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Queen’s University Belfast Medicine Interview Questions
This article was updated in December 2023 with the latest information, and we will continue to regularly update it!
In this guide we provide an expert insight into past Queen’s University Belfast MMI stations, the Belfast Medicine interview day and tips for converting your Queen’s University Belfast Medical School interview into an offer!
How Is Queen’s Belfast Interviewing for 2024 Entry?
What is the Belfast Medical School interview style?
There are expected to be 7 MMI stations with 2 of these stations being a role-play scenario. You are given about 4-6 minutes to answer each question. The interviews will be held in person this year.
What are the Belfast MMI Dates?
Belfast will hold interviews between mid-December and March.
What are the common topics covered at the Belfast Medicine interview?
- Empathetic communication and understanding
- Problem solving and application
- Moral reasoning and ethical understanding
- Communication skills
How many people interviewed at Belfast?
There are approximately 1300 applications for around 236 places. Queen’s University Belfast Medical School typically interviews between 700-800 candidates.
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recommendedHow many interviewed applicants received an offer from Belfast?
In 2023, Queen’s made offers to 333 students.
For more information about the Belfast Medicine Interview and Medical School, check this out: Belfast Medicine Interview
At Medic Mind we’ve helped many students secure offers from QUB and other medical schools. If you’re applying to QUB, we can do a high quality 1-1 mock with you with a QUB tutor and realistic stations uniquely for QUB.
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List of Recent Queen’s University Belfast Medicine Interview Topics
| Theme | QUB Example Questions |
|---|---|
| Motivation for Medicine | Understanding of the career |
| Work Experience | Insight into healthcare |
| Communication & Role-Play | Empathy Hearing or breaking bad news Altruism Difficult/sensitive decision making |
| Personality & Skills | Discussion and opinions on various topics |
| NHS Hot Topics | Knowledge of NHS policies and systems, e.g. hospital structure, resource allocation etc. |
| Medical Ethics | Balanced discussions on common ethical issues, e.g. abortion, vaccinations etc. Prioritization |
| Personal Statement | Discuss activities mention in the personal statement |
| Other | Why Queen’s? |
If you wish to practice Belfast MMI mocks, here are some sample questions:
- What insight into healthcare did you gain from your work experience, and how did this either confirm, or make you doubt your decision to apply for Medicine?
- Tell your friend that you cannot come to her 18th birthday party due to a family emergency, even though she has already changed the date for you once.
- Help your elderly neighbour reverse his car out of his driveway.
- You find out that your friend has an eating disorder.
How do you react to this?
- An ex-prisoner who is now training to be a school teacher and a 14 year old girl who wants to be a doctor when she’s older have both been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
You can only treat one person.
Who would you choose to treat and why?
- Give me an example of a time you have shown good communication skills.
- Discuss NHS waiting times.
- You are the receptionist of a busy surgery and a patient is angry about his appointment being 15 minutes late.
Deal with this situation.
A Queen’s University Belfast Medical Student’s Perspective
Name 3 Reasons why you picked
Reason 1 –
Queen’s offers cadaveric dissection, which was something that was extremely important to me while choosing my universities. I have always wanted to study anatomy through dissection, since I thought it would heavily help me study and understand the subject in depth.
Reason 2 – Queen’s has one of the most beautiful campus within the UK and that was something that instantly attracted me towards QUB. QUB offers really early heavy patient contact from first year itself, and since it’s the biggest med school in Northern Ireland, you get placed at all the different trust around Northern Ireland. This gives you an incredible opportunity to see a variety of patients. QUB also does a module called family medicine in the first two years, where every year you have the opportunity to do house visits and interview patients, which helps you build your communication skills and get a better insight into patients view of healthcare.
Reason 3 –
By third year almost all teaching is in the clinical setting, with an integration between primary and secondary care, which was something that I absolutely loved. In fifth year you have the opportunity to undertake an assistantship, during which you complete the range of tasks undertaken by a Foundation Doctor, which is really helpful. They also offer opportunities for students to take a clinical module in a European institution participating in the Erasmus programme. Students may also opt to travel to other counties as part of the final year Elective module.
