INTERVIEW PREPARATION CURRICULUM 2025 - MEDICINE 

In summary, there will be an interview lesson at 6pm on both Saturday & Sunday each week (approx 1.5 hrs). There is an A level lesson at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday each week (approx 1 hr). 

There are also some additional A level lessons in week 2 and 3, to ensure that students don't fall behind later in the year! We will be sharing the A level biology & chemistry curriculums for each class on the website shortly. 

Large group lessons will be run as follows:

In these sessions, you will be given the opportunity to volunteer to answer questions & debate about all of the below!

Week 1 

Saturday, 4th October - 6.00-7.00 PM     [Intro]

• Learn about the structure of an MMI, and how this differs from a group or a panel-style interview

• Observe a demonstrative mock interview with our expert medical student volunteers

• Create a plan for your medical interview preparation

• Learn how to deal with common challenges

  • unresponsive interviewer 

  • question you don’t know the answer to

  • build practical strategies to stay calm, confident, and in control on interview day

Sunday, 5th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Sunday 5th October - 6.00-7.30 PM     [Personal Attributes & Motivations]

• Discussing how to respond to the question 'why medicine?' 

  • • Including follow-ups e.g. why not nursing/allied healthcare

• Outlining the most important qualities of a doctor as per the Medical Schools Council and how you can demonstrate them in your interviews

• Preparing answers for all the most common personal-attribute questions (including pre-session work)

Week 2 & Week 3 

These two weeks will be completely dedicated to getting ahead with A level biology and chemistry content for Y13 - so that we don't later fall behind over the course of our interview preparation. 

Biology classes will take place on the following dates:

• Saturday, 4th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM 

• Sunday, 5th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM

• Monday 6th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Wednesday 8th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Friday 10th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Saturday 11th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM

• Sunday 12th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM

Chemistry classes will take place on the following dates:

• Saturday 11th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Sunday 12th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Monday 13th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Wednesday 15th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Friday 17th October - 6.00 - 7.00 PM

• Saturday 18th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM

• Sunday 19th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM

Week 4 

Interview Buddies will be matched this week for those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #1: Motivations for Medicine (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 25th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 25th October - 6.00-7.30 PM     [SJT-Type Questions]

• Conduct & duties of a medical doctor

• Academic dishonesty 

• Patients giving monetary gifts

• Historic cases & outcomes

• Framework to answer SJT-type questions 

Sunday, 26th October - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 26th October - 6.00-7.30 PM    [Roleplays]

• Breaking bad news e.g. cancer diagnosis - SPIKES framework, ICE (ideas, concerns and expectations)

• Conflict resolution

• Other common scenarios e.g. confidentiality/lost pet/smoking cessation/weight loss/worried relative

Week 5

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #2: Personal Attributes & Self Insight (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 1st November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 1st November - 6.00-7.30 PM     [Medical Ethics I]

• Capacity and consent

  • Role of Mental Health Act 2005

  • Advance directive, LPA, assessment of competence

  • Fraser guidelines

  • Gillick competence

• Confidentiality 

• 4 Pillars of Medical Ethics

• Ethical theories e.g. virtue ethics/deontology/consequentialism

• Common ethical scenarios

Sunday, 2nd November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 2nd November - 6.00-7.30 PM     [Medical Ethics II]

• Euthanasia

• DNACPR, withdrawals of treatment, physician-assisted dying

• Coping with bereavement

Week 6

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #3: Situational Judgement (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Wednesday, 5th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM [NHS Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland]

• • How healthcare systems differ across the UK

  • Devolved governments, funding, workforce planning

  • Scotland: Health Boards, Scottish Medical Training Pathways

    • Rural health focus

  • Wales: NHS Wales, Health Education Improvement Wales, and unique challenges

  • Northern Ireland: HSCNI structure, medical education, and service pressures

  • Using this knowledge for interviews at universities in the region

Bonus session for those applying to medical schools in devolved nations.

