Free practice questions for the Nottingham medicine interview, with the interview format taken from the university's own admissions pages.
For 2027 entry, Nottingham publishes an interview with six scenarios, including at least one role play, lasting up to one hour. Home applicants attend in person. International applicants interview online through Microsoft Teams. Interviews are scheduled between 15 December 2026 and 29 January 2027. Nottingham does not call this an MMI, so we describe it using the university's own wording.
Original MedicHut practice questions. Real interviews may differ.
You are about to submit a UCAS application that will commit you to at least five years of training before you can practise independently.
1. What is the clearest reason you can give for choosing medicine over another caring profession?
2. How confident are you that this reason will still motivate you in year four?
3. What would you do if your motivation dipped partway through the course?
Follow-up: If you were offered a place at Nottingham but rejected everywhere else, would that change how you feel about your choice?
Many applicants say a personal or family experience of illness first drew them to medicine.
1. Is there an experience, personal or otherwise, that shaped your own interest in medicine? You do not need to share anything private.
2. How do you make sure a personal motivation translates into a realistic understanding of the job?
3. What is the risk of relying only on one experience to justify a lifelong career choice?
Follow-up: A friend says your reason sounds more emotional than practical. How would you respond?
Nottingham's offers are based on interview performance alone, after academic and UCAT screening.
1. Why do you think a medical school would place this much weight on the interview itself?
2. What do you think an interview can reveal about motivation that grades and test scores cannot?
3. How are you preparing to show your motivation clearly on the day?
Follow-up: If your UCAT score were lower than you hoped, how would you want that to be balanced against your interview?
Medicine involves years of exams and assessments even after qualifying as a doctor.
1. How do you feel about a career that keeps testing you well beyond graduation?
2. What has your experience of ongoing study or training so far taught you about sustaining motivation?
3. What would you do if you failed an important exam during training?
Follow-up: How would you support a coursemate who failed the same exam as you, while you had passed?
Nottingham makes its offers to home A100 applicants based entirely on interview performance, after GCSE and UCAT screening at an earlier stage.
1. What does this tell you about what Nottingham is looking for in a candidate?
2. How would you prepare differently for an interview-only decision compared with one that also weighs predicted grades?
3. What personal strengths do you think will come across best in an interview setting?
Follow-up: If you performed poorly on the day despite strong preparation, what would you want the panel to still notice about you?
Home applicants interview through an MMI, while international applicants meet a panel of two interviewers.
1. Why might a medical school use two different interview formats for different groups of applicants?
2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of an MMI compared with a single panel conversation?
3. If you were an international applicant preparing for a two-person panel, how would your preparation differ from MMI preparation?
Follow-up: If you found out at short notice that your interview format had changed, how would you adapt?
Nottingham does not require applicants to have a fixed amount of named clinical work experience, but still expects reflection on relevant insight.
1. What have you done to gain insight into medicine, and what have you taken from it?
2. How would you describe the clinical environment you most want to understand better before starting?
3. What questions about Nottingham's course or teaching style would you still like answered?
Follow-up: If you arrived at Nottingham and found the teaching style very different from what you expected, how would you respond?
You are preparing for interviews at Nottingham and at another medical school with a different interview style.
1. What specifically have you found out about Nottingham's course or selection process that influenced your choice to apply?
2. How did you go about researching this, beyond the university website?
3. What would be the hardest part of adjusting to Nottingham's particular course and city if you were offered a place?
Follow-up: If you were offered places at both schools on the same day, what one piece of information would most affect your decision?
Think about a period of paid work, volunteering, or work experience, inside or outside healthcare.
1. Describe one specific moment where you saw someone handle a difficult situation well.
2. What made this a good example, in your own words?
3. How has this shaped what you expect from your own future training?
Follow-up: What would you have done if you had seen the same situation handled badly instead?
Nottingham does not set a mandatory list of clinical placements, so many applicants bring a mix of health and non-health experience.
1. What non-clinical experience has taught you something relevant to medicine?
2. How do you explain the relevance of this experience to someone who expected only hospital or GP shadowing?
3. What are the limits of experience gained outside a clinical setting?
Follow-up: If an interviewer seemed unconvinced that your experience was relevant, how would you make your case?
During a period of observation or part-time work, you noticed a colleague under significant time pressure.
1. What specifically did you observe about how they managed their workload?
2. What did this teach you about coping with pressure in a caring role?
3. How would you apply this lesson to your own studies at medical school?
Follow-up: If you later found yourself as overloaded as the person you observed, what would you do differently from them?
Reflect on an experience where you had to support someone going through a difficult time, in any setting.