What makes QUB unique to other medical schools?
- Early clinical contact with patients in first year
- Student Selected Components with a wide range of choices throughout the medical curriculum
Case-based learning in years 1-4 - A 9 week Assistantship programme in Final year
- Opportunities for international travel through the Final Year Elective and Erasmus Exchange programmes
- Intercalated study options available at Bachelors and Masters Levels
- Queen’s has recently opened a dedicated, large interprofessional simulation suite for student use so that students can work together with future colleagues from nursing, pharmacy and other disciplines, in simulated scenarios that reproduce real life in the healthcare setting.
- Students have a range of opportunities for clinical experience right from year one. From year three students will have opportunities to undertake placements in hospitals and general practices throughout Northern Ireland.
Insider Guide: Queen’s University Belfast Medicine Interview Day
How does the Belfast Medical School Interview day work?
In the past, the interviews were held in-person and included a tour of the facilities.
It has been confirmed that Queen’s University Belfast is holding interviews in person for 2024 entry. International students should be prepared to attend an interview too.
Further changes to the number of MMI stations are expected but have yet to be released. QUB has stated that all invited applicants will receive further information via email upon invitation.
What do you have to bring for the Queen’s University Belfast Medical School Interview?
The dress code is smart casual, so wear something professional but also something which you are comfortable in, as this will really help with feeling more relaxed on the day. The university will email you with the necessary documents that you will need to bring, so make sure you read this email very carefully and get your documents ready in advance.
As it’s a virtual interview, you will need a strong and stable wifi connection, working webcam and microphone as well as a quiet space to sit your interview.
Are all the Belfast MMI stations marked equally?
Each station in the Queen’s Belfast MMI is marked equally and independently by different assessors. Each one is weighted equally in the final summation of a candidates marks which means that poor performance in one station can be made up with a strong performance elsewhere.
How do you receive information for the Belfast MMI questions?
You will have 1 minute reading time prior to each station where you will be given information regarding the context and content of the upcoming station. This time should be used to structure your response. Any other information will be given before the MMI commences or during individual stations.
What are the Queen’s University Belfast MMI interviewers like?
It is not uncommon for the interviewers to be neutral in their expressions and interactions. This is done to provide unbiased marking and sometimes, to assess the applicant’s capacity to deal with stressful situations.
It’s important to maintain an approachable, yet confident and professional approach regardless of the demeanor of the interviewers.
Do the Queen’s University Belfast MMI interviewers ask a lot of follow up questions?
Any follow up questions are based on a pre-determined list, and tend to be closely linked to the topic of the station. Not all the stations will have follow up questions.
How long is the actual Belfast Medicine interview?
The interview itself is typically around 1 hour long but this is subject to change depending on how the format is altered for the cycle in 2023-24.
Logistical advice for the interview?
For virtual interviews, ensure you have a quiet and bright space with a strong wifi connection and working camera and microphone. Ensure you will not be disturbed during your interview and avoid sitting in front of a bright light or window to prevent glare. Ideally, set up your interview space prior to the day and practice in that setting a few times to ensure comfort and logistical ease. If the university allows, it is helpful to have water to sip on throughout the interview.
How long does it take to hear back after your Belfast Medical School interview?
Typically, candidates will hear back in a few weeks but this is subject to variations and delays due to the pandemic.
Top Tips for the Queen’s University Belfast Medicine Interview
1. Practise role play with family and friends.
This is a different type of skill compared to what you’re used to, so getting some practice in beforehand would give you a better idea of what to expect. It might also help you feel more relaxed when you’re faced with it in the interview. Ideally, practice interactions with a variety of demographics (non-english speakers, older patients, children etc).
2. Read over your personal statement.
The examiners might pick up on personality traits, skills or work experience you’ve mentioned in your personal statement, so make sure you know what you included in it and try and think of things you might be able to talk about in your interview. Ensure you reflect thoroughly as this is a key skill for medics!
