Aberdeen Medicine Interview
2023 Aberdeen Medicine Interviews
Format
The Aberdeen medicine interview is an in-person multiple mini interview (MMI). Your interview lasts 60 minutes, with each station lasting 5 minutes with two assessors scoring you against pre-determined criteria.
Dates
Interviews will take place in person in December 2022 at Suttie Centre, Forsterhill.
Questions
You will be asked questions based on motivation for medicine, critical thinking, situational judgement and your understanding of a career in medicine.
What Interview Questions to Expect
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Preparation for medicine
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Situational judgement
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Reflection
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What NOT to expect!
You may be asked to discuss how you have prepared yourself for entry to medical school. Be ready to talk about your work experience, volunteering, knowledge of the Aberdeen curriculum and your understanding of the role of a doctor. You should ensure you consider both the positive and negative aspects of the career to demonstrate that this is a balanced decision. Demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for the field of medicine.
Similar to the final section of the UCAT, you may be asked to consider a new or evolving situation. The interviewer may require you to discuss your thoughts or suggest solutions to solve a problem. You can prepare for this by going through situational judgement scenarios. Gaining sufficient work experience will also give you first-hand knowledge of how to respond to certain situations faced by healthcare professionals.
You will likely be asked to reflect on your work experience and voluntary work. Reflection is a great skill to develop, and once you are training to be a doctor is something you will find yourself doing frequently. You may be asked to demonstrate the application of a certain skill, such as teamwork, leadership or empathy. Alternatively, you may simply be asked to discuss what you learnt from a scenario, and how you will apply this in the future.
The interview is not designed to test academic knowledge, as it is assumed that the pre-interview scoring system will select candidates who have a sufficient level of academic knowledge to study medicine. You will not be asked questions directly related to the school curriculum. You may be asked different questions from your fellow applicants, but the same categories will be sued on each of the MMI days.
Aberdeen's Scoring System
All aspects of the application offer different weighting for a student’s final score:
- Academic attainment/predictions (30%)
- UCAT (20%)
- Interview performance (50%)
How to answer "Why do you want to study Medicine at Aberdeen University?" in an interview
To give a concise and comprehensive answer to this question at your interview, there are three essential elements your answer needs to have :
1. Specific knowledge about the school, programme, place
2. Why the elements you mentioned are attractive to you
3. Evidence that you have made an effort to research the school and programme
Point 2 and 3 above are essential to deliver a strong answer that is personal to you. In this section, we will help you brainstorm point 1 to help you get started in preparing your answer.
What is unique about the course at Aberdeen?
The MBChB A100 programme offerred by the University of Aberdeen is a 5 year full time systems-based integrated course. The first year focuses on the basics of medical sciences, with early clinical exposure in general practice. Each year gives students opportunities to complete a student selected component. The course becomes more clinical in the later years, with more of a focus on clinical reasoning, diagnosis and management. The final year prepares students for life as a doctor. Students can intercalate.
What is unique about Aberdeen and its Medical School?
The medical school is co-located on one of the largest clinical sites in Europe. Facilities include a large onsite teaching hospital, with paediatric and maternity facilities. The University ranks fourth in the UK for student satisfaction. There is a heavy focus on research, with five Nobel prize winners as alumni. It is the fifth oldest University in the UK, after its establishment in 1495. It has 15,000 students studying a variety of degrees.
Why else would people choose Aberdeen Medical School?
Aberdeen is the third most populous city in Scotland, lying along the East side, 398 miles north of London. It has a sandy coastline opening up to the North sea. Aberdeen is known for it's grey granite buildings, which sparkle in the light. It is the oil capital of Europe. As well as the University of Aberdeen, there is Robert Gordon University which ensures a diverse student population. There is a wide range of activities, with numerous parks, gardens and open spaces, as well as theatres.
Aberdeen Interview Experiences
Our Top Aberdeen Interview Tips
Aberdeen Interview Tip #1
Prepare for the unexpected
The exact nature of the MMI stations is unknown.
The more prepared you are, the easier you will find the interview. Practice with different 'interviewers' to build your confidence. Practice in different environments and try varying your approach to answering the questions you are faced with. Make sure you review your personal statement and have a think about how you will answer the most common questions such as 'why do you want to study medicine'. Be prepared for the unexpected.
Aberdeen Interview Tip #2
Remain calm
Multiple mini interviews can be stressful experiences.
MMIs have a tendency to stress and worry medical school applicants - and this is entirely normal. The experience is incredibly fast paced, with 5 minutes to explore a single domain. It is important that you remember each station is assessed separately against pre-determined criteria, with communication and interpersonal skills being assessed at all times. You may find you perform better in some stations compared to others. Remain calm, keep your focus, and do the best you can. You might enjoy it!
Aberdeen Interview Tip #3
Keep it personal
With hundreds of applicants being interviewed, you need to stand out.
MMI interviewers will have been sat all day analysing prospective medical students. The marking criteria in Aberdeen are pre-determined, but it is important to stand out from others to demonstrate your good communication and interpersonal skills. You will be assessed on your preparedness, ability to formulate opinions, application of existing knowledge, ability to discuss situational-based scenarios and your degree of motivation, commitment, reflection and sensitivity.
Pippa Morris is a FY1 Doctor at Royal Bournemouth Hospital and University of Cambridge medicine graduate.
