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Medicine interviews, 2027 entry
Manchester Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)
How the University of Manchester's five-station multiple mini interview (MMI) works, when Manchester medicine interviews run, the group task Manchester may add for 2027 entry, and 58 practice questions grouped under the headings Manchester itself publishes, with model answers.
Reviewed by Dr Akash Gandhi, NHS GP and a Cambridge and UCL graduate (GMC register) · Checked against Manchester's official pages: 14 October 2026
Manchester medicine interviews, 2027 entry
Manchester medicine interviews are a five-station multiple mini interview (MMI): eight minutes per station, each marked by a separate interviewer, and one station may become a group task for 2027 entry. Applicants choose Zoom or on campus. Interviews usually run from December to early March. For 2026 entry, 59% of home applicants shortlisted for interview received an offer.
- Format
- Five-station multiple mini interview (MMI), each station marked by a separate interviewer2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Possible change for 2027 entry
- One MMI station may be replaced by a group task; Manchester confirms the format to those invited2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Station length
- Eight minutes per station, with a two-minute gap between stations and a random starting station2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- In advance
- No information is given beforehand, and no station has a reading or writing component2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Online or in person
- Your choice of Zoom or on campus, assessed in exactly the same way; spaces in each format are limited and allocated first come, first served2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- When
- Usually December to early March; Manchester does not publish dated days2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Invitations
- Sent to the email address on your UCAS application2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Who interviews
- University and clinical staff, plus patient and lay representatives, current medical students and simulated patients2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Offers without interview
- None: Manchester makes no offer without an interview2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)
- Post-interview success, home, 2026 entry
- 59% (985 offers from 1,667 shortlisted for interview)2026 entry
- Post-interview success, international, 2026 entry
- 21% (40 offers from 191 shortlisted for interview)2026 entry
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 Manchester interview for medicine?
The University of Manchester interviews medicine applicants with a five-station multiple mini interview (MMI). Each station lasts eight minutes, with a two-minute gap before the next, and each is marked by a different interviewer. You start at a randomly allocated station and move round in order until you have done all five. Manchester gives no information in advance, and there is no reading or writing component at any station, online or in person, so everything you are assessed on is what you say and how you say it.
A group task may replace one station for 2027 entry
Manchester says it is considering some minor changes to its interview process, including potentially replacing one MMI station with a group task for the 2026/27 application cycle, which is 2027 entry. It will tell you the format if you are invited. Prepare for both: the questions under Teamwork and the possible group task below are written for exactly that.
Applicants selected for interview choose online via Zoom or on campus. Manchester says both are assessed and conducted in exactly the same way. Spaces in each format are limited, so dates and times are allocated first come, first served. Manchester's general "How to apply" page still says home applicants attend in person, so if anything in your invitation differs from this page, go by the invitation.
New to the MMI format? Our MMI preparation guide covers the circuit and how stations are scored, and our virtual MMI tips help if you pick Zoom. This page stays on what is specific to Manchester.
Source: University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews (2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)); University of Manchester, Application process: Medicine (no year stated)
When are Manchester medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
| What | What Manchester says |
|---|---|
| Interview window | Usually between December and early March |
| Dated days | Not published; the window is a standing pattern, not a timetable for a named year |
| Delivery | Your choice of Zoom or on campus, limited spaces in each |
| How you are told | By email, to the address on your UCAS application |
| Booking | First come, first served within each format |
Manchester does not publish a date for invitations. It sets its UCAT threshold for the year once UCAT results arrive in November, so invitations follow from then. Because slots in each format are allocated in the order people book, reply the day the email arrives, and check that the email address on your UCAS application is one you read every day.
Compare Manchester's window with every other school's in our UK medical school interview dates table.
Source: University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews (2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)); University of Manchester, UCAT (Medicine) (no year stated)
How does Manchester decide who to interview?
Manchester first checks that you meet its minimum academic requirements, then invites applicants who reach the UCAT threshold it sets each year, with the Situational Judgement Test band also counting, and ranks on UCAT total and SJT band if there are more strong applicants than interview slots. The thresholds, past figures and entry requirements are on our Manchester medical school profile, which is the page for that question.
Source: University of Manchester, UCAT (Medicine) (no year stated); University of Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027 entry)
What does Manchester assess at interview?
Manchester says the interview is not a test of academic knowledge. Its screening has already checked that you have the academic potential, and the interview takes a wider view: whether you meet its non-academic criteria in the values and behaviours expected of a medical student. It points applicants to the GMC's Good Medical Practice and the values in the NHS Constitution, and asks you to talk naturally about yourself, your studies and your experiences.
Manchester publishes five examples of areas that could be tested, and the themes on this page follow them, with a sixth for the possible group task:
- Ability to communicate: expressing ideas clearly and coherently and following a reasoned argument.
- Why do you want to be a doctor?: specific evidence of the experiences that shaped your decision.
- Previous caring experience: what you did, how it felt and what you gained from it.
- Matters of a medical interest: an informed layperson's view of current health stories.
- Ethical and other issues: summarising the issues at stake clearly, and being tolerant and understanding of others.
- Teamwork, which a group task would test directly if Manchester introduces one.
For "Why Manchester?", use what the course itself publishes: team-based learning on themed cases in Years 1 and 2, GP and hospital visits from the first year, consultation practice with simulated patients in the Consultation Skills Learning Centre, and four clinical education campuses from Year 3.
Two details change how you prepare. Manchester says it does not normally read the personal statement, and it reads your reference after the interview, so do not assume the interviewer knows anything you wrote: bring your experiences into the room yourself. The questions on this page are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Manchester's published guidance. They are not real or leaked Manchester questions, and nothing here comes from students reporting what they were asked.
Source: University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews (2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)); University of Manchester, Application process: Medicine (no year stated); University of Manchester, Completing the UCAS form (Medicine) (no year stated); University of Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027 entry); University of Manchester, Medicine teaching and learning (no year stated)
Manchester medicine interview questions, by theme
Grouped by what Manchester says it assesses. Each question has a note on what a strong answer covers, and the Manchester-specific ones have a full model answer. These are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Manchester's published guidance, not real or leaked questions.
- Why do you want to be a doctor? (1 to 10)
- Previous caring experience (11 to 20)
- Ability to communicate (21 to 30)
- Matters of a medical interest (31 to 40)
- Ethical and other issues (41 to 50)
- Teamwork and the possible group task (51 to 58)
Why do you want to be a doctor?
What Manchester says: Manchester calls this an obvious but vital question, says it is the one candidates most often answer with a coached, practised reply, and says it will seek specific evidence of the experiences that influenced your decision. University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews
Manchester has told you in advance what it is listening for: evidence, and an answer that does not sound rehearsed. Build your reason from two or three real moments you can describe in detail, and expect the interviewer to pick one of them and ask more. A list of qualities you admire in doctors gives them nothing to follow up.
- 1
Why do you want to be a doctor?
What to cover: Start from one real experience and say what it showed you about the job, then a second one that tested that first impression. Manchester says this is the answer it hears coached most often, so talk it through as you would to a teacher you trust, in your own words.
- 2
Which single experience did most to make up your mind, and what exactly happened?
What to cover: Tell it as a short story with one clear moment in it: who was there, what the doctor or carer did, and what you noticed. The detail is what makes the interviewer believe it happened to you.
- 3
Why a doctor, and not a nurse, a paramedic or a physician associate?
What to cover: Be accurate and respectful about what the other roles do, then name the part of the doctor's job that draws you, such as making the diagnosis or carrying final responsibility for a decision. Our guide to the multidisciplinary team sets out who does what.
- 4
Why Manchester?
What to cover: Use things the course actually does: team-based learning on themed cases in Years 1 and 2, GP and hospital visits from the first year, and four clinical education campuses from Year 3. Say why each one suits the way you learn, because a line about the size of the school tells the interviewer nothing about you.
- 5
Manchester teaches Years 1 and 2 through team-based learning. Why do you think you would do well learning that way?
What to cover: Give an example of learning with other people where you contributed and also changed your mind because of someone else. Mention one thing you find hard about group work, too, since that makes the rest believable.
- 6
What do you think a doctor's working week actually looks like?
What to cover: Describe the parts that never appear on television: handovers, phone calls, chasing results, paperwork and teaching. If your work experience showed you any of it, say what you saw and how you felt about it.
- 7
What part of being a doctor do you think you would find hardest?
What to cover: Choose something real, such as living with uncertainty, night shifts or giving bad news, and say what you have already done that gives you a small start on it. A candidate who says nothing would be hard has usually not looked closely.
- 8
When did you first think about medicine, and how has your reason changed since then?
What to cover: A reason that has grown with you is more convincing than one that has not moved since you were eight. Show the point where your picture of the job met what doctors actually do.
- 9
What else did you consider studying, and why did you decide against it?
What to cover: Name the other subject and give it fair credit, then explain what it lacked for you. It shows the decision was weighed, which is what a coached answer usually fails to show.
- 10
If you are not offered a place in medicine this year, what will you do?
What to cover: Give a realistic plan you would follow, such as a year of paid care work and a stronger application. Manchester accepts up to two consecutive applications, and our reapplying guide covers how to use the year well.
Model answer
Why Manchester?
Three things, and Manchester has all of them. The first is how Years 1 and 2 are taught. Learning through themed cases in a small team suits me. The parts of biology I understand best are the ones I argued through with friends before an exam, and I would like to arrive at a session prepared and expected to contribute.
The second is meeting patients from the first year. Manchester organises GP and hospital visits every semester from Year 1, and students practise consultations with simulated patients in the Consultation Skills Learning Centre. My care home volunteering showed me that talking to people is the part of medicine I most want to get good at, so I would like to start practising it properly and early.
The third is where the clinical years happen. From Year 3 you are based at one of four clinical education campuses across Greater Manchester and Lancashire, with community placements around the North West. City hospitals and smaller towns see different patients and different problems, and I want to train somewhere that shows me both.
Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"
Previous caring experience
What Manchester says: Manchester says your experiences in a caring role will be of great interest, need not be in a traditional medical environment, and that it wants to hear your emotional responses to them and what you gained, as well as the facts. University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews
Manchester asks for more than where you went and what you did. Its interviews page says it wants your emotional responses and what you gained, and its FAQs say shadowing is not required because taking part is worth more than watching. A Saturday job in a care home or looking after a relative gives you as much to talk about as a week on a ward, as long as you can say how it felt and what it changed in you.
- 11
Tell me about a time you cared for someone. How did it make you feel?
What to cover: Describe one person and one moment, then be specific about the feeling, including the uncomfortable parts such as frustration or helplessness. Manchester asks for emotional responses, so an answer that only lists your duties misses half the question.
- 12
What did your caring experience teach you about yourself?
What to cover: Name one thing you learned about how you react, perhaps that you go quiet when someone is upset or that you are steadier than you expected, and say what you now do because of it.
- 13
Your caring experience was not in a hospital. Why is it still relevant to medicine?
What to cover: Link what you did to what doctors do every day: helping people who are frightened, tired or confused, keeping to routines that matter to them, and noticing when something changes. Manchester says caring experience need not be in a mainstream medical setting, so say it with confidence.
- 14
Describe a moment in a caring role when you did not know what to do.
What to cover: Explain what you did in the moment, who you asked, and what you would do now. Knowing when to get help is the point of the story, so do not hurry past it.
- 15
Tell me about someone you cared for who was difficult to help.
What to cover: Describe the person with respect and try to explain why they behaved as they did. Show that you kept going and changed how you approached them.
- 16
What did you see a doctor, nurse or carer do well that you would want to copy?
What to cover: Pick a small, specific action, such as sitting down before giving news or explaining a change in someone's medicines twice without impatience, and explain why it worked.
- 17
Did anything you saw upset you, and what did you do about it?
What to cover: Be open about it and show a healthy way of dealing with it, such as talking it over with a supervisor or a friend. A calm account of something that affected you is more convincing than claiming nothing did.
- 18
You did some of your work experience online. What could it not show you?
What to cover: Manchester says online work experience can be discussed. Say what it gave you, then be clear about what a screen leaves out, such as a patient's body language or how tiring a shift is.
- 19
How did you keep going with a caring commitment when it was hard or boring?
What to cover: Manchester's FAQs look for a sustained commitment to a caring profession. Talk about the weeks it was dull or inconvenient and why you still turned up, because that is where commitment shows.
- 20
Would the people you cared for describe you the way you describe yourself?
What to cover: Think about what they needed from you and whether you gave it. A small piece of feedback you received, good or bad, makes this answer real.
Model answer
Tell me about a time you cared for someone. How did it make you feel?
For a year I helped at a care home on Sunday mornings, mostly at breakfast. One resident had dementia and most weeks she did not remember me. At first that upset me more than I expected. I had built a little routine with her, and every week it started again from nothing.
What changed it was a carer telling me that she still relaxed when she saw a familiar face, even if she could not place it. After that I stopped judging the mornings by whether she knew me and started noticing whether she ate and whether she seemed settled. Some weeks I felt useful. Some weeks I felt helpless, especially when she was distressed and nothing I said helped, and I learned to tell a carer early on those days.
What I took from it is that a lot of care is repetitive, and the person you are caring for may never thank you. I found I could do it anyway and that I liked doing it, which told me more about whether I am suited to medicine than anything I read.
Go deeper: Medicine work experience guide
Ability to communicate
What Manchester says: Manchester expects candidates to express their ideas clearly and coherently and to follow a reasoned argument, and says spontaneous yet well-thought-out answers impress more than obviously rehearsed and coached ones. University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews
Communication is marked at every Manchester station, and Manchester uses simulated patients, people trained to play a part, in its interviews. It describes its style as conversational and says it is not looking for a monologue. With nothing to read and nothing given in advance, listen to the whole question, answer it, and stop. Our guide to empathy at interview covers the role-play side.
- 21
A simulated patient tells you they have waited three hours to be seen and are about to go home. Talk to them.
What to cover: Acknowledge the wait and the frustration first, then ask what brought them in, because leaving could be unsafe. Offer to find out how much longer it will be, and do not promise anything you cannot deliver.
- 22
Explain to a 12-year-old what a vaccine does.
What to cover: Use plain words and one comparison from everyday life, keep it short, and check they have followed you. With no paper or props at a Manchester station, the explanation has to work out loud.
- 23
A friend's grandmother has just been told she has type 2 diabetes and is worried she will lose her independence. Talk to her.
What to cover: Find out what she has understood and what she fears most before you say anything reassuring. Keep any facts simple and leave her with one practical next step, such as writing down her questions for the nurse.
- 24
Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind.
What to cover: Show that you listened to their reasons first and found the part you agreed with. Manchester wants you to follow a reasoned argument, and that applies to other people's arguments as well as your own.
- 25
Tell me about a time someone misunderstood you. What went wrong?
What to cover: Find the exact point where the message slipped, perhaps jargon or assuming they knew the background, and say what you would do differently. Take your share of the blame.
- 26
Explain your favourite A-level topic to me as if I had never studied science.
What to cover: Choose something small, use one everyday comparison, and check understanding as you go. The interviewer is judging how clear you are, not how much you know, which matters because Manchester says the interview is not a test of academic knowledge.
- 27
A patient speaks very little English and has come without an interpreter. What would you do?
What to cover: Arrange a professional interpreter, by phone if needed, and avoid relying on family members, especially children, for clinical information. Speak to the patient, not to the interpreter, and check they have understood.
- 28
Should doctors ever use humour with patients?
What to cover: Reason it through: humour can ease tension and build trust, but it can feel dismissive to someone who is frightened. Let the patient set the tone, and say when you would avoid it altogether.
- 29
What makes a good listener, and are you one?
What to cover: Describe what listening looks like in practice, such as letting a silence run, summarising back and asking a follow-up question. Then give one example where you did it well and one where you did not.
- 30
A friend wants your view on whether to drop out of sixth form. Talk them through it.
What to cover: Ask before you advise: what is going on, what they want, who else they have spoken to. Help them think it through, and point them to someone who can give proper guidance, such as their tutor.
Model answer
A simulated patient tells you they have waited three hours to be seen and are about to go home. Talk to them.
"Three hours is a long time, and I can see you've had enough. I'm sorry you've been kept waiting." I would sit or stand at their level and let them say what they need to say before I try to fix anything.
Then I would ask what brought them in today, and how they are feeling now compared with when they arrived. That matters, because if it is chest pain or something similar, going home could be dangerous, and I would want a nurse to know straight away.
"Can I go and find out where you are in the queue and roughly how long it will be? If you still want to leave after that, it's your decision, but I'd like someone to check you over first, or at least tell you what to look out for at home." I would then actually go and ask, and come back with an answer, even if it is not the one they want.
Go deeper: MMI role-play stations
Interview preparation
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Matters of a medical interest
What Manchester says: Manchester does not expect detailed medical knowledge, but expects candidates to have an informed layperson's view on contemporary aspects of medicine, particularly those of current media interest. University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews
Manchester asks for the view of an informed member of the public: someone who follows health stories, understands the main arguments and can explain them to a friend. Read one or two health stories a week from now until your interview, and for each one be ready to say what happened, why it matters and what you think about it.
- 31
Tell me about a health story in the news recently and why it caught your attention.
What to cover: Pick one you understand well enough to explain to a friend, give the main facts, then your view and the strongest argument against it. Our hot topics hub is a good place to choose from.
- 32
What do you think is the biggest pressure on the NHS at the moment?
What to cover: Choose one, such as waiting lists, the workforce or an ageing population, and explain what causes it and what it means for patients. One pressure understood properly is worth more than a list of five.
- 33
How could artificial intelligence change a doctor's work over the next ten years?
What to cover: Give a realistic example, such as help with reading scans or drafting clinic letters, then the risks, such as bias in the data it learned from and who is accountable when it is wrong. Our AI in medicine guide covers both sides.
- 34
Why is antibiotic resistance described as a threat to modern medicine?
What to cover: Explain in plain words how resistance develops, why it puts routine surgery, cancer treatment and childbirth at risk, and what doctors and patients can each do. Our antibiotic resistance guide has the detail.
- 35
Weight-loss injections are in the news a lot. What questions do they raise for the NHS?
What to cover: Think about cost and who should get them first, supply, how much we know about long-term use, and whether they pull attention away from prevention. Our weight-loss injections guide sets out the arguments.
- 36
Why do people in some parts of the country live shorter lives than people in others?
What to cover: Talk about the social causes of ill health, such as income, housing, education and work, and why the NHS cannot close the gap on its own. Our health inequalities guide explains the Marmot reviews.
- 37
Why can it be hard to get a GP appointment, and what might help?
What to cover: Explain the pressure from both sides, more demand and too few GPs, then suggest something realistic, such as more use of pharmacists and other roles in the practice. Our GP access guide has examples.
- 38
Should the NHS spend more on prevention, even if that means less for treatment now?
What to cover: Weigh the long-term gain against the patients who need care today, and explain why prevention is hard to fund when the results arrive years later. A concrete example, such as smoking or obesity, makes the argument easier to follow.
- 39
A patient whose operation was cancelled during a resident doctors' strike asks you whether the strike is fair. What do you say?
What to cover: Acknowledge their frustration first, then set out the doctors' case and the effect on patients fairly, without telling them what to think. Our guide to the strikes explains both positions.
- 40
If you could change one thing about the NHS, what would it be?
What to cover: Make it specific and realistic, show you understand why it has not happened already, and say who it would affect. A small change argued well beats a promise to fix funding.
Go deeper: Medicine interview hot topics
Ethical and other issues
What Manchester says: Manchester says ethical issues may be raised to assess your ability to coherently summarise the issues at stake, that there are often no right answers and interviewers will not look for a specific viewpoint, and that you will be expected to be tolerant, accepting and understanding of others. University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews
Manchester's wording tells you the task: summarise the issues at stake. It also warns against trying to work the name of every principle of medical ethics into your answer. Set out who is affected and what matters to each of them, weigh it, give your view, and say what would change your mind. The interviewer is marking how clearly you think, and Manchester says it is not looking for a particular answer.
- 41
An adult patient with capacity refuses a blood transfusion that doctors believe could save their life. Summarise the issues.
What to cover: Cover the patient's right to decide, how capacity is checked, the doctors' wish to help, and the need to understand the patient's reasons and look at alternatives. Our guide to Jehovah's Witnesses and transfusion works through a common version of this.
- 42
A 15-year-old asks her GP for contraception and does not want her parents told. What are the issues?
What to cover: Think about whether she is competent to consent, her right to confidentiality, and whether anything suggests she is at risk. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test doctors use.
- 43
Should assisted dying be legal in the UK?
What to cover: Summarise the arguments on each side, including personal choice, protection for vulnerable people and what it asks of doctors, before giving your view. Check where the bills stand in the week of your interview; our assisted dying guide has the background.
- 44
A patient asks you not to tell their family about their cancer diagnosis. Summarise the issues.
What to cover: Set out the patient's right to confidentiality, the family's wish to know and help, and the risks of keeping it secret, then say what you would do. Our confidentiality guide explains where the limits are.
- 45
When resources are short, should people who smoke or drink heavily be given lower priority for treatment?
What to cover: Weigh fairness, personal responsibility and clinical benefit, and notice how hard it is to draw the line, since many illnesses have some link to lifestyle. Our justice guide and QALYs guide cover how these choices are made.
- 46
You see a fellow medical student copy another student's work for an assessment. What do you do?
What to cover: Speak to them first and give them the chance to put it right, then raise it with the course if they do not. A doctor's trustworthiness starts with small things, which is why medical schools treat this seriously.
- 47
A patient holds views you find hard to accept. How do you make sure you still treat them well?
What to cover: Separate your feelings from your duty of care and focus on what the patient needs. Manchester says it expects you to be tolerant, accepting and understanding of others, and the GMC says a doctor's personal views must not affect the care a patient receives.
- 48
Should organ donation in the UK be opt-out?
What to cover: All four UK nations now use an opt-out system, with families still consulted. Weigh the gain in organs against concerns about consent and trust, and our organ donation guide explains how it works in England.
- 49
Should doctors be allowed to refuse to take part in a treatment they object to on grounds of conscience?
What to cover: Explain that UK doctors can object to taking part in abortion, for example, but must tell the patient and make sure they can see another doctor without delay. Summarise why the right exists and where it stops. Our abortion guide gives the legal background.
- 50
Is it ever acceptable for a doctor to lie to a patient?
What to cover: Distinguish lying from choosing when and how to share difficult news. Doctors have a professional duty of candour and the GMC expects them to be open with patients, so the bar for holding anything back is very high.
Model answer
A patient asks you not to tell their family about their cancer diagnosis. Summarise the issues.
The starting point is that the information belongs to the patient. An adult with capacity has a right to confidentiality, including from their own family, and a doctor should respect that. Breaking it without a very good reason would damage the patient's trust and could stop them, or others, being open with doctors in future.
Against that, the family may want to support them and may be hurt to find out later. Keeping it secret could also leave the patient carrying something very heavy on their own. And if the family are involved in their care at home, not knowing could make that care harder or less safe.
So I would respect the request, and I would also ask why. Often there is a reason, such as protecting someone who is unwell themselves, and talking about it can show the patient a way of sharing some of it, at their own pace. Confidentiality could only be broken in narrow circumstances, such as a serious risk to someone else, and nothing in this case suggests that. What would change my view is if the patient lacked capacity, because then the decision would turn on their best interests.
Go deeper: How to answer medical ethics questions
Teamwork and the possible group task
What Manchester says: Manchester says it is considering replacing one MMI station with a group task for the 2026/27 application cycle, and that applicants will be told the format if they are invited to interview. University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews
Manchester has not published what a group task would involve. If it uses one, expect to work with other candidates on a shared problem while an interviewer watches how each of you contributes. It suits a school that teaches Years 1 and 2 through team-based learning, where small teams work through cases together (our guide to medical school teaching styles explains TBL). These questions prepare you for the task itself and for the teamwork questions that can come up at any station.
- 51
In a group task, one candidate keeps talking over everyone. What do you do?
What to cover: Bring the others in by name and summarise what has been said so far, without criticising the person who is dominating. The interviewer is watching whether the group works better because you are in it.
- 52
One member of your group has said nothing for five minutes. What do you do?
What to cover: Invite them in with an open question and give them room to answer. Quiet people often have the idea the group needs, and noticing them is a skill doctors use on every ward round.
- 53
Your group has ten minutes to agree a plan and is going round in circles. How do you help?
What to cover: Suggest a simple structure, such as listing the options and agreeing what matters most, and keep an eye on the time. Offering to summarise where the group has got to is one of the most useful things you can do.
- 54
Tell me about a time you worked in a team that did not get on.
What to cover: Explain what caused the friction, what you did to help, and what you would do differently. Keep the account fair to everyone, including the people you disagreed with.
- 55
What makes someone a good team member, and is that different from being a good leader?
