UEA Medicine Interview Questions (2027 Entry)

How does UEA interview for medicine?

Source: University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine (A100) course page (2027 entry (course start September 2027)); University of East Anglia, Our Admissions Policy (sections 6.2, 7.2, 9 and 10, Interview Policy) (no year stated; university-wide, reviewed annually)

When are UEA medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

Source: University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine (A100) course page (2027 entry (course start September 2027)); University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine with a Gateway Year (A104) course page (2027-28 entry); University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine (Graduate Entry) (A101) course page (2027-28 entry)

How does UEA decide who to interview?

Source: University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine (A100) course page (2027 entry (course start September 2027)); University of East Anglia, Preparing for Medicine (no entry year stated; next intake opens late 2026)

What does UEA assess at interview?

Source: University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine (A100) course page (2027 entry (course start September 2027)); Medical Schools Council, Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (2018 update; UEA links the current upload, which blocked our fetch) (2018 update (read via an archived copy)); University of East Anglia, Applying and interviewing for medical school (no year stated)

Motivation, insight and your work experience

What UEA says: UEA asks invited applicants for two examples of relevant work experience that informed their decision to study medicine. The MSC statement it writes questions from lists commitment, motivation and real interest in the medical profession, and insight and reflection. University of East Anglia, MBBS Medicine (A100) course page

Expect at least one station on why you want to be a doctor and what your work experience showed you. UEA asks you for two examples of work experience, so choose them carefully and know them well: what you did, what you saw, and what each one taught you about the job. Insight means you can also say what you are less good at.

1. 1

   Tell me about the two pieces of work experience that most shaped your decision to study medicine.

   What to cover: Give one example at a time: where it was, one specific moment, and what it changed in your thinking. Two examples covered properly beat a list of six placements.

2. 2

   Why UEA?

   What to cover: Choose two features from UEA's course page, such as placements from the first week or a day in general practice during campus weeks, and link each to you. A league table position tells the interviewer nothing about you.

3. 3

   UEA students spend one day of each campus week in general practice. What do you expect to learn there that you would not learn in hospital?

   What to cover: Talk about continuity of care, seeing conditions early, long-term illness and the patient's home life. Show you value general practice for itself, not as a lesser option.

4. 4

   What have you learned about the downsides of a career in medicine?

   What to cover: Name real ones, such as long training, shift work, emotional strain and exams after qualifying, and say how you know. Then explain why you still want to do it.

5. 5

   What are your main weaknesses, and what are you doing about them?

   What to cover: Pick a real weakness that would matter in medicine, give an example, and describe a concrete step you are taking. Insight into your own limits is one of the attributes UEA writes questions from.

6. 6

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

   What to cover: Speak about those roles with respect and accuracy, then give a reason that is about the doctor's role, such as diagnosis and carrying responsibility for decisions.

7. 7

   How do you organise your time when you have several things due at once?

   What to cover: Describe what you actually do, with an example of a busy period. The MSC statement names personal organisation because the medical course and the job both depend on it.

8. 8

   What have you read or watched about medicine recently that made you think?

   What to cover: Name one thing, explain its argument in two sentences, and say what you think about it. Our medicine reading list is a starting point.

9. 9

   UEA's course is organised around body systems, with placements in every module. How do you learn best, and how will that course suit you?

   What to cover: Be specific about how you learn, then connect it to UEA's mix of campus weeks, group learning and placements. Show you have read the course page.

10. 10

    What did your work experience show you about what doctors actually do all day?

    What to cover: Go past the dramatic moments: notes, phone calls, discussions with the team, explaining things to patients. Interviewers are checking that your picture of the job is realistic.

11. 11

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

    What to cover: Give a realistic plan that keeps medicine as the goal, such as more experience and reapplying, and show you have thought about it.

Go deeper: How to answer "Why medicine?"

Problem solving, uncertainty and resilience

What UEA says: The MSC statement UEA writes its questions from lists academic ability, problem solving, dealing with uncertainty, and resilience and the ability to deal with difficult situations. UEA's own guide adds prioritisation and professional judgement. Medical Schools Council, Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (2018 update; UEA links the current upload, which blocked our fetch)

With 1.5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to answer, a problem-solving station rewards a clear structure. Use the preparation time to sort what is urgent from what can wait, and say your reasoning out loud so the interviewer can follow it. When there is no certain answer, say what you would need to know and what would change your mind.

12. 12

    You are volunteering on a ward. A call bell is ringing, a visitor is lost, a patient wants a drink and the phone is going. What do you do first?

    What to cover: Rank by risk to patients, so the call bell comes first, and say who you would pass each other task to. Explain your order as you go.

13. 13

    A doctor tells a patient they are not sure what is causing their symptoms. Is that a failure?

    What to cover: Explain that uncertainty is normal in medicine and that saying so is safer than guessing. Then describe how doctors manage it: tests, review, safety-netting and asking for help.

14. 14

    Tell me about a time things did not go to plan. How did you cope?

    What to cover: Choose a real setback, describe what you did next and what you changed. Resilience is about adapting, so show the change you made as well as the effort you kept up.

15. 15

    You have an exam on Monday, a shift at work on Saturday and a friend in crisis on Friday night. How do you plan the weekend?

    What to cover: Prioritise openly, consider what can be moved or shared, and include looking after yourself. There is more than one good answer; the reasoning is what is marked.

16. 16

    Estimate how many patients a GP practice in Norwich might see in a week.

    What to cover: The interviewer is marking your method. State a rounded list size, an estimate of visits per patient per year, divide sensibly and say each assumption aloud.

17. 17

    Your group project is due tomorrow and you discover a big mistake in a section someone else wrote. What do you do?

    What to cover: Tell them straight away and work out a fix together. If time is short, agree what can be corrected and tell the tutor plainly if the work will be affected.

18. 18

    How do you make a decision when you do not have all the information?

    What to cover: Describe gathering what you can, weighing the risks of acting against waiting, deciding, and reviewing. Link it to medicine, where doctors often have to act before every result is back.

19. 19

    Tell me about a difficult situation you handled well. What made it difficult?

    What to cover: Spend time on what made it hard, then on what you did and why it worked. A difficulty you can describe precisely sounds real.

20. 20

    A patient's test results and their symptoms do not match. What would you want to find out?

    What to cover: You are not expected to know the medicine. Talk about checking the result belongs to the right patient, repeating the test, asking more questions and getting a senior opinion.

Go deeper: MMI prioritisation stations

Safety, responsibility and your own health

What UEA says: The MSC statement's safety and quality domain lists managing risk and dealing effectively with problems, personal responsibility, conscientiousness and insight into your own health. Medical Schools Council, Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (2018 update; UEA links the current upload, which blocked our fetch)

These stations test whether you would put patient safety first, own your mistakes, and know when your own health could put patients at risk. The right answer usually involves telling someone. Show that you would act promptly, kindly and through the proper route, and that you understand why.

21. 21

    You notice a fellow student taking photographs on placement and a patient is visible in one. What do you do?

    What to cover: Treat it as a confidentiality breach whatever was intended. Speak to them, ask them to delete it, and tell a supervisor if they refuse. Our confidentiality guide explains the rules.

22. 22

    You realise you gave a patient's relative the wrong visiting time and they missed seeing them. What do you do?

    What to cover: Own it, apologise plainly, put it right if you can, and tell whoever needs to know. Doctors have a duty of candour when things go wrong, and that starts with small mistakes.

23. 23

    You smell alcohol on a colleague's breath at the start of a shift. What do you do?

    What to cover: Patient safety comes first, so act that day. Speak to them privately if it is safe, and tell a senior. Our whistleblowing guide covers raising concerns.

24. 24

    Why does the Medical Schools Council say doctors need insight into their own health?

    What to cover: Explain that ill health is not the problem; failing to recognise when it affects your work is. Doctors should seek and follow independent advice and step back when they are not safe to practise.

25. 25

    You are feeling exhausted and low during a busy term. What do you do?

    What to cover: Say you would tell someone early, such as a personal tutor or your GP, and use student support. Asking for help is a professional duty, not a weakness.

26. 26

    UEA requires evidence of immunisations before you start the course. Why?

    What to cover: Explain that students meet patients from the first week, so they must protect patients and themselves from infection. UEA says placements are mandatory, so students must meet its placement vaccination policy.

