation of people of colour with regards to skin conditions. If you were the head of the medical school, how would you go about out solving this issue?
Is it right for an influencer or celebrity to give their opinions on public health if they don’t have a medicine or public health qualification?
Is it right for an influencer or celebrity to give information / criticise government decisions on public health if they don’t have a medicine or public health qualification?
“Coronavirus is a great leveller” how far do you agree with this statement?
‘The COVID 19 condition is not a great leveler by any means. Just like any other condition… it is patterned by inequality.’ Evaluate this statement

How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to a 10 year old child?
You are a shop keeper, a teenager comes in not wearing a mask.
How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to a 15 year old?
How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to an elderly patient?
How do you explain the importance of washing your hands to a 10 year old child?
How do you explain the importance of washing your hands to a 15 year old?
How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to an elderly patient?

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Medical Ethics

Should doctors stop raising PPE issues?
Should people pay for face masks?
Should the vaccine be made compulsory?
Should the sentence for assault to emergency staff workers be doubled from 1 year to 2 years?
Is it right for medical students to provide public health advice on social media?
Is it right for anyone to share public health or coronavirus information on social media?
Is it right for NHS staff to risk their lives and the lives of family members to do their job?

Is it right for junior doctor or medical students on electives to provide substandard care in order to learn to be better doctors?
You are the Prime Minister of the UK and are in talks with Gilead about manufacturing remdesevir. They have agreed to give you first priority. Your country has had 30% of the death rates and 40% of the global infected cases - what proportion of remdesevir global supply would you purchase? What is your thinking?
Is it right to test the coronavirus in South Africa and Brazil? Are developing countries being exploited?
You are a Supplier for NHS Masks; smaller companies have agreed to manufacture PPE such as masks for the coronavirus epidemic. They are 80% as effective as proper surgical masks - would you decide to accept the masks and why?
Should an experimental antibody test be used?
Should the public be forced to wear face masks on public transport?
Should contact tracing app have been a centralised system?
Was it right for care homes to ban visits from relatives?
Should doctors be allowed to have taken part in BLM protests?
Should people be allowed to protest?
You are a junior doctor of colour working at a local hospital. A patient asks to see a white doctor - what do you do?
What are the laws surrounding abortion in the UK? Discuss the ethical issues surrounding abortion
Define euthanasia and discuss the ethical issues surrounding it

A patient refuses treatment for a life-threatening condition. Discuss the ethical issues involved
Discuss the implications of Max and Keira's Bill being passed into law
When is it appropriate to breach patient confidentiality? Have you observed or researched any incidents where patient confidentiality has been broken?
What do you understand by the four pillars of medical ethics; 1. Autonomy 2. Justice 3. Non-maleficence 4. Beneficence ? Can you illustrate these principles with an example?
Animals that are thought to be suffering are "put down". Should human suffering be treated in the same way?

What are the arguments for and against banning the sale of tobacco?
What issues should be considered in deciding to terminate or not continue a patient's life sustaining treatment?
Is it better to give healthcare or aid to impoverished countries?
Should alternative or complimentary medicine be funded by the NHS and why?
What are the arguments for and against the decriminalisation of drugs such as cocaine?
Should the NHS fund the treatment of self-inflicted diseases?
With the growing problems of overpopulation, should the NHS fund IVF treatment?
Female infertility treatment is expensive, has a very low success rate and is even less sucessful in smokers. To whom do you it should be available?