What to cover: Talk about reliability, listening, doing your share and backing a decision once it is made. Then say when a team member should speak up, even when it is uncomfortable, because that is where the two roles meet.
- 56
Who works in a hospital team, and what does each person do?
What to cover: Name the main roles, such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, healthcare assistants and doctors at different grades, and give an example from your experience of them working together. Our MDT guide has the detail.
- 57
During a group task you think the group's decision is wrong. What do you do?
What to cover: Say so once, clearly and with your reason, and listen to the reply. If the group still disagrees and nobody is put at risk, support the decision; if safety is involved, keep raising it.
- 58
Tell me about a time you followed someone else's lead when you disagreed with them.
What to cover: Show that you made your case, accepted the outcome and then put your full effort into the plan. Say what you learned, whether or not you turned out to be right.
Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team explained
How is the Manchester MMI marked?
Each of the five stations is marked by a separate interviewer, so one difficult station does not decide the outcome. Most interviewers come from the University and from clinical practice, and all are trained for the role, including on equality and diversity. Manchester also draws on patient and lay representatives, current medical students and simulated patients. You will not be asked about your gender identity, sexuality, marital or parental status, race, religion or social background, though you may draw on your own experiences if you choose to.
Manchester describes the interview as formal but friendly, and says it tries to keep the setting relaxed. It also says some elements will be challenging or stressful on purpose, because doctors have to handle stress. If a station feels hard, that may be by design, and the next interviewer starts with a clean sheet.
Source: University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews (2026/27 cycle (2027 entry))
What happens on the day?
- Read the email. Everyone invited is sent detailed information explaining the procedure and the format, including whether the group task is being used. Read it twice.
- On campus or on Zoom, the stations are the same. If you choose Zoom, test your camera, microphone and connection beforehand and set up somewhere quiet with the light in front of you.
- Nothing to prepare on paper. No information is sent in advance and there is no reading or writing at any station, so your preparation is practising speaking.
- Speak naturally. Manchester asks you to be yourself and not to be overly formal unless a station's scenario calls for it. Have a few pointers in your head, and do not over-rehearse.
- International applicants: if interviewers have concerns about your English, Manchester may make an extra English language test a condition of any offer, whatever your existing qualifications.
Source: University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews (2026/27 cycle (2027 entry)); University of Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027 entry)
When does Manchester send medicine offers?
You will not get a decision on the day. The interviewers complete assessment forms, the information is put together after interviews finish, alongside the other parts of your application, and the Academic Lead for Admissions makes the final decision: a conditional offer or a rejection, sent through UCAS Hub. Manchester aims to give every applicant a final decision by spring. Offers are conditional on your exam results where you have not yet met the requirements, plus health screening and an enhanced DBS check.
For 2026 entry, 985 of the 1,667 home applicants shortlisted for interview received an offer (59%), and 40 of the 191 international applicants shortlisted (21%). Manchester publishes these figures for information only and says they should not be used to predict future cycles. If you are unsuccessful, you can request feedback by emailing ug.medicine@manchester.ac.uk; Manchester gives interview feedback only to applicants who did not receive an offer. It accepts a maximum of two consecutive applications, so ask the admissions team before you reapply.
Source: University of Manchester, Medicine decision and feedback (no year stated); University of Manchester, Application process: Medicine (no year stated); University of Manchester, Medicine application statistics (2026 entry); University of Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027 entry); University of Manchester, Medicine admissions FAQs (no year stated)
Practise a Manchester-style interview
A timed mock in the format Manchester uses, built from the themes Manchester publishes. Record yourself, then mark it against the pointers above.
Common mistakes at the Manchester interview
- 1
A coached answer to "Why do you want to be a doctor?"
Manchester names this as the question most often answered with a rehearsed reply, and says it is looking for specific evidence. Know your two or three experiences well and tell them in your own words each time.
- 2
Listing every piece of work experience
Manchester warns against instantly listing all your work experience. Choose one experience per answer and go deep: what happened, how it felt and what it taught you.
- 3
Leaving out how it felt
Manchester asks for your emotional responses to caring experience, not only the facts. An account of duties with no reaction in it answers half the question.
- 4
Reciting the four principles of ethics
Manchester warns against working the names of the ethical principles into every answer. Summarise what is at stake for the people involved; the principles will show without being named.
- 5
Assuming the interviewer has read your personal statement
Manchester does not normally read it. If an experience matters to your answer, describe it in the room.
- 6
Booking the interview late
Places in each format are limited and allocated first come, first served. Reply the day the invitation arrives, especially if you need a particular format.
- 7
Preparing for five one-to-one stations only
One station may become a group task for 2027 entry. Practise contributing in a group, bringing quieter people in and summarising, before you know the final format.
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FAQs
Manchester medicine interview: common questions
Are Manchester medicine interviews online or in person?
You choose: Manchester's interviews page says selected applicants pick either online via Zoom or on campus, and both are assessed in exactly the same way.
Spaces in each format are limited and given out first come, first served, so book quickly if you want a particular one. Manchester's general application page still says home applicants attend in person, so follow whatever your invitation email says.
How many stations are in the Manchester MMI, and how long is each one?
Five stations of eight minutes each, with a two-minute gap between stations and a separate interviewer marking each one.
For 2027 entry Manchester may replace one of the five MMI stations with a group task, and it will confirm the format to those invited. There is no reading or writing at any station.
When are Manchester medicine interviews for 2027 entry, and when do invitations arrive?
Manchester says interviews usually run between December and early March, and it does not publish dated days.
Invitations go to the email address on your UCAS application. Manchester sets its UCAT threshold after results arrive in November, so invitations follow from then. See every school's window in our interview dates table.
How does Manchester choose who to interview for medicine?
Manchester checks that you meet its minimum academic requirements, then invites applicants who reach its UCAT threshold for the year, with the SJT band also counting.
There are no offers without an interview. The thresholds and entry requirements are on our Manchester medical school profile.
How competitive is Manchester medicine after the interview?
For 2026 entry, 59% of home applicants shortlisted for interview received an offer (985 of 1,667), and 21% of international applicants (40 of 191).
The proportion changes from year to year, and Manchester says its published figures should not be used to predict future cycles.
How do international applicants interview at Manchester?
In the same way as home applicants: international applications are processed and assessed separately, but using the same processes, and the interviews page offers every selected applicant Zoom or on campus.
If interviewers have concerns about your English, Manchester may add an extra English language test as a condition of any offer.
Does Manchester read my personal statement before the interview?
Not normally. Manchester says it does not normally read the personal statement, and it reads your reference after the interview.
So the interviewer will not know your experiences unless you describe them. Have two or three you can talk about in detail, including how they felt.
What happens after the Manchester interview, and when do offers come?
You do not get a decision on the day; the Academic Lead for Admissions decides after interviews finish, and the outcome comes through UCAS Hub, with Manchester aiming to tell everyone by spring.
The decision is either a conditional offer or a rejection. Unsuccessful applicants can ask for interview feedback by emailing ug.medicine@manchester.ac.uk.
Can I change my Manchester interview date?
Manchester does not publish a rescheduling policy, so if you cannot attend the slot you booked, email ug.medicine@manchester.ac.uk as soon as you know.
Because slots in each format are limited and allocated first come, first served, the safest course is to book early and choose a date you are sure you can make.
How should I prepare for the Manchester MMI?
Prepare to talk naturally about your experiences, your motivation, current health stories and ethical scenarios, because those are the areas Manchester publishes, and it says the interview is not a test of academic knowledge.
Manchester advises having a few pointers in mind without over-rehearsing, and points applicants to the Medical Schools Council's interview resources. Work through the themes on this page out loud, then use our MMI preparation guide for timing and technique.
Where these facts come from
- University of Manchester, Medicine MBChB interviews (2026/27 cycle (2027 entry))
- University of Manchester, Application process: Medicine (no year stated)
- University of Manchester, Medicine application statistics (2026 entry)
- University of Manchester, Medicine decision and feedback (no year stated)
- University of Manchester, Completing the UCAS form (Medicine) (no year stated)
- University of Manchester, UCAT (Medicine) (no year stated)
- University of Manchester, Medicine admissions FAQs (no year stated)
- University of Manchester, MBChB Medicine course page (2027 entry)
- University of Manchester, Medicine teaching and learning (no year stated)
Last checked: 14 October 2026. Universities change interview arrangements during the cycle, so confirm on Manchester's own page before you travel or book. The questions above are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Manchester's published guidance; they are not real or leaked interview questions.
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