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Medicine interviews, 2027 entry
Aston Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)
How Aston Medical School runs its online multiple mini interviews (MMIs), when they normally fall between December and March, how the MMI score decides offers, and 58 practice questions grouped by the qualities Aston says it looks for, with a model answer for each theme.
Reviewed by Dr Akash Gandhi, NHS GP and a Cambridge and UCL graduate (GMC register) · Checked against Aston's official pages: 24 October 2026
Aston medicine interviews, 2027 entry
Aston medicine interviews for 2027 entry are multiple mini interviews (MMIs), held online for every applicant. They normally run between December and March; Aston publishes no fixed 2027 dates, and invited applicants choose from a set of dates. In the 2026 entry round the MMI had five scored stations. For 2025 entry, 90% of home interviewees received an offer.
- When
- Normally between December and March in your year of application (the usual pattern; no 2027 dates published)University's usual pattern, no year given
- Booking
- Your invitation offers a number of dates to choose from; Aston then allocates the timeUniversity's usual pattern, no year given
- Format
- Multiple mini interviews (MMIs), compulsory for every applicantConfirmed for 2027 entryAston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start)
- Delivery
- Online, for home and international applicants alikeUniversity's usual pattern, no year given
- Stations
- Not stated in words. In the 2026 entry round the MMI was scored out of 50, with a maximum of 10 at each station, which means five scored stationsLast cycle, not yet confirmed for 2027Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry)
- Station length
- Aston does not publish how long each station lastsNot published by the university
- Station types
- Some stations use actors; at others you read a scenario and discuss it with the assessorUniversity's usual pattern, no year given
- Knowledge tested
- None: Aston says you will not be tested on medical knowledgeUniversity's usual pattern, no year given
- How offers are made
- Interviewees are re-ranked with their MMI score; offers rest on academic, UCAT and MMI scores togetherConfirmed for 2027 entryAston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry)
- Post-interview success, home, 2025 entry
- 90% (192 offers from 214 interviewed)Published admissions figuresAdmissions statistics as published on our Aston profile (Aston publishes no interview offer rate on its own site) (2025 entry (home), 2024 entry (international))
- Post-interview success, international, 2024 entry
- 79% (79 offers from 100 interviewed)Published admissions figuresAdmissions statistics as published on our Aston profile (Aston publishes no interview offer rate on its own site) (2025 entry (home), 2024 entry (international))
Free: The Medicine Interview Guide 2027 (PDF)
An eight-week plan, the frameworks for ethics and role play, five full worked answers with the follow-ups to expect, every school’s interview format, and 20 practice questions with a self-marking sheet. Written by our doctors and dentists.
How does Aston interview for medicine?
Aston Medical School interviews every applicant it selects with multiple mini interviews (MMIs), and its course page calls them a compulsory part of the selection process. All Aston MMIs are held online. You move through several stations, and Aston says each one is designed to test a different attribute.
Aston describes two kinds of station. At some you interact with actors, so expect to talk to someone playing a patient, a relative or a colleague. At others you are given a scenario to read and then discuss with the assessor. You are scored at every station and the scores are added into an overall MMI score. Aston says this is fairer than a panel, because a station that does not suit you can be made up for at the others.
Aston does not state the number of stations or their length in words. Its published figures for 2026 entry score the MMI out of 50, with a maximum of 10 at each station, which means five scored stations in that round. The interview does not test medical knowledge, and Aston says it writes its scenarios with the typical age and experience of applicants in mind.
Who wrote the Aston MMI
Aston says it consulted doctors, healthcare workers, academics, students and patients, as well as the General Medical Council's guidelines, to decide which qualities its MMI should look for. The themes on this page follow the list that came out of that work.
New to the MMI format? Our MMI preparation guide covers how circuits run in general, and our online MMI tips cover camera, sound and pacing for a remote interview like Aston's.
Source: Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start); Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI (no year stated; current guidance); Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry)
When are Aston medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
| Applicants | When | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Home (including widening participation) | Normally between December and March in the year of application | Online |
| International | Normally between December and March in the year of application | Online |
For 2027 entry that means a window of December 2026 to March 2027. Aston publishes this as its normal pattern, not as fixed 2027 dates. Applicants who rank highly enough receive an invitation listing a number of dates to choose from, and Aston then allocates a time on the date you pick, so reply quickly and choose the date you are most sure you can keep.
Because everyone interviews online, there is no travel to plan, but you do need a quiet room, a reliable connection and a working camera and microphone on the day. Compare Aston's window with your other choices in our UK medical school interview dates table.
Source: Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI (no year stated; current guidance); Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start)
How does Aston decide who to interview?
After the UCAS deadline, Aston ranks home applicants on their achieved qualifications (normally GCSEs or equivalent) and total UCAT score, ranks overseas applicants for the MMI on total UCAT score alone, and invites the top-ranking applicants in each group; predicted A level grades are not used at any stage. The scoring rules and past figures are on our Aston medical school profile, which is the page for that question.
Source: Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry); Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start)
What does Aston assess at interview?
Aston's MMI page lists the qualities it is looking for at interview:
- Oral and written communication, and listening.
- Empathy, compassion, respect and dignity.
- Emotional intelligence.
- Problem solving.
- Motivation.
- Teamworking, and being able to lead as well as follow.
- Knowing your limitations and knowing when to ask for help.
The course page adds that stations assess your understanding of studying and practising medicine and your understanding of professionalism. Aston's FAQ also lists the aspects of an applicant it values most, including curiosity, being open to others and new situations, being willing to have a go at things as long as they are safe, and wanting to know what patients really want and to work with them in partnership.
The six themes below follow those lists. The questions are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Aston's published guidance. They are not real or leaked Aston questions, and nothing here comes from students reporting what they were asked.
Source: Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI (no year stated; current guidance); Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start); Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry)
Aston medicine interview questions, by theme
Grouped by what Aston says it assesses. Each question has a note on what a strong answer covers, and the Aston-specific ones have a full model answer. These are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Aston's published guidance, not real or leaked questions.
- Motivation and understanding of studying and practising medicine (1 to 10)
- Oral and written communication, and listening (11 to 20)
- Empathy, compassion, respect and dignity, and emotional intelligence (21 to 30)
- Problem solving (31 to 40)
- Teamworking, and being able to lead as well as follow (41 to 49)
- Knowing your limitations, and professionalism (50 to 58)
Motivation and understanding of studying and practising medicine
What Aston says: Aston lists motivation among the qualities it looks for at the MMI, and its course page says stations assess motivation to study medicine and understanding of studying and practising medicine. Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page
Aston wants to know why you want to be a doctor and whether you know what the training and the job involve. Know the Aston course before the interview: patient contact from the first term, placements every year across inner-city, town and rural settings, a focus on primary care, and teaching alongside students from other healthcare courses such as pharmacy.
- 1
Why do you want to be a doctor?
What to cover: Give your starting point briefly, then spend most of the answer on how you tested it: what you saw, what surprised you and why you still want to do it.
- 2
Why Aston?
What to cover: Pick two things the Aston course actually does, such as a primary care placement in the first term or shared learning with pharmacy students, and explain why they suit the way you learn.
- 3
Aston places students with communities from inner-city Birmingham to rural towns. What do you expect to learn from that range?
What to cover: Talk about how illness, access to care and what patients need differ between places, and give an example from your own experience of meeting people unlike you.
- 4
What do you understand about what a doctor's working week involves?
What to cover: Go beyond clinics: paperwork, handovers, teaching, night shifts and keeping up to date. Show you know where your picture of the job came from.
- 5
What do you think will be hardest about studying medicine?
What to cover: Name something real, such as the volume of independent study or seeing patients in distress, and say how you are already preparing for it.
- 6
Why medicine and not pharmacy, nursing or physiotherapy?
What to cover: Speak about those professions accurately and with respect, then give a reason that is about the doctor's role in particular, such as diagnosis and holding overall clinical responsibility.
- 7
Aston's Year 1 includes two one-week placements in primary care. What would you hope to see in your first one?
What to cover: Mention what a GP practice team does, how consultations run and what it is like to be a patient there. It shows you have read the course and thought about it.
- 8
Tell me about something you did to find out more about medicine that changed your view of it.
What to cover: Choose one experience or piece of reading, describe what you expected, what you found and what you now think. Our medicine reading list has places to start.
- 9
What does curiosity look like in a medical student?
