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Medicine interviews, 2027 entry
Barts Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)
How Queen Mary University of London interviews for medicine at Barts and The London: the online panel, the January and February 2027 window, the six areas the panel is asked to evaluate and what Queen Mary does not publish, with 57 practice questions grouped by those areas and model answers for the Barts-specific ones.
Reviewed by Dr Akash Gandhi, NHS GP and a Cambridge and UCL graduate (GMC register) · Checked against Barts's official pages: 24 October 2026
Barts medicine interviews, 2027 entry
Queen Mary University of London (Barts) interviews medicine applicants for 2027 entry by an online panel, not an MMI: typically two senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector. Interviews run in January and February 2027, with decisions in March. Queen Mary publishes no interview length. For 2026 entry, 77% of home interviewees received an offer.
- 2027 dates
- January and February 2027; individual interview days are not published in advanceQueen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Format
- Panel interview, not an MMI: typically two members of senior academic or clinical staff, sometimes with a lay selectorQueen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Delivery
- Online, for home and international applicants
- Length
- Not published by Queen MaryQueen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Invitations
- Through the cycle; Queen Mary says it invites some applicants as late as February
- Assessed
- Six areas, from motivation and the reality of a career in medicine to communication skills, under values-based recruitment and the NHS core valuesQueen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Your UCAS application
- The panel may have access to it and may ask about it; the personal statement is not scoredQueen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Outcome
- Offer, rejection or waiting list, communicated in March 2027 once all interviews are completeQueen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Post-interview success, home, 2026 entry
- 77% (991 offers from 1,294 interviewed)Admissions statistics as published on our Barts profile (from Queen Mary's admissions statistics page) (2026 entry)
- Post-interview success, international, 2026 entry
- 33% (76 offers from 227 interviewed)Admissions statistics as published on our Barts profile (from Queen Mary's admissions statistics page) (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 Barts interview for medicine?
Queen Mary University of London, whose medical school most applicants still call Barts and The London, interviews medicine (A100) applicants by panel interview, online. Its selection criteria page for September 2027 entry says panels typically consist of two members of senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector. It is not a multiple mini interview: you speak to one panel for the whole interview instead of moving round a circuit of stations.
Queen Mary does not publish how long the interview lasts, how many questions you will be asked or how answers are marked. Its faculty FAQs describe the interview as a formal, though friendly, process. Most interviewers come from the university and from clinical work, all are trained in selection, including on equality and diversity, and the faculty also draws on lay selectors and current students. The panel may have access to your UCAS application and may ask about what you wrote, although the personal statement itself is not scored.
Two Queen Mary documents, two levels of detail
Queen Mary's faculty-wide Admissions Policy 2027 covers medicine and dentistry together and keeps its options open: it says the university may run MMIs or panel interviews of at least two people, in person or virtually, usually between January and March. The A100 selection criteria page and the faculty FAQs are specific to this cycle's medicine interviews: online, by panel, in January and February. This page follows the A100 page. If your invitation says something different, prepare for what the invitation says.
Because the interview is online, practise answering on camera in a quiet room with the light in front of you. Our online interview tips cover the set-up.
Source: Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Frequently asked questions (MBBS and BDS) (no year stated); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Policy 2027 (PDF) (2027/28 entry (approved June 2026, effective September 2026))
When are Barts medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Invitations | Through the cycle, some as late as February 2027 |
| Interviews (home and international) | January and February 2027, online |
| Decisions | March 2027, once all interviews are complete |
Queen Mary publishes the months, not the individual days. Its FAQs say applications are assessed throughout the cycle, so some applicants hear early and others later, and that not hearing for some time does not mean you have been unsuccessful, because some applicants are invited to interview as late as February. Your invitation gives the details of your own interview.
Compare the Barts window with your other choices in our UK medical school interview dates table.
Source: Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Frequently asked questions (MBBS and BDS) (no year stated)
How does Barts decide who to interview?
Queen Mary first checks the minimum academic requirements and the UCAT, including the Situational Judgement Test band, then ranks the remaining applicants on a weighted score made up of the UCAT and UCAS tariff (or a weighted degree score for graduates) against others applying the same year. Home and international applicants are ranked separately, and how the thresholds have moved is on our Barts medical school profile.