Saturday, 8th November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 8th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [Work Experience & Challenges of Medicine]

• Exploring the concept of reflection in medical school interviews

• Covering how to discuss your work experience or volunteering, including how to structure answers, important buzzwords and exactly what to pick up on!

• Exploring some of the challenges of a medical career that you may have witnessed and how to discuss them

• Learning about the members of the multidisciplinary team

• Analysing a video of a patient/GP consultation gone wrong - discussing what makes an ideal doctor-patient interaction

Sunday, 9th November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 9th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [Training Pathways & NHS Structure]

• What does the medical training pathway look like in the UK? 

  • • What are STs and CTs and FY1s? 

    • Who is the registrar and the GP/consultant? 

    • What are the different specialities in medicine? Should I pick one if my interviewer asks me?

•  Different styles of medical education (e.g. case-based/integrated/PBL/traditional)

  • • Using that to answer "why this uni?"

•  NHS, GMC, BMA - structure/roles/function

  • Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Care

• • NHS Long Term Plans  (2019 & 2025), 6 Cs, CCGs vs Integrated Care Systems 

Week 7

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #4: Roleplays (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 15th November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 15th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [NHS Challenges]

• Ageing population

• Mental health crisis 

• Obesity

  • New anti-obesity medications, flaws and strengths of BMI as a metric

  • Role of a 'sugar tax' 

Sunday, 16th November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 16th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [Organisational Failings, Patient Safety]

• Discrimination cases

• Medicolegal cases e.g. Dr. Bawa Garba

• Martha's rule & implications for medical interviews 

• Medical mistakes

Week 8

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #5: Ethics I (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 22nd November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 22nd November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [More NHS Challenges]

• A&E and GP Crisis

  • Ambulance waiting times

• Healthcare inequalities

  • Intersectionality of disadvantage

  • Marmot Review

  • North/South divide, rural vs urban care, BAME and the NHS

• Lord Darzi's report

Sunday, 23rd November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 23rd November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM    [Solutions to NHS Challenges]

• NHS doctor strikes

• Recruitment and retention - understaffing?

• New junior doctor pay deal

• Increase in medical school places & the degree apprenticeship - are these viable solutions?

• Role of physician associates, ARRS in primary care and the wider multidisciplinary team

  • Medical students/doctors leaving the NHS - who/what/why, impacts + solutions?  

• Role of technology/AI e.g. virtual wards

Week 9

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #6: Ethics II (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 29th November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 29th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM    [Ethical Cases]

• Jehovah's Witnesses & blood transfusion ethics

• Mid Staffordshire Failings & Francis Reports 

• Shropshire Maternity Scandal

• Charlie Gard, Archie Battersbee, Indi Gregory, Alfie Evans, Baby Doe 

[these are all very similar cases - it is not necessary to memorise specific factual details of all of the above, rather selecting a few examples to bring insight into interview discussion]

Sunday, 30th November - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 30th November - 6.00 - 7.30 PM    [Medical Malpractice]

• Historic success and failure of the GMC

• Harold Shipman

  • Revalidation and appraisal process following landmark cases 

• Lucy Letby

• Bolam and Bolitho Tests 

Week 10

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #7: NHS Challenges (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 6th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 6th December - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [Ethics III]

• Mandatory vaccinations for both doctors and patients 

• Vaccine hesitancy

• Pseudoscience, homeopathy & alternative medicine - Nita Arshad case

• Andrew Wakefield, the MMR vaccine scandal & 'autistic enterocolitis' 

Sunday, 7th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 7th December - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [Ethics IV]

• Gene therapies: opportunities, limitations, and ethical concerns

• IVF and assisted reproduction - access, cost, and regulation

• The ethics of genetic screening & embryo selection

• Eugenics: historical context, modern debates, and safeguarding against misuse

• CRISPR & germline editing - where should medicine draw the line?
  
  

Week 11 - Some Oxbridge Bonus Sessions Through the Week

• Weekend lessons remain suitable for all students

• Oxford medical interviews are 15-16th December for undergraduates and 18-19th December for GEM. 

• Cambridge medical interviews fall in the first 2-3 weeks of December. 

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #8: Healthcare Inequalities (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Tuesday, 9th December - 6.00 - 7.00 PM [Oxbridge Bonus Session #1]

• Questions on the heart, lung, and kidneys - exploring physiological mechanisms

  • Clinical considerations

• Haemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curves and foetal circulation systems

  • applying scientific principles to novel problems

• Interpreting medical imaging: CT, MRI, X-ray, and PET scans

Wednesday, 10th December - 6.00 - 7.00 PM [Oxbridge Bonus Session #2]

• Mathematical reasoning & probability in medical contexts

  • Bayes theorem

  • Renal clearance calculations 

• Medical physics

  • Models of the circulatory system

  • Basic neuroscience: NMJ, action potentials

• Chemistry in medicine 

  • Biochemistry in energy production and clinical applications 

  • Organic chemistry & energetics

Thursday, 11th December - 6.00 - 7.00 PM  [Oxbridge Bonus Session #3]

• Structure of an academic paper

• P-values

• Forest plots

• Framework for answering challenging questions about data/papers/graphs

This may be also useful for Sunderland - which has a station on interpreting trial data

Wednesday, 12th December - 6.00 - 7.00 PM   [Oxbridge Bonus Session #4]

• Clinical trials & experimental design 

  • Randomisation, double blinding, control groups 

  • Analysis of results

• Research ethics 

  • Informed consent, safeguarding of vulnerable participants

  • The balance between innovation and patient safety

Saturday, 13th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 13th December - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [Interpreting Data for MMI]

• How to approach graphs, charts, and tables under timed conditions

• Common themes in MMI data interpretation, such as:

  • Life expectancy trends between populations 

  • Smoking & vaping statistics

  • Obesity rates & links to healthcare inequalities

  • NHS expenditure patterns

• Strategies for clear, structured answers 

  • How to demonstrate insight, critical thinking, and communication skills
    
    

Sunday, 14th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 14th December - 6.00 - 7.00 PM     [Maths Skills & Drug Calculations]

• Basic arithmetic and percentage change questions 

• Interpreting rations & application to real world scenarios 

• Unit conversions and safe prescribing principles

• Drug dosage calculations & weight-based prescribing

• MMI-style data sets involving medication charts, infusion rates, and fluid balance

Week 12

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #9: Communication Skills Tasks (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 20th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 20th December - 6.00 - 7.30 PM    [COVID-19 & the NHS]

• Impacts of COVID-19 upon the NHS - both positive and negative

  • Waiting lists 

  • Mental health impacts

  • COVID-19 and research/trials/drugs

    •  e.g. remdesivir/dexamethasone/mRNA vaccine

• Global vaccine roll-out

• Nightingale hospitals, PPE crisis

• Emerging diseases and pandemics

Sunday, 21st December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 21st December - 6.00 - 7.30 PM     [AI and NHS Developments]

• Uses of AI in the NHS

  • Improve quality of care e.g. cancer diagnosis

  • Improve capacity/alleviate burdens on healthcare professionals 

• Use of new drugs e.g. ozempic/kymriah

  • Cost concerns

• Antibiotic resistance

• Healthcare systems, sustainability & environmental impact

Week 13 

For those on the 'supreme programme'

• Mentorship Session #10: Unexpected Questions (1.5 hrs) 

  • Timings arranged flexibly between students and mentor

Saturday, 27th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Biology]

Saturday, 27th December - 6.00-7.30 PM     [Ethics V]

• Organ donation legislation

• Mandatory organ donation - pros and cons of opt-in vs opt-out approach

• Comparisons between private and NHS healthcare

  • Is everything on the NHS truly free? (e.g. dental care/prescription charges)

  • Would charging for GP consultations be a solution to the primary care crisis?

• Healthcare economics type scenarios

  • How should the NHS fund treatment of 'lifestyle diseases'? 

  • Should cosmetic procedures be funded on the NHS?

  • "There are 4 people in need of a liver/organ - decide who should it be provided to"

Sunday, 28th December - 1.00 - 2.00 PM     [A Level Chemistry]

Sunday, 28th December - 6.00-7.30 PM     [The Unexpected]

• Abstract picture interpretation and task-based questions (including communication skills) 

• Prioritisation type scenarios [non-medical]

• Unexpected questions & coping with these in a systematic way

Can't make these dates? Not to worry - the classes will all be recorded & hosted on our secure Google Classroom platform. For privacy reasons, these will not be shared widely (e.g. YouTube) and will only be available to those that sign up now. 

An opportunity for Q&A will be presented both during & at the end of each webinar. You may also share questions with your MyUCAT Interview Buddy™. 

Interview Buddies - Supreme Package

Ten x 1.5 hour sessions with your Interview Buddy™ will be decided as per mutual convenience of the 5-6 students in your group. 

You may also contact one of your UCAT Buddies™ around the clock with any questions!

The topics below are suggested for most medical schools. Some deviation from this can be made if needed on a university-specific basis - e.g. for the Oxbridge group, sessions in November and December can be tailored to Oxford or Cambridge-style interview preparation. 

Indicative Sample Timetable 

• If requested, your mentor is permitted to deviate from the curriculum presented here, particularly where this may be appropriate for certain universities. This is following agreement of Ojas + all members of the group. Where universities are heavier on science (e.g. Oxbridge), maths skills (e.g. Birmingham/Sunderland/Leicester), group tasks (e.g. Edinburgh), panel-style interviews (e.g. Glasgow/Southampton/QMUL) - these areas can be explored by mentorship groups more extensively. 

• Oxbridge groups are recommended to follow: (1) motivations for medicine; (2) personal attributes; (3) situational judgement; (4) roleplays; (5) ethics; (6, 7, 8) Oxbridge sessions; (9) NHS challenges; and (10) healthcare inequalities. 

  • Sessions 9 & 10 can also be turned into Oxbridge style sessions provided agreement of students/mentor

Interactive Mentorship Session #1 - Motivations for Medicine

• Develop answers to 'why medicine?' and 'why this university?'

  • International students should also explore - 'why UK/NHS?'

• Develop answers to 'tell me about a book/article that you've read recently' or 'area of medicine that interests you'

• Discussing how to reflect on your work experience and volunteering

  • Including personal-statement-based questions

Interactive Mentorship Session #2 - Personal Attributes & Self-Insight

• Explore the most important qualities of a healthcare professional 

• Develop answers to "give an example of when you demonstrated ____" for all the important personal attributes that are commonly asked about

  • Communication

  • Teamwork

  • Empathy

  • Leadership

  • Resilience

• Self-insight questions

  • Practice discussing your 'greatest strengths' and 'greatest weaknesses'

  • Personal organisation 

  • Dealing with stress

Interactive Mentorship Session #3 - Situational Judgement

• Practising situational judgement style questions in small groups 

  • Professionalism in the workplace

  • Teamwork and communication

  • Dealing with patient confidentiality 

  • Empathy and patient-centred care

  • Integrity and honesty 

  • Dealing with personal challenges

Interactive Mentorship Session #4 - Roleplay

• Practising role-play style questions in small groups, with a specific focus on breaking bad news 

• Medical examples 

  • Delivering negative test results 

  • Failed treatments & medical error

  • Driving restrictions

  • Lifestyle related illness

• Non-medical examples

  • Missed university offers 

  • Peer struggling with mental health

  • Lost pet

Interactive Mentorship Session #5 - Ethics I

•  Ethical debate

• • Patient is refusing essential, life-saving treatment - what are the capacity/consent considerations to keep in mind?

