Cardiff Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does Cardiff interview for medicine?

Source: Cardiff University, Medicine (MBBCh) course page (2027 entry); Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026) (2027 entry); Cardiff University, Interview and audition guidance (no year stated (updated August 2024))

When are Cardiff medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026) (2027 entry); Cardiff University, Interview and audition guidance (no year stated (updated August 2024))

How does Cardiff decide who to interview?

Source: Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026) (2027 entry); Cardiff University, School of Medicine variation to admissions policy for 2027 entry (2027 entry)

What does Cardiff assess in the MMI?

Source: Cardiff University, Medicine (MBBCh) course page (2027 entry); Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026) (2027 entry)

Motivation, resilience and a career in medicine

What Cardiff says: Cardiff says its MMI questions generally relate to motivation, your understanding of a career in medicine and resilience. Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026)

Cardiff asks about your understanding of a career in medicine as well as your reasons for wanting one, so expect follow-up questions about what the job is like after graduation. Resilience is named separately, which means a station may ask how you cope, and the interviewer will want an example from your own life.

1. 1

   Why do you want to be a doctor, and what have you done to check that the job suits you?

   What to cover: Start with one real reason, then show how you tested it: what you saw on work experience or in a caring role, and what you read. The interviewer wants to hear that you examined the decision yourself and did not simply drift into it.

2. 2

   What do you understand about a doctor's career after medical school?

   What to cover: Talk about the Foundation Programme, specialty training and the exams that continue for years after graduation. Show you know that most of a doctor's working life happens after the degree, and that you have thought about what that means for you.

3. 3

   Which part of a doctor's working life do you expect to find hardest, and why?

   What to cover: Pick something real, such as uncertainty, night shifts or giving bad news, and say what you have already done that gives you a start on it. A candidate who claims nothing would be hard is not believed.

4. 4

   Tell me about a time you kept going with something after a setback.

   What to cover: Choose an example where something went wrong for you, describe what you did next and what you changed. Resilience is about recovering and adapting, so the part after the setback matters most.

5. 5

   How do you look after yourself when you are under pressure, and how would you know it was not working?

   What to cover: Describe what you actually do, and the warning signs you notice in yourself. Then say who you would talk to, because doctors who ask for help early are safer doctors.

6. 6

   Halfway through your first year, you realise you are falling behind. What do you do?

   What to cover: Say you would act early: speak to your academic mentor, look at how you are spending your time and ask for help with the topics you are finding hardest. Cardiff gives every student a named academic mentor, so use it in your answer.

7. 7

   Cardiff says many excellently qualified applicants are turned down because of the competition for places. What would you do if you did not get an offer this year?

   What to cover: Give a realistic plan and say it calmly. Reapplying after more experience is a perfectly good answer, as is a related degree you would value in its own right, provided you can explain your choice.

8. 8

   Doctors can train in more than 60 specialties, or work outside clinical medicine. Which areas interest you at this stage, and how fixed is that?

   What to cover: Name an interest and where it came from, and show you know your views will change once you have seen more. Being open to changing your mind is a mature answer at seventeen.

9. 9

   What have you read, watched or listened to that changed how you see a career in medicine?

   What to cover: Name one thing, say what it argued and what you now think as a result. One book you can discuss properly is worth more than a list; our medicine reading list is a place to start.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"

The course in Cardiff and self-directed learning

What Cardiff says: Cardiff lists questions relating to the course in Cardiff, and self-directed learning, among the areas its MMI generally covers. Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026)

Cardiff names the course itself as an interview topic, so read the course page closely. The MBBCh is called C21 at Cardiff: a five-year spiral curriculum taught mainly through case-centred Team Based Learning in Years 1 and 2, with patients from the first year and placements in hospitals and over 230 general practices across Wales. Cardiff also says self-directed learning is central to the course, so expect to be asked how you learn on your own.

10. 10

    Why Cardiff?

    What to cover: Pick two or three things Cardiff actually does, such as case-centred Team Based Learning, placements across the whole of Wales or the option of a year in rural general practice, and explain why each suits you. A ranking or a nice city tells the interviewer nothing about you.

11. 11

    Cardiff calls its course C21 and describes it as a spiral curriculum. What do you think that means for how you would learn?

    What to cover: Explain that you return to the same topics several times, each time in more depth and closer to clinical practice. Then say why that might suit you, perhaps with an example of something you only understood properly the second time you met it.

12. 12

    Years 1 and 2 at Cardiff are taught mainly through case-centred Team Based Learning. What would you bring to a small group, and what might you find difficult?

    What to cover: Say what you would contribute, such as preparation, clear explanations or keeping the group on task, and admit one thing you would need to work on. The interviewer is checking that you have read how the course is taught and thought about yourself in it.

