Aberdeen Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does Aberdeen interview for medicine?

Source: University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process (2027 entry); University of Aberdeen, Coming to interview (no year stated)

When are Aberdeen medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process (2027 entry); University of Aberdeen, Medicine interview page (2026 entry dates still shown)

How does Aberdeen decide who to interview?

Source: University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process (2027 entry); University of Aberdeen, Medicine non-academic requirements (no year stated); University of Aberdeen, Medicine FAQs (2027 entry); University of Aberdeen, Medicine admissions data (2026 entry); University of Aberdeen, Medicine widening access (2027 entry)

What does Aberdeen assess at interview?

Source: University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process (2027 entry); University of Aberdeen, Coming to interview (no year stated); University of Aberdeen, Medicine non-academic requirements (no year stated)

Motivation to study medicine, and why Aberdeen

What Aberdeen says: Motivation to study medicine is one of Aberdeen's five MBChB station domains. Aberdeen says candidates may be asked about their research into undergraduate curricula and postgraduate training, and their understanding of the implications of a medical career. University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process

Aberdeen advises applicants to choose their medical schools for positive reasons and says you may be asked to justify that choice at interview. So have a reason for Aberdeen that would not fit any other school, drawn from its own course pages, and expect the selectors to ask a second question about whatever you say first.

1. 1

   Why do you want to be a doctor, and how did you test that idea before you applied?

   What to cover: Say where the interest came from in a sentence, then spend most of your answer on how you checked it: what you saw, who you talked to and what you read. Aberdeen wants to hear that you researched the career before you committed to it.

2. 2

   Why Aberdeen?

   What to cover: Use two things from Aberdeen's own course pages, such as the GP Enhanced programme or the Remote and Rural option in Inverness, and connect each one to something about you. Aberdeen says you may be asked to justify your choice, and a ranking or the city's reputation does not do that.

3. 3

   Aberdeen is the most northerly medical school in the UK and sends students to Inverness, Elgin and the islands. What do you think rural medicine would ask of you?

   What to cover: Talk about being far from specialist help, knowing a community well, and making decisions with less backup close by. Show that you can see the appeal and the strain at the same time.

4. 4

   What do you know about the training a doctor does after medical school?

   What to cover: Outline the two Foundation years, then specialty training, which takes several more years depending on the specialty. Aberdeen lists postgraduate training as something it may ask about, so a vague answer will sound unprepared.

5. 5

   What are the downsides of a career in medicine, and why do you still want it?

   What to cover: Name real ones, such as night shifts, emotional strain, years of exams and moving for training posts, and say how you found out about them. Then explain why the work still outweighs them for you, using something you have seen.

6. 6

   Tell me about your experience of caring for others. What did it teach you about medicine?

   What to cover: Aberdeen lists experience of caring among the preparation it may explore. Pick one setting, describe a moment with one person in it, and say what that showed you about the job you are applying for.

7. 7

   Aberdeen's students start ward attachments at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in the second term of Year 1. What would you hope to learn from those first visits?

   What to cover: Think about how a ward runs, who does what, and how patients spend their day. The question checks that you have read the course and pictured yourself in it.

8. 8

   Why medicine, and not nursing, physiotherapy or pharmacy?

   What to cover: Show that you respect the other professions and know what they do, then say what draws you to the doctor's part in a patient's care, such as making the diagnosis and holding overall medical responsibility. Do not run anyone down.

9. 9

   What have you done to find out what a doctor's working day is like, beyond what you have seen on television?

   What to cover: Aberdeen says it wants applicants whose picture of medicine is not based on hospital dramas. Describe what working doctors told you or what you saw them do, including the routine and administrative parts, because that shows you looked properly.

10. 10

    If you could not get work experience in a hospital, how else did you find out about medicine?

    What to cover: Aberdeen accepts that placements are hard to find, especially for rural applicants, and asks you to research the career in other ways. Talk about virtual work experience, conversations with doctors or students, open days and reading, and what each one taught you.

11. 11

    What is general practice, and why does Aberdeen build so much of it into its course?

    What to cover: Explain that GPs are generalists who manage most of the care people receive and decide who needs a specialist. Aberdeen's GP Enhanced programme aims for every graduate to understand generalism, so show that you know what the word means.

12. 12

    You would train in NHS Scotland, which is run separately from the NHS in England. What is one difference, and why does it matter to patients?

    What to cover: Free prescriptions in Scotland are the clearest example, and you can discuss what they cost and what they might prevent. Our guide to the four UK health systems sets out the others.

