Medical School Interview / University of Oxford
University of Oxford medicine interview: what happens and what tutors look for
About 425 applicants interviewed for roughly 155 places, each by two colleges, always including a practising clinician. Oxford publishes its selection criteria and two real sample questions with the tutors' reasoning.
Updated September 2026Oxford's A100 Medicine course interviews around 425 applicants a year, about 2.5 per place, out of roughly 1,150 applications. Shortlisting is a numerical ranking of your UCAT cognitive score and GCSE performance with equal weight (UCAT is double-weighted if you have no comparable GCSEs), then tutors add around 80 more applicants whose potential the algorithm may have underestimated. Everyone shortlisted is interviewed online in December by two colleges: your college of choice or allocation, and one assigned randomly to balance the field. Interviewers do not know your college choice or your UCAT score. At each college you are seen by at least two academics, and every candidate is interviewed by at least one practising clinician. Oxford is one of the few schools that publishes both its selection criteria and sample questions with the tutors' explanation of what they are looking for, which is what these practice sessions are built on.
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 Oxford medicine practice is a spoken mock in the tutorial-conversation style: five questions built on Oxford's published criteria and sample questions, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It does not reproduce a two-college structure, a clinician-academic panel or on-screen data and diagrams.
- 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 Oxford 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 Oxford medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionThe interview process
- 1Apply through UCAS by 15 October and sit the UCAT. Oxford acknowledges applications in late October and shortlists in late November using UCAT and GCSE performance (GCSEs are compared with your school's results). Around 425 applicants are called; about 41% of eligible applicants were shortlisted in the 2025 round.
- 2Shortlisted applicants are interviewed online in December by two colleges. Interviews cannot be rearranged. The number and format vary by college but the selection criteria are common to all.
- 3Each college interview involves at least two academics; at least one of your interviewers across the process is a practising clinician. Interviewers do not know your college preference or UCAT score, so do not reveal them.
- 4Interviews are assessed against Oxford's published criteria. Suitability for medicine: empathy, motivation (a well-informed and strong desire to practise medicine), communication including with patients, honesty and integrity, ethical awareness, ability to work with others, capacity for sustained and intense work, and alignment with NHS Constitution values. Academic potential: problem-solving and critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and communication skills compatible with the tutorial format.
- 5After interviews each college ranks its candidates; rankings are shared between the two colleges along with UCAT (including the SJT band), then finalised. Your college of choice writes with the outcome in early January. In the 2025 round colleges made 158 quota offers, 1 deferred and 16 open offers.
- 6International applicants are shortlisted within the 7.5% cap: 32 were shortlisted and 8 received offers for 2026 entry.
Interview questions
Two questions below are Oxford's own published sample questions, marked (published by Oxford). The rest are Merra practice questions written to Oxford's published selection criteria; they are not Oxford's.
“Put these countries in order by their crude mortality (deaths per thousand of the population): Bangladesh, Japan, South Africa, the UK. (Oxford's tutor explains the point is how you reason about age structure and causes of death, not knowing the answer.)”
“The viruses that infect us are totally dependent on human cells for their reproduction; is it therefore surprising that viruses cause human diseases?”
“Why do we sleep? Give me your best theory, then tell me how you'd test it.”
“A hospital's infection rate doubled after a new cleaning contract started. List the explanations before you blame the cleaners.”
“What have you seen of medicine that made you less sure you wanted to do it, and what did you do with that?”
“A patient refuses a treatment you're certain would help. What might be going on for them, and what would you say?”
“Should a doctor ever lie to a patient? Try to give me a case where you'd say yes, then argue against yourself.”
“Explain what a randomised controlled trial is to a 12-year-old.”
“Tell me about a time you were wrong in a group and someone else was right. How did you handle it?”
“The pre-clinical course is three years of science before much patient contact. What will keep you going in week 40?”
Pricing
FAQs
How many people does Oxford interview for medicine?
Around 425 a year, about 2.5 applicants per place. In the 2025 round roughly 41% of eligible applicants were shortlisted and 158 quota offers, 1 deferred and 16 open offers were made.
Is the Oxford medicine interview an MMI?
No. It is a set of online academic interviews at two colleges, each with at least two academics, and at least one practising clinician interviews every candidate. There are no stations.
How does Oxford shortlist for medicine interviews?
A ranking of UCAT cognitive score and GCSE performance with equal weight (UCAT double-weighted for those without comparable GCSEs), then a tutor review adds around 80 applicants. The SJT is not used at shortlisting.
Do interviewers know my UCAT score or college choice?
No. Oxford says colleges interview blind of both, and asks you not to reveal your college preference.
Does Oxford publish sample medicine interview questions?
Yes. Its sample-questions page includes a crude mortality ordering question and a question on why viruses cause disease, each with the tutor's explanation of what they are listening for.
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 Oxford medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription