About Norwich Medical School
The University of East Anglia is a friendly and supportive university. It stands out from other universities by offering very early patient contact (within the first two weeks) and a spiral method of teaching.
Your education is supported through weekly lectures, GP visits, and PBL sessions.
In addition, there are several blocks of secondary care (hospital) teaching throughout the year allowing you to get a much more hands-on approach to learning.
University of East Anglia (Norwich) Interview Information
😊 How does UEA select candidates for interviews?
Personal Statement: Personal statement is checked upon submission to check if that meet the entry requirements in terms of subject but is not used in the admission process.
UCAT: Although UEA does not have a cut off point for UCAT it is used to rank applicant for interview.
🧬 What is the interview format?
There is usually a 7-station MMI, with each station lasting 5 minutes
📝 What are the main topics I will be asked at the interview?
The main areas candidates will be assessed on are for example:
Problem solving
Decision making when giving conflicting information
Empathy
Insight into medicine as a career
Honesty and integrity
☑️ How will my interview be marked?
They look for applicants to demonstrate at interview;
An acceptable approach to decision making when given incomplete or conflicting information
The ability to learn and work effectively in partnership
A caring and supportive attitude
An empathetic and caring approach
Insight into Medicine as a career and personal suitability for the profession
Honesty, integrity, and personal effectiveness.
Applicants are scored by interviewers for each question and these scores are collected at the end of the interview process. This is then combined with a score awarded for the SJT in the UCAT. offers are made to those with the highest score. 50% interview score and 50% UCAT when making this decision.
👩💼 When are the interviews usually held?
Interviews usually take place between November and February.
🏠How many applicants are there per interview (Home)?
In previous years: 1155 students have applied, of which 937 were interviewed meaning that there are 1.2 students per interview slot.
🌎 How many applicants are there per interview (International)?
In previous years: 249 students have applied of which 112 were interviewed. 2.2 applicants per interview slot.
✨How likely is it that I will be given an offer after an interview?
In the previous years.
For home students: 937 candidates were interviewed, of which 460 were offered a place. Meaning there is around 49% chance of receiving an offer.
For international students: 112 applicants were interviewed, of which 32 offers were made. Meaning there is around 28% chance of receiving an order
At UEA they like to ask questions that are specific to the course so ensure you know the structure of teaching and why this would benefit you.
Think about how you will become a valid member of the UEA community thought club and societies.
Smile and just remember that they are not trying to trip you up.
Review your personal statement and annotate it to ensure that weak or vague points can be comprehensively clarified during the interview. Identify points in your personal statement which exemplify the values that the University of East Anglia is looking for.
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?
🤯Values and Skills Interview Questions
When it comes to your values and skills, UEA is looking for students who are friendly and able to communicate well with others. It is important that you are able to show the interviewer that you are capable of doing this as this is an essential skill to have especially when you have patient contact so early on. Tell us about your extracurricular activities and how they show evidence of caring and commitment toward the community. How have you dealt with any challenges and if so how did you face them?
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?
🎭 Roleplay Interview Questions
Tell your friend that you can’t come to her 18th birthday party.
You may be presented with a role play station as UEA I has a MMI style interview. In this station they are not looking for your knowledge, instead they are looking for you to show empathy, understanding and your communication skills.
Speak to an actor, who is a family member of a patient. Explain to the family member that the patient has unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer, and offer support..
Speak to an actor, who is annoyed about the long waiting time to see the doctor in A&E. Explain to them that the A&E is busy and that the doctors are trying their best, try to calm the actor down.
🏥 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
A big question at UEA is always your work experience and how it has shaped you into the person you are. Remember that for this question quality is far more important than quantity, so it’s a good idea to have 2/3 examples of things you have done along with stuff that you have learned from them.
Why did you take part in work experience?
How did your work experience impact you?
Describe any voluntary work you have participated in, how has this impacted your decision to study Medicine?
🏛️ 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?
UEA likes to ask how you deal with problems, uncertainty and stress. They want to see if you have the necessary skills to cope with the pressures of being a medical student and the problem solving that is involved with that. Analyse a graph on mental health and social media, what are your thoughts?
The University of East Anglia is located in Norwich which is considered to be a safe and student-friendly city. As a campus university, all facilities are located within close proximity and the city center is a short bus ride away from campus. The university has links with many nearby hospitals and GP surgeries to which it provides transport too. Anatomy sessions include full-body dissections which allow visualization of the human body in a unique and interesting way. The university also provides an opportunity to intercalate and receive a masters in a topic that interests you.
At UEA there is a big emphasis on well-being and having a good work life balance. MedSoc (one of the biggest societies on campus) ensures that everyone has a memorable time while at university by hosting a range of events: nights out, pub crawls, revision events, charity fundraiser. UEA also has medic specific sports clubs which are more flexible with their training hours. They also run their own revision events to ensure that their players are also top of the class when it comes to their studies. The city itself is very student friendly with the Market which provides us with tasty snacks, two shopping centres, and hundreds of little pubs and cafes where you can go and study and relax with friends.
UEA is fortunate enough to have their own night club (LCR) and bars on campus meaning that in your first year (and later years too) that is the main place to go for a good night out. You will be mixing with many other students, meeting new people every time you go and having an amazing time overall. There is also an array of sports clubs and societies. Sports clubs range from fencing to rugby, and society wise you can find anything from baking to cocktail society, and if you can’t find a society you like you will receive support and help to set up your own!
UEA MedSoc organises many events throughout the year including the famous Med Freshers weeks which allows everyone within your year to mingle and meet one another. The best event of Med Freshers: Doctors Mess!. They also host many events throughout the year including pub crawls that include all year groups, night out, and revision sessions. They put together many resources that have been created by older students to help guide learning. MedSoc also run their yearly Jailbreak fundraising event which aids to support a charity of that years choosing. For more information about UEA MedSoc check out their website and Facebook:
http://www.ueamedsoc.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UEAMedSoc/?ref=share
