Leicester Medical School Interview Tips

Advice & Insight From Interview Specialists

Poster Station

At Leicester Medical School, you are often required to prepare one side of A4 that includes information about yourself, work experience and some hobbies that you think may be relevant. This can often seem strange and untraditional compared to other medical school interviews – but use this to your advantage! There are few medical schools that will allow you to really show yourself off! You will have 2 minutes to present your poster to the interviewer, which is not a large amount of time but, ensure you give a rounded view of your personality. Here are my tips for the poster station:

If you have any interesting hobbies or activities you particularly enjoy, be sure to include this in your poster and talk about it – they would like to see a well-rounded student that is not just focused on academics and has a life outside of school.
It may be confusing whether you should do your poster on your computer or hand drawn – the choice is up to you! Remember to include some pictures for a personal touch and make sure it is neat and presentable. However, do not spend excessive time making it ‘pretty’ as it is only one of the many stations!
Practice, practice, practice. Time yourself within 2 minutes presenting your poster so that you do not sound rushed, but you are still able to cover everything. Place emphasis on each aspect of your poster equally and divide the time up.
Print/make 2 copies of your poster just to be prepared.

Hot topics

Leicester Medical school place a lot of emphasis on the importance of the NHS and both its values and its constitution, which can often be confused.

The main points of the NHS Constitution are:

The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all
Access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay
The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism
The patient will be at the heart of everything the NHS does
The NHS works across organisational boundaries
The NHS is committed to providing best value for taxpayers’ money
The NHS is accountable to the public, communities and patients that it serves

The main points of the NHS Values are:

Working together for patients
Respect and dignity
Commitment to quality of care
Compassion
Improving lives
Everyone counts

Have a think about which values really stand out to you and perhaps any scenarios where you have seen or even displayed one of the NHS Values.

Calculation station

Leicester may include a calculation station in their interviews as basic mathematical skills are key for life as a medical student and doctor. Don’t get too worried about this though – the maths will not be as high as A Level standard but more suited to around GCSE level. There will be some drug calculations so do try to practice some before your interview so that you are familiar with the quick calculations you may have to do as you are given the same amount of time as all your other MMI stations which is around 6-7 minutes. Be aware that the score you get contributes to your overall interview score.

Video observation station

There may be a station that will include a task to watch a video and answer questions on the contents of the video. This tests your quick thinking and analytical skills as you won’t have much time to watch the short video and think about your answers too much. This can be a daunting station but here are my tips for these types of stations:

Make sure you understand the general purpose of the video and the broad aspect that it is considering. For example: confidentiality or communication.
You could be asked to write down your thoughts, similar to a comprehension, so ensure that you give yourself enough time to answer questions.

Roleplay stations

The roleplay stations are Leicester can be challenging as they particularly test your ability to handle awkward or uncomfortable situations by providing scenarios you would be unfamiliar with. The best way to handle these roleplay scenarios is to always establish a good rapport, whether that is through your body language and a smile or also by showing your empathetic skills. Often, the actor could be defensive or hard to talk to, but this is a clue for you! This is a perfect opportunity for you to change your approach and adapt to what the actor is doing, which is what they will be looking for. Take time to look at both the nonverbal and verbal cues provided by the actor.

Good Luck!