Would you prescribe the oral contraceptive pill to a 14-year old girl who is sleeping with her boyfriend?
What are the pros and cons of Viagra being available without a prescription?
Some Trusts are refusing to perform some elective operations on obese patients. Why do you think that is? Do you think that is right?
What do you think about the use of animals for testing new drugs?
Is it right for a company or country to benefit or gain a profit from selling the coronavirus vaccine?
You are the Health Secretary. How would you ensure that a coronavirus vaccine is distributed fairly on a national level ?
You are the Health Secretary. Which population groups would you prioritise get the coronavirus vaccine and why?
In a hypothetical situation, scientists have developed an algorithm that can help predict rates of anxiety and depression based on your computer and mobile activity. What are the ethical issues with developing such an algorithm?
Is it ethical for weekly coronavirus tests to be available for university students when we know there is a shortage of testing facilities?
Should people be mandated to download the coronavirus app?
In the US, you have to pay to get tested, is this something that the UK should implement and why?
Is getting anyone-over 65 to shield age-based apartheid?
What are the issues that have been faced with mass testing?
Is it right for the government to utilise consultants such as Accenture to lead on the development of the NHS track and trace app?

Is it ethical for university students to have to take compulsory vaccines?
Is it ethical for university students to have to sign a contract to stay in a university bubble during term time?
How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the recent anti-obesity public health campaign?
What would you do if a friend of yours is experiencing COVID symptoms and they refuse to self isolate?
Give a specific example of a time in which you changed your perspective or side on a debate or controversial issue

Motivation

Why do you want to become a doctor? Why not a nurse? Why not a physician associate? Why not a biomedical scientist?
Why do you think doctors and other healthcare professionals leave the NHS?

Why do you want to attend this medical school?
What makes you think that our teaching style is best suited for you?
What would you do if you were not offered a place to study medicine?

Tell me about a work placement you attended.

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NHS

What is the importance of GP health checks and routine appointments? Outline an example
Discuss the reasons for and against clap for careers.

Why has burnout been so common amongst doctors and healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic? What can we do to combat this? Should the healthcare system in the UK be privatised?
Imagine that you are a doctor. You have been struggling with keeping up with work, have been increasingly anxious and feel burned out. What do you do?
How do you think the rise in information technology has influenced / will influence the practice of medicine?
What problems are there with the NHS other than lack of funding?
What relevance has the Hippocratic Oath have to modern day medicine?
What would you prefer in a doctor? Bad communication skills with good clinical skills or good communication skills with bad clinical skills? Why?

Would you argue that medicine is a science or an art and why?
How does politics influence healthcare provision Is it inevitable?
Do you think doctors should set a good example to their patients in their own lives? How or why might this be difficult?
Do you think doctors and the NHS get a bad press and if so why?
From what you have read and found out, where do you see the health service going?
What are the arguments for and against non-essential surgery being available on the NHS?
What does the current government see as the national priorities in healthcare? Do you agree with these?
How should the health service achieve a balance between promoting good health and in treating ill health?
What do you think are the similarities and differences between being a doctor today and being a doctor 50 years ago?
Should doctors have a role in regulating contact sports such as boxing?

Do you think doctors should ever strike?
Do you think patients' treatments should be limited by the NHS budget or do they have the right to new therapies no matter what the cost?
What does the term "inequalities in health" mean to you?
What do you think people people in the North of England, live on average 5 years less than those in the South? Do you think this should be a matter for government intervention?
What are the arguments for and against people paying for their own healthcare as and when they need it?
What do you understand by the term "holistic medicine". Do you think it falls within the remit of the NHS?
Do you think the bulk of medical treatment takes place in hospital or in the community? What makes you think this?
What do you think is the greatest threat to the health of the British population today?

In the UK at present 60% of medical students are female. Do you think we should have equal quotas for medical school places for males and females? What do you think will be the consequence of having more female doctors than male doctors?
“[Matt Hancock] told a meeting at the Royal College of Physicians: "From now on, all consultations should be tele-consultations unless there's a compelling clinical reason not to.” Discuss the implications of this statement
Some saw creating NHS capacity through the usage of private hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic as a step towards privatising the NHS. What do you think?
How can we integrate healthcare, medicine and fitness under the same umbrella?
Should doctors be on a first name basis with their patients?

Professionalism

There has been a controversy as to whether we should be calling doctors and other healthcare professionals heroes? What do you think?
Discuss how the pandemic has highlighted the importance of doctor’s staying up to date with the latest research.
Is it right for medical students to complain about their medical school online?
Should medical students and doctors utilise social media?

