Newcastle University Medical school is an encouraging and receptive community that promotes competency.
It invests in its equipment, research, staff, and medical students. Patient-student interaction is incorporated from the very beginning, to nurture the qualities of good doctors and provide practical experience in handling real patient situations.
Due to its robust feedback system, the medical school listens, supports, and delivers, making it one of the best-rated medical schools in terms of student satisfaction.
Newcastle University Interview information
😊 How does Imperial College select candidates for interviews?
GCSEs/ A Level : In terms of qualifications, GCSE is not taken into consideration when selecting candidates and A-level predicted grades are only used to select candidates who will progress to the next stage but would not be used to rank candidates i.e if they meet the entry requirements then candidates can progress.
UCAT :UCAT is important when selecting students for interviews. Candidates with scores that meet the requirement will be ranked based on their UCAT scores. Approximately the top 1000 UCAT scores will be progressing to the interview stage. A student with an SJT band 4 will be automatically rejected.
Personal statement: Although personal statements and references might be used during the interview and post-interview selection they are not used in the selection of candidates for interview.
🧬 What is the interview format?
In the previous years (before COVID) UK students would attend MMI in person, comprising 7 stations lasting 7 minutes each. While international students had the choice between a virtual panel interview or an in person panel interview if they were able to attend in person covering the same topics as the MMI interview.
Due to the pandemic, the university switched to virtual panel interviews for all candidates. However, they are uncertain how the interview process is going to look this year due to changing guidelines.
📆 When will you get interview invitations?
The majority of interview invitations are sent out between November and January.
👩💼 When are the interviews usually held?
If you do hopefully get an invite then keep in mind that interviews usually take place between December and February. You will get the chance to pick the dates most suitable for you within this window so make sure not to take too long as there will be a deadline for booking your slot.
📝 What are the main topics I will be asked at the interview?
Whether it was online or in person, MMI or panel interviews at Newcastle always cover the following sections :
Integrity
Is lying to patients ever justifiable?
Have you witnessed unprofessional behaviour during your work- experience and what do you think would be the right way to act in that situation?
Scenario given on conflict resolution- how would you approach it?
Communication
Give examples of instances where you have demonstrated good communication skills.
In your opinion what makes a good doctor- patient communication?
Empathy
Role play scenarios e.g mother presents to you in the clinic and explains that she is anxious about vaccinating her child. How do you approach the situation?
Commitment to being a doctor and motivation/compatibility
Why medicine and why not nursing?
How did you determine that medicine is the right path for you?
Why would you make a good doctor?
Why Newcastle?
How do you plan on contributing to Newcastle?
How do you plan on managing the workload?
Leadership and teamwork
Instruct someone on how to tie a shoe without touching the shoe yourself- using verbal command only.
A situation where you worked in a team?
Organization and resilience
How do you manage your time?
What’s your understanding about resilience and why is it important in medicine?
☑️ How will my interview be marked?
You will meet different selectors to be assessed and graded on the following:
Integrity (honesty and probity)
Communication
Empathy and self-awareness
Motivation and commitment to be a doctor
Compatibility with the programme
Teamwork (including leadership)
Personal organisation
Persistence and resilience
After the interview, applicants are ranked in order of merit to determine who will be made an offer. At this stage, personal statements and references are also reviewed but no scores are allocated to these.
🏠How many applicants are there per interview (Home)?
From previous years:
2165 students from the UK applied and 1072 were offered an interview. Around 50% of UK students were offered an interview. 2 applicants per interview for uk students.
🌎 How many applicants are there per interview (International)?
For international students, there were 510 applicants, of which 94 were chosen for an interview. About 18% of international students were offered an interview. Over 5 students per interview for international students.
✨How likely is it that I will be given an offer after an interview?
In 2021 1072 UK applicants get interviewed those 535 were offered a place. Meaning that 50% of interviewed UK applicants were offered a place.
For international students, of 94 who were interviewed 63 were offered a place. Therefore 67% of international students interviewed were offered a place.
Make sure to visit the Newcastle University MBBS website. This includes in-depth information about the pattern of the interview and what is expected of you.
Be confident with the pillars of Medicine and remember they are not looking for perfect answers, just students who demonstrate potential.
Read about the Newcastle school of Medicine, its areas of expertise/research and the reasons you want to study here.
Extensively practice role plays, answering common questions and staying calm in a stressful environment.
Your interviewers will not have seen or asked you directly about your personal statement so be aware of this.
Remember interviews can be conducted by a range of professionals and you may not only be interviewed by a doctor. You may encounter careers professional, actors, professional support staff, and teaching staff, particularly in MMIs. Avoid using very technical terms, you may have more clinical knowledge that those assessing you.
Check out our Medicine Interview Course!
Example interview questions
🔥 Motivation Interview Questions
What have you done to find out about medicine as a career/ Who have you talked to about doing medicine and what did you learn from them?
What do you think you might like best about medicine as a career?
What do you feel are likely to be the worst things about being a doctor?
When and Why did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?
What would you do if you don't get into medical school this year?
What contribution would you make to university life?
⚖️Medical Ethics Interview Questions
A 5 year old girl and a 45 year old doctor have just been diagnosed with cancer. Only one person can receive treatment. Who would you give it to and why?
Talk about an ethical issue that you have come across in the news recently
🤯Values and Skills Interview Questions
What qualities will make you a good doctor?
We all know exams are stressful. How did you manage when you were taking your GCSEs?
What do you do when you have 3 or 4 things to do that are all urgent?
What do you do to relax?
How do you cope in situations where there is not enough time to finish a task?
Have you dealt with a difficult situation?
Could you tell me about a time where you lead a team in a stressful/difficult situation? How did you deal with this?
I see you play sport/ do Duke of Ed/ play in the orchestra (or similar)- why is this important?
How do you balance work and all your outside activities?
I see you were Director/ Manager in your Young Enterprise company. How did you go about performing this role?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
How do you deal with conflict?
📰 NHS Interview Questions
Discuss NHS waiting times
If you were Secretary of State for Health, what changes would you make?
How should doctors tackle the problem of obesity on a national level?
🏨 Teamwork Interview Questions
Give an example of a time you’ve worked in a team and what did you learn from this?
I see you are captain of a team. What duties does that involve?
How do you feel about sharing work with others?
Give an example of each good and bad teamwork that you have been a part of. Tell us about a time when you worked as part of a team/as a team player?
🎭 Roleplay Interview Questions
Tell your friend that you can’t come to her 18th birthday party.
You are in Tesco and an old man with dementia says that he is lost and needs your help. Without any hand gestures, verbally explain to the examiner how to tie a shoelace.
🏥 Work Experience Interview Questions
What difference did your work experience make to you?
When you visited a hospital what did you see that caused you to think about the challenging aspects of a medical career?
Tell me about a patient who interested you whom you met during your work experience
🏛️ Ethics Interview Questions
If the parents of your patient (who is a child) denied treatment of radiotherapy for that child, what would you do to convince them otherwise?
In a scenario, where your schedule is fully packed, and yet you need to see more patients, what would you do?
Can a doctor withhold information about a patient who has broken the law?
With the current organ shortage in the UK, should we legalise the sale of organs?
Is human cloning acceptable under any circumstances?
If you had £100,000 to spend, would you give it to a 3 year old needing a heart transplant or 100 older patients needing hip replacements?
Newcastle University covers a large region that spans across the North-East of the country and Cumbria which gives its students an opportunity to experience medicine and its differences across varied backgrounds. There are a lot of speciality hospitals in the region that provide excellent opportunities suited to every individual. The curriculum emphasises greatly and is known for, excellent communication skills essential for the future. The course includes student selected components allowing you to explore your area of interest, intercalated degrees to build your portfolio and a fully clinical approach year 3 onwards.
The campus is situated in the heart of the city. Newly built student accommodation is a 30-second walk from the medical school (making the 9am starts slightly easier). Situated in the centre, there is easy access to town and the train station, both in a one mile radius. Newcastle student union is always live with one event or another. Medical students here work hard, but they play harder. If you fancy joining a society, there are hundreds to choose from- medicine and non-medicine related like Newcastle University Plastics Reconstructive and Aesthetics society (NUPRAS), Wilderness Medicine Society, Musical Medics society just to name a few and if none of these catch your eye, you can create your own! You can play socially or competitively in university or medic clubs.
Medics are welcomed by a medic 'family' who are there to guide you through your transition to medical school, making you feel more at home from the very beginning. Newcastle is known for spiritness and it does not disappoint. Although medics spend long hours together learning, the accommodation and societies are not differentiated between medics and non-medics. This gives you a chance to familiarise yourself, build relationships and network with people from all course at the uni. From debates to live music, theatre and trips, Newcastle boasts a wide range of events ever so often, adding the much needed excitement in your lives. Should you need someone to speak to, student wellbeing is always at your doorstep.
Newcastle MedSoc is known for its socials and the much anticipated, half-yearly balls. Although not limited to, a free-bar every Friday is the highlight of the week for most medics across all years. A lifetime membership to MedSoc gives you a ticket to all events hosted by the society. The committee is approachable, friendly and supportive. MedSoc and Meded allied together bring to life events that are educational as well as entertaining. Newcastle medsoc and newcastle meded on instagram keeps its members update to date with what's happening.
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