Medical School Interview / Cardiff University
Cardiff University medicine interview: the themed MMI stations
About 3,000 applicants, 1,000 interviewed, 600 offers, 300 places. Cardiff lists the ten themes its stations cover, and you can take the whole MMI in Welsh.
Updated September 2026Cardiff University's admissions information for medicine is published as a single detailed document each year. It receives around 3,000 applications, interviews about 1,000, makes roughly 600 offers after interview and has about 300 year-one places, with a 7.5% cap on overseas students (around 25 places). Nobody gets an offer without an interview. Invitations are decided on a combined score of your best eight GCSEs and your UCAT decile, with the personal statement screened but not scored, and applicants told about invitations by around mid-December. The interview is an MMI of several individual stations with themed questions. Cardiff says the questions generally relate to the course in Cardiff, ethics, understanding a career in medicine, the NHS, working in teams, self-directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience and communication. For 2027 entry home applicants interview in person and overseas applicants online, and Cardiff offers a Welsh-medium or bilingual MMI on a set number of dates, with no points gained or lost either way.
Merra is not affiliated with any medical school, the Medical Schools Council, the GMC or UCAS.
Merra: practise it out loud before it counts
Merra's Cardiff practice is a spoken, MMI-style mock across Cardiff's ten themes: five questions, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It runs in English only, is not a station circuit and does not replicate the Welsh-medium option.
- 1Sign up free — no card, 2 free coaching sessions available until used.
- 2Practise out loud — answer unseen questions across the areas this school assesses.
- 3Get readiness feedback — see what worked and what to fix, with a recording and transcript.
No card details required. Your first 2 coaching sessions are free.
Practise the Cardiff medicine interview
An AI interviewer runs a spoken mock across the talking stations, pushes once with a follow-up, then scores you on the areas your school actually assesses.
Practise the Cardiff medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionThe interview process
- 1Scoring for interview: points for your best eight GCSEs (9/8/A* = 3, 7/A = 2, 6/B = 1) plus UCAT decile points (9th to 7th = 3, 6th to 4th = 2, 3rd to 1st = 1). Applicants are ranked in groups (Welsh-domiciled, rest of UK contextualised and non-contextualised, widening participation, overseas). Predicted grades are not used. Step-Up, Doctoriaid Yfory and Sutton Trust participants get a guaranteed interview.
- 2The personal statement is screened, not scored. Cardiff expects it to show insight into medicine, caring experience with reflection, personal responsibility, a balanced life and self-directed learning.
- 3Applicants are told about interview invitations by around mid-December, after all applications have been reviewed.
- 4The interview is an MMI: several individual stations with themed questions. Cardiff says questions generally relate to the course in Cardiff, ethics, understanding a career in medicine, the NHS, working in teams, self-directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience and communication.
- 5For 2027 entry, home applicants interview in person and overseas applicants online. A Welsh-medium or bilingual MMI is available on a set number of dates; you can switch languages during it and there are no points either way.
- 6Around 600 offers follow the interviews for around 300 places. Overseas places are capped at 7.5%.
Interview questions
Cardiff publishes the ten themes its stations cover but not its questions. The practice questions below are Merra's, one per Cardiff theme; they are not Cardiff's own.
“What do you know about how Cardiff teaches medicine, and why does it suit the way you learn?”
“A patient asks you to lie to their employer about how long they need off. What are the issues?”
“What did you see on work experience that you hadn't expected about a doctor's day?”
“What do you think the NHS in Wales does differently from England, and does it matter to you?”
“Tell me about a time you had to rely on people you didn't choose.”
“Tell me about something you taught yourself with no one making you. How did you go about it?”
“If you don't get in this year, what will you do, and what does that answer say about your motivation?”
“A patient tells you they're scared of a procedure everyone else calls routine. What do you say?”
“What's the hardest thing you've kept going through, and what did you actually do on the worst day?”
“Explain to a patient why they've been referred to a specialist without alarming them.”
Pricing
FAQs
How many people does Cardiff interview for medicine?
Around 1,000 of roughly 3,000 applicants, leading to about 600 offers for about 300 year-one places. No offer is made without an interview.
What does the Cardiff medicine MMI cover?
Several individual stations with themed questions that Cardiff says generally relate to the course in Cardiff, ethics, understanding a career in medicine, the NHS, working in teams, self-directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience and communication.
Can I do the Cardiff interview in Welsh?
Yes. Cardiff offers a Welsh-medium or bilingual MMI on a set number of dates; you can switch languages during it and there are no points gained or lost.
Is the Cardiff interview in person or online?
For 2027 entry, in person for home applicants and online for overseas applicants.
How does Cardiff decide who to interview?
A combined score of your best eight GCSEs and your UCAT decile, ranked within applicant groups. The personal statement is screened but not scored, and predicted grades are not used. Invitations are announced by around mid-December.
Official information
More medical school interview guides
Merra is not affiliated with any medical school, the Medical Schools Council, the GMC or UCAS. Merra’s feedback is advisory only — it is not a guarantee of any offer or admission outcome.
The medicine interview is spoken. Practise it that way.
Your first mock takes about 15 minutes: unseen questions, a follow-up, and feedback on what to fix. Free, no card.
Practise the Cardiff medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription