University of Greater Manchester Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does the University of Greater Manchester interview for medicine?

Source: University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027-28 entry (start 7 September 2027)); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Entry to MBChB: Expressions of Interest and stages of your application (2027 cohort); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Opportunity to support Undergraduate Medicine MMIs (call for assessors) (last cycle, January to April 2026)

When are University of Greater Manchester medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: University of Greater Manchester Medical School, MBChB Medicine Programme Details (key application dates) (2027 dates "to be added soon"); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Opportunity to support Undergraduate Medicine MMIs (call for assessors) (last cycle, January to April 2026); University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027-28 entry (start 7 September 2027)); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Entry to MBChB: Expressions of Interest and stages of your application (2027 cohort)

How does the University of Greater Manchester decide who to interview?

Source: University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027-28 entry (start 7 September 2027)); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Medicine (MBChB) 2027 Academic Requirements (2027 entry)

What does the University of Greater Manchester assess at interview?

Source: University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027-28 entry (start 7 September 2027)); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Entry to MBChB: Expressions of Interest and stages of your application (2027 cohort); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Opportunity to support Undergraduate Medicine MMIs (call for assessors) (last cycle, January to April 2026); University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Who We Are (mission and core values) (no year stated)

Commitment to medicine and lifelong learning

What Greater Manchester says: The university is seeking students who can demonstrate a commitment to a career in medicine and lifelong learning, and its MMIs assess motivation. University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page

Expect to explain why medicine, how you know what the job involves, and why this school. For the last part, use what the university publishes: the University of Leicester's medicine curriculum, patient-focused teaching that is not problem-based learning, early clinical experience through its Healthcare Certificate programme, the Institute of Medical Sciences on the grounds of the Royal Bolton Hospital, and placements across Greater Manchester and South Lancashire. Lifelong learning is named on its own, so be ready to talk about how you learn and keep learning.

1. 1

   Why do you want to study medicine, and what have you done to test that choice?

   What to cover: Give your starting point briefly, then spend most of the answer on how you checked it. The School thinks work experience of some form is beneficial, so use what you did, saw or read that could have put you off and did not.

2. 2

   Why the University of Greater Manchester?

   What to cover: Choose two things the School publishes, such as its patient-focused curriculum from Leicester or early clinical experience in Bolton's diverse community, and say why each suits you. Being a new school is a fact, not a reason on its own.

3. 3

   Why do you want to study medicine in the UK, and what do you know about how the NHS works?

   What to cover: Every 2027 applicant is international, so expect this. Explain what draws you to training in the NHS and show you know the basics: care free at the point of use, GPs as the first point of contact, and hospitals for specialist care.

4. 4

   What does lifelong learning mean for a doctor?

   What to cover: Talk about medicine changing after you qualify, postgraduate exams, keeping up with evidence and learning from mistakes and feedback. Then give an example of something you taught yourself outside school.

5. 5

   The course here is integrated and patient-focused, and the School says it is not a problem-based learning course. How do you learn best, and why will this suit you?

   What to cover: Describe how you learn with an example from school, and link it to learning science through patients' presentations, lectures and small groups. Our teaching styles guide explains the models.

6. 6

   The School describes medicine as a calling. Do you agree?

   What to cover: Give a view with some balance: a sense of purpose keeps doctors going, but it is also a job with limits, and doctors who never switch off burn out. Show you can hold both ideas.

7. 7

   What do you expect to find hardest about living and studying in Bolton?

   What to cover: Be practical: weather, distance from family, a new health system and a different style of teaching. Then say what you will do about each, which shows you have thought about the move.

8. 8

   Where do you see yourself working after you graduate?

   What to cover: Be open, and show you know the path: two years of UK Foundation training, then specialty training. The School says a UK primary medical qualification lets you apply for Foundation training in the NHS.

9. 9

   What have you read or watched about medicine that changed your view of it?

   What to cover: Name one thing, say what it argued and what you now think. Our medicine reading list is a good place to start.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"

Values: caring, compassion and empathy

What Greater Manchester says: The university looks for applicants who are caring and compassionate and assesses values and behaviours; its MMIs assess empathy, and its Healthcare Certificate programme teaches students to treat everyone with compassion, dignity and respect. University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page

The School's own words are compassionate, holistic and patient-centred, and its early clinical training teaches compassion, dignity and respect. A station on this theme is scored on what you do and say, not on the values you name. Bring one or two examples from caring or volunteering that show how you treat people, and in any scenario, start with the person in front of you before the task.

10. 10

    Tell me about a time you cared for or supported someone. What did you do?

    What to cover: Describe the person, what you did, how often and one moment that mattered. Detail is what makes it believable.

11. 11

    What does treating someone with dignity look like in practice?

    What to cover: Give small, concrete examples: knocking before entering, explaining before you act, keeping someone covered, using the name they prefer. Then link one to something you have done.

12. 12

    The School says patients are much more than the illnesses they suffer from. What does that mean to you?

    What to cover: Talk about the social and psychological side of illness: how work, family, money and fear shape what a patient needs. Give an example of a patient whose life mattered as much as their diagnosis.

13. 13

    An older patient on a ward has had no visitors all week and seems withdrawn. What do you do?

    What to cover: Spend time with them, ask how they are and listen. Tell the nurse in charge, because loneliness can affect recovery and there may be support the team can arrange.

14. 14

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

    What to cover: Empathy is understanding someone's feelings and showing them you do; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. Explain how empathy helps a patient feel heard and makes it easier to share worries.

15. 15

    How would you care for a patient whose beliefs or culture are very different from yours?

    What to cover: Ask, do not assume. Show respect, find out what matters to them about their care, and use an interpreter where needed. The School describes Bolton's communities as diverse and multicultural.

16. 16

    Can you be a compassionate doctor when you are exhausted?

    What to cover: Accept that tiredness makes it harder and explain what helps: rest, support from colleagues and the School's Health Enhancement Programme for students' own wellbeing. Compassion has to be sustainable.

17. 17

    Tell me about a time you found it hard to be patient with someone. What did you do?

    What to cover: Choose a real example, describe how you kept calm and what you learned about the other person's side. Showing self-awareness scores better than claiming you are always patient.

Go deeper: Empathy and sympathy in interviews

Communication: calm and reassuring under pressure

What Greater Manchester says: The university is seeking excellent communication skills in applicants who can remain calm and reassuring in stressful situations, and its MMIs assess communication. University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page

The School pairs communication with staying calm and reassuring under stress, so practise scenarios where someone is upset, confused or frightened. In an online station you cannot rely on body language as much, so speak clearly, look at the camera, pause to let the other person respond and summarise what you have heard. Communication in English is also part of what is being judged, so practise speaking your answers aloud.

18. 18

    A patient in a GP waiting room is frightened about a test result they are waiting for. Talk to them.

    What to cover: Acknowledge the fear, ask what they already know and what worries them most, and do not guess the result. Offer to find someone who can help and stay with them while they wait if you can.

19. 19

    Explain to an anxious parent why their child needs a blood test.

    What to cover: Use plain words, explain what will happen and why, and check what they understood. Be truthful that it may hurt for a moment, and say what can make it easier for the child.

20. 20

    A relative is shouting at a receptionist because their father has been waiting for hours. What do you do?

    What to cover: Stay calm and lower your voice, acknowledge their frustration and move the conversation somewhere quieter. Find out whether anything about the father's condition has changed, because that comes first.

21. 21

    How do you check that someone has understood what you have told them?

    What to cover: Ask them to explain it back in their own words, or watch whether they can do the task. Asking "does that make sense?" is not a check.

22. 22

    A patient speaks little English and their teenage daughter offers to interpret. What do you do?

