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MMI Interview Ques!ons M M I S TAT I O N S & Q U E S T I O N S

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Deciding on Medicine Your MMI interview will involve a variety of sta!ons
Work Experience and a range of ques!ons. The examples below will
Choosing a Medical help you to prepare for your Medicine interview and
School
learn how to answer MMI interview ques!ons.
UCAS

Personal Statement Popular

These MMI ques!ons and answer guides have been put together Interview Prep
UCAT
by medics who have successfully navigated interviews at top Explore all of our
How To Prepare For Doctor-created
Medical Schools. They’re included in our Mastering the Medical
BMAT interview prep in one
School Interview Guide that you will get when you join a Medical place.
Interview Guide
School Interview Course. It’s over 220 pages long and has
Online Interviews everything you need to ace your interview.
Tradi!onal/Panel

MMI Give Instruc!ons

Role Play Sta!ons
Sta!on set up: Interview
Professional Judgement Course
Sta!ons The interviewer is si"ng across from you, and on the table
Stand out with our
Communica!on there’s a wrapped-up box. You’re asked to instruct the one-day Medical
Sta!ons School Interview
interviewer on how to unwrap and open the box, without helping
Course - delivered by
Priori!sa!on Sta!ons them or using your hands. Doctors. Get proven
strategies and a real
Calcula!on and Data
It isn’t straigh#orward, because the examiner will be using no mock interview.
Sta!ons
assumed knowledge and will be doing only what you tell them,
PBL Sta!ons
e.g. ‘li$ up that flap’ and the examiner starts li$ing up the wrong
MMI Interview
Ques!ons flap, ‘turn the box around’ and the examiner turns the box in the

wrong direc!on.
Oxbridge
This giving instruc!ons sta!on is tes!ng your communica!on
When Are Interview MMI Circuits
Invites Being Sent Out? skills and your pa!ence.
The most popular
School-by-School Tips way to prepare! Our
How to answer this MMI ques!on:
Doctor-created MMI
Interview Tips Prep Course is
First, explain the aim to the interviewer e.g. “Our aim is to
trusted by thousands
Prepare For Medicine open that box. I am going to give you a set of instruc!ons on
Interviews of students every
how to do so. Are you ready?”
year.
Replay Medicine The key is to be very specific with your instruc!ons e.g. “Use
Interview Webinars your le$ hand to li$ the le$ flap up and outwards to the le$.”

Interview Ques!ons The interviewer will do what you ask, but they will try to not
do what is wanted in order to test you. They are role-playing
Background and and this could get quite frustra!ng given the !me constraints.
Mo!va!on For
You must stay calm, be pa!ent and smile.
Medicine Ques!ons
Important aspects to convey are: changing your Medicine
Depth and Breadth of communica!on style to adapt (e.g. rewording instruc!ons),
Interest Ques!ons Interview
pa!ence and perseverance (you can’t just give up).
Tutoring
Knowledge of Medical Don’t be disheartened/frustrated if you don’t get the box
School Ques!ons Turn Medical School
opened. This isn’t the main point, it’s your approach to the
interviews into
Crea!vity and situa!on that actually ma&ers.
offers. Get Doctor-
Imagina!on Ques!ons designed strategies,
delivered by top
Ethics Ques!ons
Medical School
Empathy Ques!ons Interview Tutors.
Answer Any Interview Ques!on
Personal Insight
Ques!ons Get Doctor-delivered strategies and face a real MMI Circuit
Teamwork Ques!ons

Work Experience INTERVIEW COURSES MMI CIRCUITS

Ques!ons

MMI Interview
Ques!ons

Oxbridge Ques!ons Role Play

NHS Hot Topics
Sta!on set up:
Medical Ethics
An actor hands you a card, telling you that in this role play sta!on
Graduate Entry
you are a close friend of theirs. You have been house-si"ng
Studying Abroad while ‘your friend’ has been on holiday and you have to explain to

Study Medicine Abroad In them that you broke their favourite ornament. When informed,
Europe
the actor becomes hysterical and very angry.
Studying Abroad in the
USA This sta!on is tes!ng your communica!on skills, your ability to