No offers are made without an interview. After it, Queen Mary may consider all of the assessment factors together: the interview score, the Situational Judgement Test, your UCAS tariff or degree, and the UCAT. It does not publish the weighting.
Source: Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Policy 2027 (PDF) (2027/28 entry (approved June 2026, effective September 2026)); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Statistics for Medicine & Dentistry (2024, 2025 and 2026 UCAS cycles)
What does Barts assess at interview?
Queen Mary publishes six areas its medicine interview is designed to evaluate, and the themes below follow them:
- Motivation and reality of a career in medicine.
- Initiative, resilience and maturity.
- Team work.
- Organisation and problem solving abilities.
- Contribution to university life.
- Communication skills.
Queen Mary adds that selection follows the principles of values-based recruitment and the core values of the NHS, so the last theme covers those values and the ethical reasoning that goes with them. It also says the interview will explore your understanding of the realities of a career in medicine, which is why it asks for people-focused experience of providing care or service. Volunteering in a care home or with a local charity counts as much as shadowing a doctor.
The questions on this page are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Queen Mary's published guidance. They are not real or leaked Barts questions, and nothing here comes from students reporting what they were asked.
Source: Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Policy 2027 (PDF) (2027/28 entry (approved June 2026, effective September 2026))
Barts medicine interview questions, by theme
Grouped by what Barts says it assesses. Each question has a note on what a strong answer covers, and the Barts-specific ones have a full model answer. These are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Barts's published guidance, not real or leaked questions.
- Motivation and the reality of a career in medicine (1 to 8)
- Initiative, resilience and maturity (9 to 16)
- Team work (17 to 24)
- Organisation and problem solving (25 to 32)
- Contribution to university life (33 to 40)
- Communication skills (41 to 48)
- NHS values, professionalism and ethics (49 to 57)
Motivation and the reality of a career in medicine
What Barts says: Queen Mary's interview is designed to evaluate motivation and reality of a career in medicine, and will explore your understanding of the realities of a career in medicine. Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria
Queen Mary puts the word reality next to motivation, and says the interview will explore your understanding of what a career in medicine is actually like. The panel wants to hear that you have looked at the hard parts of the job, through care work, volunteering or a placement, and still want to do it.
- 1
Why do you want to be a doctor, and what have you done to test that decision?
What to cover: Give one real starting point, then show how you checked it: what you saw while caring for people, what you read and who you asked. The panel is listening for a decision you have examined, not one you have simply always held.
- 2
Why Barts and The London?
What to cover: Pick two things Queen Mary actually offers, such as the GP placement from the first weeks of Year 1 or the range of patients across East London, and say why they suit you. A ranking or a famous building tells the panel nothing about you.
- 3
Queen Mary asks for people-focused experience of providing care or service. Tell us about yours and what it showed you about medicine.
What to cover: Describe one role properly, then one moment from it and what you now understand because of it. Care homes, charities and paid jobs serving the public all count. Our work experience guide explains how to turn a list into reflection.
- 4
What do you think will be the hardest part of being a doctor for you personally?
What to cover: Choose something real, such as long shifts, uncertainty or breaking bad news, and say what you have already done that gives you a small start on it. Saying nothing would be hard makes the rest of your answers harder to believe.
- 5
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, and what that means for your twenties. Our guide to the medical training pathway sets out each stage.
- 6
Medicine is sometimes chosen because a student is good at science or because family expect it. How would you show us that neither is your reason?
What to cover: Queen Mary's own policy says it does not want applicants who are simply good at science or under family pressure. Answer with what you have chosen to do in your own time and what kept you going when it was dull or upsetting.
- 7
Barts students are placed at hospitals such as the Royal London, Homerton, Newham and Whipps Cross. What do you think a week on placement in East London will ask of you?
What to cover: Think about early starts, a new team every few weeks, patients from many backgrounds and the cost of living in London. Showing you have pictured an ordinary week is good evidence that you will cope with it.
- 8
If you are not offered a place this year, what will you do?
What to cover: Give a realistic plan. Queen Mary says unsuccessful applicants may reapply the following year without prejudice to the new application, so strengthening your experience and trying again is a perfectly good answer. Our gap year and reapplying guide covers the options.
Model answer
Why Barts and The London?
The first thing is the GP placement in Year 1. Queen Mary puts students in groups of eight with a GP tutor every fortnight from the first term, and the part of my volunteering I learned most from was getting to know the same residents over months, so seeing patients and their families over a whole year suits the way I learn.