27. 27

    A patient asks you, a medical student, whether they should stop taking a tablet that is giving them side effects. What do you say?

    What to cover: Do not advise beyond your role. Take the concern seriously, tell them not to stop it without talking to their doctor or pharmacist, and pass the concern on to the team.

28. 28

    What does conscientiousness mean for a medical student?

    What to cover: Give practical examples: turning up on time, following through on tasks, checking your work and handing information over accurately. Each one protects patients.

29. 29

    You see hand gel dispensers on your ward are often empty. What do you do?

    What to cover: Report it to the person in charge and suggest a simple check. Explain that hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent infection, so small problems matter.

Go deeper: Raising concerns and whistleblowing

Communication, partnership and teamwork

What UEA says: The MSC statement's communication, partnership and teamwork domain lists effective communication, including reading, writing, listening and speaking, and teamwork. UEA's guide names communication as a key skill and handling challenging situations such as delivering bad news. Medical Schools Council, Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (2018 update; UEA links the current upload, which blocked our fetch)

Some UEA stations are likely to be role plays or conversations, and UEA's guide mentions delivering bad news as an example of a challenging situation. Use your 1.5 minutes to work out what the other person needs and what you must not promise. In the station, listen first, speak plainly and check understanding.

30. 30

    Your housemate's cat was hit by a car while you were looking after it. Tell them.

    What to cover: Find a private moment, say it early and clearly, give them time, and answer their questions without inventing details. Our guide to breaking bad news shows the structure doctors use.

31. 31

    Explain to a 10-year-old why they need to have a blood test.

    What to cover: Use simple words and one clear picture, be truthful that it may hurt for a moment, and include the parent. Check what the child has understood.

32. 32

    A patient in the waiting room is angry that they have waited over an hour. Talk to them.

    What to cover: Acknowledge the frustration, check whether their health has changed, and find out how long the wait will be. Do not blame colleagues or promise what you cannot deliver.

33. 33

    How would you talk to a patient whose first language is not English?

    What to cover: Talk about professional interpreters, why relatives are a poor substitute, short sentences and checking understanding. Written information in other languages can help too.

34. 34

    Tell me about a time you worked in a team that was not working well. What did you do?

    What to cover: Focus on your own contribution: what you noticed, what you said and what changed. Blaming others leaves no time to show insight.

35. 35

    UEA's first year includes an Interprofessional Learning module. Why would a medical school teach that?

    What to cover: Explain that doctors work every day with nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and others, and that learning together builds respect and shared language. Our multidisciplinary team guide explains the roles.

36. 36

    Why do doctors need to write clearly?

    What to cover: Prescriptions, notes and handovers that are unclear can harm patients. Give an example of how a misread instruction could go wrong and how to prevent it.

37. 37

    What makes someone a good listener?

    What to cover: Describe behaviour: letting people finish, open questions, summarising and noticing what is not said. Then give a moment when you listened well, or did not.

38. 38

    You disagree with the rest of your group about how to approach a task. What do you do?

    What to cover: State your view once with a reason, listen to theirs, and support the group's decision unless there is a safety issue. Give a real example if you can.

39. 39

    A friend tells you they have been feeling low for weeks and asks you to keep it secret. How do you respond?

    What to cover: Listen, take it seriously and encourage them to see their GP or student support. Be clear you could not keep it secret if you thought they were at risk of harm.

Go deeper: MMI role-play stations

Maintaining trust: respect, empathy and candour

What UEA says: The MSC statement's maintaining trust domain lists the ability to treat people with respect, the ability to take responsibility for your own actions, and empathy and the ability to care for others. Medical Schools Council, Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (2018 update; UEA links the current upload, which blocked our fetch)

Patients have to trust doctors with their bodies and their secrets, so these stations look at how you treat people, particularly people whose choices you disagree with. Show respect in the way you speak about patients, and be truthful even when it is uncomfortable.

40. 40

    What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?

    What to cover: Empathy is understanding someone's experience from their point of view; sympathy is feeling sorry for them. Our empathy guide explains why patients value the first.

41. 41

    A patient makes choices about their health that you strongly disagree with. How do you treat them?

    What to cover: With the same respect and care as anyone else. Give accurate information, explore their reasons, and accept their decision if they have capacity. Your beliefs must not affect their treatment.

42. 42

    Is it ever acceptable to lie to a patient?

    What to cover: Explain why trust depends on truthfulness, and distinguish lying from choosing how and when to share difficult news, or respecting a patient who does not want every detail.

43. 43

    Tell me about a time you showed empathy to someone who was struggling.

    What to cover: Describe what you noticed, what you did and how they responded. Small, specific actions show empathy better than a description of your feelings.

44. 44

    A patient says something rude about a nurse's background. What do you do?

    What to cover: Stay calm, make clear that the comment is not acceptable, support your colleague, and report it through the proper route. Respect runs in every direction on a ward.

45. 45

    Why should doctors not form personal relationships with patients?

    What to cover: Explain the power imbalance and how it undermines trust and judgement. The GMC's guidance is summarised in our GMC guide for interviews.

46. 46

    A patient asks you not to tell their family about their diagnosis. The family keep asking you. What do you do?

    What to cover: The patient's wishes come first. Be kind to the family, explain you cannot discuss it, and gently encourage the patient to think about who they want to know.

47. 47

    What does treating someone with dignity look like in practice?

    What to cover: Give concrete actions: knocking, closing curtains, using their name, explaining before touching, keeping them covered. Draw on something you saw on placement.

48. 48

    You see a senior colleague being dismissive to an elderly patient. What do you do?

    What to cover: Make sure the patient is all right, then raise it, with the colleague if it is safe or with a supervisor. Being junior does not remove the duty to speak up.

49. 49

    Tell me about a time you took responsibility for something that went wrong, even though it was not only your fault.

    What to cover: Describe your part clearly, what you did to fix it and what you learned. Avoid spending the answer on what others did.

Go deeper: Empathy and sympathy at interview

Medical ethics and the role of the NHS

What UEA says: UEA's guide for medicine applicants says interviewers want to see your grasp of medical ethics and the role of the NHS, and that questions can cover your awareness of recent medical developments. University of East Anglia, Applying and interviewing for medical school

UEA's guide names ethics and the NHS directly, and recent developments in medicine. You need a working knowledge of the four principles of medical ethics and of how the NHS is organised, and three or four current issues you can discuss with balance. Our guide to answering ethics questions gives you a structure.

50. 50

    A patient with capacity refuses a treatment that would probably save their life. What should happen?

    What to cover: Check capacity for this decision, explore their reasons, offer alternatives and record the discussion, then respect the decision. Our capacity guide explains the test.

51. 51

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

    What to cover: Consider competence to consent, confidentiality and any safeguarding concerns. Our Gillick competence guide sets out the test doctors use.

52. 52

    Should the NHS fund treatments for conditions linked to lifestyle, such as smoking or obesity?

    What to cover: Separate the clinical argument from the moral one about blame. Discuss fairness, addiction and social causes, and reach a reasoned view.

53. 53

    What does the NHS do that a private health system might not?

    What to cover: Talk about care free at the point of use, based on need, and its role in public health and prevention. Acknowledge the pressures it faces, with some balance.

54. 54

    Why do some patients stay in hospital after they are well enough to go home?

    What to cover: Explain delays in social care and community support and what that means for patients and for A&E. Our ageing population guide has the background.

55. 55

    Which recent development in medicine interests you most, and why?

    What to cover: Choose one you can explain accurately, give its benefits and its limits, and link it to patients. Our hot topics guide suggests where to start.

56. 56

    What are the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence in the NHS?

    What to cover: Give a real benefit, such as faster reading of scans, and a real risk, such as bias in training data or unclear responsibility. See our AI in medicine guide.

57. 57

    Why is antibiotic resistance a problem, and what can a new doctor do about it?

    What to cover: Explain how resistance develops and why so few new antibiotics are coming. Then make it practical: prescribe only when needed and explain why to patients. See our antimicrobial resistance guide.

58. 58

    UEA's placements spread across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. What health challenges do rural communities in the region face?

    What to cover: Talk about distance to services, transport, an older population, isolation and recruiting staff. Then say what doctors and services can do, such as outreach and telephone or video appointments.

Go deeper: The four pillars of medical ethics