Cardiff University Medicine Interview Questions - Entry Requirements & Insights 2025-26
- The Medic Life
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
Preparing for a medical school interview is challenging, and Cardiff University is no exception. This page gives you everything you need: clear info on what grades & qualifications are expected, how the interview works, the kinds of questions & stations you’ll encounter, and practical tips to help you perform your best. Think of this as your go-to guide for Cardiff Medicine: what’s needed, what’s asked, and how to stand out.
PS: This expert Cardiff University Medicine Interview guide from The Medic Life (experts in MMI Courses) covers what to expect, common interview themes, and practical tips to help you succeed. Our Founder, Dr. Bakhtar Ahmad, is an expert in MMI Prep! Explore The Medic Life's MMI Mocks & MMI Stations as well as MMI Role Play and MMI Courses.
What Cardiff University Medicine Looks for? Entry Requirements include:
Here’s what you must have (or aim for) before you apply, plus how Cardiff selects applicants for interviews:
Requirement Area | Details & Expectations |
A-Levels / Equivalent | Typical offer is AAA, and must include Biology & Chemistry. Graduate-applicant offers are somewhat different: if you hold an eligible degree (e.g. from a feeder-stream), you need a 2:1 honours degree and certain A-level grades (BBB / ABC depending on route) including Biology & Chemistry. |
GCSEs and other essential subjects | You need GCSE English (or Welsh), Maths, Biology + Chemistry (or equivalent) at grade B/6 or higher. Also a total of 9 GCSEs including those core science & language ones. Double Science is acceptable but both component grades must be submitted. |
English Language Requirements | If English isn’t your first language (or for international applicants), you’ll need to meet Cardiff’s stringent language criteria: e.g. GCSE English B/6, or equivalent like IELTS, TOEFL etc. |
Admissions Test: UCAT | You must take the UCAT in the year of application. There is no fixed minimum UCAT score published - but UCAT may be used in conjunction with your academic scores to decide who gets an interview. If many applicants meet the academic threshold, then UCAT can be used to impose a cutoff. |
Other requirements | A personal statement that shows insight into medicine, caring roles, personal responsibility, self-directed learning and a balanced life. Academic reference. Awareness of how medical training/healthcare works in the UK. For certain applicants (graduates, feeder streams), there are particular degree requirements. |
Graduate Entry / Feeder Streams | Cardiff’s 4-year graduate-entry route (A101) is only open to students from certain feeder degree programmes and requires you to graduate with a first or upper second (2:1) honours degree. Entry subject requirements (e.g. Biology & Chemistry) still apply. |
Cardiff Uni Medicine Entry Requirements - How Cardiff Selects Applicants & Who Gets an Interview:
Before the interview:
Applicants are scored on academic performance largely via A-levels (or graduate equivalence) + nine GCSEs including specific required subjects. Cardiff uses a point system: GCSEs are scored (A* / 9 = 3 pts, A / 8 = 2 pts, B / 7 = 1 pt) etc.
If too many candidates hit high academic marks, contextual data and widening participation criteria are used. Some applicants from widening access schemes (Step-Up, Doctoriaid Yfory, Sutton Trust) may be guaranteed interview.
UCAT may serve as a tiebreaker or cutoff when academic scores are very competitive. There is no fixed UCAT cutoff that is announced in advance; it depends on volume & calibre of applicants that year.
Cardiff University Medicine Interview: Format - What to Expect?
When you do get an interview, here’s how it generally works at Cardiff:
Component | What It Looks Like |
Interview Style | Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMIs): several stations, each with a different task or question theme. |
Number of Stations / Duration | Typically 6-9 stations. Station length is often ~8-9 minutes each, with short rest/transition breaks. There is usually one written / numerical station among them. |
Online vs In-Person | For home (UK) applicants: in person. For overseas applicants: online. Also, interviews may be bilingual (Welsh & English) if requested. |
Themes & Topics Covered | Expect questions / stations on: 1. Your motivation for Medicine, and specifically Cardiff 2. Communication skills (how you explain things, listening, clarity) 3. Teamwork & Collaboration 4. Ethical issues in Medicine / NHS 5. Resilience, Stress, Self-awareness 6. Critical thinking / interpreting data 7. Numeracy / written tasks 8. Understanding of medical curriculum, healthcare system in Wales/NHS 9. Empathy, caring roles etc. |
Welsh / Bilingual Option | Yes - you can do your MMI in Welsh or bilingually. You can move between Welsh & English in different stations. No scoring adjustment (positive or negative) for using Welsh. |
Sample & Typical Interview Questions: The Medic Life’s questions/station types for Cardiff University Medicine Interview
Here are example questions / station types drawn from recent years and student recall. Use these to practise, but be ready for variations.
