St George's Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does St George's interview for medicine?

Source: City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs) (2027 entry)

When are St George's medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs) (2027 entry); City St George's, Selection process, archived copy (2026 entry (archived 18 May 2026))

How does St George's decide who to interview?

Source: City St George's, University of London, Medicine MBBS course page (2027/28 entry); City St George's, University of London, MBBS Medicine admissions statistics (2021/2 to 2025/6 cycles); City St George's, University of London, How to prepare a strong application (2026 and 2027 entry)

What does St George's assess at interview?

Source: City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs) (2027 entry); City St George's, University of London, How to prepare a strong application (2026 and 2027 entry)

Motivation for studying medicine

What St George's says: City St George's says its MMI assesses your motivation for studying Medicine. City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs)

City St George's asks applicants to show insight into healthcare roles and an understanding of the realities of working as a healthcare professional. A motivation station will want reasons that come from things you have seen and done, and some sense of why a hospital-based medical school in Tooting suits you.

1. 1

   Why do you want to study medicine, and what did you do to check it was right for you?

   What to cover: Give one real starting point, then show how you tested it: volunteering, a job, an online placement such as Observe GP, conversations with people who work in healthcare. The interviewer is listening for a decision you have examined.

2. 2

   Why St George's?

   What to cover: Pick two things the course actually offers, such as studying on the same site as St George's Hospital or learning alongside students from the other healthcare professions, and say why they suit you. A league table tells the interviewer nothing about you.

3. 3

   St George's says it has relaxed its work experience requirement. What have you done instead to understand what a doctor's job involves?

   What to cover: Describe what you used, such as virtual work experience, volunteering or a caring role, and one thing it taught you that surprised you. Our work experience guide explains how to reflect on it.

4. 4

   Why medicine and not nursing, physiotherapy or physician associate studies, which St George's also teaches?

   What to cover: Show that you understand and respect each role, then explain what draws you to the doctor's part of the team, such as diagnosis and taking overall responsibility. Never run another profession down to make your point.

5. 5

   What do you think will be the hardest part of training to be a doctor?

   What to cover: Choose something real, such as the workload, uncertainty or seeing people suffer, and say what you have already done that gives you a small start on it. Saying nothing would be hard makes the rest less believable.

6. 6

   St George's moves from lectures to problem-based learning in Year 3. How do you learn best, and how would you adapt?

   What to cover: Be specific about how you study now, then say what you would change when a group has to work out a clinical problem together. Our guide to medical school teaching styles explains problem-based and case-based learning.

7. 7

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

   What to cover: Outline the foundation years, specialty training and exams, and what that means for your twenties. Our guide to the medical training pathway sets out each stage.

8. 8

   Tell me about a healthcare professional you have watched at work. What did they do that you would like to copy?

   What to cover: Describe one moment in detail and what made it good, then say how you have tried to do the same. Small behaviours, such as how someone explained a test, are more convincing than general praise.

9. 9

   City St George's describes its mission as improving the health of society. What does that mean to you as a future doctor?

   What to cover: Think beyond treating illness to prevention, public health and the conditions people live in. Give one example from your own area of a health problem with causes outside the hospital.

10. 10

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

    What to cover: Give a realistic plan you would actually follow, such as more experience and a stronger UCAT. Our gap year and reapplying guide covers the options.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"

Empathy and respect

What St George's says: City St George's says the MMI helps it assess qualities such as empathy, integrity and respect, and lists empathy among the attributes its stations assess. City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs)

St George's names empathy twice in what its MMI assesses, and its stations include role plays, so expect at least one where you have to respond to someone upset, worried or angry. Listen first, name what they are feeling, and only then move to what you can do.

11. 11

    Role play: a friend tells you they have failed an important exam and do not know what to do. Talk to them.

    What to cover: Let them talk, acknowledge how they feel and avoid jumping to advice or telling them it does not matter. When they are ready, help them think about one next step and where they can get support.

12. 12

    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. Show what empathy sounds like in a sentence you would actually say to a patient.

13. 13

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

    What to cover: Describe what you noticed, what you did and what you did not do, such as promising things you could not deliver. Say what you would do differently now.

14. 14

    Role play: an elderly neighbour you help with shopping tells you she has been feeling very lonely since her husband died. How do you respond?

    What to cover: Slow down, ask open questions and let her talk about him if she wants to. Then gently explore what might help, such as local groups or her GP, and check whether she has any thoughts of harming herself if anything suggests it.

15. 15

    How do you show respect to someone whose views you strongly disagree with?

    What to cover: Talk about listening fully, asking why they hold the view and keeping their dignity intact. A doctor treats every patient with the same care, whatever they believe.

16. 16

    A patient's relative shouts at you on placement because they have been waiting for hours. How do you handle it?

    What to cover: Stay calm, acknowledge the wait and their worry, apologise for the experience and find out what you can. If they become threatening, step back and get a member of staff.

17. 17

    Why does empathy matter for the outcome of care, not only for how the patient feels?