3. Practice ethical scenarios.
UCAT SJTs are a good place to start for these types of questions. Read the question, think about all the different opinions and create a discussion in your head, which you would be able to communicate to an examiner.
Here is a great blog post full of tips for ethics questions: Medical Ethics
4. Read medical articles and watch medical news.
Read medical articles and watch medical news. It could be really useful to have some extended knowledge about Medicine or the NHS which you would be able to bring into relevant stations. Be sure to use credible sources, such as BMJStudent or BBC Health as opposed to blog posts or Wikipedia.
Check out this blog post too, about NHS questions: NHS Hot Topics
5. Practise speaking your answers.
It’s great to have lots of ideas in your head but in the interview, you will have to talk!
Talk to yourself in the mirror to get used to the sound of your own voice, and to make sure you can make your answers flow. Additionally, record yourself practising popular questions, like “Why Medicine?” on Zoom to further assess your non-verbal communication skills as this can be tricky to perfect virtually.
6. QUB loves doing roleplays, so make sure you have had enough practice in difficult scenarios. The most important thing to remember is to stay calm, know your limitations, and empathize with the person on the other end.
7. Make sure you revise your medical ethics before the interview. In any ethical scenario, remember to apply the 4 pillars, talk both the pros and the cons of the situation, explain to the interviewer how this is a complex issue and then give your personal opinion in the end.
Very common issues spoken about are- abortion, Anti-vaccination, organ donation.
8. Make sure you are well practised in questions about personality, so definitely look into examples for your greatest strengths and weaknesses. Always make sure you link work experience and relate it back to medicine.
Covid-19 Changes for Queen’s University Belfast Medicine Interview
Is the Belfast MMI different this year?
Queen’s University Belfast have stated that they are holding their interviews in person for 2023-24.
Here is the official page with Belfast Medical School interview information: Medical School of Belfast
If the interviews are held online, here is some useful guidance from the Medical Schools Council on how to tackle them: Medicine Interviews
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Frequently Asked Question
→What is the medical programme at Queen's University Belfast?
The medical programme at Queen’s University Belfast is the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme. It is a five-year undergraduate programme that prepares students for a career in medicine.
→What is the interview process like for the medical programme at Queen's University Belfast?
The interview process for the medical programme at Queen’s University Belfast typically involves an MMI with around 7 stations, which assesses the applicant’s suitability for the programme. The interview may include questions related to the applicant’s motivation for studying medicine, ethical and clinical scenarios, and teamwork and communication skills.
→What are some common interview questions for the medical programme at Queen's University Belfast?
Some common interview questions for the medical programme at Queen’s University Belfast may include:
Why do you want to study medicine?
What qualities do you think are important for a doctor?
Can you give an example of a time when you demonstrated empathy or teamwork?
How have you prepared for a career in medicine?
What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare today?
→What are the entry requirements for the medical programme at Queen's University Belfast?
The entry requirements for the medical programme at Queen’s University Belfast include a high level of academic achievement, including strong grades in relevant subjects such as Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. Applicants are also required to demonstrate relevant work experience or volunteering experience, and to submit a personal statement and reference letters.
→How competitive is it to get into the medical programme at Queen's University Belfast?
The medical programme at Queen’s University Belfast is competitive, with a limited number of spaces available each year. Admission is based on academic achievement, personal statement, and interview performance. Successful applicants typically have a strong academic background and demonstrate a commitment to the medical field.
→Is Queens Belfast a good university for medicine?
Yes, Queen’s University Belfast is a highly regarded university for studying medicine. The university has a strong reputation for its medical programme, which is known for its rigorous curriculum, research opportunities, and clinical experience. The medical programme is also accredited by the General Medical Council, ensuring that graduates meet the standards required to practice medicine in the UK. Additionally, Queen’s University Belfast has a number of research centres and partnerships with leading healthcare organisations, providing students with opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research and gain practical experience. Graduates of the medical programme at Queen’s University Belfast are highly sought after by employers and have a strong track record of success in their careers.
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