    What to cover: Thank the daughter, but arrange a professional interpreter, because a child should not carry clinical information and the patient may not speak freely. Use short sentences and check understanding.

23. 23

    Tell me about a time you stayed calm when others around you did not.

    What to cover: Describe the situation, what you did to keep calm and what difference it made. The School names calm and reassuring in stressful situations as something it looks for.

24. 24

    What changes when a conversation happens on a video call, as your interview does?

    What to cover: Talk about lag, losing body language, needing to pause and summarise, and checking the other person can hear and see you. The same skills apply to remote consultations.

25. 25

    Explain something you have studied at school to someone who has never studied science.

    What to cover: Pick one idea, start with why it matters to them and use an everyday comparison. Stop to check they are with you, because the station is testing how you adapt.

Go deeper: MMI role-play stations

Problem solving

What Greater Manchester says: The university assesses applicants' problem-solving skills at interview, and its mission is to prepare students in a culture of critical thinking. University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page

A problem-solving station gives you a practical situation with more to do than you can manage, or a question with no obvious answer. The interviewer is marking how you reason, so talk through your thinking in order: what matters most, what you need to know, what you would do first and why. The university also mentions tests in its interview process without describing them, so keep your basic arithmetic and data reading sharp too.

26. 26

    You are volunteering on a ward. A call bell is ringing, a patient asks for water, a visitor is lost and a nurse asks you to fetch a form. What do you do first?

    What to cover: Rank the tasks by risk to patients, so the call bell comes first, and say who could take each other task. Explain your reasoning as you go.

27. 27

    Your internet connection drops in the middle of an online exam. What do you do?

    What to cover: Stay calm, try to reconnect, and contact the organisers straight away with evidence such as screenshots. Then think about what you would set up beforehand to reduce the risk.

28. 28

    You have three assignments due in the same week and you fall ill. What do you do?

    What to cover: Prioritise by deadline and weight, tell your tutor early and use the proper process for extensions. The School asks offer holders to contact the admissions tutor as soon as possible about any disruption, which is the same habit.

29. 29

    A GP practice notices that many patients miss their afternoon appointments. How would you find out why?

    What to cover: Ask who misses them, when they were booked and how patients are reminded. Then talk to patients and staff before suggesting a fix.

30. 30

    One member of your study group never does their share. What do you do?

    What to cover: Find out why before assuming the worst; there may be a problem in their life. Then agree a fair plan with the group and involve a tutor if the work is at risk.

31. 31

    Estimate how many people in a town of 100,000 might visit a GP in one week.

    What to cover: The method is what is marked. Start from how many times a person sees a GP in a year, divide by about 50 weeks, and state each assumption aloud.

32. 32

    You are halfway through a task on placement and realise you misunderstood what you were asked. What do you do?

    What to cover: Stop, tell the person who asked you and check what they need. Owning a misunderstanding early is safer than finishing the wrong task.

33. 33

    A table shows a hospital's waiting times rising every month this year. What questions would you ask before deciding what to do?

    What to cover: Ask what is being measured, for which patients, whether demand or staffing changed, and what other hospitals show. Our data interpretation guide has practice.

Go deeper: MMI prioritisation stations

Resilience and assertiveness

What Greater Manchester says: The university seeks applicants who are resilient and assertive and who can remain calm in stressful situations; the School says it prepares students to meet the challenges of modern healthcare with confidence, empathy and resilience. University of Greater Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page

Assertive is an unusual word for a medical school to publish, and it matters: a doctor has to speak up when a patient is at risk, even to someone senior, and to say no politely when asked to do something unsafe. Resilience is about how you recover from setbacks and look after yourself, which the School builds into the course through its Health Enhancement Programme. Bring a real setback and a real time you spoke up.

34. 34

    Tell me about a setback and what you did next.

    What to cover: Choose something that really mattered, describe how you felt and what you changed afterwards. The recovery is the part that is marked.

35. 35

    What does being assertive mean, and how is it different from being aggressive?

    What to cover: Assertive means stating your view or concern clearly and respectfully, while listening to the other side; aggressive means overriding people. Give an example of each.

36. 36

    A senior colleague asks you to do something you have not been trained to do. What do you say?

    What to cover: Explain politely that you are not trained, offer to help in another way or to find someone who can, and ask to be shown properly later. Patient safety comes first.

37. 37

    You notice a doctor forget to wash their hands between patients. What do you do?

    What to cover: Patient safety means you cannot ignore it. Say something politely at the time if you can, or tell the nurse in charge; raising concerns is part of every healthcare worker's duty.

38. 38

    How will you cope with being far from home, studying in a new country?

    What to cover: Name what you will do: build new friendships early, keep routines, use student support and stay in touch with home. The School offers tailored inductions for international students.

39. 39

    Tell me about a time you had to keep going when you wanted to give up.

    What to cover: Say why you kept going, what helped and what you learned about yourself. Avoid a story where everything turned out easily.

40. 40

    The School runs a Health Enhancement Programme so students prioritise their own health and wellbeing. Why does a medical school need that?

    What to cover: Because tired, unwell doctors make more mistakes and leave the profession, and habits formed at medical school last. Then say what you do now to stay well.

41. 41

    A friend in your year keeps asking to copy your work. What do you do?

    What to cover: Say no clearly and kindly, explain why copying is a serious problem in a professional course, and offer to help them understand the work.

Go deeper: Whistleblowing and raising concerns

Teamwork and professionalism

What Greater Manchester says: The School's MMIs assess areas including teamwork, and its call for interview assessors lists communication skills, empathy, teamwork, professionalism and motivation for medicine among the attributes assessed. University of Greater Manchester Medical School, Opportunity to support Undergraduate Medicine MMIs (call for assessors)

The School teaches through simulation and interprofessional learning so students understand other professions' roles early, and in each Phase 2 placement you are part of a team caring for patients. Professionalism runs through the course in an ePortfolio that records your development, attendance and engagement. Have an example of working in a team as a member as well as a leader, and be clear on what professional behaviour means for a student.

42. 42

    Tell me about a time you worked in a team. What was your part?

    What to cover: Choose one team and one task, and be clear about your own contribution. Include something that went wrong and how the team dealt with it.

43. 43

    Who is in the healthcare team on a hospital ward, and what does each person do?

    What to cover: Name doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others, with a sentence each. Our MDT guide explains who does what.

44. 44

    The School uses interprofessional learning so students learn with other professions. What would you expect to gain from it?

    What to cover: Talk about understanding what colleagues can do before you depend on them, learning to refer to the right person and respecting other expertise.

45. 45

    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. Our GMC guide for interviews summarises what students are expected to do.

46. 46

    A classmate posts a photo from a clinical placement on social media, and a patient can be seen. What do you do?

    What to cover: Treat it as a confidentiality breach whatever they meant. Ask them to remove it at once and tell a tutor if they refuse; our confidentiality guide explains where the line sits.

47. 47

    Tell me about a mistake you made and what you did about it.

    What to cover: Choose a real mistake with a consequence. Spend most of the time on owning it, putting it right and what you changed.

48. 48

    The course asks you to record your development, attendance and engagement in an ePortfolio. Why would a medical school track attendance?

    What to cover: Because reliability is part of patient safety: on a ward, people depend on you turning up. Show you see attendance as part of professionalism, not a rule for its own sake.

49. 49

    Why does a medical school ask international students for a certificate of good conduct and an occupational health check?

    What to cover: Because doctors work with vulnerable people and patients must be able to trust them, and some health conditions affect how you can practise safely. The university requires both before you start.

50. 50

    You disagree with how your group wants to approach a task, and the deadline is close. What do you do?

    What to cover: Say your view once, clearly, with a reason, and listen to theirs. If nobody would come to harm and the group still disagrees, accept the decision and help make it work.

Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team