Oxbridge Interview / The Oxford interview / Medicine
Oxford Medicine interview questions: what the tutors publish and how to reason aloud
Two published questions, one about crude mortality and one about viruses, and a criteria list that runs from empathy to intellectual curiosity. This page is about the questions; the format page is in the medical school lane.
Updated September 2026Oxford Medicine interviews about 29% of applicants and admits about 11%, with an intake of 155 (three-year average, 2023-25); around 425 applicants are called each year, all interviewed online in December by two colleges with at least one practising clinician. This page covers the questions. Oxford's medicine tutors have published two with their reasoning: put Bangladesh, Japan, South Africa and the UK in order of crude mortality, where the point is reasoning about age structure rather than knowing that Japan is highest; and whether it is surprising that viruses, which depend on human cells, cause disease, where the tutor steers towards why a virus that kills its host risks extinction. Both are assessed against Oxford's published criteria: empathy, motivation, communication, honesty and integrity, ethical awareness, working with others, capacity for sustained work and NHS values on the personal side, and problem-solving, intellectual curiosity and tutorial-style communication on the academic side. Format, shortlisting and numbers are on the medical school lane's Oxford page.
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS.
Merra: practise it out loud before it counts
Merra's Oxford Medicine practice is a spoken mock in the tutorial style: five questions from the published pair and Oxford's criteria, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It does not replicate a two-college process or a clinician-academic panel and shows no data.
- 1Sign up free — no card, 2 free coaching sessions available until used.
- 2Practise out loud — answer unseen discussion questions with an AI tutor.
- 3Get readiness feedback — see how you reasoned and how you handled the push, with a recording and transcript.
No card details required. Your first 2 coaching sessions are free.
Practise an Oxford-style Medicine interview
An AI tutor asks an unseen discussion question out loud, pushes once with a follow-up, then moves on — the same shape as the real thing, minus the science problems on paper.
Practise an Oxford-style Medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionHow this interview works
- 1Shortlisting on UCAT and GCSEs; about 29% interviewed. Full method and numbers: see /medical-school-interview/university-of-oxford.
- 2Interviews online in December at two colleges; at least two academics per college and at least one practising clinician across your interviews.
- 3Questions are assessed against Oxford's common medicine selection criteria, published on the Medical Sciences Division site.
- 4The published questions start from general knowledge and move to reasoning: tutors say 'the point isn't what they know, it's what questions they ask to make their conclusions'.
- 5Expect a mix: a science or public-health problem to think through, and personal questions on motivation, empathy and ethics. Oxford's demonstration medicine interview video (2020 Virtual Open Days) shows the tone.
- 6Outcomes in early January from your college of choice.
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.”
“The viruses that infect us are totally dependent on human cells for their reproduction; is it therefore surprising that viruses cause human diseases?”
“Two hospitals have the same surgery death rate. One takes the sickest patients. Which is the better hospital, and how would you find out?”
“Why do we age? Give me a theory, then a test.”
“A patient refuses a treatment you think they need. What might be behind that, and what do you say?”
“Should a doctor ever withhold a diagnosis from a patient? Find me a case for yes, then argue against yourself.”
“What have you seen of medicine that made you doubt it, and what did you do with that doubt?”
“Explain what a placebo is and why trials need one, to someone who's never heard the word.”
Pricing
FAQs
Does Oxford publish medicine interview questions?
Yes, two: the crude mortality ordering (Bangladesh, Japan, South Africa, the UK) and the virus paradox, each with the tutor's account of what they listen for.
What criteria are Oxford medicine interviews marked against?
Empathy, motivation, communication, honesty and integrity, ethical awareness, ability to work with others, capacity for sustained and intense work, NHS Constitution values; and academically, problem-solving, intellectual curiosity and communication compatible with tutorials.
How many applicants does Oxford interview for medicine?
Around 425 a year (about 29% of applicants over the last three years), with about 11% successful and an intake of 155.
Is the Oxford medicine interview an MMI?
No. It is online academic interviews at two colleges with at least two academics and a practising clinician. Full format details are on the medical school lane's Oxford page.
Where can I see an Oxford medicine interview?
Oxford's Medical Sciences Division links a demonstration interview with two college tutors and a current student, recorded for the 2020 Virtual Open Days.
Official information
For the official course page and admissions details.
More Oxbridge interview guides
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS. Merra’s feedback is advisory only — it is not a guarantee of any offer or admission outcome.
The Oxbridge interview is spoken. Practise it that way.
Your first mock takes about 15 minutes: an unseen question, a follow-up, and feedback on how you reasoned. Free, no card.
Practise an Oxford-style Medicine interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription