This student applied in the 2018/19 application cycle and therefore the selection process at Keele may have changed since then. You should read all the information a University sends you about the selection process to get the most up to date details!
Remember to check out the glossary at the bottom of the page for our explanations of all the jargon we medical students like to use!
More about this student
Sometimes students share information with us about their demographics, which may help put their application experience into a bit more perspective.
This student identifies as a Pakistani woman who went to a state school. They received free school meals.
Our Summary
Course: Foundation year entry
In-person MMI interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Before I made my application…
Choosing to apply
When did you decide you wanted to apply to medicine?
I wanted to apply since I was in year 9.
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
I applied based on my predicted grades and the requirements from the university.
Completing work experience
What types of work experience did you do?
Other healthcare setting e.g pharmacy, physiotherapy, Customer service role (voluntary)
How much work experience did you do?
I did around 6 months to a year.
How did you find your work experience opportunities?
Through a formal scheme or work experience placement
During the application process…
Admissions tests
What admissions test did you sit?
University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT): https://www.ucat.ac.uk/
How did you prepare for your admissions test?
I prepared at least a couple of months before I sat my test as I had one of the later slots. I did lots of practice questions from as many resources as I could find. It’s important not to leave it too late as cramming is always a bad idea.
What resources did you use?
I used the get into medical school 1200 questions UCAT book. That was extremely helpful as it allowed me to get an idea of the style of questions that would come up.
Interviews
What type of interview did you do?
MMI: Multiple Mini Interview. This type of interview usually includes several short interviews or ‘stations’ which may involve different types of questions and scenarios. This is different compared to a panel interview, which may cover the same scenarios/types of questions but be a more ‘traditional’ sit-down interview.
How did you prepare for your interview?
I made sure I fully understood how the curriculum at Leele worked. I looked at mock MMI questions online and also kept up to date with latest scientific news related to medicine. I also looked at NHS values and made sure I knew the basics at least on patient care and values as well as the aims of medicine as a doctor.
What happened during your interview?
We had around 10 different stations each lasting around 5-10 minutes. I was very nervous as I had never done an MMI style of interviews. They asked questions about my personal statement, they asked general questions and also ethical questions on how I would approach a certain situation as a doctor. We were asked to watch videos and give our thoughts on it and there were also stations with some actors (role play). Overall it was very fast paced, but they made me feel comfortable and I did not feel judged at all. It was very well structured.
Glossary
Clinical work experience: Not every student will complete clinical work experience before they apply to medical school. Don’t worry, this is not required to be able to apply. You can use non-clinical work experience (e.g. a caring role, like in a care home) or even reflect on paid work you’ve done (e.g. in customer service) in a productive way.
Books: Don’t worry if you’ve not been able to find this particular book or afford to pay for it. You might be able to find secondhand copies online which are usually much cheaper, or at your local library (sometimes, libraries will order in books that you’ve requested, so check out this as a possibility too!). Bear in mind that some books may become out of date, so make sure you check when they were published, and if any changes to the relevant admissions tests/interviews have been made since then.
NHS Values: The NHS Values guide healthcare education and careers. It’s important to know and understand these values to help you be as successful as possible in your application. They can help you answer questions in your interview, or guide what you write about in your personal statement. Find out more here: NHS Values
Role play: some interviews or interview stations may require you to engage in a bit of role play. You might have to act out being in a scenario where you might have to deliver bad news or a clinical decision.