1. What did you do, and how did you decide what was appropriate to say or do?
2. What did you learn about the limits of what you could offer as a non-professional?
3. How does this experience inform how you imagine supporting patients in the future?
Follow-up: If the person had asked you for advice beyond what you felt qualified to give, how would you have responded?
Imagine you are a first-year medical student, and a coursemate frequently copies your notes but rarely contributes their own work to group study sessions.
1. How would you approach raising this directly with them?
2. What would you do if the behaviour continued after you spoke to them?
3. Why does this kind of situation matter for the culture of a future medical team?
Follow-up: The coursemate tells you they have been struggling at home. Does this change how you respond?
Honesty about your own limitations matters in medical training.
1. What do you consider your biggest area for personal development before starting medical school?
2. Can you give an example of when this limitation has shown itself?
3. What are you doing now to work on it?
Follow-up: How would you feel if this exact limitation were pointed out to you by a tutor in front of other students?
Since Nottingham interviews on performance alone, candidates are often advised to show resilience under pressure during the interview itself.
1. Describe a time you performed under pressure, in an exam, interview, performance, or similar situation.
2. What specifically helped you manage the pressure well?
3. What would you do if you felt your preparation had not been enough on the day?
Follow-up: If you froze briefly during an MMI station, what would you do to recover and carry on?
Reflect on a piece of feedback that was difficult to hear but ultimately useful.
1. What was the feedback, and how did you first react to it?
2. What changed as a result of taking it on board?
3. Why does being open to feedback matter for a future doctor?
Follow-up: How would you respond to feedback that you believed, after reflection, was simply wrong?
You are part of a small team preparing a joint piece of coursework, and one member has consistently stronger ideas but poor communication, leaving others unsure what to do.
1. How would you help the team make better use of this person's strengths?
2. What would you do if this person became frustrated at being asked to explain things more clearly?
3. Why does this situation matter for working in a clinical team later in your career?
Follow-up: If the deadline arrived and the team still had not resolved this issue, what would you prioritise doing?
Imagine you are leading a small group project and two members strongly disagree about which approach to take.
1. How would you try to resolve the disagreement fairly?
2. What principles would guide a decision if no agreement could be reached?
3. Why is this kind of mediation relevant to working in a clinical team?
Follow-up: One member later tells you privately that they felt you took the other person's side. How would you respond?
You are coordinating a small team for a fundraising or community event, and a key helper drops out the day before.
1. What would your immediate priorities be?
2. How would you communicate the change to the rest of the team?
3. What personal qualities help a leader stay calm under sudden pressure?
Follow-up: A team member suggests cancelling the event entirely rather than adapting. How would you respond?
During a group task, you notice the group is heading towards a decision you believe is mistaken.
1. How would you raise your concern?
2. What would you do if the group disagreed with you after hearing your concern?
3. Why does speaking up in this kind of situation matter for patient safety in a clinical team?
Follow-up: If time ran out before the disagreement was resolved, what would you do?
This station involves a role play with an actor. You are a medical student and a patient tells you they have been feeling increasingly anxious about an upcoming scan but have not mentioned this to their consultant.
1. How would you open this conversation with the patient?
2. What would you want to find out before offering any reassurance?
3. How would you handle it if the patient asked you directly what the scan might show?
Follow-up: The patient asks you not to mention their anxiety to the consultant. How would you respond?
This station involves a role play with an actor. You must explain to a worried relative, in plain language, what it means that a family member has been referred for further tests after a routine check.
1. Give your explanation as you would to this relative.
2. What questions might they reasonably ask next?
3. How would you manage their request for a more specific outcome than you are able to give?
Follow-up: The relative becomes upset and asks you to just tell them it will be fine. How would you respond?
This station involves a role play with an actor. A friend tells you, in confidence, that they have been skipping meals to cope with stress before exams.
1. How would you open this conversation to show you are taking them seriously?
2. What would you want to understand before suggesting anything?
3. How would you balance respecting their wish for privacy with your concern for their wellbeing?
Follow-up: Your friend asks you not to tell anyone else, including a teacher or parent. How would you respond?
You are asked to explain, without medical jargon, why taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed matters even after someone starts to feel better.
1. Give your explanation in plain language.
2. How would you check the listener had understood?
3. Why does oversimplifying this kind of advice carry some risk?
Follow-up: The listener says, 'so if I feel fine, it can't hurt to stop early, right?' How would you respond?
A sixth form pupil visiting an open day asks you why doctors sometimes seem rushed when speaking with patients.
1. How would you answer honestly but sensitively?
2. What pressures on the health service might you mention?
3. How would you reassure the pupil this would not stop you caring about your patients?
Follow-up: The pupil asks if this makes you reconsider medicine as a career. How would you answer?
You must summarise, in three short sentences, advice for managing a minor injury at home.