The second is where the hospitals are. The placements at the Royal London, Newham and Whipps Cross serve some of the most mixed communities in the country. I live in an area where lots of families speak a language other than English at home, and I would like to train somewhere I learn to look after people like my neighbours well.
I also liked that the course uses team-based learning in the first two years. I work best when I have to explain something to a group, because that is when I find out whether I actually understand it.
Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"
Initiative, resilience and maturity
What Barts says: Initiative, resilience and maturity is one of the six areas Queen Mary's medicine interview is designed to evaluate. Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria
These questions ask for evidence from your own life: something you started without being told, a time things went badly, a decision you made like an adult. Prepare two or three stories you can adapt, and be ready to say what you would do differently now.
- 9
Tell us about something you started or organised without anyone asking you to.
What to cover: Describe what you noticed, what you did about it and what happened as a result, with numbers if there are any. Initiative is shown by the first step you took, so make that part clear.
- 10
Describe a time things went badly for you. How did you respond?
What to cover: Choose a setback that cost you something, then walk through what you did in the days after it. The panel wants to see how you recover, so spend most of the answer there.
- 11
How do you look after yourself when work piles up, and how would you know you were not coping?
What to cover: Describe what you actually do and the early signs you notice in yourself. Doctors are expected to ask for help early, so name who you would talk to.
- 12
Tell us about a decision you made that other people disagreed with.
What to cover: Explain how you weighed it up, how you listened to the people who disagreed and whether you changed anything. Maturity shows in how you treated their view, whoever turned out to be right.
- 13
What is the most useful piece of feedback you have been given, and what did you do with it?
What to cover: Pick feedback that stung a little, say what you changed and give evidence that the change stuck. Being able to hear criticism without defending yourself is a large part of medical training.
- 14
Medical school will be the first time many students live away from home. What have you done that prepares you for that?
What to cover: Think about a job, caring for someone, managing money or organising your own studying. Be practical, and say what you still expect to find hard.
- 15
Tell us about a time you took responsibility for a mistake.
What to cover: Describe the mistake plainly, who you told and how quickly, and what you did to put it right. The answer is stronger when owning up cost you something.
- 16
Queen Mary describes medicine as a demanding programme. What evidence can you give us that you will keep going in Year 3, when you are on placement full time?
What to cover: Point to something long and unglamorous you have stuck with, such as a weekly volunteering shift, a job or an instrument. Explain what kept you going on the weeks you did not want to go.
Model answer
Tell us about something you started or organised without anyone asking you to.
At the care home where I volunteer on Saturdays, I noticed that a few residents never came to the afternoon activities. When I asked, two of them said the music was too loud and they could not follow the quizzes because of their hearing.
I suggested to the activities coordinator that we try a quieter session in the small lounge once a fortnight, with large-print cards. She agreed if I planned it, so I ran the first few with another volunteer and asked the residents afterwards what they wanted to change.
It now runs every other week and four or five residents come regularly who did not come before. What I learnt is that the useful part was asking the residents why they stayed away. My first idea, a different kind of quiz, would not have fixed the real problem.
Team work
What Barts says: Team work is one of the six areas Queen Mary's medicine interview is designed to evaluate. Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria
Queen Mary teaches the first two years partly through team-based learning, where a small group works through a clinical scenario together, and Year 1 placements are in groups of eight. Expect to be asked what you are like in a team, and to give examples where things did not go smoothly. Our guide to medical school teaching styles explains how team-based learning works.
- 17
Tell us about a team you were part of that did not work well. What was your part in that?
What to cover: Own some of it, say what went wrong, such as unclear roles or nobody talking, and what you would do now. An answer that blames everyone else shows the panel very little.
- 18
Barts uses team-based learning in the first two years. 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 thing you know you need to improve, such as letting quieter people speak. Being specific about the weakness makes the strength believable.
- 19
Who looks after one patient on a hospital ward, and what does each person do?
What to cover: Go beyond doctors and nurses to pharmacists, physiotherapists, healthcare assistants, porters and the discharge team. Show that you know the patient depends on all of them.
- 20
Describe a time you led something. What did you learn about leading?
What to cover: Talk about what you did to help other people do their part, and include something you got wrong. What you learnt from the mistake is usually the most convincing part.
- 21
You are the most junior person in a team and you think the plan is wrong. What do you do?