  • An underage patient requests contraceptive treatment - what are the considerations?

  • Charlie Gard & other similar medicolegal cases - discuss

    • • Martha's rule: have doctors historically always acted in the best interest of patients?

      • Who knows best - the patient or the doctor? 

Interactive Mentorship Session #6 - Ethics II

• • 'Is it ethical for doctors to strike?'

  • 'Should vaccination be made mandatory?'

  • Euthanasia & bereavement

  • 'What are the differences between alternative medicine and holistic care?'

    • • 'Is homeopathic medicine dangerous? Where do we draw the line?'

Interactive Mentorship Session #7 - NHS Challenges

• 'What changes would you make to improve the NHS?'

• Discussing the implications of the ageing population, obesity & mental health crises

• Recruitment & retention barriers

• NHS Long Term Plans & Darzi Review

  • Physician associate role

• Sustainability & the NHS

• Artificial Intelligence

Interactive Mentorship Session #8 - Healthcare Inequalities

• BAME and the NHS 

• Socioeconomic class

• Intersectionality of disadvantage 

• Marmot review

• Public health

  • Importance of education & primary prevention

• Practising data interpretation questions (on this theme) 

Interactive Mentorship Session #9 - Communication Skills

• Practising communication skills type questions 

  • • Giving/following instructions to draw something

    • 20 yes/no questions to guess an object (Sheffield-style) 

    • Describing images

Interactive Mentorship Session #10 - Unexpected Questions

• Tackling unexpected and less predictable question styles 

• Responding to questions where the answer is not known 

• Focus on any remaining areas that students feel less confident with 

FAQ: What do I do after purchase?

• If the supreme/global package, please fill in this form 

• Please do not fill in the form before/without making a purchase!

  • • This may cause delays for everyone & unnecessary and avoidable stress for our admin team

• For the super package, the Zoom link will be shared with everyone at once, around a week before programme launch

FAQ: Are there still any places available?

• Yes, if you are seeing the purchase links above, there are places available!

• If you have purchased the programme, please note that your payment has been registered and a spot has been allocated, even if someone does not reach out to you immediately 

• It may be tricky to immediately reach out to everyone on launch day - information about your mentor allocation will arrive in the next week upcoming

  • • We will wait for all spots to be given out so that you are matched to the most appropriate groups

FAQ: When does this programme start?

• We have introductory lessons on the 4th and 5th of October

• Mentors will be assigned around the 24th of October. You will meet mentors on Zoom and attend your first mentor session towards the end of that week, or at the start of the next week. 

FAQ: When does this programme end?

• We will have covered all the important areas and content by end of December 2025.

For any students who feel that they may not be able to access this programme due to financial constraints, please send an email to your school explaining the programme and the situation. Quite often, schools have been able to fund this sort of thing in the past. 

We have also reserved around 10-20% of spaces for the 40 highest UCAT scorers on the UCAT Experts v1-4 group chats. These are available entirely free of charge!

Important notice!

There are limited spots, and we have put a lot of effort into designing the most extensive and comprehensive programme out there at an reasonable price (because we know how many students are paying for this themselves with part time work - respect!) We will ensure that this is a worthwhile investment of your money, and perhaps more valuable limited time. 

Interviews can be challenging, and our enthusiastic mentors will be there to support you at every step of the way.  No one is expecting you to start with any background knowledge - we will be helping you to go from zero to expert. However, we are looking for equally enthusiastic students who are willing to fully commit. 

This is not just about making money for us - please do not take up another student's spot on this programme if you are not genuinely passionate about getting into medical school! In the past, there have been parents forcing less motivated students into our programmes, including some who did necessarily themselves want to pursue medicine as a career - a 12-week intensive programme is not the one for you in this case!