A 13-year old patient goes to the GP by herself and asks for the oral contraceptive pill. What are the ethical issues involved?
You are a GP. A HIV patient reveals to you that they have not told their partner about their recent diagnosis. Discuss the ethical issues involved.
You are a medical student at this university. One day in the dissection/prosection room you find out that one of your friends has been taking photos of the cadavers. They say that they can't concentrate in anatomy sessions and wanted to learn more in their own time. What would you do?
You are a medical student at this university and you have weekly lab sessions. You find out that your lab partner has been sick for the third week in a row. What would you do?
You are a clinical medical student at this university and you go back home for Christmas. One of your relatives asks you about a strange rash that they have on their arm. What do you do?

You are a pre-clinical medical student at this university. After a lecture has finished, you realise that somebody has left their phone - what do you do?
You are a pre-clinical medical student at this university. You realise that one of your fellow students has been publicly complaining about the medical school on Instagram and YouTube. What do you do?
You are a GP, during one of your consultations, a 15 year old patient tells you that they are sexually active and that their parents do not know. What do you do?
You are a GP, during one of your consultations, a patient reveals to you that they are having suicidal thoughts and you are concerned about their wellbeing. What do you do?
You are a GP, during one of your consultations, one of your patients who has recently recovered from an alcohol addiction tells you that they have now relapsed and are drinking excessively each day . What do you do?
You are a GP, during one of your consultations, you have booked an appointment with a patient specifically to discuss their weight. They are currently obese and are working 9 to 5PM in the city. What do you do?

Is it ever ethically acceptable for any healthcare professional to go on strike?
You are a senior GP reviewing the work of a trainee GP and are in a consultation with the trainee GP and a patient. You realise that one of your colleagues, is making a mistake - what do you do?
You are a trainee GP and your senior GP reveals to you that they are regularly taking illegal drugs. What do you do?
You are a hospital doctor, a patient comes in with a drug overdose. They are stable for now but they reveal to you that they have overdosed on an opioid. What do you do?
Imagine that you are in a theatre group. You and your friend, Anna need to leave your accomodation to go to a final rehearsal before your debut play. You both play lead roles. Last minute, Anna is very hesitant to come. Anna is sitting on the couch playing a game on her phone, looking distant. What do you do?
You notice over some time that your friend, Michael hasn't been eating much, and has been distant. He starts disengaging from your social activities. You have a feeling something's not right. What do you do, if anything?
A woman who is bleeding heavily refuses to receive a blood transfusion that you are proposing. Why do you this might be? How would you handle this issue?

You have one liver available for a transplant but two patients with equal medical need.One is an ex-alcoholic mother with two young children, the other a 13 year old with an inborn liver abnormality. ow would you decide to whom it should be given?
You have one daily machine to share between three patients with equal medical need. One is a 17-year old drug addict who has just overdosed one is a 40 year old woman with terminal breast cancer and only 6 months of life expectancy, the third one is a 70-year old marathon runner. Who gets the machine?
Imagine you are on committee able to recommend only one of two new surgical treatments to be made available through the NHS. The treatments are: an artificial heart for babies born with heart defects or a permanent replacement hip for people with severe arthritis. Both treatments are permanent, i.e. never need replacing and are of equal cost. On what grounds would you make your arguments?

You are the Head of the WHO. How would you ensure that a coronavirus vaccine is distributed fairly on a global level?

How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to a 10 year old child?
You are a shop keeper, a teenager comes in not wearing a mask.
How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to a 15 year old?
How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to an elderly patient?
How do you explain the importance of washing your hands to a 10 year old child?
How do you explain the importance of wearing a mask to an elderly patient?
How do you explain the importance of social distancing to a 10 year old?
How do you explain the importance of social distancing to an elderly patient?
You are a GP. A parent and daughter come into see you about a cough that their daughter has. You realise that they are overdue on their meningitis vaccination. What do you do?