What to cover: Ask a question first and explain your reason, accept a good answer, and keep going up the chain if a patient could be harmed. Our whistleblowing guide covers what happens when nobody listens.
- 22
A member of your study group keeps arriving unprepared, and the others are getting annoyed. What do you do?
What to cover: Speak to them privately and kindly, and find out why before deciding what is fair. There may be a reason that needs support, and if it carries on the group should agree a plan together.
- 23
Tell us about a time you had to work with someone you did not get on with.
What to cover: Keep the other person's dignity intact, say what you did to make the work go well and what you learnt about yourself. Doctors work with people they would not choose every day.
- 24
What makes a good follower in a team?
What to cover: Think about doing your part reliably, speaking up when you see a problem and supporting decisions once they are made. Most of a junior doctor's teamwork is following well.
Model answer
Barts uses team-based learning in the first two years. What would you bring to a group like that, and what would you need to work on?
I think I would bring preparation. In my biology study group I am usually the one who has read the material and made a short summary, and when we got stuck on the cardiac cycle last term I drew it out step by step on the board, which helped two people who had been lost for weeks.
What I need to work on is giving other people room. I have noticed that because I have prepared, I tend to answer first, and a friend told me that some of the group had stopped trying because I always got there before them.
Since then I have tried to ask a question back instead of answering straight away. In team-based learning the group is marked together, so getting everyone to understand matters more than me being right first.
Go deeper: The multidisciplinary team
Interview preparation
1-1 interview coaching and mock interviews for Barts, 2027 entry
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Organisation and problem solving
What Barts says: Organisation and problem solving abilities is one of the six areas Queen Mary's medicine interview is designed to evaluate. Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria
A panel can test this in two ways: by asking how you organise your own life, and by giving you a problem to reason through out loud. In both, talk the panel through your thinking. A sensible method with a small slip is easier to credit than a right answer nobody can follow.
- 25
How do you organise your week when school, work and everything else compete for time?
What to cover: Describe the system you actually use, such as a weekly plan or a list in order of deadline, and give one example of it working under pressure. Then say what you do when the plan falls apart.
- 26
Tell us about a time you had too much to do and something had to give. How did you decide?
What to cover: Explain how you ranked the tasks, who you told and what you let slip. Showing you made a deliberate choice and communicated it is more useful than claiming you did everything.
- 27
You are volunteering on a ward. A patient wants help to the toilet, a relative wants to talk, the phone is ringing and a call bell is going. What do you do first?
What to cover: Start with whatever could cause harm soonest and say out loud why. A volunteer is not expected to cover everything alone, so asking a member of staff for help is part of a good answer.
- 28
A GP practice finds that one in five patients misses their appointment. How would you find out why, and what might you try?
What to cover: Ask the patients before you guess: look at who misses, at what times and what they say when contacted. Then suggest one or two changes and how you would measure whether they worked.
- 29
Estimate how many people visit A&E in London on an average day. Talk us through your reasoning.
What to cover: Start from a rough population, guess how often a typical person goes to A&E in a year and divide by 365. State each assumption as you make it, because the panel is marking your steps.
- 30
Without a calculator: a child weighs 20 kg and needs 15 mg of a medicine per kg. The liquid contains 250 mg in 5 ml. How many ml do you give?
What to cover: The dose is 20 × 15 = 300 mg. The liquid has 50 mg in each ml, so 300 ÷ 50 = 6 ml. Our MMI calculation guide has more of these to practise.
- 31
A graph shows that a London borough has a lower life expectancy than its neighbour. What could explain it, and what would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?
What to cover: Think about income, housing, smoking and how easy it is to see a GP, then about the data itself: the age of each population and how many people were counted. Our data interpretation guide has worked examples.
- 32
Two treatments for the same condition: one works slightly better but costs ten times as much. How should a hospital decide which to use?
What to cover: Weigh how much better it really is, what else the money could buy and whether some patients gain far more than others. Then come to a view and say what would change it.
Model answer
A GP practice finds that one in five patients misses their appointment. How would you find out why, and what might you try?
I would start by looking at who misses. If it is mostly early morning appointments, or mostly one age group, or people booked weeks in advance, each of those points to a different cause. I would also ask the reception team, because they probably already have a good idea.
