The University of Cambridge Medicine interview format

Cambridge interviews are not MMIs. The University's interview page describes them as academic conversations about the subject you want to study. Most applicants have one or two interviews lasting 35 minutes to an hour in total, and some have three or four depending on subject and College. For Medicine you are likely to discuss topics with two or three interviewers, apply your knowledge to new situations, materials, problems or scenarios, and explain your understanding of the vocational side of the course.

You may also be asked why you want to study at Cambridge and why you chose the course, about key issues in your subject, and about recent topics from school or your personal statement. You may be given material to read before the interview and discuss it, and some applicants have a broader general academic interview. Your invitation says how many interviews you will have and whether there is pre-interview reading or tasks.

Item	What Cambridge says
Format	Academic conversations with interviewers; online or in person depending on the College
Number and length	Most applicants have one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour; some have three or four
Main interview period	7 to 18 December 2026
Winter pool	Around mid to late January 2027; you may be invited to an additional interview at another College
Admissions test	UCAT, taken before shortlisting and registered for in advance (test by 24 September 2026)
Outcomes	Applicants selected for interview are told the outcome on 27 January 2027, by UCAS hub and College email
Course	Six-year Medicine (MB, BChir) in Cambridge; first three years focus on scientific principles with a clinical strand, including full-body dissection, then three years of clinical learning
Prep advice	Cambridge says commercial interview courses are not endorsed and have no exclusive information; official guidance is free

Which College decides the format

Each College sets whether interviews are online or in person. The page lists the 2027 formats. For example, Clare interviews Medicine applicants in person, Jesus interviews UK-based Medicine applicants in person, Christ's interviews everyone online and Churchill everyone in person. Cambridge says you will not usually be able to request a particular format. Check the College list on the interview page for the College you apply to or are allocated.

What Cambridge says interviews are for

The page says interviews assess your understanding of your chosen subject area, readiness to study at a high academic level, whether you will thrive in the Cambridge learning environment, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and openness to new ideas, and enthusiasm for the subject. It says the number of interviews you have does not relate to how strong your application is, and that the timing of your interview does not reflect your perceived strength.

UCAT and the course

Cambridge's UCAT page says standard Medicine (A100) and Graduate Medicine (A101) applicants must take the UCAT, be registered by 16 September and have taken it by 24 September 2026. Colleges use pre-interview test results to decide who to invite, and there is no pass or fail mark. Outside the interview, the course page describes pre-clinical learning in lectures, practicals including dissections and small-group supervisions, followed by learning at the bedside, in outpatient clinics and in GP surgeries.

How to prepare for the Cambridge interview

Be ready to think aloud. Interviewers want to see how you reason when you hit something unfamiliar, so practise saying your thinking out loud.
Read around your science, not just medicine. The page says you apply knowledge to new situations, so be comfortable with GCSE and A-level biology and chemistry ideas and what follows from them.
Prepare to discuss reading material. If you are given something to read, practise summarising an unfamiliar short article and giving a view.
Know the vocational side. Be able to explain what doctors do, including a recent experience and what you learned.
Check your College's format. Test your technology for an online interview or plan travel for an in-person one.

Cambridge practice questions (written by us, not the University of Cambridge)

Cambridge does not publish its questions and says interviews differ by College. We wrote these as practice for academic and vocational discussion. Aim for a thoughtful answer and be ready for follow-ups.

Why do you want to study medicine, and why at Cambridge in particular?
A study shows a new drug lowers blood pressure by a small amount in thousands of people. How would you decide whether it is worth using?
Why might a medicine work well in a trial but less well in everyday practice?
Why does exercise raise your heart rate, and what would you expect to happen to breathing?
A patient with a chronic illness stops taking their medicine. What might be the reasons, and how would you find out?
Should the NHS pay for treatments with weak evidence if patients want them? Discuss.
What have you read or seen recently that changed how you think about health?
How would you explain a risk of 1 in 100 to someone who is anxious?
Describe a problem in science or school where your first idea was wrong. What did you do next?
What would you want to understand about the body that you do not yet?

For a wider set, see our practice questions with answers guide and our MMI practice and preparation guide.

A drill for an academic interview

Take a short unfamiliar article about a health study and give yourself 10 minutes to read it, then discuss it with a partner for 10 minutes.
Practise saying "I would need to know..." before you answer a data or evidence question.
Do a 10-minute science problem aloud, with a partner pushing one step further each time.
Rehearse a two-minute answer to why Cambridge and why medicine, using only things you can back up.
Record one interview and note where you stayed silent too long or jumped to a conclusion.

If you don't have a practice partner, Confetto's AI mock interviews ask follow-up questions based on what you actually said and give rubric-based feedback afterward. The question bank has over 500 questions, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.

Cambridge interview FAQ

Is the Cambridge interview an MMI?

No. Cambridge describes academic conversations with interviewers, usually one or two interviews, not a circuit of stations.

Is it online or in person?

It depends on the College. The page lists 2027 formats by College, and you will not usually be able to request a format.

When are interviews?

The main interview period is 7 to 18 December 2026, with winter pool interviews around mid to late January 2027.

Do I need the UCAT?

Yes, for Medicine A100 and Graduate Medicine A101. Register by 16 September and take it by 24 September 2026.

How many interviews will I have?

Most applicants have one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour, and some have three or four. Your invitation says how many.

Should I pay for interview coaching?

Cambridge says commercial services are not endorsed and have no exclusive information. We (Confetto) are one such service, so use us only to practise speaking aloud and getting feedback, not as a source of Cambridge-specific questions.

Applying to other highly competitive schools too? See our guides to the Oxford Medical Sciences, Imperial College School of Medicine and UCL Medical School interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Sources: what to expect at your Cambridge interview, Cambridge Medicine course page, Cambridge UCAT page, outcome of your application.

Confetto isn't affiliated with the University of Cambridge. Everything here about the school comes from its public admissions pages, checked in October 2026. Formats can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.