13. 13

    Where do you see yourself ten years after graduating?

    What to cover: It is fine not to have chosen a specialty yet. Show that you know which stage of training you would be at by then and what kind of medicine interests you, and keep it believable.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"

Core qualities of a doctor

What Aberdeen says: Core Qualities is one of Aberdeen's five MBChB station domains. Aberdeen's examples of the core qualities a good doctor might have are "good communication skills", "evidence of concern for the welfare of others" and "demonstration of being trustworthy and honest". University of Aberdeen, Medicine non-academic requirements

Aberdeen asks applicants to show what they think a doctor's core qualities are and how they display them, and it assesses your personal statement during the interview. Expect to be asked to name a quality and then prove you have it. Choose examples you can describe in detail, and be ready for the selectors to ask what you would do differently next time.

14. 14

    What do you think are the most important qualities of a doctor, and which do you already show?

    What to cover: Choose two or three and give a short example of each from your own life. Aberdeen's own examples are communication, concern for others' welfare and being trustworthy, so it makes sense to have stories ready for those.

15. 15

    Tell me about a time you showed concern for someone's welfare when nobody asked you to.

    What to cover: A small, specific moment works well, such as noticing a classmate struggling or a customer who was confused. Say what you noticed, what you did and what happened next.

16. 16

    Pick one experience from your personal statement and tell me what it changed about how you work with people.

    What to cover: Aberdeen assesses your personal statement during the interview, so reread it and be ready to go deeper on every line. Describe one moment and the change it made, without repeating the sentence you wrote.

17. 17

    Tell me about a time you had to explain something difficult to someone who was upset.

    What to cover: Describe how you judged what they could take in, the words you chose and how you checked they understood. Communication is scored at every Aberdeen station, so practise answers like this out loud.

18. 18

    What does it mean for a patient to trust their doctor, and how can a doctor lose that trust?

    What to cover: Talk about competence, keeping confidences, telling the truth when it is unwelcome and doing what you said you would. Then give one example of how trust is lost, such as a broken promise or a hidden mistake.

19. 19

    Describe a time you took on a responsibility that was hard to keep up.

    What to cover: Aberdeen asks applicants to show that they can shoulder responsibility. Pick something with a real cost, such as a part-time job alongside exams or caring for a relative, and say how you managed it.

20. 20

    What have you learned from working with the public?

    What to cover: Aberdeen suggests paid part-time work with the public as one way to show core qualities, so a job in a shop or a café is a good example. Talk about one difficult customer and what you did.

21. 21

    How would your friends describe you, and would a patient see the same person?

    What to cover: Be specific, and think about whether you come across differently with people you know and people you do not. Spotting that difference is the kind of reflection Aberdeen scores.

22. 22

    Tell me about a time you made a mistake. What did you do about it?

    What to cover: Choose a mistake that mattered, own it plainly, and describe how you put it right and what you changed afterwards. Aberdeen scores reflection, so the second half of the answer carries most of the weight.

23. 23

    Why do doctors need to look after their own health?

    What to cover: Link it to patient safety, to lasting a long career, and to the GMC's expectation that doctors ask for help when they need it. Say what you do to look after yourself and where you would go for support.

24. 24

    What is the difference between empathy and sympathy, and why does it matter to a patient?

    What to cover: Empathy is understanding how things are for the other person; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. A patient needs the doctor to understand their position and then help, and our empathy guide shows how to demonstrate that in an answer.

Go deeper: The six NHS core values

Critical thinking and problem solving

What Aberdeen says: Critical thinking and problem solving is one of Aberdeen's MBChB station domains. Aberdeen says candidates may be asked to consider a new situation and discuss their thoughts or suggest a solution, and it scores how they use existing knowledge on unfamiliar questions and discuss advantages and disadvantages. University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process

Aberdeen's MBChB stations involve no reading, so a problem will be put to you in words and you will need to think aloud. The university says the interview does not test academic knowledge. It scores whether you can follow a reasoned argument, reach an opinion, and weigh advantages against disadvantages. Say what the problem is, what you would want to know, the options with their pros and cons, and what you would do.

25. 25

    A patient on Shetland needs a specialist review that is only available in Aberdeen. What problems does that create, and how might they be solved?

    What to cover: Think about travel time, cost, weather, time off work and the patient's own health, then options such as video consultations, visiting clinics and more follow-up done locally. Finish by saying which you would try first and why.

26. 26

    Should more GP consultations be done by video? Give the arguments on both sides.

    What to cover: Aberdeen scores your ability to discuss advantages and disadvantages, so take each in turn: convenience and reach for remote patients against missed examination findings and patients without good internet. Then come to a view.

27. 27

    A small rural GP practice cannot recruit a doctor. What could be done?

    What to cover: Consider incentives, training places in rural areas, a wider role for other professionals such as advanced nurse practitioners and pharmacists, and technology. Aberdeen's own Remote and Rural option is one attempt at an answer, and you can mention it.

28. 28

    Your team has to cut its budget by 10%. How would you decide what to cut?

    What to cover: Say you would protect patient safety first, find out what each service costs and achieves, ask the staff and patients who use it, and look for waste before touching care. Show a method, then make a choice.

29. 29

    Why do some people miss hospital appointments, and what would you do about it?

    What to cover: Give several causes, such as the cost and time of travel, forgetting, fear and caring duties, then match a solution to each. One solution offered for every cause is the weak answer here.

30. 30

    Should the NHS charge patients who miss appointments?

    What to cover: Weigh the cost of wasted slots against the risk of deterring the poorest and most unwell patients, and against the cost of collecting the charge. Our justice guide helps with the fairness side.

31. 31

    How would you persuade a group of teenagers to stop vaping?

    What to cover: Start by asking why they vape, then think about who they would listen to, what they care about now, such as money, fitness or appearance, and whether rules or education work better. The vapes and smoking ban guide has the current policy.

32. 32

    Antibiotics are prescribed more often than they should be. Why might that be, and what would reduce it?

    What to cover: Consider patient expectations, short appointments, uncertainty and the fear of missing something serious, then aim a solution at each. Our antibiotic resistance guide gives the background.

33. 33

    You are given a problem you know nothing about. How do you start?

    What to cover: Aberdeen says it scores how you use what you already know to answer unfamiliar questions. Describe breaking the problem into parts, using the knowledge you do have, stating your assumptions and saying what you would find out.

34. 34

    Two doctors you respect give you opposite advice. How would you decide what to do?

    What to cover: Ask each for their reasons and the evidence behind them, check whether they are answering the same question, and look for a third opinion or published guidance. Then say how you would act while the uncertainty lasts.

35. 35

    Life expectancy can differ by years between the richest and poorest parts of the same city. Why, and what could doctors do about it?

    What to cover: Talk about income, housing, smoking, diet, education and access to care, then separate what is within a doctor's reach from what is not. The health inequalities guide sets out the Marmot review.

Go deeper: MMI prioritisation stations

Team work

What Aberdeen says: Team work is one of Aberdeen's five MBChB station domains, and the example station Aberdeen publishes for applicants asks two questions about teamwork within five minutes. University of Aberdeen, Medicine (MBChB) application process

Aberdeen's own example station is a teamwork station with two questions in five minutes, which leaves you about two minutes for each answer once the selectors have asked. Its personal statement advice asks you to show that you can work in teams and take on different roles within them, so have examples ready where you led, where you followed, and where a team did not work.

36. 36

    Tell me about a team you have been part of. What was your role?

    What to cover: Describe the team in one sentence, then say what you did and what the team achieved. Selectors are scoring your part in it, so use "I" for your actions and "we" for the outcome.

37. 37

    Tell me about a time you led a group. What would you do differently?

    What to cover: Pick a real task with a deadline, say how you shared out the work and kept people together, and give one thing you would change. A leader who reflects is more convincing than one who claims it all went perfectly.

38. 38

    Tell me about a time you were not in charge and disagreed with the decision.

    What to cover: Show that you said what you thought, at the right time and in the right way, and then supported the decision once it was made. If safety had been at stake you would escalate it, and you can say so.

39. 39

    A member of your group project is not doing their share. What do you do?

    What to cover: Talk to them privately first and find out why, because there may be a reason you do not know. Agree a plan together, and involve a teacher only if nothing changes.

40. 40

    Who is in the team that looks after a patient on a hospital ward?

    What to cover: Name doctors of different grades, nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and social workers, and give one example of how they depend on each other. A discharge is a good example, because it needs most of them.

41. 41

    What makes a good team member, as opposed to a good leader?

    What to cover: Talk about reliability, listening, speaking up when something looks wrong and backing decisions once they are made. Give an example of being a good member of a team that someone else led.

42. 42

    As a junior doctor, a nurse tells you she thinks your plan for a patient is wrong. How do you respond?

    What to cover: Listen properly, because she may have seen something you have not, then review the patient and the plan again, and talk to your senior if you still disagree. Seniority should never stop a safety concern being raised or heard.

43. 43

    Tell me about a time a team you were in failed.

    What to cover: Say what went wrong and your own share in it, then what the team learned. Avoid blaming one person, because Aberdeen scores reflection on your own skills and on other people's.

44. 44

    Why does teamwork matter so much in medicine?

    What to cover: Link it to patient safety, to the number of people involved in one patient's care, and to handovers between shifts. A concrete example makes the answer real.

45. 45

    How do you make sure nothing is lost when you hand a task over to someone else?

    What to cover: Talk about a clear structure, writing things down, checking the other person has understood and saying what is still outstanding. Handover errors are a common cause of harm in hospitals, so this is a fair question for a future doctor.

46. 46

    Aberdeen asks applicants to show they can take on different roles in a team. Tell me about a time you led, and a time you followed.

    What to cover: Give one short example of each and say what you did differently in each role. Finishing with what each role taught you about yourself is where the reflection marks are.

Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team explained

Professionalism and ethics

What Aberdeen says: Professionalism is one of Aberdeen's five MBChB station domains. Aberdeen asks every interviewee to complete a consent and declaration of fitness form before the MMI. University of Aberdeen, Coming to interview

Expect an ethical scenario or a question about how doctors and medical students should behave. Aberdeen points applicants to the GMC's Good Medical Practice as reading on the qualities of doctors, and it checks fitness to practise before you start the course. Reason through the scenario out loud: the facts, the people affected, the options and what you would do. Our guide to answering ethics questions gives you a structure to think with.

47. 47

    What does professionalism mean for a medical student?

    What to cover: Talk about reliability, confidentiality, telling the truth, respecting patients and colleagues, and looking after your own health. The GMC holds medical students to professional standards from their first day on the course.

48. 48

    A classmate shares a funny story about a patient in a group chat. The patient is not named. Is that a problem?

    What to cover: Yes, because patients can be identified from details, and the public's trust depends on how students talk about patients even in private. Speak to the classmate first, and know when you would need to take it further. Our confidentiality guide covers where the line sits.

49. 49

    A patient with capacity refuses a blood transfusion that could save their life. What should happen?

    What to cover: Check their capacity and understanding, explore their reasons, offer alternatives, and respect the decision if it stands. Our guide to Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusion works through a common version of this.

50. 50

    You notice that a doctor you are shadowing smells of alcohol. What do you do?

    What to cover: Patients' safety comes first, so you cannot ignore it. As a student you would raise it promptly with a senior person you trust, such as the consultant or your supervisor, and not confront the doctor in front of patients. The whistleblowing guide explains the routes.

51. 51

    A 14-year-old wants to make a decision about their own treatment that their parents disagree with. What would you need to consider?

    What to cover: Think about whether they understand the decision and its consequences, how serious the treatment is, their best interests and the parents' views. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test doctors use.

52. 52

    Aberdeen asks you to sign a declaration of fitness before the interview and checks fitness to practise before you start. Why should a medical school care about a student's health and conduct?

    What to cover: Because students meet patients from the first year, and because the public needs to trust the doctors they become. Mention that Aberdeen says a disability or health condition need not be a bar to becoming a doctor, and that declaring one lets support and adjustments be put in place.

53. 53

    As a medical student, you realise you have written something wrong in a patient's notes. What do you do?

    What to cover: Tell your supervisor straight away, correct the record properly without hiding the original entry, and check whether the patient was affected. Being open about errors is a duty every doctor has, and it starts at medical school.

54. 54

    Should doctors be allowed to opt out of treatments they object to on moral grounds?

    What to cover: Explain that doctors can opt out of some procedures, such as abortion, but must not let that delay care and must make sure the patient can see another doctor. Give both sides before reaching your view; our abortion guide has the law.

55. 55

    A relative phones the ward asking for an update on their father, and you cannot confirm who they are. What do you say?

    What to cover: Be polite, but share nothing until you know who they are and that the patient agrees. Offer a way forward, such as asking the patient or arranging a call with the team.

56. 56

    Is it ever right for a doctor to break confidentiality?

    What to cover: Yes, in limited cases: a serious risk of harm to others, some legal requirements, and safeguarding concerns. Give one example, such as a patient who keeps driving against medical advice, and the steps a doctor takes before disclosing.

57. 57

    You see a fellow student cheating in an exam. What do you do?

    What to cover: Explain that exams certify a doctor is safe, so cheating is a fitness to practise matter and not only an academic one. You might speak to them, but you would still need to report it, and you should say why staying quiet would be wrong.

Go deeper: The GMC guide for medicine interviews