1. Give your three-sentence summary.
2. What is the risk of oversimplifying this kind of advice?
3. How would you make sure the person knew when to seek further help?
Follow-up: The person says, 'so I definitely don't need to see anyone then?' How would you clarify your answer?
A medical student overhears two doctors discussing a patient's case loudly in a hospital corridor, including the patient's full name.
1. What is the ethical concern here?
2. What should the student do, if anything?
3. Why does confidentiality matter even in informal, unplanned moments?
Follow-up: One of the doctors involved is someone the student needs a reference from. Does this change what the student should do?
An adult patient with full mental capacity refuses a treatment that the medical team believes would clearly benefit them.
1. What ethical principle protects the patient's right to refuse?
2. What should the team do if they strongly disagree with the decision?
3. Are there any circumstances in which a competent adult's refusal might be challenged?
Follow-up: The patient's family asks the team to persuade the patient to change their mind. How should the team respond?
The NHS has a fixed budget and must choose between funding one very expensive treatment that helps a few patients, or several cheaper treatments that help many.
1. What are the competing ethical principles in this decision?
2. Who do you think should be involved in making such decisions?
3. Is it ever ethically straightforward to make this kind of choice?
Follow-up: A media campaign puts pressure on the NHS to fund the expensive treatment. How should this affect the decision?
A 17-year-old wants a medical procedure that their parents strongly oppose, though it is otherwise permitted for their age group.
1. What are the key ethical and legal issues to consider?
2. How would a doctor assess whether the 17-year-old can make this decision themselves?
3. What should happen if the young person and their parents cannot agree?
Follow-up: The parents threaten to complain about any doctor who proceeds without their consent. How should this be handled?
A medical student makes a small error while shadowing, which has no effect on patient care, and no one else notices.
1. Should the student mention it to anyone, and why?
2. What ethical principle is most relevant here?
3. How might this situation differ if the error had been more serious?
Follow-up: A fellow student advises them just to let it go since no harm was done. How should they respond to this advice?
A patient from a belief system the treating doctor is unfamiliar with declines a standard treatment for religious reasons.
1. What ethical principle should guide the doctor's response?
2. How should the doctor balance respect for belief with clinical responsibility?
3. What support might the doctor seek in this situation?
Follow-up: A colleague suggests simply not mentioning alternative treatments to avoid the disagreement. Is this acceptable?
The NHS frequently reports long waiting times for both emergency and routine care.
1. What do you understand to be some of the causes of these waiting times?
2. What trade-offs might be involved in trying to reduce them?
3. How might this affect a newly qualified doctor's daily work?
Follow-up: A patient tells you they went private because of the wait. How would you feel hearing this as a future NHS doctor?
Staff retention and wellbeing within the NHS workforce are frequently discussed topics.
1. Why do you think staff wellbeing affects patient care?
2. What could be done to support new doctors in their first years of practice?
3. What personal strategies might help you look after your own wellbeing in a demanding career?
Follow-up: If you noticed a colleague showing signs of burnout, what would you do?
Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly used to help interpret medical scans and triage patients.
1. What benefits might this bring to patients and doctors?
2. What concerns should be considered before relying on such tools?
3. How might the role of a doctor change as these tools become more common?
Follow-up: A patient asks whether a computer or a doctor made the decision about their scan result. How would you answer?
Social care and the NHS are closely linked, especially for older patients who are medically fit for discharge.
1. Why do pressures in social care affect hospitals?
2. What impact might this have on a ward you are working on?
3. What is the role of a doctor in a situation partly caused by problems outside the health service?
Follow-up: A patient is medically fit to leave hospital but has nowhere safe to go. What would you want to happen next for them?
Preventable illness linked to lifestyle factors places significant demand on NHS resources.
1. What is the role of a doctor in prevention as well as treatment?
2. What are the limits of what a doctor can realistically achieve on prevention?
3. How should public health campaigns and individual doctors work together?
Follow-up: A patient says it is unfair to be lectured about lifestyle by a doctor. How would you respond?
The following is an illustrative figure. A trial finds that out of 160 patients given a new treatment, 112 showed improvement, compared with 64 out of 160 patients given the standard treatment.
1. Calculate the percentage improvement rate in each group.
2. What does this difference suggest, and what further information would you want before drawing conclusions?
3. Why might a trial like this be designed to compare against an existing standard treatment rather than a placebo?
Follow-up: If this trial only included 15 patients per group, would you trust the result as much? Why or why not?
You read that antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in modern medicine.
1. What basic process allows bacteria to become resistant to a drug over time?
2. Why does finishing a prescribed course of antibiotics help to reduce this risk?
3. Why is this relevant background for a future doctor prescribing medication?
Follow-up: How would you explain antibiotic resistance to a school pupil with no biology background?
A new medicine is approved for use after passing through several stages of clinical testing.
1. What do you understand about why medicines go through multiple testing phases before approval?
2. Why might a treatment that works well in a trial behave differently in everyday use?
3. What role might doctors play in reporting problems with medicines after they are approved?
Follow-up: A patient tells you they do not trust 'newly approved' medicines. How would you respond?
Scientific understanding taught at school is often presented as settled fact, but medical knowledge frequently changes.
1. Can you think of an example where scientific or medical understanding has changed over time?
2. Why is it important for a doctor to accept that medical knowledge can change?
3. How would you keep your own knowledge up to date throughout a long career?
Follow-up: How would you explain to a patient that advice they received years ago has since changed?
The following is an illustrative figure. An A100 medicine course receives applications from 800 candidates, interviews 300 of them, and makes 150 offers.
1. What percentage of applicants are interviewed, and what percentage of those interviewed receive an offer?
2. What does this suggest about the role the interview plays in Nottingham's selection process, since offers are made on interview performance alone?
3. What further information would help you judge how competitive this process is for a particular applicant?
Follow-up: If the number of interview places stayed the same but applications doubled, what would this mean for the interview process?
The following is an illustrative figure. A hospital ward has four patients needing a doctor's review this morning. Patient A had surgery yesterday and has increasing pain. Patient B is medically stable and waiting only for discharge paperwork. Patient C has a mild rash that started overnight. Patient D, three days after an operation, has become confused and short of breath in the last hour.
1. In what order would you want these four patients reviewed, and why?
2. What further information would help you confirm this order is correct?
3. What does this exercise show about prioritising care when resources are limited?
Follow-up: A fifth patient, newly arrived and in severe pain, is added to the list. How does this change your order?
The following is an illustrative figure. A screening test correctly identifies 90 out of 100 people who have a condition, but also incorrectly flags 15 out of 100 people who do not have it.
1. In a group of 1,000 people where 40 actually have the condition, roughly how many would you expect the test to flag in total?
2. What problem does this illustrate about screening tests in a low-prevalence population?
3. Why is this relevant to decisions about offering a test widely?
Follow-up: How would you explain this result to a worried person who has just tested positive?
You are given a logical puzzle: four patients are waiting to be seen, and you are told only that patient A must be seen before patient C, patient B must be seen last, and patient D must be seen before patient A.
1. List the possible orders in which the patients could be seen.
2. Explain your reasoning process.
3. Why might the ability to reason through constraints like this be useful in medicine?
Follow-up: A fifth patient arrives who must be seen immediately after D. How does this change the possible orders?
Think of a time you changed your opinion about something significant after new information or an experience.
1. What was your original view and what changed it?
2. How did you handle the process of changing your mind?
3. Why is this kind of flexibility useful for a future doctor?
Follow-up: How would you respond if changing your mind meant admitting you had previously given someone incorrect advice?
Reflect on the process of preparing for a decision made entirely on interview performance.
1. What has this process taught you about your own strengths?
2. What has it taught you about areas you still need to develop?
3. How will you continue this kind of reflection once you are a medical student?
Follow-up: If you were not offered a place this year, what would you take forward from this experience?
Consider a time you received a disappointing result or outcome that did not match your effort.
1. How did you respond at the time?
2. What did you learn about managing disappointment?
3. How might this learning help you cope with setbacks during medical training?
Follow-up: How would you distinguish between a setback you should push through and one that signals you need to change your approach?
Reflect on a time you had to represent yourself clearly to a stranger in a single, time-limited conversation, such as an interview, audition, or assessment.
1. What did you do to prepare?
2. What did you learn about communicating effectively within a short time frame?
3. How will you apply this lesson to your MMI or panel interview at Nottingham?
Follow-up: If you felt you had not represented yourself well in such a conversation, what would you do afterwards?
Reflect on an experience that changed an assumption you had previously held about another person or group.
1. What was the assumption, and what changed it?
2. How did you respond once you realised your assumption was wrong?
3. Why does this kind of reflection matter for treating a diverse range of patients fairly?
Follow-up: How would you respond if a colleague later made the same assumption you once held?
Nottingham uses this format for medicine: Six-scenario interview. There are 6 stations. Interviews may be in person or online.
Interview timing for Nottingham: 15 December 2026 to 29 January 2027. Always check the university's own admissions pages for this year's dates.
Nottingham assesses: Communication and listening, Teamwork, Respect for patients, Understanding the contribution of professions allied to medicine.
No. They are 50 original MedicHut practice questions, written to match Nottingham's published interview format. Universities do not share their real questions, so your interview may differ.
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