Medical School Interview / University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge medicine interview: college interviews, not an MMI
No stations. One or two college interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour, two or three interviewers, and a brief to show you are 'a keen scientist with a sound scientific understanding'.
Updated September 2026Cambridge Medicine (A100) does not use an MMI. Interviews are run by the college assessing your application and Cambridge describes them as academic conversations about the subject. In the 2025 cycle there were six applications per place and 270 students were accepted, with 22 places for overseas fee status. Shortlisting uses your academic record and UCAT cognitive score (the situational judgement score is not used for 2027 entry, and there is no minimum UCAT threshold). The main interview period is 7 to 18 December 2026, with winter pool interviews in mid to late January. Most applicants have one or two interviews lasting 35 minutes to an hour in total; some colleges run three or four. Each subject-specific interview has two or three interviewers and, for Medicine, includes asking you to explain your understanding of the vocational side of the course as well as applying scientific knowledge to unfamiliar problems. Whether it is online or in person depends on the college: Churchill, Emmanuel, King's and Selwyn interview everyone in person, Clare and Jesus interview UK Medicine applicants in person, and many colleges are all online.
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 Cambridge practice is a spoken mock in the college-interview style rather than an MMI: five questions, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It practises thinking aloud on scientific and vocational questions. It does not give pre-reading, run whiteboard problems or replicate a two-interviewer panel.
- 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionThe interview process
- 1Apply through UCAS by the October deadline and sit the UCAT. Cambridge uses the overall cognitive score in shortlisting and may use it in offers; the SJT is not used for 2027 entry and there is no threshold. No written work is required for Medicine.
- 2Invitations mostly go out in November, some in early December. Timing does not reflect your strength as a candidate. You must keep the whole interview period free; interviews cannot be rescheduled except in exceptional circumstances.
- 3Main interview period: 7 to 18 December 2026. Winter pool interviews at a different college happen around mid to late January 2027. Format (online or in person) is set by the college and cannot usually be requested.
- 4Most applicants have one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour; some have three or four. You will be told the number in advance and it says nothing about your chances.
- 5Subject-specific interview: two or three interviewers discuss topics with you, ask you to apply knowledge to new situations, materials or problems, and for Medicine ask you to explain your understanding of the vocational aspects of the course. You may be given pre-reading and may be asked to share workings on a problem. Some applicants also get a general academic interview about wider interests and future plans.
- 6Cambridge says interviews assess your understanding of the subject, readiness for high-level study, whether you will thrive in its learning environment, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and enthusiasm. Outcomes for October applicants are released on 27 January 2027.
Interview questions
Cambridge does not publish Medicine interview questions. The practice questions below are Merra's, written to what Cambridge says it assesses (scientific understanding, applying knowledge to new problems, vocational understanding of medicine); they are not Cambridge's own.
“Why does your heart rate go up when you stand up quickly? Walk me through it, and tell me where you're guessing.”
“If a drug is broken down by the liver, what happens to its dose in someone with liver disease, and how would you find out how much to give?”
“Here's a claim: 'people who drink coffee live longer'. What would you need to know before you believed it?”
“Why do we get a fever when we're infected? Is it helping or harming us?”
“What do you think a doctor actually does most of the day, and how do you know?”
“Why study medicine at Cambridge, where the first three years are heavily scientific, rather than somewhere more clinical from day one?”
“A new screening test finds 90% of cancers. Why might rolling it out to everyone still be a bad idea?”
“Tell me about something in biology or chemistry you've read beyond the syllabus. What didn't you understand about it?”
“Why might two identical twins, same genes, same house, end up with different diseases?”
“What's the hardest thing you've seen a doctor or nurse have to do, and how would you have handled it?”
Pricing
FAQs
Is the Cambridge medicine interview an MMI?
No. Cambridge runs college-based academic interviews, usually one or two totalling 35 minutes to an hour, with two or three interviewers. There are no stations.
When are Cambridge medicine interviews?
The main period is 7 to 18 December 2026; winter pool interviews are around mid to late January 2027. Outcomes for October applicants come on 27 January 2027.
Is the Cambridge interview online or in person?
It depends on the college. Churchill, Emmanuel, King's and Selwyn interview all applicants in person; Clare and Jesus interview UK-based Medicine applicants in person; many other colleges are fully online. You cannot usually choose.
Does Cambridge use the UCAT situational judgement test?
Not for 2027 entry. Cambridge uses the overall cognitive score in shortlisting and may use it in offers, with no minimum threshold.
What is Cambridge looking for in a medicine applicant?
Its selection requirement is 'a keen scientist with a sound scientific understanding', informed by the Medical Schools Council's guidance on what makes a good doctor. Interviews test how you apply knowledge to unfamiliar problems and your understanding of the vocational side of medicine.
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 Cambridge medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription