If your child has submitted their UCAS application for medicine and is now waiting to hear about interviews, you may be surprised to learn that the format varies considerably from one medical school to the next. Many families only discover this after offers of interview have already arrived, leaving very little time to prepare in the right way. Some schools use the Multiple Mini Interview, known as the MMI, while others still favour a traditional panel format, and a handful use something in between. Understanding which format your child will face is not a minor detail — it shapes everything about how they should practise, what skills they need to develop, and how confident they are likely to feel walking through the door.
The MMI and the traditional panel interview are fundamentally different experiences. In an MMI, candidates rotate through a series of short, timed stations — typically between six and ten — each lasting around five to eight minutes. Each station is assessed by a different examiner and focuses on a distinct skill or scenario, such as ethical reasoning, communication, empathy, or problem-solving. There is no single interviewer building an overall impression of the candidate across the whole session.
A panel interview, by contrast, involves one or more interviewers sitting with the candidate for an extended conversation, often lasting twenty to thirty minutes. The panel may include a clinician, an academic, and sometimes a medical student. This format rewards sustained, coherent conversation and the ability to develop ideas over time rather than switching rapidly between tasks.
Preparing for one format and then facing the other can genuinely undermine a strong candidate. A student who has rehearsed flowing, reflective answers for a panel may struggle with the sharp, structured demands of an MMI station. Equally, a student drilled in short MMI responses may find a panel interview feels unexpectedly open-ended. Getting this right from the start is one of the most practical things a family can do once interview invitations arrive.
As of the 2024 and 2025 admissions cycles, a significant number of UK medical schools have adopted the MMI as their primary interview method. These include:
The MMI format was pioneered in Canada in the early 2000s and has been widely adopted in UK medical admissions because research suggests it produces more reliable assessments of interpersonal and professional skills than a single panel interview. For students preparing for these schools, dedicated MMI interview coaching can make a significant difference to both performance and confidence.
Several well-regarded UK medical schools continue to use a more traditional panel or structured interview format. As of 2024 and 2025, these include:
University of Oxford uses a series of academic interviews with tutors, which are intellectually rigorous and focus heavily on scientific reasoning and problem-solving. These are not MMI stations but rather extended, probing conversations.
University of Cambridge similarly uses college-based interviews that are academic in nature, with interviewers testing how candidates think through unfamiliar problems rather than assessing pre-prepared answers.
King's College London has used a panel interview format, typically involving a clinician and an academic, with questions covering motivation, work experience, and ethical awareness.
It is worth noting that even within the panel format, different schools weight different qualities. Oxford and Cambridge interviews are designed to test academic potential under pressure, while other panel-based schools may focus more on personal qualities and professional values. Preparation must reflect these differences.
Some medical schools use formats that blend elements of both approaches, or have changed their format in recent years. Imperial College London has used a structured interview format that incorporates elements similar to MMI stations, including scenario-based questions, though it is not a traditional rotating MMI. University of Manchester has used MMI in previous cycles but applicants should verify the current format directly, as it has evolved. University of Nottingham has also adjusted its approach over recent admissions cycles.
This is an important point for all families to take seriously: interview formats are not fixed permanently. Medical schools review and update their processes, sometimes with relatively little public notice. A format that applied in 2023 may have been revised for 2025. The only reliable source of current information is the admissions page of each individual medical school, and applicants should check this directly after receiving an interview invitation rather than relying on information from previous years or from peers who applied in earlier cycles.
Once your child knows which format they will face, preparation should be targeted and deliberate. For MMI schools, the priority is practising under timed conditions, learning to read a station prompt quickly, and developing the ability to structure a response within a very short window. Role-play stations require a different kind of rehearsal altogether, focusing on active listening and staying calm when a scenario becomes emotionally demanding.
For panel interviews, the focus shifts to building a coherent personal narrative, practising extended answers that develop rather than simply state a position, and preparing to be challenged or redirected mid-answer without losing composure. Candidates should also be ready to discuss their personal statement in depth, as panel interviewers frequently use it as a starting point.
For hybrid formats, a combination of both approaches is sensible. The most effective preparation involves working with someone who understands the specific demands of each format and can give honest, constructive feedback rather than simply running through generic questions.
My child has interviews at two different schools — one MMI and one panel. Is it realistic to prepare for both at the same time?
Yes, and it is more common than many families expect. The core qualities being assessed — empathy, ethical reasoning, communication, and motivation — are the same across both formats. What changes is how your child expresses those qualities. With structured preparation, it is entirely possible to develop fluency in both styles. The key is to practise each format separately rather than mixing them, so the differences become instinctive rather than confusing.
How many MMI stations should my child expect, and how long does each one last?
Most MMI circuits in UK medical schools consist of between six and ten stations. Each station typically lasts between five and eight minutes, with a short reading or preparation time beforehand — usually one to two minutes. The total interview session generally runs for around forty-five minutes to an hour. The exact number of stations and timings vary by school, so your child should check the specific details on the school's admissions page once they receive their invitation.
Does it matter if my child has not done much work experience before the interview?
Work experience is an important part of a medicine application, and most medical schools expect candidates to have some direct or indirect exposure to healthcare settings. However, what matters most in the interview itself is what your child has reflected on and learned from their experiences, however limited. A candidate who has volunteered in a care home for a few weeks and thought carefully about what they observed will often perform better than one who has extensive experience but has not reflected on it meaningfully.
Can my child ask the medical school in advance which format they will use?
Yes, and it is entirely reasonable to do so. Most medical schools publish their interview format on their admissions or undergraduate medicine pages, but if the information is unclear or out of date, contacting the admissions office directly is perfectly appropriate. Schools expect applicants to be engaged and well-informed, and asking a clear, polite question about interview format is not something that will reflect negatively on your child's application.
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