13. 13

    Self-directed learning is central to the course. Tell me about something you taught yourself outside school, and how you knew you had learned it properly.

    What to cover: Choose something specific, describe how you planned it and found resources, and explain how you tested yourself. Checking your own understanding is the skill being assessed, so give that part real weight.

14. 14

    Cardiff describes the whole of Wales as its classroom, from small rural GP practices to busy city emergency departments. How would you cope with a placement a long way from Cardiff?

    What to cover: Talk about what you would gain, such as seeing more acute presentations where hospitals are far away, and how you would manage being away from friends. Show you have thought about the practical side, and that you see the distance as part of the training.

15. 15

    In your second year you can apply to spend Year 3 in a GP practice in rural or semi-rural Wales. What might a student learn there that a large teaching hospital would not offer?

    What to cover: Think about continuity: seeing the same patients over months, understanding how a community's work and geography shape its health, and being a useful member of a small team. Mention that the learning outcomes are the same as on the main programme, as Cardiff says.

16. 16

    Cardiff teaches communication skills with actors trained to behave as patients. Why do you think it teaches communication this way?

    What to cover: Because it is safe to make mistakes with an actor, you get feedback straight away, and the scenarios can be made harder as you improve. Link it to why communication matters so much to patient safety and trust.

17. 17

    Up to 73% of Cardiff's course is available in Welsh. Why might it matter to a patient in Wales to be cared for in Welsh?

    What to cover: Talk about patients who think and feel most clearly in their first language, especially when frightened, elderly or confused. You do not need to speak Welsh to give a good answer; you need to show you understand why language affects care.

18. 18

    Cardiff offers intercalated degrees between Years 3 and 4 or 4 and 5. Would you want to intercalate, and in what?

    What to cover: Give a reasoned answer either way. If yes, name a subject and what you would want to find out; if not yet, say what would help you decide. Cardiff lists options such as pharmacology and emergency, pre-hospital and immediate care.

Go deeper: Medicine interview questions guide

Ethics and issues important to the profession

What Cardiff says: Cardiff says its MMI helps it see whether you can think on your feet and have thought about some of the issues that are important to the profession; ethics is one of the areas it generally asks about. Cardiff University, Medicine (MBBCh) course page

These scenarios have no single right answer. The assessor wants to hear you reason out loud: what matters here, what you would want to know, what you would do, and what would change your mind. Our guide to answering ethics questions gives you a structure to think with.

19. 19

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

    What to cover: Check that they have capacity and understand what refusing means, explore their reasons, offer alternatives, document everything and respect the decision. Our Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusion guide works through the reasoning.

20. 20

    In Wales, adults are treated as having agreed to organ donation unless they have opted out. What are the arguments for and against that approach?

    What to cover: Weigh more organs and lives saved against concerns about autonomy and the family's role. Wales moved to deemed consent in December 2015, the first UK nation to do so; our organ donation guide covers the rest of the UK.

21. 21

    A 15-year-old asks her 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 right to confidentiality, and anything that suggests she might be at risk. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test doctors use.

22. 22

    On a placement near your home town, you see someone you know at the clinic. Later, a family friend asks you whether that person is unwell. What do you say?

    What to cover: Say nothing about them, kindly and without hesitation, and do not confirm or deny that you saw them. Placements across Wales make this a real risk for students working near home; our confidentiality guide explains where the line sits.

23. 23

    At a Cardiff interview you are asked to confirm that you are not using any form of artificial intelligence. Why do you think a medical school takes that so seriously, and where does AI belong in medicine?

    What to cover: Link it to probity and trust, which matter from the first day of a medical degree, and then give a balanced view of AI in healthcare: useful for some tasks, but needing a responsible clinician. Our AI in medicine guide has the examples.

24. 24

    Should the NHS fund an expensive drug that extends life by a few months?

    What to cover: Reason through what else the money could buy, how cost is weighed against benefit, and fairness between patients. You are marked on the reasoning, not on which side you land; our QALYs guide explains the method.

25. 25

    A patient insists on antibiotics for what is almost certainly a viral cold. How should the doctor respond?

    What to cover: Explore what they are worried about, explain why antibiotics would not help and could cause harm, and agree a plan including when to come back. Mention antimicrobial resistance as the wider reason; our antibiotic resistance guide covers it.

26. 26

    A patient says they do not want to know their diagnosis. Should the doctor tell them anyway?

    What to cover: Respect their wish while checking what they do want to know, who they would like to be told, and whether the decision needs them to know anything to consent. Autonomy covers the right not to know, as well as the right to know.

