This student applied in the 2021/22 application cycle and therefore the selection process at Nottingham 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 White British woman who went to a fee-paying school.
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?
Term 2 of year 12. Before that I thought I wanted to do nursing.
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
I applied tactically once I knew my ucat score and where I had the best chance of getting an interview. I went on open days. I had to rule out 2 universities I liked as my UCAT wasn’t quite high enough, and then chose a safety net option.
Completing work experience
What types of work experience did you do?
Hospital shadowing, Customer service role (paid), Online work experience, Part time NHS reception work for 1 year in an out of hours urgent treatment centre.
How much work experience did you do?
3 days in person work experience with a mix of orthopaedic and rheumatology and shadowing drs: radiologists, nurses, physio and podiatrist.
I did the GP online course, Brighton and Sussex virtual work experience, and an online course on the NHS. My NHS receptionist job was the main source of being able to answer interview questions with good examples.
How did you find your work experience opportunities?
Emailing around.
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 started 6 weeks before doing about 1 hr 3-4 times a week. I initially focused on each of the areas, trying to understand how to answer accurately initially and then worked on speed. About 2 weeks before I started doing 1 hr a day, and tests under timed conditions. I made sure I knew where I’d lost marks and worked on sharpening up those questions.
What resources did you use?
I used The Medic Portal question bank.
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 attended the open day and spoke to current students who gave me insight into what was unique or particularly good about the course. I researched the website to understand the course structure.
I read / learnt the NHS core values, pillars of ethics, I kept up to date with current affairs relating to medicine. I made sure I understood what attributes and skills were needed to be a good doctor, and reflected on how I could demonstrate these attributes with examples.
I ensured I understood the demands, good and bad, of a medicine degree and why it was I wanted to be a doctor rather than another health professional and what the main differences were. I read a medical interview book to have an idea of what other questions might come up, but I had 3 interviews and nothing was really that predictable.
What was your interview like?
There was some role play, and a variety of questions with nothing too unexpected. The panel were nice/friendly.
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.
Online work experience: Some providers are now offering online work experience, such as the Brighton and Sussex Medical School online work experience, or the Observe GP experience by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
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.
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
Four pillars of medical ethics: These four pillars guide ideas about medical ethics. Knowing and understanding them can help you prepare for your interview and how you answer questions. Four Pillars
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.