Study Abroad in Ireland deliver bad news, your empathy and your willingness to admit to

mistakes.
Study Medicine In The
Caribbean
How to answer this MMI ques!on:
Study Abroad in Australia
First, make small talk to make the other person comfortable
Study Abroad in Hong (remember that in this scenario you are friends).
Kong
Then prepare them for the news, by saying something like:
How To Survive Your First “I’ve got something to tell you that may be quite upse"ng.”
Year Of Med School
Tell them the bad news, making sure you are apologe!c and
Science Hot Topics empathise with them (the actor is going to be quite hysterical
at this point, doing anything to make you feel uncomfortable).
Den!stry
It’s your job to stay calm. You should ask if there’s anything
Allied Health you can do to remedy the situa!on, e.g. offer to replace it
(showing your problem-solving skills).
Nursing

Physician Associate
Priori!sa!on
The NHS Guide
Sta!on set up:
Parents’ Guide
You’re told that this weekend you’re going on a camping trip. In

front of you is a table of random objects. You have 20 seconds to

pick five objects that you deem to be of the most importance and

value, and explain.

This priori!sa!on sta!on is tes!ng your ability to make !me-

pressured decisions and defend them. It’s also tes!ng your ability

to think prac!cally.

How to answer this MMI ques!on:

Go through each item, briefly explaining why you picked it.

What use is it?

What situa!ons would it help you navigate?

Is it going to be a hindrance e.g. heavy to carry, or is it

conveniently sized?

You could explain why you didn’t pick some of the other items
on the table.

Ethics Knowledge
Sta!on set up:

The interviewer asks a ques!on: What ethical principle of

medicine would you consider to be most important?

This sta!on is simply tes!ng your knowledge of the various

ethical principles and checking that you appreciate their

importance when making decisions.

How to answer this MMI ques!on:

Don’t worry if there is not a ‘most important’ one. Just pick one,

describe its meaning, and be able to jus!fy your choice.

Autonomy: Allows pa!ents to make informed decisions about

their own treatment.

Beneficence: Doctors must do good and act in the best

interest of their pa!ents and/or society as a whole.

Non-maleficence: Doctors should act in ways that do not

cause harm to pa!ents.

Jus!ce: Fairness across the popula!on, only discrimina!ng

based on clinical need.

Confiden!ality: While not strictly an ethical principle, it’s

linked to several of them.

This list and the explana!ons are not exhaus!ve, so you need to

beef up your explana!on. You can look up the principles yourself

– there’s a lot of literature to look at.

Link whatever principle you choose to your work experience by

giving an example of how you saw the principle being

demonstrated.

Empathy
Sta!on set up:

You are faced with an actor playing a 65-year-old man who has

just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He is coming to his

GP for advice on how to cope with his diagnosis, as he has heard

a lot of s!gma over the years about demen!a and its burden on

both his family and the healthcare service. While talking to you,

he breaks down into tears.

This sta!on is tes!ng your ability to empathise with pa!ents,

your knowledge of the issues associated with an ageing

popula!on, and your communica!on skills.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

Console the pa!ent in an empathe!c way.

Advise him on latest developments e.g. assis!ve technology.

Advise him to join support groups e.g. Alzheimer’s Society.

Reassure him that there is less s!gma about demen!a now

than in the past.

Role play
Sta!on set up:

You’re told that you are entering a hospital staff room prior to

performing surgery with Dr ‘X’. As you enter, you see Dr X take a

swig of a clear drink from a bo&le, which you suspect is alcohol,

and then quickly close their locker.

Over the course of the conversa!on, Dr X begins to forget things

and slur their words.

You have five minutes to speak to Dr X.

This professional judgement sta!on is primarily tes!ng your

ability to make value judgements regarding pa!ent safety.

One of the big a&ributes being tested in this sta!on is the ability

to approach emo!ve situa!ons sensi!vely and sympathe!cally.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

In this situa!on, you’ve found a co-worker in a poten!ally

vola!le situa!on. It’s important to approach the situa!on with
humility and without judging your colleague.

Ini!ally try to make the surgeon feel comfortable, and

poten!ally make small talk about the surgery. First and
foremost, they are a friend and a colleague.

Try to get to the bo&om of what you’ve just seen. Ask

ques!ons which may prompt the surgeon to offer up
informa!on voluntarily.

Direct, accusa!ve ques!ons early in the discussion may make

Dr X feel judged and could be detrimental to the rela!onship
between you two.

However, if you are s!ll worried about them, more probing

ques!ons may be necessary, e.g. “I saw you put something
into your locker quickly as I entered. Do you mind if I ask, is
everything alright?”

Despite your rela!onship with the surgeon, you must also

consider the safety of the pa!ent and whether it’s
appropriate to let Dr X perform surgery on them.

Come to an appropriate compromise whereby the surgeon

takes the a$ernoon off and offer a more private chat the next
day to discuss further.

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Communica!on
Sta!on set up:

On the table, there is a diagram which shows the layout of a

building. The interviewer asks you to give them direc!ons from

the entrance of the building to Room A. A$er you have given

your answer, the interviewer asks why you think you are being

asked this ques!on.

This sta!on is tes!ng your communica!on skills and ability to

interpret an image.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

Take a look at the diagram. Before you begin your

explana!on, orientate yourself and locate your star!ng point
and des!na!on. Check whether there is some kind of key
that could help you to interpret the image.

When giving the examiner direc!ons, split your explana!on

of the route into steps to help make it clearer and keep
yourself on track. Use words such as first, next, then, etc.

Although MMI ques!ons may seem random, they are

intended to test you on skills that you would need as a
medical student or Doctor. The examiner may ask you why
you think you are being asked a ques!on to see whether you
can iden!fy these skills and why they are relevant to
medicine.

This ques!on is tes!ng your ability to communicate and give a

clear explana!on. These skills are clearly important in medicine;

for example, doctors must be able to give pa!ents clear

instruc!ons when they prescribe them medica!on.

It also tests your ability to interpret an image. This skill is

important in medicine as Doctors are required to interpret images

such as x-rays or CTs, for example.

Confiden!ality
Sta!on set up:

An actor hands you a card which states that you are playing the

role of a GP and they are a 16-year-old girl who has come to ask

for informa!on about ge"ng tested for STIs, but is worried

about her parents finding out.

This sta!on is tes!ng your ability to communicate and show

empathy, as well as your understanding of Doctor-pa!ent

confiden!ality.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

As you are playing the role of the GP, it is up to you to lead

the role play. Begin by introducing yourself. Ask the pa!ent
their name and how they are, before moving on to why they
are there.

Ask ques!ons that you think are relevant to the scenario such
as: “Are you sexually ac!ve?”, “Have you been tested for STIs
before?”, “Have you had unprotected sex?”, “Have you been
experiencing any symptoms?”

Respond appropriately any !me the pa!ent expresses a

concern. As this scenario involves a young person, this could
be their first !me ge"ng tested and they might be nervous
about it, or they might be scared if they suspect that they
have contracted an STI. It is important to demonstrate
empathy and to try to reassure them.

When the pa!ent men!ons that they are worried about their
parents finding out about them seeking advice on this
subject, explain that everything you have discussed will
remain confiden!al. You should be aware of the principle of
Doctor-pa!ent confiden!ality and how it applies in a
situa!on like this.

Conclude the role play by asking the pa!ent if they have any
further ques!ons and then thanking them for their visit. This
gives the actor an opportunity to prompt you if you have
missed out anything important.

Data Interpreta!on
Sta!on set up:

On the table, there’s a graph which shows the plasma insulin

levels of several pa!ents over the course of one day, with the

!mes that meals were consumed indicated. The interviewer asks

you to describe the graph for Pa!ent 1. You are then asked to

provide an explana!on for the changes in insulin levels at

different !mes of the day.

This sta!on is tes!ng your ability to interpret a graph and your

scien!fic knowledge.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

Familiarise yourself with the graph before you give your

answer. Look at the axes and the key/legend to make sure
that you understand the data being presented, and also to
ensure that you are looking at the data for the correct pa!ent.

Describe the data for Pa!ent 1 and point out any trends that
you no!ce. Use the same language as you would when
describing a graph for a lab report.

This ques!on requires you to use some basic knowledge of

human physiology, which should have been covered in your
biology course (for those who take Biology). For a normal
pa!ent, this graph would usually show increases in plasma
insulin following meals and you should explain why this is the
case using this prior knowledge. There may be follow-up
ques!ons at a sta!on like this to further test your scien!fic
knowledge, or the interviewer may prompt you if you miss
out something important from your explana!on.

It is important to keep on top of content for the science

courses that you take in case a ques!on like this comes up at
interview.

Communica!on Skills
Sta!on set up:

An actor hands you a card which states that you are playing the

role of a surgeon and they are a pa!ent on whom you recently

performed a hip replacement. You must inform them that some

nerve damage occurred during surgery, which means they may

not regain full use of their leg.

This sta!on is tes!ng your communica!on skills and your ability

to show empathy.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

This scenario involves breaking bad news to a pa!ent, so it is

extremely important to demonstrate empathy throughout.

Prepare the pa!ent for what you are about to tell them. Say
something along the lines of “This may be difficult to hear,
but…” so they know they are about to receive some bad
news.

Explain the complica!on that occurred during surgery in

terms that the pa!ent will understand. This means avoiding
medical jargon such as ‘nerve lesion’.

As hearing this news would be extremely difficult for any

pa!ent, be prepared for them to become emo!onal or angry.
It is important that you respond with empathy.

Express your apologies and try to reassure the pa!ent that

they will receive the support they need. You may want to
provide some examples of the care they would be en!tled to,
such as physiotherapy.

Ask the pa!ent whether they have any ques!ons for you.
This is good prac!ce and will also give the actor a chance to
prompt you if you have missed out anything.

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Communica!on Skills
Sta!on set up:

The interviewer tells you that you have four minutes to explain

the process/purpose of vaccina!on to them, speaking as you

would to any competent adult. When you have finished, they

give you another four minutes to explain the same thing as if you

were speaking to a young child who is about to be vaccinated.

This !me, you may use a whiteboard and marker to support your

explana!on if you choose.

This sta!on is tes!ng your communica!on skills.

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

For this sta!on, it is important to demonstrate good

communica!on and to show that you understand when and
how you should adapt your communica!on to suit different
types of people.

When giving your first explana!on, it is important to

remember that you are speaking to an adult but not
necessarily to someone in the medical field. You should
therefore avoid medical jargon such as ‘herd immunity’.

You don’t have that much !me to speak and are therefore not
expected to give an in-depth explana!on of the science
behind vaccina!on. Simply explain how a doctor/nurse would
administer an injectable vaccine, and how this is intended to
protect the pa!ent by preven!ng them from becoming ill with
the disease that the vaccine targets.

When giving your second explana!on, you should avoid

medical jargon and also any vocabulary that a typical adult
would understand but that a child might not know. This could
include terms like ‘syringe’ or ‘injec!on’.

If you want to, use the whiteboard to enhance your

explana!on. For example, you might want to draw the syringe
going into a pa!ent’s arm and then another picture of an arm
with a plaster where the needle went in. However, do not use
the whiteboard just for the sake of it, and only draw to
accompany the parts of the explana!on where it will be
effec!ve. Remember to keep good eye contact, even if you
are drawing for part of the !me.

Ethics
Sta!on set up:

Four people need a liver and they all have an equal chance of

success. One has only two weeks le$ to live without, one is the

sole carer for their father, one is a pregnant lady who would

otherwise only have a couple of months with her newborn, and

one has taken a large Paracetamol overdose. Assuming there was

nothing to medically differen!ate the pa!ents, and considering

only the ethical aspects, who would you give the liver to?

How to approach this MMI ques!on:

There is no right or wrong answer to these types of ethics

ques!ons. Their purpose is to explore your thought process
and how well you express yourself. A good answer will be
clear and logical in your explana!on of who you would
priori!se in this scenario.

Determine a framework by which you would like to assess

each of these pa!ents in terms of priority. For example, how
would you value !me le$ to live in comparison with the
number of dependents that a pa!ent has? Each pa!ent has an
individual characteris!c which makes them important in their
own way, and so with what we know, how would you
posi!on these? We are given limited informa!on in this
scenario, so you may be bound by certain aspects in this
regard.

Be clear as to why you determined your framework in the

way that you did. This is probably the most important part of
your answer, so spend some !me exploring your jus!fica!on.
One !p is to consider that you are trying to maximise benefit
in the decision that you choose to make, so you may want to
explain how your choices meet this aim.

Apply this to the scenario with the four pa!ents. Depending

on the amount of !me that you have, you may want to focus
more on the pa!ent who you would choose to give the liver
to.

There are many ways to structure your answer. You may want
to state the pa!ent who you would give the liver to at the
beginning, or you may want to explore how you came to your
decision first. All structures are completely valid – the most
important point is that you adequately jus!fy your response.

Make sure you make a balanced argument. Consider the

arguments both for and against individuals, and remain non-
judgemental throughout.

Use the four pillars of medical ethics (autonomy, beneficence,

non-maleficence and jus!ce) to help create ethical arguments
for and against.

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