Lancaster Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does Lancaster interview for medicine?

Source: Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026) (2027 entry); Lancaster Medical School, How to apply: Medicine and Surgery (A100) (no year stated; current cycle); Lancaster University, Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100) course page (2027 entry)

When are Lancaster medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026) (2027 entry); Lancaster Medical School, How to apply (selection process and timeline) (no year stated; current cycle)

How does Lancaster decide who to interview?

Source: Lancaster Medical School, How to apply: Medicine and Surgery (A100) (no year stated; current cycle); Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026) (2027 entry)

What does Lancaster assess at interview?

Source: Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026) (2027 entry); Lancaster Medical School, How to apply: Medicine and Surgery (A100) (no year stated; current cycle); Lancaster University, Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100) course page (2027 entry); Lancaster Medical School, About your course (Medicine and Surgery) (no year stated; current course)

Career choice and suitability for medicine

What Lancaster says: Lancaster's admissions policy says some stations consist of a short interview where you may be asked questions about your career choice, work experience or suitability for a medical career. Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026)

Lancaster says it uses the interview to learn what led you to apply for medicine, and that your personal statement should show who you are, what you have done to explore medicine, what you have learned about being a doctor and why you are suited to it. Expect these stations to start from that ground and push further. Know the Lancaster course as well: the values-led approach, simulated patients in Year 1 and placements across Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

1. 1

   Why do you want to be a doctor, and how did you test that decision?

   What to cover: Give your starting point briefly, then spend most of the answer on how you checked it: what you saw, read or did that could have put you off and did not.

2. 2

   Why Lancaster?

   What to cover: Choose two things the Lancaster course actually does, such as simulated patients from Year 1 or placements from small rural practices to coastal communities, and explain why they suit you. A ranking tells the interviewer nothing about you.

3. 3

   Lancaster calls its programme values-led, built around social justice, inclusion and sustainability. Which of those matters most to you, and why?

   What to cover: Pick one and connect it to something you have seen or done. Then say what it might mean for the kind of doctor you want to be.

4. 4

   What do you think makes someone suited to a career in medicine, and where do you fit that description?

   What to cover: Name two or three qualities and give a short example of each from your own life. Be fair about one area you are still working on.

5. 5

   Why medicine and not nursing, physiotherapy or becoming a physician associate?

   What to cover: Speak about those roles with respect and accuracy, then give a reason that is about the doctor's role in particular, such as diagnosis and carrying final clinical responsibility. Our physician associate guide explains how that role differs.

6. 6

   What do you understand about the training a doctor goes through after medical school?

   What to cover: Outline the foundation years, specialty training and the exams along the way. Our guide to the medical training pathway sets out each stage.

7. 7

   Lancaster students sit the whole Medical Licensing Assessment in Year 4. What do you think of having your final exams a year early?

   What to cover: Weigh it up: a final year spent on clinical work and preparing for foundation training, against a heavy fourth year. Our guide to the UKMLA explains what it covers.

8. 8

   What do you expect to find hardest about the first year of a medical degree?

   What to cover: Choose something real, such as the jump to independent study, and show you have started to prepare. Lancaster begins with a Foundation Block for exactly that move, so you can mention it.

9. 9

   If you are not offered a place this year, what will you do?

   What to cover: Give a realistic plan that keeps medicine as the goal. Know that Lancaster does not normally consider reapplications from people unsuccessful after interview, so a sensible plan involves other schools too.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"

Reflecting on your work experience and what it taught you

What Lancaster says: Lancaster says what matters most is that you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences and link it to the role of a doctor, and it does not prioritise applicants who have shadowed doctors in person. Lancaster Medical School, How to apply: Medicine and Surgery (A100)

Lancaster is unusually clear that it does not reward clinical shadowing for its own sake. It says online research and virtual work experience are as valuable as being on a ward, and that volunteering, part-time jobs and supporting your community all count. What it asks is that you can say what each experience taught you about real life, about medicine and about yourself. It also verifies the experiences you list, so talk only about what you did.

10. 10

    Tell me about one experience that taught you something about being a doctor. What did you learn?

    What to cover: Describe one moment in detail, then say what you understood afterwards that you had not before. The learning is what is marked, so keep the description short.

11. 11

    Lancaster says virtual work experience is as valuable as shadowing. What did yours teach you?

    What to cover: Name the programme or resource, one thing it showed you about a doctor's work, and how you followed it up. Treat it as seriously as you would a hospital placement.

12. 12

    What has a part-time job taught you that will help you as a doctor?

    What to cover: Lancaster lists part-time jobs as relevant experience. Pick a skill such as dealing with an unhappy customer or working a long shift, and link it to a clinical situation.

13. 13

    Describe a time you saw good teamwork, communication or empathy. How does that relate to being a doctor?

    What to cover: These are the three examples Lancaster itself gives. Choose one, describe what the person did, and say how you would do the same with a patient.

14. 14

    Tell me about something you saw during your experience that you disagreed with or found uncomfortable.

    What to cover: Describe it fairly, say why it troubled you and what you did, if anything. Showing you can think critically about what you see is a strength, as long as you stay respectful.

15. 15

    What have you done to support your local community, and what did it show you about health?

    What to cover: Link it to the wider causes of health, such as loneliness, money or transport. Lancaster's course puts a lot of weight on how people's lives shape their health.

16. 16

    Which part of your personal statement would you most like to tell me more about, and why?

    What to cover: Lancaster says the statement is mainly a way to prepare for interview questions. Pick an experience you can go into in much more depth than you had room for.

17. 17

    Lancaster checks the experiences applicants list by contacting the people named. Why do you think it does that?

    What to cover: Talk about probity and trust: patients need to believe what doctors tell them, so a medical school needs to believe what applicants tell it. Our GMC guide for interviews covers the standard.

Go deeper: Medicine work experience guide

Motivation, self-awareness, conscientiousness and compassion

What Lancaster says: Lancaster says you will need to be motivated, self-aware and conscientious and demonstrate respect for patients and a compassionate and caring nature. Lancaster University, Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100) course page

This is Lancaster's own list of what it looks for in a student. Prepare one short story for each quality and be ready to bend them to fit different questions. The interviewer wants evidence: a time you showed the quality, and a time it was hard to.

18. 18

    Tell me about a time you showed respect for someone whose views or choices you did not share.

    What to cover: Choose a real disagreement, describe what you did to understand their side and how you behaved. Respect is shown in actions, so describe them.

19. 19

    What is a weakness of yours, and what do you do about it?

    What to cover: Name a real one and describe what you actually do to manage it. Self-awareness is what Lancaster names, and a disguised strength does not show it.

20. 20

    Describe a time you kept going with something hard when nobody was checking on you.

    What to cover: Lancaster asks for self-discipline and a willingness to work hard. Pick something you sustained over weeks or months and say what kept you at it.

21. 21

    Tell me about a time you made a mistake. What happened next?

    What to cover: Choose a mistake with a consequence and spend most of the answer on what you did after: owning it, putting it right and changing how you work.

22. 22

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

    What to cover: Empathy is understanding someone's situation from their side; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. Give an example of how the first sounds in a real conversation.

23. 23

    How do you look after your own wellbeing when you are under pressure?

    What to cover: Describe what you actually do and a time it was tested. Then link it to patient safety: tired or unwell doctors make more errors, and asking for help early is a professional duty.

24. 24

    Lancaster treats using AI or getting help from someone else during its interview as a probity concern. Why does that matter in a medical school?

    What to cover: Talk about fairness to other applicants and about trust: a doctor's word has to be relied on. Our GMC guide for interviews covers probity.

25. 25

    A friend on your course admits they wrote a placement reflection about something that did not happen. What do you do?

    What to cover: Speak to them first and encourage them to correct it themselves. Be clear that you could not ignore it, because written records in medicine must be accurate.

Go deeper: Empathy and sympathy in interviews

Read a paragraph or watch a clip, then discuss it

What Lancaster says: At some Lancaster stations you may be asked to read a paragraph or watch a video clip, take some notes and then discuss it at a subsequent station. Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026)

This station type is particular to Lancaster's description: you take something in at one station and talk about it at the next. Practise reading a short article or watching a two-minute clip, making brief notes, and then explaining it to someone a few minutes later: what it said, what the issues are, and what you think. The prompts below describe the kind of material you might be given; the discussion questions are what to practise.

26. 26

    You read a paragraph about a patient with capacity who refuses a treatment that would probably save their life. Discuss the issues.

    What to cover: Check capacity and understanding, explore their reasons, offer alternatives, then respect the decision. Our guide to autonomy explains why it protects choices doctors disagree with.

27. 27

    You watch a clip of a GP running late and a patient complaining at reception. What did you notice, and what would you have done differently?

    What to cover: Describe what happened accurately first, then comment on the communication: who listened, who explained, and what could have calmed the situation.

28. 28

    You read a short article about a drop in childhood vaccination rates. Summarise it and say what doctors can do.

    What to cover: Give the main point in two sentences, then the reasons parents hesitate and what a doctor can do: listening, giving clear information and making vaccination easy to get.

29. 29

    You read about a 15-year-old who asks for contraception without her parents knowing. What are the issues?

    What to cover: Consider whether she can understand the decision, her right to confidentiality and any signs of risk. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test.

30. 30

    You read a paragraph arguing that people who smoke should wait longer for some operations. Do you agree?

    What to cover: Separate the clinical argument, that smoking can raise surgical risk, from the moral one about blame. Discuss fairness and addiction, then give a reasoned view. Our guide to justice in medical ethics helps.

31. 31

    You watch a clip about a hospital trialling artificial intelligence to read X-rays. What are the benefits and risks?

    What to cover: Give one real benefit, such as speed, and one real risk, such as bias or unclear responsibility for errors. Our AI in medicine guide has examples.

32. 32

    You read an extract about organ donation becoming opt-out in England. What do you think?

    What to cover: Lay out the case for it and against it, mention that families are still consulted, and come to your own view. Our organ donation guide has the background.

33. 33

    You are given a short paragraph and two minutes to make notes. How do you use the time?

    What to cover: Note the main point, the people affected and the question it raises, in a few words each. Plan your first sentence for the next station so you start clearly.

Go deeper: Answering medical ethics questions

Communication skills

What Lancaster says: Lancaster's admissions policy says some stations may assess your communication skills, and its course page says good communication is essential to becoming a caring and empathetic doctor. Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026)

Lancaster teaches communication with simulated patients from Year 1, learning how to adjust what you say for different people's needs, so a communication station is a fair preview of the course. Online, your listening has to show on camera: look at the lens when you speak, nod, and summarise back what you heard.

34. 34

    Your neighbour is confused about a new medicine and the leaflet. Help them over a video call.

    What to cover: Ask what they already understand, explain the main points in plain words and ask them to tell it back. If anything is beyond you, suggest the pharmacist; our Pharmacy First guide explains what pharmacists now do.

35. 35

    A friend tells you they have failed an exam and want to give up on medicine. Talk to them.

    What to cover: Listen before advising, ask what happened and how they feel, check they are safe, and point them to their tutor. Avoid telling them what to decide.

36. 36

    Explain to a ten-year-old why they need a blood test.

    What to cover: Short words, one simple picture of why doctors need to look at blood, and be truthful that it may hurt for a moment. Check they have understood.

37. 37

    You have to tell a housemate you damaged something they lent you. Go ahead.

    What to cover: Say it early and plainly, apologise once, let them react, and offer to put it right. The SPIKES framework follows the same order.

38. 38

    A patient's son is angry that he has not been told anything about his mother's care. Talk to him.

    What to cover: Let him speak, acknowledge the worry, stay calm and do not blame colleagues. As a student you cannot share her information without consent, so offer to find someone who can.

39. 39

    How would you adapt a conversation for a patient whose first language is not English?

    What to cover: Professional interpreter, short sentences, checking understanding, and written information in their language. Explain why family members are a poor substitute when the news is serious.

40. 40

    How do you show someone you are listening when you are talking over a video call?

    What to cover: Look at the camera when you speak, nod, keep your face visible, and summarise what they said. Lancaster's 2027 interviews are online, so this is worth practising.

41. 41

    Tell me about a time someone misunderstood you. What did you change?

    What to cover: Describe where it went wrong and when you noticed, then what you did differently. Changing your words usually helps more than repeating them slowly.

Go deeper: MMI role-play stations

Group work and teamwork

What Lancaster says: Lancaster says some stations may assess your group work skills, and that working in a team and respecting your peers is essential within its small group teaching environment. Lancaster Medical School, Admissions Policy 2027 Entry (PDF, updated July 2026)

Lancaster names group work as something a station may assess, and its course runs on small group teaching and case-based learning. In a group station, the interviewer is watching how you work with others: whether you listen, build on other people's ideas, keep the group to the task and bring in someone who is quiet. Speaking the most does not score the most.

42. 42

    In a group task, one person is dominating and another has not spoken. What do you do?

    What to cover: Acknowledge the strong voice's points, then invite the quiet person in by name. Keep the group focused on the task, not on the people.

43. 43

    Tell me about a team you were in that did not work well. What was your part in it?

    What to cover: Own some of it, say what went wrong, such as unclear roles, and what you would do now. Blaming others uses up the time.

44. 44

    Describe a time you led a group. What did you learn about leading?

    What to cover: Show leadership as helping others do their part, with a real decision and how the group reacted. Include something you got wrong.

45. 45

    Your group has ten minutes to agree how to spend a small budget on a community health project. How would you start?

    What to cover: Suggest agreeing the goal first, hear each person's idea briefly, then choose against the goal. Say who would keep time.

46. 46

    Lancaster teaches in small groups using case-based learning. What would you bring to a group like that, and what would you need to work on?

    What to cover: Give one strength with an example and one area to improve, such as speaking up sooner. Being specific about the weakness makes the strength believable.

47. 47

    A member of your project group stops 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 rest of the group, and tell the tutor if the work is at risk.

48. 48

    Who looks after a patient being discharged from hospital to a care home, and what does each person do?

    What to cover: Go beyond doctors and nurses: pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and care home staff. Show you know the patient depends on all of them.

49. 49

    You are the most junior person in a team and you think the plan is unsafe. What do you do?

    What to cover: Ask a question first and give your reason, accept a good answer, and escalate if a patient could be harmed. Our whistleblowing guide covers raising concerns.

Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team explained

Social justice, inclusion and sustainability

What Lancaster says: Lancaster says what makes it distinctive is its values-led approach: social justice, inclusion and sustainability sit at the heart of its programme, encouraging students to understand patients as whole people shaped by their lives, communities and environments. Lancaster University, Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100) course page

Lancaster puts its values on the front of its course page, so expect them to come up, whether in a short interview or in something you read or watch. Its course also follows the NHS 10 Year Plan's focus on care in the community, teaches how many patients live with several long-term conditions, and places students in deprived coastal communities as well as rural practices and city hospitals.

50. 50

    Why might someone living in a deprived coastal town have worse health than someone a few miles inland?

    What to cover: Talk about income, housing, jobs, transport and distance from services, and why doctors and other staff can be hard to recruit there. Then say what a doctor can do for the patient in front of them.

51. 51

    What does inclusion mean for a doctor in a GP surgery?

    What to cover: Make it practical: interpreters, longer appointments for people with learning disabilities, accessible buildings and information. Our equality and diversity guide covers the law.

52. 52

    What has climate change got to do with a doctor's job?

    What to cover: Cover both directions: heat and air pollution harm health, and healthcare has a large carbon footprint. Our Greener NHS guide has examples a doctor can act on.

53. 53

    The NHS 10 Year Plan wants more care moved from hospitals into the community. What would that mean for patients in rural Cumbria?

    What to cover: Think of benefits, such as care closer to home, and difficulties, such as staffing and travel. Our guide to the 10 Year Health Plan explains the three shifts.

54. 54

    Lancaster teaches about patients living with several long-term conditions. Why is that harder to manage than one disease?

    What to cover: Talk about many medicines and their interactions, appointments with different teams, and treatments for one condition worsening another. The answer is often to treat the person, not each disease separately.

55. 55

    What is social prescribing, and when might a doctor use it?

    What to cover: Explain linking patients to non-medical support, such as groups or advice services, for problems like loneliness. Our social prescribing guide gives examples.

56. 56

    Is it fair that what treatment you can get sometimes depends on where you live?

    What to cover: Explain how local decisions lead to differences, then weigh local flexibility against fairness. Our guide to the postcode lottery has the background.

57. 57

    If you had a small budget to improve health in your own area, what would you spend it on?

    What to cover: Choose one local problem, explain why it matters and suggest something you could measure. Say how you would know whether it worked.

Go deeper: Health inequalities and the Marmot review