27. 27

    A patient tells you a treatment they want is available in one part of the UK but not in another. Is that fair?

    What to cover: Explain that health is run separately in each UK nation and by local bodies, so decisions differ, and weigh local choice against equal access. Our postcode lottery guide has the arguments on both sides.

28. 28

    You notice a senior colleague smells of alcohol at the start of a shift. What do you do?

    What to cover: Patient safety comes first: speak to the colleague if it is safe to, and raise it with someone senior straight away. Show compassion for the colleague as well, because they may need help; our whistleblowing guide covers the duty to speak up.

Go deeper: The four pillars of medical ethics

The NHS

What Cardiff says: Cardiff names the NHS as one of the areas its MMI questions generally relate to. Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026)

Cardiff's clinical placements are delivered by the health boards across Wales, so the NHS you would train in is NHS Wales. Health is devolved, and an answer built only on NHS England's structures can sound out of place. Know the main differences, then prepare one or two current issues well. Our NHS hot topics hub keeps them in one place.

29. 29

    Your Cardiff placements would be delivered by health boards across Wales. What do you know about how the NHS in Wales differs from the NHS in England?

    What to cover: Explain that health is devolved to the Welsh Government, that local health boards both plan and provide care, and that prescriptions are free in Wales. Then say why it matters to you as a future student there; our comparison guide has the detail.

30. 30

    What is the biggest challenge facing the NHS in the next five years, in your view?

    What to cover: Choose one issue, such as workforce, waiting lists or GP shortages, give some evidence and explain what it means for the doctors working in it. One problem you understand well beats a tour of five.

31. 31

    Cardiff says doctors are more likely to work in communities similar to the ones they come from. Why does it matter who becomes a doctor?

    What to cover: Talk about trust, understanding patients' lives, and filling posts in areas and specialties that struggle to recruit. This is part of why Cardiff gives Welsh-domiciled applicants additional consideration, so you can connect it to the school.

32. 32

    Many rural areas struggle to recruit GPs. What could encourage doctors to work there?

    What to cover: Suggest a few realistic measures, such as training placements in rural practices, support for doctors' families, and teams that share the workload. Cardiff's rural Year 3 option is an example of the first, so mention it.

33. 33

    What does a GP do, and why does it matter that so much medical teaching happens in general practice?

    What to cover: Describe the GP as the first point of contact who manages most care in the community and decides who needs hospital. Then link it to Cardiff's placements in general practice in every phase of the course; our primary, secondary and tertiary care guide explains the layers.

34. 34

    How will an ageing population change the work of doctors you will train alongside?

    What to cover: Talk about more people living with several long-term conditions, more medicines to manage, and the link between hospital and social care. Our ageing population guide has the evidence.

35. 35

    What do you understand by health inequalities, and what can an individual doctor do about them?

    What to cover: Define them as avoidable differences in health between groups, give one cause, then describe what a doctor can do in practice, such as making care easier to reach. Our health inequalities guide summarises the Marmot findings.

36. 36

    What does it mean for healthcare to be free at the point of use, and what pressures does that create?

    What to cover: Explain the principle and why it matters for fairness, then the pressures: demand that grows faster than funding, waiting lists and hard choices about what to fund. Show you can see both sides without sounding cynical.

37. 37

    Can industrial action by doctors ever be justified?

    What to cover: Weigh doctors' pay, conditions and retention against the effect on patients, and mention how emergency care is protected during strikes. Give a reasoned view; our resident doctor strikes guide sets out the arguments.

Go deeper: NHS England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland compared

Working in teams, empathy and communication

What Cardiff says: Cardiff lists working in teams, empathy and communication among the areas its MMI generally covers, and says the stations show whether you can communicate ideas effectively. Cardiff University, Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff (updated 30 September 2026)

Teamwork matters more than usual at Cardiff, because the first two years are taught in small teams. Some stations will ask about your experience; others may be a scenario or a conversation with an actor, where the assessor watches how you listen, what you ask and whether your words fit the person in front of you. Our role-play station guide covers the technique.

38. 38

    Tell me about a time you were part of a team that was not working well. What did you do?

    What to cover: Describe what was going wrong, the specific thing you did, and what happened as a result. Own your part, and avoid an answer in which you alone rescued everyone.

39. 39

    In a Team Based Learning session, one member of your group never prepares and the others are getting frustrated. How do you handle it?

    What to cover: Speak to them privately first and find out why, because there may be a problem you do not know about. Agree a way forward, and involve the facilitator if nothing changes.

40. 40

    A patient's daughter is angry that her father has waited hours for a bed. Talk to her.

    What to cover: Let her finish, acknowledge how hard the wait has been, and do not argue or blame colleagues. Then find out what is happening and what can be done now, and say when you will come back to her.

