Lancaster University Medicine Interview Questions

Lancaster University Medical Interviews

The majority of interview invitations will be sent out in December for 2026 entry. Medicine interviews will be held in January and February 2026. Interviews will take place online via Microsoft Teams. 

To shortlist candidates for interview, all applications are first checked to ensure that they meet the minimum academic requirements. Candidates are then ranked according to their UCAT score. Invites to interview will be based upon this ranking. Lancaster only considers applicants with SJT band 3 and above.

To shortlist candidates for interview, all applications are first checked to ensure that they meet the minimum academic requirements. Candidates are then ranked according to their UCAT score. Invites to interview will be based upon this ranking. Lancaster only considers applicants with SJT band 3 and above. 

The minimum academic requirements are:

• GCSE – you must achieve at least 13 points across these 8 subjects (A-A*/7-9 = 2 points; B/6 = 1 point)
  • Minimum of B/6 in each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or Combined Science: Trilogy as 2 GCSE qualifications), English Language and Mathematics.
  • If Biology or Chemistry is not studied at A Level or equivalent, grade A/7 (or equivalent) must be achieved.
  • GCSE resits are not accepted unless evidence of exceptional circumstances is demonstrated.
• A-Levels – AAA or AAB(b) with a fourth subject or EPQ
  • Must include two of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology
  • If Biology or Chemistry is not studied at A-Level, grade A/7 must be achieved at GCSE or equivalent

For 2025 entry, Lancaster received 926 applications, invited 581 of these to interview, and made 325 offers. 

How Is Lancaster Interviewing For 2026 Entry Medicine?

Lancaster typically uses the MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews) format on Microsoft Teams for its Medicine interviews. For 2026 entry, there will be 6 stations, each approximately 5 minutes long, with a 2 minute break between. The interview will last approximately 1 hour 30 mins to 1 hour 45 mins.

Applicants are ranked by overall MMI score, with offers made to the highest scoring applicants.

Common Medicine Interview Question Topics At Lancaster Medical School

At Lancaster University, the following topics are typically covered in Medicine interview questions:

• Understanding of a medical career
• Motivation to study Medicine
• Flexibility
• Integrity
• Ethics
• Empathy
• Honesty and conscientiousness
• Problem-solving and reasoning

Sample interview questions might include:

• What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?
• Do you think Doctors should always be honest? Are there any exceptions?
• Tell me about a challenging situation you were in.
• What have you done to find out about what being a Doctor is like?
• Why do you want to study at Lancaster Medical School?

Tips For Answering Lancaster Interview Questions

Preparation is key – practise role play

Lancaster Medical School is looking for people who can demonstrate excellent communication skills. Set yourself some time to practise and get someone like a friend or teacher to ask you questions in a formal setting. No matter how well you think you can answer a question, knowing what you want to say is only half the picture.

Practice will help you improve the structure of your answers and highlight gaps in your knowledge (e.g. NHS hot topics, ethical scenarios, etc). Familiarising yourself with terms such as confidentiality, autonomy and capacity will give you more confidence on the day.

During the MMI, expect a station where the interview will be an observer

Each year is different, but you can usually expect a station where you’ll need to demonstrate your skills with the interviewer acting as an observer. This may be a role play, where you interact with an actor, or a task that needs to be completed in a limited time frame.

Whatever the case, do not dive straight into it. Give yourself a short amount of time to think about how to best approach the situation.

Use breaks wisely

The interview process can be tiring. If there is a break station, just relax. No matter how tempting it may be, do not try to overhear other people during your break station. Listening to other people will only stress you out more, and will give you a false impression of what to expect in the next station. Most importantly, use the time to recuperate and rest your mind.

Aside from demonstrating your ability to think on the spot, the MMI tests your ability to bounce back after a disappointing station. Messing up one station is not the end of the world, so don’t let it knock your confidence. Remember that the next interviewer will have no idea how you performed in the previous station.

The group activity is about demonstrating teamwork, not regurgitating knowledge

The interviewers are looking for people who will suit a PBL course. This is about interacting well with people in a group and showing your teamwork skills. If someone in your group is over-dominating and doesn’t give you the chance to demonstrate your knowledge, don’t panic as this will reflect badly on them, not you.

Pointing out that someone is trying to speak and giving them the chance to do so, or referring back to points made by other candidates, will score you far more points than regurgitating everything you know about a topic like NICE guidelines.

How Are Interviews At Lancaster Assessed?

Offers will be based on performance at interview alone. The performance at each MMI station is scored.

Candidates will then be ranked, with the highest-scoring candidates being offered a place to study. No other factors will be considered.

Lancaster anticipates that decisions will be made around the end of March/early April 2026.