Free practice questions for the Queen's Belfast (QUB) medicine interview, with the interview format taken from the university's own admissions pages.
For 2027 entry, Queen's publishes an MMI of nine stations in Belfast for Home applicants and a seven station online MMI for international applicants. The in person circuit runs across 12 positions, with interviewers at nine stations and three rest stations, and four stations use role players. Offers are ranked on interview score.
Original MedicHut practice questions. Real interviews may differ.
You are a worker in a restaurant. There appears to be an elderly woman who has been there for several hours and is now becoming agitated and disturbing other customers. Please have a conversation with her
You are taking part in a communication exercise. You must instruct a colleague on how to draw a simple picture of a house.
You are not allowed to use any hand gestures or show them any pictures.
1. How will you structure your instructions to ensure they are easy to follow?
2. What steps will you take to check your colleague understands your directions?
3. Why is clear verbal communication without visual aids important in a medical setting?
Follow-up:
"Your colleague draws a triangle for the roof but places it upside down. How do you correct them without causing frustration?"
You are a medical student on a cardiology ward. A patient has just been told they have had a heart attack. They are confused and ask you to explain what that actually means.
They have no medical background and seem quite anxious.
1. How would you explain the physiological process of a heart attack in simple terms?
2. What techniques would you use to ensure the patient understands your explanation?
3. How would you balance providing accurate information with avoiding unnecessary alarm?
Follow-up:
"The patient interrupts your explanation and says, 'Am I going to die from this?' How do you respond?"
You are speaking with a 50‑year‑old man who recently experienced chest pain while climbing stairs. He insists it was “just indigestion” and refuses to go to the hospital because he doesn’t want to “waste time or money.”
Your task: persuade him to reconsider his decision and seek medical care immediately.
It is A-Level results day. You have just opened your email and discovered you have been accepted into medical school. Your close friend, who applied to the same university, approaches you. They look extremely upset and tell you they have missed their required grades.
1. How would you start this conversation with your friend?
2. What factors should you consider when deciding whether to share your own news?
3. What communication skills are most important to use in this moment?
Follow-up:
"The interviewer will now play the role of your friend. They say: 'It is so unfair, I worked much harder than you.' Respond to them directly."
You are a medical student on a hospital ward placement. You are talking to a patient about their upcoming discharge from hospital. As you explain that they will need regular blood tests at their GP surgery, they start crying and look very distressed.
1. What immediate steps would you take to support this patient?
2. How would you adapt your communication style in this moment?
3. Why is it important to check a patient's understanding during medical conversations?
Follow-up:
"The patient tells you they are terrified of needles and cannot possibly have regular blood tests. How would you handle this new information?"
Reflect on the qualities required to be an effective doctor.
1. What do you consider to be the most important skills for a doctor to possess?
2. Which of these skills do you feel you have developed the most, and how?
3. Explain the difference between empathy and sympathy in a clinical setting.
Follow-up:
"A patient tells you they are terrified of an upcoming procedure. How would an empathetic response differ from a sympathetic one?"
Medical professionals often work in unpredictable environments where things do not always go as intended. Reflect on a time when a situation you were involved in did not go according to plan.
1. What was the situation and how did you respond?
2. Why is the ability to admit mistakes a crucial part of medical practice?
3. What psychological or professional barriers might make it difficult for a doctor to admit an error?
Follow-up:
"You make a minor error on a ward that does not harm the patient. A colleague tells you to ignore it because reporting it will only cause unnecessary paperwork. How would you handle this?"
Tell us about a time you had to ask for help with a difficult task or situation.
Please cover the following points in your answer:
- The context of the situation and why you needed assistance.
- How you recognised your own limits.
- What this experience taught you and what you would do differently next time.
Follow-up:
"As a junior doctor, you might feel pressured to know all the answers. How will you identify when you need to ask a senior colleague for help?"
Reflect on your personal experiences outside of your academic studies.
1. What has been your greatest achievement so far?
2. Why is this achievement significant to you?
3. What challenges did you have to overcome to reach this goal?
4. How have the skills you developed prepared you for medical school?
Follow-up:
"Can you tell us about a time when you put a lot of effort into something but failed to achieve your goal?"
A recent report from a health think tank describes the NHS as being under unprecedented critical pressure. The report highlights increasing patient waiting times and staff shortages across several departments.
1. What demographic and societal factors are contributing to this increasing demand on the NHS?
2. How does an aging population impact the types of services the NHS must provide?
3. What practical steps could be taken to improve staff retention in hospitals?
Follow-up:
"A senior nurse suggests that reducing administrative burdens would solve the retention crisis overnight. Do you agree with this view?"
A GP practice notices that patients from a deprived area are significantly less likely to attend routine health checks than patients from wealthier areas.
Why might this difference exist?
What could the practice do to improve attendance?
Could targeting one community be considered unfair?
A hospital introduces an AI system that analyses scans and identifies abnormalities. Early testing suggests that it detects some conditions more accurately than doctors.
Could AI worsen health inequalities?
Should patients be told when AI has been involved in their diagnosis?
Could doctors become over-reliant on the technology?
A hospital has enough funding to introduce one of two programmes:
Programme A: Helps 1,000 people with a relatively small improvement in quality of life.
Programme B: Helps 100 people with a much larger improvement in quality of life.
Questions
Which programme would you choose?
What factors would influence your decision?
Talk about an issue in the NHS you recently read about
A GP practice introduces an AI chatbot that allows patients to describe their symptoms before deciding whether they need an appointment.
Early results show that it reduces unnecessary GP appointments.
Questions
What are the potential benefits?
What are the potential risks?
Do you think the use of AI should be mandatory in healthcare, if evidence based medicine clearly highlights it's benefits
You are volunteering at a community health centre.
A recently arrived family brings their 8-year-old son to an appointment. The parents speak limited English and are accompanied by their teenage daughter, who is translating for them.
During the appointment, the daughter appears uncomfortable and says that her parents don't want the doctor to know about a problem at home.
1.What communication barriers might this family face?
2.What would you do initially?
3.What would you do if you were concerned about the child's welfare?
A friend tells you that their sibling is being treated in the hospital where you are undertaking work experience. They ask you to look at the patient's medical record because they're worried about them.
A patient with a chronic illness has repeatedly declined a treatment that their doctor believes would significantly improve their health.
Their family are frustrated and ask you why the doctor doesn't simply make them accept the treatment.
Questions
What does autonomy mean?
Can a patient make a decision that doctors believe is harmful?
How would you explain the situation to the family?
You are on hospital work experience with a group of other students. One of them makes a derogatory racist comment about a patient. Your task is to respond appropriately, showing professionalism and integrity.
You are working with a peer during a hospital placement. They are about to draw blood from a patient but skip putting on gloves because “it’s faster and I’ve done this a hundred times.” Your task: convince them to reconsider and follow the safety procedure
You are a junior doctor in a general practice clinic. A patient comes in for a routine check up. They confess they have stopped taking their prescribed blood pressure medication. They ask you not to write this in their medical notes because they do not want their regular GP to be angry with them.
1. What are the main ethical issues in this scenario?
2. How would you balance the patient's request for confidentiality with the need for accurate medical records?
3. What exactly would you say to this patient?
Follow-up:
"The patient becomes upset and says: 'If you write it down, I will never tell you the truth again.' How do you respond?"
You are a General Practitioner treating a patient with type 2 diabetes. The patient refuses to make any changes to their poor diet or lack of exercise. They demand that you prescribe a new and expensive weight loss medication. You personally believe that patients should take responsibility for their lifestyle before relying on medication.
1. How would you approach this consultation?
2. Should a doctor's personal views ever influence the care they provide to a patient?
3. What ethical principles must you consider in this situation?
Follow-up:
"The patient becomes defensive and accuses you of judging them. How would you handle this response?"
A medical student has failed an important examination and is considering leaving Medicine.
What advice would you give them?
When might someone need to reconsider their approach rather than simply "try harder"?
How can medical students maintain resilience?
Scenario
Someone tells you:
"Medicine sounds like years of studying followed by a stressful job where you don't have much control. Why would anyone choose it?
How would you respond?
What have you done to understand the realities of being a doctor?
What qualities do you think you'll need to develop?
What personal experience or interest first made you consider a career in medicine?
Please cover the following points in your answer:
- The initial spark that made you interested in the field.
- How you explored this interest further to ensure medicine was the right choice for you.
- How your understanding of a medical career has changed since that initial spark.
Follow-up:
"Many students want to help people. Why choose medicine over nursing or social work?"
Medicine is a highly demanding degree and career. People outside the profession often have an inaccurate view of what the reality is like.
1. What do you think is the biggest misconception the general public has about studying medicine?
2. Why do you think this misconception exists?
3. How have you ensured your own expectations of a medical career are realistic?
Follow-up:
"Imagine an A-Level student tells you they want to be a doctor purely because they want a high salary. How would you respond to them?"
You are a medical school applicant on a group task during interview day. One of your peers in the group repeatedly interrupts others and dominates the discussion. The examiner asks you to role play how you would give them constructive feedback in a respectful, professional way.
You are part of a student committee organising a university charity event. The current president unexpectedly steps down two weeks before the event. The rest of the team is panicked and disorganised.
1. How would you step up and take responsibility in this situation?
2. Is a good leader always the person who makes the decisions? Explain your reasoning.
3. Give an example from your own life of a time you took responsibility for a difficult task.
Follow-up:
"Another committee member refuses to follow your instructions and insists they should be in charge. How would you resolve this conflict?"
You are organising a charity fundraiser with a group of classmates. Two members disagree strongly about how the money raised should be allocated, and the disagreement is starting to affect the group's progress.
You are in a group of four medical students preparing an assessed presentation on public health. The presentation is scheduled for this afternoon. One group member sends a message saying they have not prepared their slides or speech.
1. What are your immediate priorities as a team?
2. How would you communicate with the student who has not prepared?
3. What steps can a team take at the start of a project to prevent this situation?
Follow-up:
"The student replies to your message and says they had a family emergency last night. How does this change your approach?"
A medical student is extremely academically successful but struggles to communicate with patients and colleagues
Which is more important: knowledge or empathy?
How should medical schools assess non-academic qualities?
You have been asked to represent your medical school cohort on a university student welfare panel.
Please cover the following points in your answer:
- The specific personal qualities that would make you effective in this role.
- How you would ensure you represent the views of students who are different to you.
- An example of a time you have demonstrated these qualities in the past.
Follow-up:
"A student approaches you in confidence. They tell you they are struggling with their mental health and want to drop out of university. How do you support them?"
You are a first year medical student. You notice that a friend on your course has missed three weeks of clinical skills sessions. When you see them in the library, they look tired and are very quiet.
1. What initial concerns would you have about your friend?
2. How would you start a conversation with them about this issue?
3. What resources or support systems are available for medical students in this situation?
Follow-up:
"Your friend admits they are struggling with the workload and says they are thinking of dropping out. What is your next step?"
Medical professionals often need to deliver difficult information while remaining compassionate. Describe a situation from your own life where you had to balance honesty with kindness.
1. Briefly outline the situation and who was involved.
2. Explain how you decided what to say.
3. Why is the balance between honesty and kindness important for a doctor?
Follow-up:
"Can you think of a situation in healthcare where complete honesty might cause a patient distress? What should a doctor do in that case?"
You have applied to study medicine at Queen's University Belfast. There are many medical schools across the UK, each offering different teaching styles and environments.
1. What specific factors led you to choose Queen's University Belfast?
2. Which elements of the curriculum appeal to your learning style?
3. How does this medical school fit with your long term career goals?
"If you were offered a place at another medical school closer to your hometown, how would you make your final decision?"
Medical students are encouraged to engage with university life beyond their academic studies. Queen's University Belfast has a wide range of societies, sports clubs and student initiatives.
1. How do you plan to get involved in the university community?
2. What specific skills or experiences would you bring to a student society?
3. Why is it important for medical students to have interests outside of their degree?
"A society you joined is struggling to recruit new members. How would you help them improve their engagement?"
Moving to a new city for university is a major transition for many students. Belfast has its own unique culture, history and healthcare demographic.
1. What do you know about Belfast as a city?
2. How do you plan to adapt to living and studying in Northern Ireland?
3. What challenges might a student face when moving away from home for the first time?
"You are feeling homesick during your first term and are struggling to keep up with coursework. What steps would you take to manage this?"
A first year medical student at Queen's University Belfast is finding the transition to university difficult. They are falling behind on their assignments and feel overwhelmed by the workload.
1. What academic and pastoral support systems are generally available to university students?
2. How would you encourage this student to seek help?
3. How do you personally manage stress during demanding periods?
"The student tells you they do not want to speak to the medical school because they are worried they will be deemed unfit to study. How would you respond?"
During your preparation for medical school, you will have undertaken work experience or volunteering in a caring or healthcare setting.
Please describe a specific, memorable interaction you had with a patient or service user. In your answer, please cover:
1. The context of the situation and what happened.
2. How the situation was managed by the people involved.
3. What you learned about the realities of a medical career from this event.
"If you could go back to that specific moment, is there anything you would do differently?"
Reflect on your work experience or volunteering in a caring setting.
Think about the most challenging situation you observed.
1. Briefly describe the situation and who was involved.
2. Why was this situation particularly challenging for the healthcare professionals?
3. How was the situation resolved?
Follow-up:
"If you were the professional in that situation, what might you have found most difficult personally?"
Many people base their understanding of a medical career on television dramas. During your work experience, you will have seen the reality of the profession.
1. What did you learn about the daily role of a doctor that surprised you?
2. How does the reality of a medical career differ from media portrayals?
3. How has this insight changed your preparation for medical school?
Follow-up:
"Some television shows depict doctors breaking rules to save patients. How would the GMC view this behaviour?"
During your preparation for medical school, you will have observed interactions between healthcare professionals and patients.
Think of a specific time you observed effective communication.
1. Describe the context of the interaction.
2. What specific verbal and non-verbal skills did the professional use?
3. Why were these skills effective for that particular patient?
Follow-up:
"How might the professional have needed to adapt their communication if the patient was very angry?"
A medical student is preparing for a hospital journal club. They must present a recent scientific discovery or medical article to their peers.
Imagine you are this student.
1. What recent scientific discovery or medical article would you choose to discuss?
2. Why is this topic important to the medical community?
3. How could this development change future patient care?
Follow-up:
"A senior doctor points out that the study you chose was only conducted on animals. How does this affect the usefulness of the findings?"
You are a first year medical student. You are assigned to a small group project researching a new treatment for a common condition like asthma.
1. How would you ensure the information you find is accurate and up to date?
2. How do you currently keep up to date with scientific developments?
3. Why is it important for doctors to stay informed about new research?
Follow-up:
"Your group finds a recent article in a popular newspaper claiming a new herbal cure for asthma. How would you evaluate this claim?"
A patient comes into a GP surgery asking for a specific medication they read about on a social media blog. The GP refuses to prescribe it, explaining that there is no strong clinical evidence to support its use. The patient becomes frustrated and asks why doctors rely so heavily on clinical trials.
1. How would you explain the concept of evidence-based medicine to this patient?
2. Why is evidence-based medicine crucial in the NHS?
3. What are the potential risks of prescribing treatments based solely on anecdotal claims?
Follow-up:
"The patient says: 'But it worked for my friend, is that not evidence?' How would you respond?"
Medical students must learn a large volume of complex scientific information in a short time. At times, every student will encounter a topic they find difficult to grasp.
1. Describe an academic or scientific subject you have found challenging.
2. What specific steps did you take to overcome this difficulty?
3. How will you apply these strategies when you face difficult topics at medical school?
Follow-up:
"If you were struggling with a core scientific concept just before a major medical school exam, what would you do?"
You are a junior doctor on a busy hospital ward. The nursing staff ask you to review three patients urgently:
A. A patient who had surgery earlier today and now has very low blood pressure.
B. A patient who is experiencing severe chest pain and breathlessness.
C. A patient with a high fever who is newly confused and agitated.
1. How would you decide which patient to see first?
2. What information would you ask the nursing staff for to help you prioritise?
3. Explain your initial priority order and your reasoning.
Follow-up:
"You decide to see the patient with chest pain first. Before you reach their bed, a nurse tells you that the confused patient has fallen out of bed. What do you do?"
A screening test for a rare condition has a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 99%. The condition affects approximately 1 in 10,000 people in the population being considered.
1. If a randomly selected person tests positive, is it likely that they have the condition? Explain the importance of the base rate and false positives.
2. Why might introducing this test as a population screening programme cause harm as well as benefit?
3. What other evidence should the NHS consider before introducing a screening programme?
Follow-up: A person receives a positive screening result and becomes extremely anxious. How would you explain uncertainty and the need for confirmatory testing?
A hospital quality-improvement team reports the number of recorded infections in one month: Ward A (surgical): 5; Ward B (older people's care): 18; Ward C (maternity): 3. These are counts, not infection rates. The number of patients, days of care and case mix differ between wards.
1. What can you conclude from the counts alone, and what can you not conclude?
2. What additional measures and contextual information would allow a fairer comparison?
3. How should the team investigate a possible problem without blaming staff or patients prematurely?
Follow-up: A ward manager says staffing pressures make additional infection-prevention measures hard to deliver. How would you respond constructively and escalate patient-safety concerns?
A national newspaper publishes an article with the headline: 'Drinking three cups of coffee a day adds five years to your life.'
The article is based on a health survey of 10,000 adults over a ten year period.
1. What is the difference between correlation and causation in this context?
2. What other lifestyle factors might explain why the coffee drinkers in the study lived longer?
3. Why is it important for medical professionals to critically analyse health news?
Follow-up:
"A patient with high blood pressure brings this article to their GP. They ask if they should start drinking three cups of coffee a day. How would you handle this conversation?"
QUB uses this format for medicine: Multiple Mini Interview. There are 9 stations. Interviews may be in person or online.
Interview timing for QUB: Queen's confirms dates in your interview invitation. Recent cycles have run from mid December to March. Always check the university's own admissions pages for this year's dates.
QUB assesses: Empathy, Communication skills, Problem solving, Moral reasoning.
No. They are 50 original MedicHut practice questions, written to match QUB's published interview format. Universities do not share their real questions, so your interview may differ.
No. Every question is free with no sign-up. A free account just lets you save your notes and progress across devices.
QUB medical school guide: entry requirements and interview advice
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