What to cover: Aston names curiosity as something it values. Give an example of following a question further than you needed to, and link it to asking why a patient is unwell.
- 10
Where do you see yourself ten years after qualifying?
What to cover: You do not need a specialty. Show you understand the training pathway after medical school and what draws you to certain kinds of work. Our guide to the medical training pathway sets it out.
Model answer
Why Aston?
The first reason is how soon I would be with patients. Aston puts students on a primary care placement early in the first term, and there is a second one at the end of Year 1 to practise early clinical skills. When I volunteered at a pharmacy counter I learned more from the people coming in than from anything I had read, so I want a course that starts there.
The second is the range of patients. Aston's placements cover inner-city areas, towns and rural places across the region, which means I would see how the same illness looks different depending on where someone lives and what help they can reach. I grew up in Birmingham and I have seen how different two postcodes can be.
And I like that I would learn alongside students from other Aston courses, such as pharmacy. Most of a doctor's work is done with other professionals, and I would sooner learn how they think as a student than discover it as a new doctor on a ward.
Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"
Oral and written communication, and listening
What Aston says: Aston lists oral and written communication and listening among the qualities it looks for at the MMI; its course page names verbal communication and listening skills among the attributes stations assess. Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI
Aston says some of its stations involve actors, so expect at least one conversation with someone playing a part. Online, listening has to be visible: look at the camera, nod, pause before you answer and summarise what you heard. Aston also lists written communication, so be ready to explain things clearly in a few plain sentences.
- 11
An actor plays a patient who has been waiting weeks for test results and is angry. Talk to them.
What to cover: Let them speak first, acknowledge the frustration, find out what they need to know and offer to find someone who can tell them. Do not blame colleagues or promise results.
- 12
Explain to a ten-year-old what a vaccine does.
What to cover: Use short words and one simple picture, check they have understood, and be truthful that the injection might sting for a moment.
- 13
Your grandmother has a new inhaler and is not sure how to use it. Help her.
What to cover: Ask what she already knows, show and explain one step at a time, and ask her to show you back. If you are unsure, send her to the pharmacist and offer to go with her.
- 14
A friend tells you they have been struggling with their mood for weeks. Talk to them.
What to cover: Listen more than you speak, ask open questions, check they are safe and encourage them to see their GP. Make clear you would have to get help if you thought they were at risk.
- 15
What makes someone a good listener, and when have you shown it?
What to cover: Describe behaviour: letting someone finish, asking open questions, summarising and noticing what is left unsaid. Then give a moment when you did it, or failed to.
- 16
Describe a time you had to explain something complicated. How did you check the other person understood?
What to cover: Give a specific example and a real check, such as asking them to explain it back. Asking "does that make sense?" is not a check.
- 17
How would you speak to a patient whose first language is not English?
What to cover: Mention a professional interpreter, why family members are a poor substitute, short sentences, and written information in their language.
- 18
You have to write a short note to a neighbour explaining that you damaged their fence. What would it say?
What to cover: Say what happened plainly, apologise once, and say how you will put it right and how they can reach you. Aston lists written communication, and this tests it.
- 19
How is talking to someone on a video call different from talking in person, and how do you adapt?
What to cover: Talk about delays, missing body language and checking understanding more often. Aston interviews online, so show you have thought about it.
- 20
A patient asks you, a medical student, whether their scan shows cancer. What do you say?
What to cover: Be kind and truthful about your role: you cannot interpret or share results, but you will find the doctor who can. Ask what is worrying them while you wait. Our breaking bad news guide shows how doctors handle the full conversation.
Model answer
An actor plays a patient who has been waiting weeks for test results and is angry. Talk to them.
"I can see you're really frustrated, and waiting weeks for results must be worrying. I'm one of the medical students here. Would you tell me what happened and what you've been told so far?" Then I would let them talk without interrupting, because until they feel heard nothing else I say will land.
Once I understood, I would be clear about my role. "I can't look up or explain results myself, but I can speak to the team today and find out where your results are and who will contact you. Is the best number to reach you the one on your records?" I would ask whether anything has changed with their symptoms, because if they are worse that needs a doctor today, whatever the results.
I would not blame the lab or the doctors, and I would not promise a date I could not guarantee. Before they left I would check they knew exactly what would happen next, and then I would do what I said I would.
Go deeper: MMI role-play stations
Empathy, compassion, respect and dignity, and emotional intelligence
What Aston says: Aston lists empathy, compassion, respect and dignity, and emotional intelligence among the qualities it looks for at the MMI, and its FAQ names being empathic and compassionate among the aspects of an applicant it values most. Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI
Aston's work experience advice talks about watching how doctors deal with patients and how a family member's dignity is kept when they are ill. In the MMI, empathy is scored on what you do: how you respond to someone's feelings, whether you notice what matters to them and how you protect their dignity. Emotional intelligence means noticing your own reactions too.
- 21
What is the difference between empathy and sympathy, and why does it matter for a doctor?
What to cover: Empathy is trying to understand how someone feels from their side; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. Give an example of each and why the first helps a patient more.
- 22
Tell me about a time you helped care for someone who was ill or elderly.
What to cover: Aston counts caring for a family member as relevant experience. Describe what you did, one moment where their dignity was at stake, and what you learned.
- 23
What does treating a patient with dignity look like in practice?
What to cover: Make it concrete: knocking before entering, explaining before touching, keeping someone covered, using the name they prefer and involving them in decisions.
- 24
An actor plays a teenager who has just been told they have type 1 diabetes and is upset. Talk to them.
What to cover: Acknowledge how big the news is, ask what worries them most, avoid information overload and offer to find a nurse or doctor who can answer questions.
- 25
Tell me about a time someone's reaction surprised you. How did you respond?
What to cover: Emotional intelligence is noticing and adapting. Describe what you expected, what happened, how you changed your approach and what you would do next time.
- 26
How do you know when you are getting stressed, and what do you do about it?
What to cover: Name your own warning signs and what you actually do. Linking it to asking for help early shows self-awareness.
- 27
A patient on a ward is rude to the nurse caring for them. Why might that be, and what would you do?
What to cover: Consider fear, pain, confusion or loss of control before judging. Then say how you would support the nurse and help calm the situation.
- 28
What does respect mean when a patient makes a choice you disagree with?
What to cover: Explain that adults with capacity can refuse treatment, that you would check they understand and explore why, and then respect the decision. Our capacity guide explains the test.
- 29
Tell me about a time you supported someone who was going through a difficult time.
What to cover: Focus on what you did and said, what you chose not to say, and how you knew it helped. Keep the other person's privacy in how you tell it.
- 30
How might it feel to be a patient in hospital for the first time, and how could a medical student make it easier?
What to cover: Think about loss of privacy, routine and control, and fear of the unknown. Then give small practical things a student can do, such as introducing themselves and explaining what is happening.
Model answer
Tell me about a time you helped care for someone who was ill or elderly.
Last year my grandfather came to live with us after a stroke, and I helped look after him in the evenings. At first I thought caring meant doing things for him quickly: cutting his food, helping him dress, getting him to bed. He went very quiet, and my mum pointed out that I had stopped asking him what he wanted.
So I changed how I did it. I asked before I helped, let him do the buttons he could manage even when it took longer, and made sure the door was closed when he was getting changed. He started talking again, and one night he told me that the worst part of the stroke was being treated like a child.
That taught me that dignity is mostly in small things, and that you can be kind and still take someone's independence away. Aston talks about working with patients as partners, and that is what I learned to do with him: find out what matters to the person first, then help in the way they want.
Go deeper: Empathy and sympathy at interview
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Problem solving
What Aston says: Aston lists problem solving among the qualities it looks for at the MMI, and its course page names problem solving skills among the attributes stations assess. Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI
Some Aston stations give you a scenario to read and then discuss with the assessor. A problem-solving scenario usually has more to do than you can manage, or no obvious answer. Sort the information first: what is urgent, what is risky and what can wait. Then talk the assessor through your reasoning so they can mark how you got there.
- 31
You are volunteering on a ward. A call bell is ringing, a visitor is lost, a patient wants water and a nurse asks you to fetch a form. What do you do first?
What to cover: Rank by risk to patients, so the call bell comes first, and say who you would tell or hand each task to. Explain your reasoning as you go.
- 32
Your online interview starts in ten minutes and your internet stops working. What do you do?
What to cover: Stay calm, try a quick fix such as a phone hotspot, and contact the admissions team straight away with your details. Mention that you would have a backup ready the day before.
- 33
You have two coursework deadlines and a placement in the same week, and then you fall ill. What do you do?
What to cover: Prioritise by deadline and weight, tell your tutor early and use the university's process for extenuating circumstances. Hiding the problem is the answer that loses marks.
- 34
A GP practice finds that many patients miss their appointments. How would you find out why?
What to cover: Ask who misses them, when and how they were booked, then talk to patients and staff before suggesting fixes such as text reminders or different booking times.
- 35
One member of your group project has stopped replying a week before the deadline. What do you do?
What to cover: Find out why before assuming the worst, agree a plan with the group, and tell the tutor if the work is at risk.
- 36
You notice the hand gel on your placement ward keeps running out by the afternoon. What do you do?
What to cover: Tell the person in charge and suggest a simple fix, such as a lunchtime check. Explain why it matters for preventing infection.
- 37
Estimate how many people visit a GP surgery in Birmingham on a weekday.
What to cover: The method is marked, not the number. Start from a rounded population, estimate visits per person per year, divide by working days and state your assumptions aloud.
- 38
You are organising a health awareness stall and half your volunteers do not turn up. What do you do?
What to cover: Cut the plan to what you can do well, give each volunteer a clear job and protect anything to do with safety. Then say what you would change next time.
- 39
You realise halfway through a task that you misunderstood what you were asked to do. What do you do?
What to cover: Stop, tell the person who asked, and check what they need. Owning a misunderstanding early is safer than finishing the wrong task.
- 40
A patient tells you they cannot afford to travel to their hospital appointments. How could the problem be solved?
What to cover: Find out more first, then mention patient transport, help with travel costs, closer clinics or remote appointments where suitable, and who could help arrange them.
Model answer
Your online interview starts in ten minutes and your internet stops working. What do you do?
First I would take a breath, because panicking would waste the minutes I have. I would try the quickest fixes: restart the router, and if that does not work in a minute or two, switch my laptop to my phone's hotspot. I would have tested that the day before, because an online interview depends on it.
If neither worked, I would contact the admissions team straight away, using the contact details in my invitation, with my name and application number, and say exactly what had happened and what I was trying. Telling them before the start time matters, because it shows I am not simply missing the interview and gives them the chance to tell me what to do.
Afterwards I would think about what I could have done differently, such as having a second device ready or asking to use a room at school. It is the same as a doctor whose equipment fails: fix what you can, tell the right person early, and plan so it does not happen again.
Go deeper: MMI prioritisation stations
Teamworking, and being able to lead as well as follow
What Aston says: Aston lists teamworking and being able to lead as well as follow among the qualities it looks for at the MMI; its course page names understanding of teamwork among the attributes stations assess. Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI
Aston teaches much of its course through group work and shared learning with students from other healthcare courses, and its work experience advice asks you to notice who doctors work with. Notice the wording, too: Aston wants people who can lead and who can follow. Have an example of each ready, and know what the other members of a healthcare team do.
- 41
Tell me about a time you worked in a team that achieved something. What was your role?
What to cover: Be specific about your own part and how you helped the group work, not only what the team did. Say what you would do differently.
- 42
Tell me about a time you followed someone else's lead when you thought you had a better idea.
What to cover: Aston wants people who can follow as well as lead. Show you raised your view respectfully, then supported the decision once it was made.
- 43
Describe a time you led a group. What did you find hardest?
What to cover: Choose a real difficulty, such as someone not pulling their weight, and explain what you did and what you learned about leading.
- 44
Who else works with a doctor in a GP practice, and what do they do?
What to cover: Name practice nurses, pharmacists, receptionists, healthcare assistants and others, and say how each helps patients. Our MDT guide explains the roles.
- 45
Aston teaches medical students alongside pharmacy students. What could each learn from the other?
What to cover: Talk about medicines knowledge, safe prescribing and seeing patients from another angle, then what medical students bring. It shows you understand shared care.
- 46
A team member keeps arriving late, and it is affecting the group. What do you do?
What to cover: Speak to them privately and kindly to find out why, agree a fix, and escalate only if it carries on. Avoid blaming them in front of others.