Then I would ask a sample of the patients themselves, by phone or text. Some might have forgotten, some might not have been able to get time off work, and some might not have understood the letter, especially if English is not their first language.
Depending on what I found, I might try text reminders the day before, more evening slots or letters in the main local languages. I would only change one thing at a time and count missed appointments again after a few months, so we would know which change helped.
Go deeper: MMI prioritisation stations
Contribution to university life
What Barts says: Contribution to university life is one of the six areas Queen Mary's medicine interview is designed to evaluate; selectors also consider interests, talents and the contribution applicants could make to the programme and university. Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Policy 2027 (PDF)
Few medical schools list this, and Queen Mary does. Its policy says selectors consider your interests and talents and what you could bring to the programme and the university, and its course pages describe a sociable medical school with its own students' association, clubs and a famous Rag Week. Have something specific to say about what you would join or start.
- 33
What would you contribute to life at Barts and The London outside your studies?
What to cover: Name one or two things you already do and how you would carry them on, such as a sport, music, volunteering or tutoring. Specific plans sound real; a long list sounds borrowed.
- 34
Barts students are known for Rag Week and fundraising. Tell us about something you have done for a cause or a community.
What to cover: Describe what you did, what it achieved and what it taught you about working with other people. Small and local is fine if your part in it was real.
- 35
How do you think having interests outside medicine makes someone a better doctor?
What to cover: Think about rest, perspective, finding things in common with patients and working with people who are not doctors. Give an example from your own life of one of those.
- 36
Medical and dental students at Barts share their own students' association. How would you get involved in a student community like that?
What to cover: Say what kind of role suits you, organising, supporting new students or representing others, and give evidence from school or work that you would follow through.
- 37
Queen Mary's students and staff come from more than 170 countries. What would you hope to learn from studying in such a mixed community?
What to cover: Talk about meeting people whose lives and beliefs differ from yours and what that teaches you before you meet patients. One example from your own experience will make it concrete.
- 38
Tell us about a time you helped someone younger or newer than you settle in.
What to cover: Mentoring, coaching or helping a new colleague all count. Describe what you noticed they needed and what you did, because peer support is a large part of student life.
- 39
What do you do to switch off, and why does it matter?
What to cover: Answer plainly with what you actually do and how often. Then link it to coping with a long course, without turning a hobby into a lecture about wellbeing.
- 40
The faculty has campuses at Whitechapel, Mile End and West Smithfield, and a teaching campus in Ilford. How would you make the most of being part of a big London university?
What to cover: Think about societies across the whole university, libraries, public lectures and friends on other courses. Show that you would use the city and the university, not only the medical school.
Model answer
What would you contribute to life at Barts and The London outside your studies?
I have played netball for my school and a local club for six years, and for the last two I have helped coach the under-12s on Wednesday evenings. I would like to play for the medical school team, and if there is a way to coach younger players through a community project, I would want to help with that too.
I also tutor two Year 9 students in science. I know Barts students do a lot with the local community, and I would be keen to join a scheme that goes into East London schools, especially to talk to students who have never thought of medicine as an option for them.
I think both would help me as well. Coaching taught me to explain the same thing three different ways, and that is a skill I will use with patients.
Go deeper: Extracurricular activities for medicine
Communication skills
What Barts says: Communication skills is one of the six areas Queen Mary's medicine interview is designed to evaluate. Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria
In a panel interview every answer tests communication, so listen to the whole question, answer it directly and stop when you have finished. Queen Mary also trains students in a Clinical and Communications Centre with specially trained actors, so the panel may ask how you would explain something or handle a difficult conversation.
- 41
Explain to a patient who has never used one how to take a reading on a home blood pressure monitor.
What to cover: Use short steps in plain words, check they have understood by asking them to tell you back, and say what to do if the reading is very high. Avoid medical terms they would not know.
- 42
Many patients in East London speak English as a second language. How would you make sure a patient has understood what you told them?
What to cover: Use plain words, ask them to explain it back in their own words and use a professional interpreter when it matters. Say why a family member is not a good substitute when the news is serious.
- 43
A man is angry because his mother's operation has been cancelled for the second time. How would you speak to him?
What to cover: Let him finish, acknowledge how frustrating it is and apologise for the experience without blaming colleagues. Then move to what you can find out or do for him today.
- 44
What is the difference between empathy and sympathy, and which does a doctor need?