41. 41

    A patient who speaks mainly Welsh is anxious and struggling to describe her symptoms in English. What would you do?

    What to cover: Find someone who can speak with her in Welsh, or arrange an interpreter, and give her time. Health services in Wales aim to offer care in Welsh without the patient having to ask, and a frightened patient explains things best in her first language.

42. 42

    Explain to a nine-year-old why they need a vaccination, in words they would understand.

    What to cover: Use short sentences and one simple picture, such as the vaccine teaching the body to recognise a germ before it meets the real one. Be truthful that it may hurt a little, and check they have understood.

43. 43

    What is the difference between empathy and sympathy, and how would a patient tell which one you were showing?

    What to cover: Empathy is understanding how things are from the patient's side; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. A patient notices empathy when you listen, reflect back what they said and respond to what matters to them. Our empathy and sympathy guide has examples.

44. 44

    Who else works in the team caring for a patient on a ward, and what does each person bring?

    What to cover: Name several roles, such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants, and give one thing each does that a doctor could not. Cardiff students learn alongside pharmacy and speech and language therapy students, so you can mention it.

45. 45

    Describe a time you explained something complicated to someone. How did you check they had understood?

    What to cover: Say how you adapted the explanation to the person, then how you checked, for example by asking them to explain it back. Checking understanding is the part most candidates forget.

46. 46

    You disagree with a decision made by the person leading your group project. What do you do?

    What to cover: Raise it with them privately and explain your reasoning with evidence, then accept the decision if it does not put anyone at risk. Knowing when to support a decision you did not choose is part of working in a team.

47. 47

    Tell me about a time you supported someone who was upset.

    What to cover: Describe what you noticed, what you said, and what you did afterwards. Show that you listened before trying to fix anything, and that you knew when to involve someone else.

Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team explained

Critically appraising information

What Cardiff says: Cardiff says its MMI helps it determine whether you can critically appraise information. Cardiff University, Medicine (MBBCh) course page

Cardiff's guidance for families says some MMI stations may be written tests, so be ready to read a short piece of evidence, a chart or a claim and judge what it does and does not support. Read everything before you speak. Our data interpretation guide has more practice material.

48. 48

    Here is a news article claiming a supplement halves the risk of dementia. What would you want to know before believing it?

    What to cover: Ask what kind of study it was, how many people were in it, who funded it, how long they were followed and whether the result has been repeated. Then say whether it shows cause or only an association.

49. 49

    A study finds that people who walk to work have fewer heart attacks. Does walking to work prevent heart attacks?

    What to cover: Not necessarily: people who walk to work may be younger, healthier or better off in the first place. Explain confounding with that example, and say what kind of study would answer the question better.

50. 50

    What is the difference between a relative and an absolute risk reduction, and why does it matter to a patient?

    What to cover: Work through a number: if the risk falls from 4% to 2%, that is a 50% relative reduction but a 2% absolute one. Patients deciding on a treatment need the absolute figure to judge whether it is worth it.

51. 51

    Here is a graph of emergency department waiting times over three winters. Describe what it shows, and what it cannot tell you.

    What to cover: Describe the trend in plain words with the units, then the limits: it says nothing about how unwell people were, how many staff were on duty or why the waits changed.

52. 52

    Two studies of the same drug reach different conclusions. How would you decide which to trust?

    What to cover: Compare how each was designed, how large it was, who took part, how long it ran and who paid for it. A large randomised trial usually carries more weight than a small observational study.

53. 53

    Why are randomised controlled trials seen as strong evidence, and when can they not be done?

    What to cover: Randomisation spreads the unknown differences between groups evenly, so a difference in outcome is more likely to be caused by the treatment. They cannot be done when it would be unethical to withhold a treatment or expose people to harm, such as smoking.

54. 54

    A survey of 20 patients at one GP surgery finds most are unhappy with appointment times. What can you conclude?

    What to cover: Very little beyond those 20 people: the sample is small, may not be typical, and unhappy patients may be more likely to reply. Say what a better survey would look like.

55. 55

    A patient brings you a printout about a treatment they found online. How do you respond?

    What to cover: Thank them for bringing it, read it with them, and talk through where it came from and what the evidence shows. Show that you take their research seriously, and do not dismiss it out of hand.

56. 56

    Cardiff's Year 2 students write a journalistic article that has to explain complex evidence accurately. How would you report a new vaccine trial to newspaper readers without overstating it?

    What to cover: Give the main finding in plain words, with absolute numbers, say who was studied and for how long, and include the obvious limits. A headline that claims more than the trial showed misleads readers.

Go deeper: How to read a medical paper