- 47
In a group task, two members disagree strongly and the work has stalled. How do you help?
What to cover: Get each to explain their view, find common ground and agree a way to decide, such as testing both ideas. Keep the focus on the goal.
- 48
What makes a good team member in healthcare?
What to cover: Mention reliability, clear communication, respecting other professionals and speaking up about safety. Give an example of one from your own experience.
- 49
Tell me about a time a team you were in did not work well. What did you do?
What to cover: Focus on what you noticed, what you said and what changed. Blaming others uses up the time you need to show insight.
Model answer
Aston teaches medical students alongside pharmacy students. What could each learn from the other?
Pharmacy students would bring a depth of knowledge about medicines that medical students do not get in the same detail: how drugs interact, how doses change for older patients or people with kidney problems, and which side effects patients struggle with. Pharmacists also see a side of patients doctors often miss, such as whether someone is actually taking what was prescribed.
Medical students could share how a diagnosis is reached and why a doctor chooses one treatment over another for a particular patient, with all the other problems that person has. Each group would understand the reasons behind the other's decisions.
The biggest gain is for patients later on. Many prescribing errors are caught because a pharmacist questions a doctor's prescription, and that only works if both sides respect each other and feel able to speak up. Learning together as students builds that habit before anyone's safety depends on it.
Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team
Knowing your limitations, and professionalism
What Aston says: Aston lists knowing your limitations and knowing when to ask for help among the qualities it looks for at the MMI; its course page names understanding of professionalism among the attributes stations assess. Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI
Knowing your limits is one of the qualities Aston names, and it is easy to forget to show it. A safe answer at a student-level scenario usually involves saying what you cannot do and who you would ask. Aston also says it took the General Medical Council's guidelines into account when deciding what its MMI looks for, so know the basics of what the GMC expects of medical students: honesty, confidentiality and raising concerns.
- 50
Tell me about a time you realised a task was beyond you. What did you do?
What to cover: Choose a real example, say how you recognised it and who you asked. Show that asking for help is a strength, not a failure.
- 51
On placement, a patient asks you, as a medical student, to take their blood. You have practised on a model but never on a person. What do you do?
What to cover: Decline kindly, explain your role, and find the person who can. Doing something you are not trained or supervised for puts the patient at risk.
- 52
A friend on the course posts a photo from placement with a patient visible in the background. What do you do?
What to cover: Treat it as a breach of confidentiality whatever they intended. Speak to them first and ask them to remove it, then escalate if they refuse. See our confidentiality guide.
- 53
You notice a fellow student copying another's coursework. What do you do?
What to cover: Raise it with them first if it is safe to, explain why it matters for patients that doctors are honest, and tell a tutor if it continues.
- 54
What does professionalism mean for a first-year medical student?
What to cover: Talk about reliability, honesty, confidentiality, how you treat people and looking after your own health. The GMC expects it from students on day one.
- 55
You make a mistake on placement that nobody has noticed. What do you do?
What to cover: Tell your supervisor straight away, help put it right and learn from it. Explain the duty of candour and why hiding mistakes harms patients.
- 56
You smell alcohol on a doctor's breath at the start of a shift. What do you do?
What to cover: Patient safety comes first, so act the same day: tell a senior. Our whistleblowing guide covers raising concerns.
- 57
A 15-year-old asks a GP for contraception and does not want her parents told. What are the issues?
What to cover: Consider whether she is competent to consent, her confidentiality and any sign she is at risk. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test.
- 58
Why do you think Aston will not consider applicants who have been rejected after red flags at its MMIs?
What to cover: Aston's FAQ says so. Explain that some behaviour, such as dishonesty or lack of respect, is a safety concern for patients that grades cannot make up for.
Model answer
On placement, a patient asks you, as a medical student, to take their blood. You have practised on a model but never on a person. What do you do?
I would say no, kindly, and explain why. "I'm a medical student, and I'm not able to take your blood on my own today, but I'll find the person who can." I would make sure they knew I was not ignoring them, and then go and find the nurse or doctor responsible and tell them the patient was waiting.
The reason is safety. Practising on a model is a start, but a real patient's veins, anxiety and medical history are different, and doing a procedure I have not been signed off for, without supervision, could cause pain, bruising or an infection. It would also put the patient in a position where they had not really consented to being treated by a student.
If the patient was happy for me to do it later under supervision, I would ask the nurse whether I could, with the patient's consent. That is how students learn safely. Aston says it looks for people who know their limitations and when to ask for help, and on a ward that comes up every day.
Go deeper: The GMC guide for interviews
How is the Aston MMI scored, and how are offers made?
You are scored at each station, and the station scores are added into an overall MMI score; in the 2026 entry round that was out of 50, with a maximum of 10 per station. Interviewees are then re-ranked with their MMI score, and Aston's scoring rules say the offer of a place is based on academic, UCAT and MMI scores. So the interview decides your place in the final ranking, but the scores that earned your invitation still count.
Aston ranks three groups separately: home applicants, home widening participation applicants and international applicants, so you are compared with others in your own group. Aston aims to offer up to 40% of its UK places to applicants who meet its widening participation criteria.
Red flags at the MMI
Aston's FAQ says it does not accept applications from candidates who were previously rejected because of one or more red flags at an Aston Medical School MMI. Aston does not publish what counts as a red flag, so treat every station, and the moments between stations, as part of the assessment.
Source: Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry); Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start)
What should I prepare for an online Aston MMI?
- Choose your date early. Your invitation lists a number of dates, and Aston then allocates you a time. Pick the date you are most certain you can keep.
- Set up your room and equipment the day before: a quiet, well-lit room, a charged laptop, a working camera and microphone, and a backup connection such as a phone hotspot.
- Expect actors and scenarios. Some stations involve talking to an actor; at others you read a scenario and discuss it with the assessor. Practise both out loud.
- Do not revise medical knowledge. Aston says it does not test it. Spend the time on practising answers against the qualities it lists.
- Follow the instructions in your invitation for logging in, identity checks and timings. Aston does not publish these in advance on its website.
- Know your own experience. Aston's work experience advice asks you to reflect on teamwork, compassion, knowing limitations and dealing with a wide range of patients. Have an example of each ready.
Source: Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI (no year stated; current guidance); Aston Medical School Advice Zone, Work Experience (no year stated)
What happens after the Aston interview?
Aston does not publish a date for offers. Because interviewees are ranked against each other after the MMIs, expect decisions after the interview season ends, not on the day. If you are successful you receive an email setting out the conditions of your offer, which include your exam results, occupational health clearance and an Enhanced DBS check (and police certificates if you have lived outside the UK).
For 2025 entry, 192 of the 214 home applicants interviewed received an offer (90%). For 2024 entry, 79 of the 100 international applicants interviewed received an offer (79%). Aston does not publish its interview feedback policy on its website. If you defer, note that Aston says the interview must be completed in the year of application.
Source: Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start); Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry); Admissions statistics as published on our Aston profile (Aston publishes no interview offer rate on its own site) (2025 entry (home), 2024 entry (international))
Practise a Aston-style interview
A timed mock in the format Aston uses, built from the themes Aston publishes. Record yourself, then mark it against the pointers above.
Common mistakes at the Aston interview
- 1
Treating the online MMI as less serious
Every Aston MMI is online, and it is scored station by station like any in-person circuit. Dress as you would for an interview, and sit somewhere quiet where you will not be interrupted.
- 2
Not testing your set-up
A frozen camera or a dropped connection costs you time you cannot get back. Test everything the day before and have a backup ready.
- 3
Revising science
Aston says the MMI does not test medical knowledge. Practise talking through scenarios and your own experiences out loud instead.
- 4
Never saying what you cannot do
Knowing your limitations is one of Aston's named qualities. In student-level scenarios, say what is beyond your role and who you would ask.
- 5
A "Why Aston?" answer that fits any school
Know the course: patient contact in the first term, placements every year across varied communities, primary care, and learning alongside other healthcare students.
- 6
Only having leadership examples
Aston asks for people who can lead as well as follow. Prepare an example of supporting someone else's decision as well as one of leading.
- 7
Talking at an actor
Role-play stations reward listening. Ask what the person knows and feels before you explain anything, and check they have understood.
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FAQs
Aston medicine interview: common questions
Does Aston interview for medicine?