    What to cover: Think about patients who feel heard telling you more, trusting the plan and taking their medicines. Give one example of how a better conversation could change what happens next.

18. 18

    Tell me about a time you had to look after someone very different from you.

    What to cover: Choose an example where you had to learn how they saw things, such as an older person, a child or someone from another culture, and say what you changed in how you behaved.

19. 19

    Is it ever right for a doctor to hide their own feelings from a patient?

    What to cover: Weigh the patient's need for calm and confidence against the value of being human with them. Most good answers land on staying professional while still showing warmth.

Go deeper: Empathy and sympathy in interviews

Ethical reasoning and integrity

What St George's says: City St George's lists ethical reasoning among the attributes its MMI assesses, and integrity among the qualities the format helps it assess. City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs)

An ethics station gives you a scenario with no clean answer. The interviewer wants to hear you reason: what matters, what you would want to know, what you would do and why. Our guide to answering ethics questions gives you a structure, and integrity questions about your own behaviour belong here too.

20. 20

    A patient with capacity refuses a blood transfusion that the team believes would save their life. What should happen?

    What to cover: Check capacity and understanding, find out why they are refusing and whether anything would change their mind, then respect the decision and record it carefully. Mention that the answer is different for a child.

21. 21

    A 15-year-old asks a GP for contraception and does not want her parents told. What are the issues?

    What to cover: Consider whether she can understand the decision, her right to confidentiality and any sign she is at risk. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test doctors use.

22. 22

    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.

23. 23

    St George's prohibits the use of AI tools in its interviews. Should medical students be allowed to use AI to write their reflections?

    What to cover: Weigh what a reflection is for, learning from your own experience, against the time AI saves. Then think about honesty, patient confidentiality and who is responsible for what is written.

24. 24

    You see a fellow student copying another student's work for an assessed project. What do you do?

    What to cover: Speak to them first and give them the chance to put it right, then go to a tutor if they will not. Explain why honesty in assessments matters on a course that ends in registration with the GMC.

25. 25

    Should organ donation be opt-out?

    What to cover: Set out the case for more organs and saved lives, then the concerns about consent and trust, and the role families still play. Reach a view and say what would change it.

26. 26

    A doctor finds out that a colleague has been drinking before shifts. What should they do?

    What to cover: Patient safety comes first, so the doctor must act, but kindly: speak to the colleague, make sure they do not treat patients while impaired, and escalate to a senior. Our whistleblowing guide covers raising concerns.

27. 27

    An older patient wants to go home, but the team thinks it is unsafe. What matters?

    What to cover: Start with capacity for this decision, look for ways to make home safer, and involve the patient, the family and the wider team.

28. 28

    Should doctors ever accept gifts from patients?

    What to cover: Small thank-you gifts are usually fine, but anything that could affect your judgement, or look as though it might, is not. Reason through where the line sits and who you would ask.

29. 29

    Tell me about a time you were tempted to cut a corner. What did you do?

    What to cover: Choose a real example, say what the pressure was and what you decided. Integrity is easier to believe when you admit the temptation.

Go deeper: The four pillars of medical ethics

Problem solving and practical tasks

What St George's says: City St George's lists problem-solving among the attributes its MMI assesses, and says a station may ask you to complete a practical task. City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs)

A practical or problem-solving station gives you something to do: put a list in order, read a chart, make an estimate or explain how you would tackle a problem. You have the task in writing, so read it carefully, then talk the interviewer through your reasoning as you go.

30. 30

    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. In what order do you deal with them?

    What to cover: Start with whatever could cause harm soonest and say why out loud. A volunteer is not expected to cover everything alone, so asking a member of staff is part of a good answer.

31. 31

    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.

32. 32

    This chart shows the number of people waiting for planned operations rising over five years. What does it tell you, and what does it not?

    What to cover: Describe the trend in plain words with the units, then the limits: it does not show why, how urgent the cases are or how the population changed. Our data interpretation guide has worked examples.

33. 33

    Estimate how many patients a large London hospital sees in its emergency department in a year. Explain each step.

    What to cover: Start from a guess per hour or per day, then scale up, stating each assumption. The interviewer is marking your method more than your final number.

34. 34

    You are organising a health awareness stall for your school. You have a small budget and one afternoon. How would you plan it?

    What to cover: Choose one topic that matters to the audience, set a simple aim, divide the jobs and decide how you would know it worked. Showing a plan with a way to measure it is what this station rewards.

35. 35

    Two treatments for the same condition: one works slightly better but costs ten times as much. How should a hospital decide?

    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 reach a view.

36. 36

    Explain how you would teach someone to tie a shoelace using only words.

    What to cover: Break it into small steps, check after each one and adjust if they get lost. A practical station like this tests how clearly you structure instructions, which you will need with patients.

37. 37

    A GP practice wants to reduce the number of patients who miss appointments. How would you find out why it happens?

    What to cover: Look at who misses and when, ask the patients and the reception staff, then suggest one change and how you would measure whether it worked.

38. 38

    Halfway through a station you realise your first answer was wrong. What do you do?

    What to cover: Say so calmly, correct it and carry on. Each St George's station is marked by a different interviewer, so a slip is contained to that station anyway.

Go deeper: MMI prioritisation stations

Communication skills and role play

What St George's says: City St George's says its MMI assesses your communication skills, and that a station may ask you to take part in a role play, for example managing a challenging situation. City St George's, University of London, School of Health & Medical Sciences, Selection process (MBBS sections and interview FAQs)

St George's says it is proud of the emphasis on clinical communication in its MBBS course, with weekly small-group communication sessions that use role play. At interview, every station tests communication and some are built around it. If you take the remote SAMMI-Select interview, you are speaking to a camera with no one reacting, so practise that too: our virtual MMI tips cover the technique.

39. 39

    Role play: you have to tell a friend that you have lost the expensive headphones they lent you. Begin.

    What to cover: Say it early and clearly, apologise once, let them react and then offer something practical. The SPIKES framework doctors use follows the same order.

40. 40

    Explain to an older patient how to use an inhaler they have just been prescribed.

    What to cover: Use short steps, show them, then ask them to show you. Finish with what to do if it does not help, and check they are happy with the plan.

41. 41

    Role play: a parent is upset because their child's hospital appointment has been cancelled twice. Speak to them.

    What to cover: Let them finish, acknowledge how frustrating it is, apologise for the experience without blaming colleagues, and move to what you can find out today.

42. 42

    How would you make sure a patient who speaks little English has understood what you told them?

    What to cover: Use plain words, ask them to tell it back in their own words, and use a professional interpreter when it matters. Say why a family member is not a good substitute for serious news.

43. 43

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

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

44. 44

    In a remote SAMMI-Select interview, nobody reacts while you answer. How would you make sure your answer still comes across well?

    What to cover: Talk about looking at the camera, structuring the answer with a clear start and finish, speaking at an even pace and watching the timer. Then say how you would practise, such as recording yourself.

45. 45

    Explain to a 10-year-old what a vaccine does.

    What to cover: Use one simple comparison, such as a practice drill for the body, keep it short and check they followed. Being able to pitch an explanation to the listener is the skill being tested.

46. 46

    What makes a good listener?

    What to cover: Think about attention, not interrupting, asking follow-up questions and summarising back. Then give an example of a time listening changed what you did.

47. 47

    Role play: a fellow student is visibly upset after a difficult day on placement. Talk to them.

    What to cover: Find somewhere private, ask how they are and let them talk. Offer practical support and point them to the student support or wellbeing team if they need more.

Go deeper: MMI role-play stations

NHS values and insight into healthcare

What St George's says: City St George's says it wants applicants' values to align with those expected of future healthcare professionals, and tells applicants to know the NHS values in the NHS Constitution and the NHS's key priorities. City St George's, University of London, How to prepare a strong application

City St George's tells applicants to understand the NHS values and the priorities shaping the health service, to keep up with healthcare news, and to focus on a few topics in depth instead of trying to cover everything. Our NHS hot topics hub keeps current issues in one place.

48. 48

    Which NHS value have you seen in action, 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.

49. 49

    St George's is on the same site as a large teaching hospital and teaches many healthcare professions together. Why does it matter that doctors learn alongside nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics?

    What to cover: Think about understanding each other's roles, communicating clearly and avoiding errors at handovers. Our multidisciplinary team guide explains who does what.

50. 50

    What is one big challenge facing the NHS at the moment, and what would you do about it?

    What to cover: Choose one issue you understand, explain its causes and give one realistic idea. Our guide to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan explains the current direction.

51. 51

    Why do some groups of people have worse health than others, and what can a doctor do about it?

    What to cover: Talk about income, housing, education and access to care, then about what one doctor can do. Our health inequalities guide explains the Marmot findings.

52. 52

    What does "everyone counts" mean when resources are limited?

    What to cover: Talk about fairness in deciding who gets what, not leaving groups behind and being open about how decisions are made. Give an example such as waiting lists or access to a new drug.

53. 53

    What should the NHS learn from hospitals where care failed badly?

    What to cover: Pick one inquiry and 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.

54. 54

    Tell me about a health topic you have read about in depth. What did you learn?

    What to cover: City St George's suggests depth over breadth, so pick one topic, summarise it in two sentences and spend the rest on what you think about it and the question it leaves you with.

55. 55

    What does commitment to quality of care look like for a medical student?

    What to cover: Think about being prepared, admitting what you do not know, asking for help and reporting concerns. Make it about things a student can actually do.

56. 56

    How might the role of the doctor change over the next ten years?

    What to cover: Consider technology, more care outside hospital, team working and patients with several long-term conditions. Pick one change and explain what it would mean for you.

57. 57

    Why is prevention as important as treatment?

    What to cover: Talk about smoking, obesity, vaccination and screening, and the difference prevention makes to people's lives and to the NHS. Give one example you have read about.

Go deeper: The six NHS core values