Medical School Interview / University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield medicine interview: eight sections, each out of five
Eight named sections, each marked out of five, plus your SJT: a total out of 45. Sheffield publishes the section list and tells rejected applicants which ones fell short.
Updated September 2026The University of Sheffield publishes more about its medicine interview than almost any other school. For 2027 entry A100 has 273 home and 18 international places, with around 2,700 applications for 315 places in the previous cycle. Selection has three stages: academic minimums, a UCAT threshold (1800 out of 2700 for 2027, with applicants then ranked on UCAT), and the interview. Home applicants take an in-person MMI of typically eight sections: knowledge of Sheffield, medicine in a wider context, good medical practice, attitudes and values, the candidate as a person, communication skills, ethics, and information processing. International applicants take an online panel interview. Every section is scored out of five, your UCAT situational judgement result is converted to a score out of five by quartile, and the total out of 45 is ranked, with priority to applicants who score three or more in every section. Interviews run December 2026 to January 2027. Your personal statement is neither read nor scored, but the sort of things you would write in one are explored in the room.
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 Sheffield practice is a spoken, MMI-style mock across Sheffield's published sections: five questions, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It does not run an eight-section circuit, does not score out of 45 and does not replicate the information-processing task.
- 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 Sheffield 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 Sheffield medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionThe interview process
- 1Stage one and two: academic minimums, then the UCAT threshold (1800/2700 for 2027 entry) with applicants ranked on UCAT to fill around 1,100 home and 100 international A100 interview slots. Recent cut-points were 2120 for home and 2070 for overseas in 2025-26.
- 2Slots are first come first served, confirmed the same day, and cannot be changed once booked, so keep the whole December-January window free. Arrive 30 minutes early; late arrivals are not interviewed.
- 3Home applicants: in-person MMI, typically eight sections: knowledge of Sheffield; medicine in a wider context; good medical practice; attitudes and values; the candidate as a person; communication skills; ethics; information processing. International applicants: online panel interview in January.
- 4Panels are drawn from medical educators, senior medically qualified staff, biomedical scientists, hospital doctors, GPs, junior doctors, senior nurses, senior pharmacists, medical students and lay people. Interviewers have not read your personal statement.
- 5Scoring: each section out of 5 (5 excellent, 4 good, 3 satisfactory, 2 borderline, 1 unsatisfactory); the UCAT SJT is converted to a mark out of 5 by quartile; the total is out of 45. Applicants with 3 or more in every section and the SJT are prioritised, then ranked.
- 6Decisions go out via UCAS in February and March 2027, with a reserve list. Rejected applicants are told which stations were less than satisfactory, though scores are not released. Sheffield's own prep advice: read the NHS Constitution and values and the GMC's 'Achieving good medical practice', keep up with medical breakthroughs and controversies, expect to be asked about work experience, bring no notes and do not recite.
Interview questions
Sheffield publishes its eight section names but not its questions. The practice questions below are Merra's, one or two per published section; they are not Sheffield's own.
“What do you know about how the Sheffield course is taught, and what made you choose it over similar courses?”
“What's a medical controversy from the last year that you have an opinion on? Argue the other side too.”
“The GMC says doctors must work within the limits of their competence. What does that mean for a first-year student on a ward?”
“Which NHS value would you find hardest to keep on a bad day, and why?”
“Tell me about something you've done that had nothing to do with medicine and that you're proud of.”
“Sheffield asks about work experience. Tell me about a moment when you were participating rather than observing.”
“A patient with hearing loss is struggling to follow you. What do you change?”
“A colleague asks you to sign that they attended a teaching session they missed. What do you say, and what happens next?”
“Should the NHS treat someone whose illness was caused by their own choices any differently? Talk it through.”
“I'll describe a patient's day: three medications at different times, one before food, one after. Tell me back the order and spot the clash.”
Pricing
FAQs
What is the format of the Sheffield medicine interview?
For home applicants, an in-person MMI of typically eight sections: knowledge of Sheffield, medicine in a wider context, good medical practice, attitudes and values, the candidate as a person, communication skills, ethics and information processing. International applicants have an online panel interview.
How is the Sheffield MMI scored?
Each section out of 5, the UCAT SJT converted to a score out of 5 by quartile, giving a total out of 45. Applicants scoring 3 or more in every section and the SJT are prioritised, then ranked.
Does Sheffield read my personal statement?
No. It is neither read nor scored, but the topics you would cover in one are explored at interview, and interviewers have not seen it.
When are Sheffield medicine interviews?
December 2026 to January 2027, with slots booked first come first served and not changeable once confirmed. Decisions follow in February and March via UCAS.
Does Sheffield give feedback?
Yes, to rejected applicants: which stations were less than satisfactory. Scores are not released.
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 Sheffield medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription