This student applied in the 2022/23 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 woman who went to a comprehensive school that doesn’t regularly send students to medical school.
Our Summary
Course: Standard undergraduate
Online MMI interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Before I made my application…
Choosing to apply
When did you decide you wanted to apply to medicine?
Year 11
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
Looked at what was best for me, wanted a campus uni with a good society for my sport. Often hospitals are far away from campus so wanted one where the hospital wasn’t too far. Also wanted a good support system in place. Chose my fifth choice based on my top choice for medicine.
Completing work experience
What types of work experience did you do?
Customer service role (voluntary), Hospital volunteer work assisting Health Care Assistants
How much work experience did you do?
Approx 6 months
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?
Practice questions, it’s the best way to prepare as you get used to the style of questions which are different than questions you’ve had before. Don’t time yourself to start with then as you get more confident work on increasing the speed.
What resources did you use?
Medify, I think it was worth the money, 100s of practice questions and mock papers, which I think were slightly harder than the actual UCAT which meant I felt I was more prepared.
*This is one student’s opinion; paid-for resources do not give you an advantage, and there are plenty of free options available online.
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?
Heavily researched the course online and the key NHS documents such as the NHS values and constitution for England. Also read the GMC guidance for medical students. Used YouTube a lot to watch videos from current medical students giving advice and example answers to common questions. Had an idea of what to answer for common questions, but did not rehearse a specific answer as this would not have sounded genuine.
What was your interview like?
Was asked general questions which were more about myself rather than the course. I definitely relaxed into it, which helped me give better answers.
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.
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.
Paid-for resources and courses: Some students choose to pay for courses either online or in person to help them prepare for admissions tests and interviews. There is no evidence that they give you an advantage. There are good, free alternatives for preparation for admissions tests and interviews, and some offer bursaries and discounts to students who come from low income families. Check out our guides and uni websites for more 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
GMC Guidelines for Good Medical Practice: These guidelines describe what it means to be a good doctor. These can help guide you during your preparation for your application and how you answer questions in interviews. GMC Good Practice
YouTube: There are many current and recent medical students who create videos on YouTube about their experience and advice about applying. Remember that their experience is personal and individual, and may not reflect yours. They might provide some useful advice but remember that they might be advertising paid for services. Take their advice as part of a more holistic approach alongside moderated advice such as ours, and official advice from universities and test providers.