What to cover: Empathy is understanding how things look from the other person's position; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. Give an example of what empathy sounds like in a real conversation.
- 45
Tell us about a time someone misunderstood you. What did you change?
What to cover: Describe the misunderstanding and the point where you noticed it, then what you did differently. Changing the words you used usually helps more than repeating the same thing slowly.
- 46
How would you tell a friend that you have lost something valuable they lent you?
What to cover: Say it early and clearly, apologise once, let them react and then offer something practical. The SPIKES framework doctors use for bad news follows the same order.
- 47
This interview is online. How do you show someone you are listening when you are on a video call?
What to cover: Think about looking at the camera, not talking over them, nodding and summarising what they said before you answer. Then say how you have practised it.
- 48
Explain to your grandparent why a medical student meets patients in the first weeks of the course.
What to cover: Use everyday words and one comparison, keep it short and check they followed. Explaining your own course simply is a fair test of how you will explain a diagnosis.
Model answer
Many patients in East London speak English as a second language. How would you make sure a patient has understood what you told them?
I would start by checking how comfortable they are speaking English and whether they would like an interpreter. If the conversation matters, such as a new diagnosis or consent for a procedure, I would book a professional interpreter even if they say a relative can translate, because the relative might soften the news or leave things out, and the patient might not want them to know everything.
When I explain, I would use short sentences and everyday words, and give one or two key points instead of everything at once. Written information in their language, or a simple diagram, can help too.
Then I would ask them to tell me in their own words what they understood and what they are going to do next. Asking whether they understand usually gets a yes, so asking them to explain it back is the only way I would really know.
Go deeper: Empathy and sympathy in interviews
NHS values, professionalism and ethics
What Barts says: Queen Mary says selection to its courses follows the principles of values-based recruitment and the core values of the NHS. Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria
Values-based recruitment means the panel is checking that the way you think and behave matches the NHS core values. Learn the values, and more importantly find a moment from your own experience for each. For the ethical questions, our guide to answering ethics questions gives you a structure, and our NHS hot topics hub keeps current issues in one place.
- 49
Barts selects by values-based recruitment. Which NHS value did you see most clearly while caring for people, and what did it look like?
What to cover: Name the value, then describe the moment: who did what and how the person responded. One clear example is worth more than all six values recited in order.
- 50
A patient tells you something on placement and asks you not to pass it on. When would you have to share it?
What to cover: Confidentiality is the default, then the exceptions: a risk of serious harm to them or others, or a legal duty. Our confidentiality guide sets the exceptions out.
- 51
A friend on your course asks you to sign them in to a teaching session they are going to miss. What do you do?
What to cover: Say no kindly and explain that signing for someone else is dishonest on a course that leads to registration with the GMC. Then ask why they are missing it, because the reason may need help.
- 52
A patient with capacity refuses a treatment that would very likely save their life. What should the doctor do?
What to cover: Check they have capacity and understand what refusing means, find out why and whether anything would change their mind, then respect the decision and record it carefully.
- 53
A 15-year-old asks a GP for contraception and does not want her parents told. What are the issues?
What to cover: Think about whether she can understand the decision, her right to confidentiality and whether anything suggests she is at risk. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test doctors use.
- 54
Why do some groups of people in London have worse health than others, and what can a doctor do about it?
What to cover: Talk about income, housing, language and access to care, then about what one doctor can do for the patient in front of them. Our health inequalities guide explains the Marmot findings.
- 55
What does treating someone with respect and dignity look like on a busy ward?
What to cover: Think of the small things that take seconds: drawing the curtain, using their name, explaining before you touch them and coming back when you said you would.
- 56
Queen Mary says personal statements must be written entirely by the applicant. Why does honesty matter so much in medicine, even in an application?
What to cover: Link honesty in small things to trust with patients and colleagues and to the GMC's expectations of medical students. Our GMC guide explains what the regulator expects.
- 57
What should the NHS learn from hospitals where care failed badly?
What to cover: Pick one inquiry and know its main finding, then link it to what staff should do when they see poor care. Our Francis Report guide covers the best-known example.
Model answer
Barts selects by values-based recruitment. Which NHS value did you see most clearly while caring for people, and what did it look like?
The one I saw most clearly was respect and dignity. On one of my first shifts at the care home, a carer was helping a resident with dementia who had become distressed and was refusing to get changed.
Instead of hurrying her, the carer knelt down to her eye level, called her by the name she liked to be called, and asked her which cardigan she wanted. She waited, and offered again ten minutes later. The resident got changed without any more upset.
What struck me was that it took perhaps fifteen minutes more, on a busy morning. It showed me that dignity often means giving someone a choice, even a small one, when it would be quicker to take it away, and I try to do the same when I help residents now.
Go deeper: The six NHS core values
How is the Barts interview scored?
Queen Mary does not publish a marking scheme for the medicine interview, the length of the interview or how many questions the panel asks. What it does publish is the six areas the interview is designed to evaluate and the principle behind them: values-based recruitment and the core values of the NHS. Prepare all six, because you will not know in advance which the panel will spend longest on.
After the interview, Queen Mary may consider all of the assessment factors when deciding on offers: the interview score, the Situational Judgement Test, your UCAS tariff or degree, and the UCAT. It does not say how they are weighted. Applicants who are just below the interview cut-off score are placed on a waiting list.
Source: Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Frequently asked questions (MBBS and BDS) (no year stated)
What should I do before an online Barts interview?
- Read your invitation carefully. Queen Mary says invited applicants are given details of the expected interview format and when and where to report, and you can contact the Admissions Office in advance with any concerns.
- Set up for a video call: a quiet, private room, a stable connection, the camera at eye level and the light in front of you. Test everything the day before.
- Reread your UCAS application. The panel may have it and may ask about anything you wrote.
- Adjustments: Queen Mary asks applicants who need reasonable adjustments to contact the admissions team by 1 October in the year of application, and contacts applicants who have disclosed a disability before their interview. It says it has designed the interview to be inclusive of applicants who would usually ask for extra reading and writing time.
- Dress as you would for an interview in person. It helps you feel the part.
Source: Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Policy 2027 (PDF) (2027/28 entry (approved June 2026, effective September 2026)); Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
When does Barts release medicine offers?
Queen Mary communicates decisions in March 2027, when all interviews have been completed. There are three possible outcomes: an offer, conditional on your qualifications and non-academic checks such as the enhanced DBS and health clearance; a rejection; or a place on the waiting list, from which applicants who are unplaced elsewhere may be reconsidered after the summer exam results. UCAS treats the waiting list as a rejection, so if you receive another offer you should accept it.
Applicants who are unsuccessful after interview can ask in writing for brief feedback, which Queen Mary says will not be personal, and it can take up to 10 working days to arrive. You cannot be reconsidered in the same cycle, but you may reapply the following year without prejudice. For 2026 entry, 991 of the 1,294 home applicants interviewed received an offer (77%), and 76 of 227 international interviewees (33%).
Source: Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Frequently asked questions (MBBS and BDS) (no year stated); Admissions statistics as published on our Barts profile (from Queen Mary's admissions statistics page) (2026 entry); Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Statistics for Medicine & Dentistry (2024, 2025 and 2026 UCAS cycles)
Practise a Barts-style interview
A timed mock in the format Barts uses, built from the themes Barts publishes. Record yourself, then mark it against the pointers above.
Common mistakes at the Barts interview
- 1
Preparing for an MMI circuit
The Barts medicine interview is an online panel. Practise longer, follow-on conversations with two or three people instead of short, separate stations.
- 2
Forgetting what you wrote
The panel may have your UCAS application. Reread it and prepare to go deeper on each experience you mention.
- 3
Leaving out university life
Contribution to university life is one of Queen Mary's six published areas. Have something specific to say about what you would join, start or keep doing.
- 4
A "Why Barts?" answer about history alone
The founding dates are impressive, but the panel wants to know why the course suits you. Use the Year 1 GP placement, team-based learning or the East London hospitals.
- 5
Ignoring the camera
An online interview still marks communication. Look at the camera, keep a stable connection and choose a quiet room before the day.
- 6
Assuming silence means rejection
Queen Mary invites some applicants as late as February. Keep checking your email and junk folder through the winter.
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FAQs
Barts medicine interview: common questions
Does Barts interview for medicine?
Yes. Queen Mary University of London makes no medicine offers without an interview, and for 2027 entry the interview is an online panel, not an MMI, held in January and February 2027.
Panels typically have two members of senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector. Not every applicant is invited, because shortlisting uses academic requirements, the UCAT and a weighted score.