Yes. Aston says multiple mini interviews (MMIs) are a compulsory part of its selection process for the five-year MBChB, and every Aston MMI is held online. Applicants are invited from a ranking of academic and UCAT scores, then re-ranked with their MMI score before offers are made.
When are Aston medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
Aston's MMIs normally take place between December and March in the year of application, so December 2026 to March 2027 for 2027 entry. That is Aston's usual pattern; it does not publish fixed 2027 dates.
Invited applicants receive a number of dates to choose from, and Aston allocates a time. Compare other schools in our interview dates table.
When will I hear whether I have an Aston medicine interview?
Aston does not publish a date for interview invitations. Its FAQ says that once the UCAS deadline has passed it ranks applicants and invites the top-ranking ones, and interviews normally run from December to March.
The invitation lists a number of dates to choose from, so check your email, including junk folders, regularly once the UCAS deadline has passed, and reply as soon as it arrives.
Are Aston medicine interviews online or in person?
Online. Aston says all of its MMIs are held online, for home and international applicants alike, so you need a quiet room, a reliable connection and a working camera and microphone.
How many stations are in the Aston MMI, and how long is it?
Five scored stations in the most recent round: Aston's 2026 entry figures score the MMI out of 50, with a maximum of 10 at each station. Aston does not state the station count in words, or publish how long each station or the whole MMI lasts.
Some stations involve actors, and at others you read a scenario and discuss it with the assessor. Check your invitation for the 2027 timings.
What does Aston look for at interview?
Aston lists oral and written communication, listening, empathy, compassion, respect and dignity, emotional intelligence, problem solving, motivation, teamworking, being able to lead as well as follow, and knowing your limitations and when to ask for help.
Its course page adds understanding of studying and practising medicine and understanding of professionalism. The themes on this page follow those lists.
How does Aston choose who to interview for medicine?
Aston ranks home applicants on achieved qualifications (normally GCSEs or equivalent) and total UCAT score, and overseas applicants on total UCAT score alone, then invites the top-ranking applicants in each group. Predicted A level grades are not used, and the scoring rules are on our Aston medical school profile.
How competitive is the Aston medicine interview?
For 2025 entry, 90% of home applicants interviewed received an offer (192 of 214). For 2024 entry, 79% of international interviewees did (79 of 100).
These figures are from our Aston profile. Offers are made on academic, UCAT and MMI scores together, and home, widening participation and international applicants are ranked separately.
Are international applicants interviewed differently at Aston?
No: international applicants sit the same online MMI as home applicants, because every Aston MMI is held online. The difference is in shortlisting and ranking.
Overseas applicants are ranked for the MMI on total UCAT score only, and international applicants are ranked separately from home applicants for Aston's 30 international places.
When will I hear from Aston after my interview?
Aston does not publish a date for offers after the MMI. Interviewees are re-ranked with their MMI score once the interviews are complete, so decisions follow the interview season, which normally ends in March.
Successful applicants are sent an email setting out the conditions of the offer.
Can I reschedule an Aston medicine interview?
Aston does not publish a rescheduling policy. Its invitation gives you a number of dates to choose from before Aston allocates your time, so that choice is the point to avoid a clash.
If something changes after you have booked, contact Aston's undergraduate admissions team (ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk) straight away.
Do I need medical work experience for Aston?
No. Aston says it recognises not everyone can get medical work experience, and that relevant experience can come from non-medical settings, such as working in a hospital shop or caring for an ill or elderly family member.
What matters is reflecting on what you saw: teamwork, compassion, knowing limitations and dealing with a wide range of people. Our work experience guide has ideas.
Where these facts come from
- Aston University, Medicine MBChB course page (September 2027 start)
- Aston Medical School Advice Zone, The MMI (no year stated; current guidance)
- Aston Medical School Advice Zone, FAQs (admissions process, scoring and 2026 entry figures) (2026 entry figures, with notes for 2027 entry)
- Aston Medical School Advice Zone, Work Experience (no year stated)
- Admissions statistics as published on our Aston profile (Aston publishes no interview offer rate on its own site) (2025 entry (home), 2024 entry (international))
Last checked: 24 October 2026. Universities change interview arrangements during the cycle, so confirm on Aston's own page before you travel or book. The questions above are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Aston's published guidance; they are not real or leaked interview questions.
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