Why do you want to study medicine?
Why Cardiff specifically?
Tell us about a time you worked in a team.
How do you handle criticism / failure?
A scenario: a patient refuses a life-saving treatment for personal reasons. What would you do?
Ethical question: organ donation, euthanasia, genetic editing, etc.
Role-play: communicating bad news to a patient’s family.
Numeracy station: interpreting data, basic drug dose calculations.
Written station: maybe a short essay or interpretation of a chart / graph.
Questions about the NHS / healthcare challenges in Wales.
Cardiff University Medicine Interview -> Timeline: When Things Happen?
Step | Approximate Timing |
UCAS Application Deadline | Mid-October (the standard deadline for medicine) |
Shortlisting & Scoring | After application deadline → assess grades, UCAT, personal statement & references. |
Interview Invitations Sent | Usually by mid-December for home applicants. |
Interview Dates | December → January, sometimes into February depending on cycle. |
Offers Given | Following interviews, conditional offers issued, often by March or soon after. |
Cardiff University Medicine Interview -> What Makes a Strong Application / Interview Performance?
To help you stand out, here are what Cardiff tends to reward:
Evidence of reflection - not just that you've done caring work, but what you learned from it.
Demonstrations of self-directed learning - going beyond what’s required.
Honest, specific answers in ethical / role-play stations, showing you’ve thought through trade-offs.
Good communication skills: clarity, empathy, listening.
Resilience and self-awareness: showing you can cope with stress but also seek help when needed.
Knowing details about Cardiff’s C21 curriculum, the healthcare environment in Wales, NHS in Wales, etc. Being able to talk about what you will do with the opportunities Cardiff offers.
Numeracy & data interpretation ability in the written / numerical station.
Cardiff’s Medicine: What You’re Applying To?
It helps to know what the course is so you can speak intelligently about it.
The MBBCh “C21” medicine programme is 5 years long, full-time.
Curriculum is spiral, meaning learning revisits core themes (clinical exposure, science, ethics etc.) in increasing complexity.
Clinical experience starts early; you’ll have placements ranging from rural GP/practice settings to large hospitals.
You have the option to intercalate (take a year out to do a BSc or similar) in some medically related subjects
Why Choose Cardiff Medicine?
• Early and diverse clinical exposure: from urban to rural settings across Wales.
• Strong integration between science and patient care through the spiral, evidence-based curriculum.
• Bilingual learning options, reflecting Wales’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
• Supportive structure for students, including widening participation and access routes.
• Strong graduate outcomes: recognition by the GMC, preparation for Foundation Years, research opportunities.
Cardiff University Medicine Interview: Tips to Prepare
Practice MMIs: try sample questions, timed stations, role-plays with friends.
Do mock written/numeracy tasks; get comfortable interpreting data under time pressure.
Read up on current health issues in Wales / UK: NHS, policy, rural healthcare, etc.
Reflect on your experiences: what you did, how you reacted, what you learned.
Be creative but honest in motivation questions: what is your medicine story?
Prepare questions for interviewers: shows engagement.
If you speak Welsh or are learning, think whether bilingual interview might be right for you.
Cardiff University Medicine Interview: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does Cardiff University require an interview for medicine?
Yes. All applicants who meet the initial academic and test criteria are interviewed via Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs).
Are there fixed UCAT cut-off scores at Cardiff?
No fixed, published minimum. Cardiff may apply a cutoff depending on application volume, using UCAT along with academic and contextual criteria.
How many applicants get interviews at Cardiff each year?
Around 1,000 applicants are interviewed annually, out of 3,000 applications. Offers are made to around 600 after interviews.
Is the interview online or in person?
For UK/home fee status applicants: in person. For overseas/applicants with different fee status: online. There is also the option to do interviews in Welsh or bilingually.
What grades / qualifications do I need?
In brief: AAA at A-level including Biology & Chemistry; strong GCSEs (including core subjects). Equivalent international qualifications accepted with relevant subject coverage and grades. Graduate entry has specific degree requirements.
What happens if many applicants meet high academic thresholds?
Cardiff employs contextual data and may introduce a UCAT cutoff (for the cycle) to limit interview invitations to a manageable number.
Can I apply even if my grades are slightly below standard offers?
Possibly via contextual or widening participation routes, but you risk not being shortlisted or receiving fewer points. Always check your merits, experience, and whether your application can compensate in other areas.
Buckingham Medicine Interview |
Comments