When are Barts medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
Barts medicine interviews for 2027 entry take place in January and February 2027, online. Queen Mary does not publish the individual days; your invitation gives the date of your own interview.
Decisions follow in March 2027, once every interview is complete. Compare other schools in our interview dates table.
When will I hear whether I have a Barts medicine interview?
Queen Mary does not publish a date: it assesses applications through the cycle, so some applicants hear early and others later, and some are invited as late as February. Not hearing for a while does not mean your application has been rejected.
Are Barts medicine interviews online or in person?
Online. Queen Mary's A100 selection criteria page for 2027 entry and its faculty FAQs both say medicine interviews take place online, for home and international applicants.
The faculty-wide admissions policy allows for in-person or virtual interviews, so if your invitation says something different, follow the invitation.
Is the Barts interview an MMI, and how long is it?
No, it is a panel interview: typically two members of senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector, all speaking with you in one sitting. Queen Mary does not publish how long the interview lasts or how many questions it asks.
What does Barts look for at interview?
Queen Mary's medicine interview is designed to evaluate six areas: motivation and reality of a career in medicine; initiative, resilience and maturity; team work; organisation and problem solving abilities; contribution to university life; and communication skills. Selection follows values-based recruitment and the core values of the NHS.
How does Barts choose who to interview for medicine?
Queen Mary first checks the minimum academic requirements and the UCAT, including the Situational Judgement Test band, then ranks remaining applicants on a weighted score of UCAT and UCAS tariff, or degree for graduates. Home and international applicants are ranked separately.
Past thresholds are on our Barts medical school profile.
How competitive is the Barts medicine interview?
For 2026 entry, 77% of home applicants interviewed received an offer (991 of 1,294), and 33% of international interviewees (76 of 227). These figures are on Queen Mary's own admissions statistics page and on our profile.
After interview, Queen Mary may weigh the interview score alongside the Situational Judgement Test, your UCAS tariff or degree and the UCAT, so the interview is not the only thing that counts.
Are international applicants interviewed differently at Barts?
No different format is published: Queen Mary interviews medicine applicants online, home and international alike, in January and February. International applicants are ranked against other international applicants for interview and for offers, and up to 24 overseas places are expected for September 2027.
The four-year graduate entry programme (A101) is open only to applicants who qualify for home fees.
When will I hear from Barts after my interview?
In March 2027. Queen Mary communicates decisions once all interviews are complete, and the outcome is an offer, a rejection or a place on the waiting list.
Applicants unsuccessful after interview can ask in writing for brief feedback, which is not personal and can take up to 10 working days.
Can I reschedule a Barts medicine interview?
Queen Mary does not publish a rescheduling policy for medicine interviews. It invites applicants to contact the Admissions Office in advance of the interview with any concerns, so if your date is a problem, email the address in your invitation as soon as it arrives.
Will the Barts panel ask about my personal statement?
It may. Queen Mary says the panel may have access to your UCAS application and may ask questions about what you wrote, although the personal statement is not scored at any stage. Reread it and be ready to talk in more depth about each experience.
Does the Barts graduate entry programme (A101) interview the same way?
Yes, in almost the same way: an online panel in January and February, evaluating the same six areas, with decisions in March. Queen Mary's A101 page says those panels typically include a medical student as well as two senior staff and sometimes a lay selector.
Our graduate entry medicine guide covers the route in general.
Where these facts come from
- Queen Mary University of London, Medicine MBBS (A100) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Policy 2027 (PDF) (2027/28 entry (approved June 2026, effective September 2026))
- Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Frequently asked questions (MBBS and BDS) (no year stated)
- Queen Mary University of London, Medicine Graduate Entry Programme (A101) selection criteria (September 2027 entry)
- Queen Mary University of London, Medicine (5 Year Programme) course page (2027 entry)
- Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medicine MBBS overview (no year stated)
- Queen Mary Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Admissions Statistics for Medicine & Dentistry (2024, 2025 and 2026 UCAS cycles)
- Admissions statistics as published on our Barts profile (from Queen Mary's admissions statistics page) (2026 entry)
Update log
- 24 October 2026: Published. Every fact checked against Queen Mary's own pages.
Last checked: 24 October 2026. Universities change interview arrangements during the cycle, so confirm on Barts's own page before you travel or book. The questions above are practice questions written by TheUKCATPeople from Barts's published guidance; they are not real or leaked interview questions.
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