COVID-19 Update for 2021 Entry

​All interviews will be held in January, online via Zoom. Interviews will last no more than 30 minutes per candidate. This will consist of two interview stations, each of six minutes – one of which will be a role play, and the other of which will focus on personal and ethical challenges. There will then be a 10 minute calculation station that will take place on a separate date to the interview stations.

Before the Interview
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• Know your personal statement well and be prepared to discuss any aspect of it in detail.
• Reflect on the skills you have gained from your work experience.
• Use your time on work experience effectively by gaining insight into the demands placed on staff, the problems they encounter and the strategies that they employ to handle difficult situations as well as the benefits they obtain from caring for people and working in teams.
• Practice engaging in frequent discussions with friends and family about medical issues that appear in the news and media.
• Review the four principles of ethics and how they apply to clinical scenarios.

During the Interview

As with any interview, it is all about managing the interviewer’s perception of you and painting yourself in the best light possible. The MMI process means that you must impress a larger number of people over a shorter time period. The key to managing this form of interview is to ensure that your focus remains on the current station, rather than previous ones (which may or may not have gone as well as expected). There are two minutes between stations, in which to read the instructions/task and to refocus before the interview begins.

Past MMI Stations & Interview Questions

​General/Personal Statement Station: You may be asked about anything in your personal statement. Assume that the interviewer has not read this prior to meeting you and that you will need to describe it to them in detail. Your volunteering activities and work experience are often of great interest to them, especially examples when they showcase the skills necessary for a medical career. Some of the questions which have come up in recent years include:

1. Why would you like to study Medicine?
2. Why would you like to study Medicine at the University of Birmingham?
3. Have you always wanted to be a doctor?
4. Why do you want to be a doctor, not a nurse?
5. Give an example of where you have worked in a team.
6. What role have you played in a team?
7. Describe your leadership skills.
8. How would your friends describe you?
9. Do you have any hobbies?
10. So I see in your work experience, you watched CT scans….tell me, what does CT stand for?

Motivation and Insight into Medicine: This station can be a discussion based on specific aspects of your work experience; in particular, those experiences where you had some role in providing care or support to vulnerable individuals. Questions at this station may include:

1. What have you learnt from your work experience in…?
2. Tell us about your volunteer activities. Did you encounter any obstacles or challenges in these activities? How did you overcome them?
3. What have you struggled with? What do you think you will struggle with at medical school?
4. What are the demands placed on doctors?
5. What makes a good doctor?
6. Give an example when you saw a doctor using good communication skills.

Role play Station: This station gives you a chance to show how comfortable and confident you are at meeting a new person and having a short conversation with them. You may be provided with a brief paragraph to explain the context of the conversation, and then allowed to run it however you deem most appropriate. The station is primarily about communication and confidence instead of about testing your knowledge.

• A prospective medical student has requested your advice on whether to apply to study Medicine and in particular whether s/he should apply to Birmingham Medical School. Over the next 6 minutes, discuss with the student their plans and whether they should apply to Birmingham Medical School.