An elderly couple come in saying that they want to change GPs because they feel that their current GP does not listen to their concerns. What do you do?
How would you explain the term long covid to patients?

Values & Skills

Discuss a time you encountered an academic problem at school and how you fixed it
Why do you think we ask candidates to undertake work experience?
Discuss a time that you saw another person demonstrating good communication - what was good about it?
During your work experience or your own research, was there anything about medicine that surprised you?
What are the negative aspects of medicine that you were able to see during your work experience or through your research?
What are the positive aspects of medicine that you were able to see during your work experience or through your research?
Discuss a time where you were able to demonstrate your empathy

Discuss your involvement in extra curricular activities that demonstrate your interest in Medicine
How do you cope with pressure? Discuss a specific example
How do you cope with failure? Discuss a specific example in which you failed
How do you manage stress? Discuss a specific example where you were feeling stressed and how did you manage it?
How would your peers describe you in three words?
What is your biggest weakness?
When do you ask for help with your academic work?
Discuss a challenging time in which you seeked help from your family or friends
As you know, applications to medicine are very competitive. Why do you deserve a place at this University over the other candidates?
Describe a specific time when you implemented a new habit

Describe a specific situation in which you had to work in a team and suceeded. Why were you successful?
Describe a specific situation in which you had to work in a team and failed. Why did you fail?
What are the key skills and values of a good team leader?
What are the key skills and values of a good team member?
Are you a leader or a follower?
Discuss the importance of being motivated to study medicine and having a genuine interest in the medical profession as a doctor.

Discuss the importance of having an insight into your own strengths and weaknesses as a doctor
Discuss the importance of reflecting on your own work as a doctor
Discuss the importance of personal organisation as a doctor
Discuss the importance of academic ability as a doctor
Discuss the importance of problem solving as a doctor
Discuss the importance of dealing with uncertainty as a doctor
Discuss the importance of managing risk and dealing effectively with problems as a doctor

Discuss the importance of taking responsibility for your own actions as a doctor
Discuss the importance of being conscientious as a doctor
Discuss the importance of insight into your own health as a doctor
Discuss the importance of effective communication in terms of reading, writing, listening and speaking as a doctor
Discuss the importance of teamwork as a doctor

Discuss the importance of the ability to treat people with respect as a doctor
Discuss the importance of resilience and the ability to deal with difficult situations as a doctor
Discuss the importance of empathy and the ability to care for others as a doctor
Discuss the importance of honesty as a doctor

Discuss a situation in which you had to resolve conflict within the team
What would you do if you were on a group project and you noticed that one member of your team was being overbearing?
What would you do if you were on a group project and you noticed that one member of your team was not contributing?
Why is it important for a team leader to be able to delegate?

Discuss the relative importance of a nurse, physiotherapist, patient, junior doctor and senior doctor
What does compassionate care mean to you?
What does collaborative working mean to you?
What does evidence-based delivery mean to you?
What does open communication mean to you?
What does everyday leadership mean to you?

Why do you think understanding the extent of your competency as a medical student and doctor is important?
Tell me about someone who has been a major influence on you as a person/in your life?
If you had to take a gap year and could go anywhere in the world or do anything, what would you choose to do and why?
If you had to take a gap year and in this pandemic could not travel abroad. What would you choose to do and why?
Could you describe an interesting place you have been to (not necessarily medical) and explain why it was so?
Give an example of a situation where you have supported a friend in a difficult socal circumstance. What issues did they face and how did you help them?
What does empathy mean to you? How do you differentiate empathy from sympathy?
Is it right for doctors to "feel for their patients"?

What thoughts and feelings might face someone offered alcohol to celebrate after receiving a liver transplant?
A person with learning difficulties is regularly being teased by their neighbours. How might that affect them?
What do you guess an overweight person might feel and think after being told their arthritis is due to their weight?
A friend has asked your advice on how to tell her parents that she intends to drop out of university and go travelling. How do you respond?
A friend tells you he feels bad because his family has always cheated to obtain extra benefits. How would you respond?
Thinking about your membership of a team (in a work, sport, school or other setting), can you tell us about the most important contributions you made to the team?

Can you think of a team situation where your communication skills have been vital? Tell us about your skills and your contribution.
Tell us about a group activity you have organised. What went well and what went badly? What did you learn from it?
Tell us about a team situation you have experienced. What did you learn about yourself and successful team-working?
When you think about yourself as a doctor, who do you think will be the most important people in the team you will be working with?

Who are the important members of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team? Why?
Modern day healthcare is very much a team effort. Please tell us a role that you have played and what you think you contributed
What do you think of nurses developing extended roles and undertaking tasks previously done by doctors?
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of nurses replacing doctors as the first contact person in primary care?
What do you think is the role of humour in team working. Give an example
What ways of working and studying have you developed that you think will assist you through medical school? What will you need to improve?
How do you think you will cope with criticism from colleagues or other health professionals?
Is there such a thing as positive criticism?
Give us an example of something which you used to hold strong opinions but have had to change your mind. What made you to change? What do you think now?
Have you ever been in a situation where you realise afterwards that what you said or did was wrong? What did you think about it? What should you have done?
How do you think you will avoid problems of keeping up to date during a long career?
What are your outside interests and hobbies? How do these compliment you as a person? Which do you think you will continue at university?
Tell us two personal qualities you have which would make you a good doctor and two personal shortcoming which you think you would like to overcome as you become a doctor?
Medical training is long and being a doctor can be stressful. Some doctors who qualify never practice. What makes you think you will stick to it?

What do you think will be the most difficult things you might encounter during your training? How will you deal with them?
What skills do you think are needed in order to communicate with your patients; how do you think they are best acquired?
Can you learn communication skills?
How have you developed your communication skills?
What interests do you bring from school/college life that you think will contribute to your studies and practice?
Thinking about yourself: what characteristics do you think you would most need to change in the course of becoming a good doctor?

If you could change two things about yourself, what would they be and why?
What do you think are your priorities in your own personal development?
How do you think other people would describe you?
How will you cope with the death of a patient as a result of your mistakes?
Think of a time when you had to say "sorry" to someone. How did that change your relationship with that person?
What makes a good working relationship?
How will you cope with being criticised or even sued?
Medicine will bring you into contact with a vast range of different people, with different cultures; what experience have you had of different types of people?

Can you give me an example of how you coped with a conflict with a colleague or friend; what strategy did you use and why?
What do you think would be the advantages and difficulties for a person with a major physical disability (e.g. blindness) wishing to become a doctor?
Attention has been drawn to the lack of representation of people of colour with regards to skin conditions. If you were the head of the medical school, how would you go about out solving this issue?
“All doctors have to be good communicators” how far do you agree with this statement?
How important do you think natural intelligence is to being a doctor?
How do you manage your ego?

Public Health

Is it right for an influencer or celebrity to give their opinions on public health if they don’t have a medicine or public health qualification?
Is it right for an influencer or celebrity to give information / criticise government decisions on public health if they don’t have a medicine or public health qualification?
“Coronavirus is a great leveller” how far do you agree with this statement?

‘The COVID 19 condition is not a great leveler by any means. Just like any other condition… it is patterned by inequality.’ Evaluate this statement
A report has shown that only 20% of individuals when tested positive actually self isolate. What can we do to increase the percentage of people that self isolate?

How can we increase public trust in a vaccine?
What does vaccine nationalism mean? What are the pros and cons of it?

Oxbridge

About 1 in 4 deaths in the UK is due to some form of cancer, yet in the Philippines the figure is only around 1 in 10. What factors might underlie this difference?
What leaves you drier if it's raining: running or walking?

How is a city like a cell?
How would you determine whether leukaemia patients have contracted the disease because of a nearby nuclear power station?
How would you describe a human to a person from Mars?