Medicine @ Queens', Cambridge in 2021

Interview format

Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT); 2x interviews

Interview content

Questions on NHS values; Scientific questions

Best preparation

Free online resources; YouTube example interviews; Research and further reading

Test preparation

Completed past papers

Final thoughts

Getting things wrong will happen in an interview - don't overthink it

Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.

Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.

Interview Format

Test taken: Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 20 minutes
Length of interviews: 25 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Asked science questions and a couple about the "values of being a doctor" and NHS values. It was super fun in the end and if you think you've messed up just apologise and keep going. It's ok to not know stuff or to say "I'm not sure, but based on my knowledge it might be... due to...".

Think aloud- communicate how you got to an answer and where that comes from e.g. "in biology we learnt about x which may explain how y happens" rather than just "y happens like this".

How did you prepare for your interviews?

The Medic Portal "Hot Topics at Interview", Interview guide and other resources freely available on their website.

YouTube recordings of example interviews and our Oxbridge coach at school as well as other teachers who had applied to Cambridge.

Kept up to date with recent developments and also news in medicine. Did some reading on ethics (4 pillars of medical ethics) and watched some relevant medicine documentaries and read some books about medicine and being a doctor.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Used the free Cambridge website with past papers, got essays marked by chemistry teacher who helped with application process for medicine and help from an English teacher to improve

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Don't be scared and have a calm environment. Getting stuff wrong will happen and don't overthink it