Advice & Insight From Interview Specialists
Applicants move through eight MMI stations. Each lasts around eight minutes.
Sheffield is fairly open with its admissions process, so take the time to look over their website in detail. Expect the stations to be based around the following themes:
Each station will be scored from 1 to 5, with 5 being ‘excellent’ and 1 being ‘unsatisfactory.’ Your UCAT SJT score will be considered as a ninth, ‘virtual station,’ and also contribute to your MMI score.
Interviewers aren’t just doctors! Expect medical students, junior doctors, senior nurses and even patients. Also remember that at Sheffield the interviewers have not read your personal statement, so think about general themes that are likely to come up. Sheffield’s own advice is to know the NHS Constitution, GMC’s Good Medical Practice, and of course to keep up to date with recent medical news. Almost 80% of those that get an interview at Sheffield will receive a place, so if you’ve got an invite you’re in a good position!
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This is likely to be assessed throughout, rather than at one specific station. Take the time to look into what kind of communication skills are expected from doctors. Good communication is a core competency that you’ll be expected to demonstrate throughout your medical career.
Ensure that you’re able to talk in detail about at least one extracurricular activity that you excel in. Remember that your interviewer is human, and your goal here is to come across as passionate.t turned out in my interview that my interviewer was a fellow runner – we had a chat about running that felt more like a casual conversation than an interview. ​
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Here you’ll need to show your awareness that being a doctor is often a selfless job, centred around others rather than your own achievements. Think about any charity work, volunteering or caring roles that you’ve already got under your belt.
Make sure you know the curriculum at Sheffield. What sets it apart from others? Find their curriculum here and make sure you’re ready to describe what most appeals about it to you. It’s a patient-focused and clinically-led course. Don’t forget that you’re choosing city too; have a think about what attracts you most to Sheffield itself. ​
Ensure that you’re ready to talk about your EPQ and relevant work experience – and also remember that you will have to guide the conversation to an extent, as the interviewer will not have seen your personal statement. ​
These stations will assess why you wish to study medicine, and if you understand its nature – what it will actually be like. Typical questions that you should expect include:
You’ll need to show that you’ve thought about the values needed to study medicine, and that you possess those same values. Look at the NHS Core Values, and the Medical Schools Council guidance here. Pick a few values you have and ensure you have examples ready to illustrate them.
Ensure that you show that you understand the course.
Ensure that you show that you’ve given a lot of thought to the length and difficulty of the course, and show that it’s the kind of challenge you will relish.
Remember that the interviewers aren’t there to catch you out – they’re just checking that you’re the right person to study medicine at Sheffield. You’ve already got through the academic screening. So relax!
Good luck!
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(Author – Tristram Lewis-Stempel)
