This student applied in the 2022/23 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!
Our Summary
Course: Standard undergraduate entry
Online MMI interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Before I made my application…
Choosing to apply
When did you decide you wanted to apply to medicine?
From about the age of 15
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
Location, ranking and local hospitals
Strategic – where I was most likely to get an interview
Completing work experience
What types of work experience did you do?
Hospital shadowing, Care work (e.g. in residential care), Other healthcare setting e.g pharmacy, physiotherapy, Online work experience
How much work experience did you do?
2 days at hospital
3 days at care home
1 morning at dentist
Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Observe GP online work experience
How did you find your work experience opportunities?
Through a formal scheme or work experience placement, Through asking someone I knew to take me on, through college
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?
- 1250 UKCAT book – initially to get used to the exam format and read about tips
- Medify – to strengthen different sections and do mocks
- UCAT website mocks as the exam drew nearer
- Approximately 1-2months worth of preparation
- Several hrs a day
What resources did you use?
Medify; practiced with friends through college in the year above; UCAT website; Books – with practice questions and useful tips
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?
- Made sure I knew the format of the interview with the teams platform and timings
- Used online resources with practice mmi interview questions – e.g The Medic Portal
- Was my third interview so used what went well and what to improve on from the previous interviews to help me prepare
- Went through my personal statement as it was a while since I’d written it so I knew what I had said and things I would like to expand on if asked
What happened during your interview?
Medical ethic questions and dilemmas; One station I had to interact with an actor, handling a sensitive subject
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.
Brighton and Sussex Medical School Online Work Experience: This is a free ‘virtual’ work experience course that explores different roles within the NHS as well as six medical specialties. It also consider some of the challenges and wider issues doctors face. Find out more here.
Observe GP: This is a free interactive video platform providing insights into the role of a GP and the wider primary care team. Learn more here.
Medify: Medify is a popular website which provides resources for helping you prepare your medicine application. Medify has some free resources online but some are paid-for. There are good, free alternatives for preparation available online, so check out our subject guides and the university websites for details.
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.
The Medic Portal: The Medic Portal is a popular website that provides resources to help you prepare your medicine application. The Medic Portal has some free resources online but some are paid-for. There are good, free alternatives for preparation available online, so check out our guides and the university websites for details.
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.
