Medical School Interview / Barts and The London (Queen Mary University of London)
Barts and The London medicine interview: the online panel interview
An online panel of two senior academic or clinical staff, sometimes with a lay selector, who have your UCAS form in front of them and may ask about it. Six assessment areas, published.
Updated September 2026Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London is one of the few UK schools that still uses a panel interview for A100. For 2026 entry there are 311 home places and up to 24 overseas places. Shortlisting has two stages: a minimum UCAT (fourth decile or above, SJT bands 1 to 3) and then a weighted score of UCAT and UCAS tariff or degree. Shortlisted applicants are asked to attend an online interview between January and February. Panels typically consist of two members of senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector. The personal statement is not scored, but the panel has access to your UCAS application and may ask you questions from it. QMUL publishes the six things the interview evaluates, from motivation and the reality of a medical career to how you would contribute to university life, and says selection follows values-based recruitment and the NHS core values. Decisions are communicated in March once all interviews are complete.
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 Barts practice is a spoken mock in the panel style on QMUL's six areas: five questions, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It is one interviewer rather than a panel of two or three.
- 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.
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Practise the Barts 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 Barts medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionThe interview process
- 1First shortlisting: apply by 15 October, meet the academic minimums, sit the UCAT in the year of application, and score in the fourth decile or above with SJT band 1 to 3. Second shortlisting: a weighted score of UCAT and UCAS tariff (or degree for graduates) compared with that year's applicants.
- 2Shortlisted applicants are invited to an online interview between January and February. No offers are made without an interview.
- 3The panel typically consists of two members of senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector. QMUL's admissions policy allows for either an MMI or a panel of at least two, in person or virtual; the A100 page states an online panel.
- 4The panel has access to your UCAS application and may ask questions from it. The personal statement is not scored, but QMUL expects it to show commitment and a realistic appreciation of the demands of medicine, and says people-focused experience of providing care or service is essential.
- 5The interview evaluates: motivation and the reality of a career in medicine; initiative, resilience and maturity; teamwork; organisation and problem-solving; contribution to university life; and communication skills. Selection follows values-based recruitment and the NHS core values.
- 6After interview, selection may consider interview score, SJT, UCAS tariff or degree, and UCAT. Three outcomes: offer, rejection, or waiting list. Decisions are communicated in March when all interviews are complete.
Interview questions
QMUL publishes the six areas its panel evaluates but not its questions. The practice questions below are Merra's, written to those six areas; they are not QMUL's own.
“The panel has your personal statement. Pick the experience you wrote most about and tell me what you didn't put in.”
“What have you seen that convinced you that you understand the realities, not just the idea, of being a doctor?”
“Tell me about something you started without being asked. What went wrong along the way?”
“What's the biggest setback you've had, and what did you do in the week after?”
“Tell me about a time you were the weak link in a team. How did you find out, and what did you do?”
“How do you decide what to do first when everything is urgent? Give me a real example.”
“What would you actually do at Queen Mary outside your course, and why does that matter to a medical school?”
“Explain to a patient why they can't have a scan today even though their GP said they needed one.”
“Tell me about a time you had to say something difficult to someone senior to you.”
“Why Barts and The London specifically, beyond east London?”
Pricing
FAQs
Is the Barts medicine interview an MMI?
No. For A100, QMUL's selection criteria page states an online panel interview, typically two senior academic or clinical staff and sometimes a lay selector. Its admissions policy allows either an MMI or a panel of at least two.
When are Barts and The London medicine interviews?
Online, between January and February. Decisions are communicated in March once all interviews are complete.
Does the panel see my personal statement?
Yes. The panel has access to your UCAS application and may ask questions from it, although the personal statement is not scored.
What does the Barts interview assess?
Motivation and the reality of a career in medicine; initiative, resilience and maturity; teamwork; organisation and problem-solving; contribution to university life; and communication skills.
How does QMUL shortlist for interview?
A minimum UCAT of the fourth decile or above with SJT band 1 to 3, then a weighted score of UCAT and UCAS tariff (or degree) compared with the year's applicants.
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 Barts medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription