Preparing for the University of Exeter Medical School interview

Where you would train

Exeter's published description of the MMI points to three qualities: communication skills, reflectiveness and empathy.

For students who join, the course page says year one is based mainly at St Luke's Campus in Exeter, and that students spend a minimum of one year based at the Knowledge Spa at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust in Truro, where they are required to relocate to Cornwall. Clinical placements are across Devon and Cornwall.

Showing the qualities Exeter assesses

Show reflective practice with real examples. The strongest answers describe a specific situation, your own part in it, what you observed, and what you changed afterwards.

Avoid claiming a lesson you did not actually draw from the experience.

Demonstrate comfort working with others in a team, communicating with people whose experience is different from yours, and being open about what you do not know. These follow from the qualities Exeter says it assesses, not from any list of local initiatives.

Exeter does not publish a list of NHS policy topics, Devon and Cornwall statistics or local programmes for its MMI, so there is no official checklist to memorise. What it does publish about selection and the course is more useful:

• Deadline. The UCAS deadline is 15 October, and meeting the typical offer range does not guarantee being shortlisted for interview.
• UCAT. Applicants applying with predicted or achieved A levels must sit the UCAT, and applications are sorted according to academic profile and UCAT overall score to decide who receives an interview.
• International places. Exeter has 10 places for international students on its medicine programme.
• Placements. The course page describes clinical placements across Devon and at least a year in Truro, Cornwall.

If you want to discuss NHS issues in the South West in your interview, base it on sources you have read, such as NHS England, the local integrated care board or the Office for National Statistics, and be ready to explain what the source says and what you think follows from it.

Exeter does not name current events for the MMI. A practical approach is to be able to discuss one or two health topics you have followed: what happened, who was affected, what ethical principles pull in different directions and what you would do.

If you refer to local health issues, name the source and date and describe them only as far as the source supports. A modest, accurate point is more credible than a precise statistic you cannot trace.

Target your preparation to Exeter's published format while leveraging Confetto's tools for deliberate practice and feedback.

• Mock MMI. Use Confetto's AI mock MMI to rehearse scenario-based ethics, role-play and communication stations in short timed rounds.
• Scenarios. Drill high-yield scenarios (consent, honesty, teamwork, conflict, access to care) with Confetto's scenario library to refine structure and timing.
• Role-plays. Practise empathetic communication in role-plays, then review Confetto's analytics on clarity, empathy and bias-aware language.
• Data prompts. Practise interpreting simple data or a short written scenario aloud, so you can turn a prompt into a prioritised, feasible answer.
• Reflective examples. Prepare reflective examples from work experience and volunteering that show reflectiveness: what you noticed, what you changed and what you would still do differently.
• Online setup. Test your camera, microphone and quiet space, and have photo ID ready, in case your interview is online.

How is the University of Exeter Medical School interview structured?

Exeter uses a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). Its course page says the interview may take place in person or online.

The MMI is designed to assess non-academic qualities such as communication skills, reflectiveness and empathy. Exeter's interview page stated 4 stations for 2024 entry.

Is the Exeter interview in person or online?

Either. The course page says the MMI may take place in person or online, so your invitation will specify which applies to you.

When are interviews held and when are decisions made?

The course page says shortlisted applicants are invited between December and March, and offers are made by the end of March.

How are applicants selected for interview?

Exeter's admissions policy says UCAT and academic qualifications are weighted, at a ratio of 3 to 1 in favor of academic achievement, to give an Exeter score, which is used to select applicants for interview. Candidates applying with an existing degree, or more than two full academic years after completing A levels or equivalent qualifications, sit the GAMSAT and are sorted according to the GAMSAT overall score. Meeting the typical offer range does not guarantee an interview.

Do I need to know Devon and Cornwall health statistics?

Be ready to discuss health topics you have genuinely followed, and cite only facts you have checked in a reliable source.

• Exeter uses an MMI that may be in person or online, with interviews between December and March.
• The MMI assesses non-academic qualities such as communication skills, reflectiveness and empathy, and an offer typically depends on interview performance.
• Exeter's interview page stated 4 stations for 2024 entry.
• Interview selection combines academic achievement and UCAT at a ratio of 3 to 1 for A level candidates, or sorts by GAMSAT overall score for candidates with an existing degree or more than two full academic years after A levels, and meeting the typical offer range does not guarantee an interview.

Ready to turn this insight into interview-ready performance? Use Confetto to rehearse Exeter-style MMI stations, drill ethics and communication scenarios, and get analytics-driven feedback that sharpens clarity, empathy and structure.

Start your free week. Build the muscle memory now, so on interview day you can focus on connecting with your assessors and showing the qualities the University of Exeter Medical School says it assesses.

Also applying elsewhere in the UK? See our new interview guide to University of Bristol Medical School (an online six-station structured interview).

More UK guides: UK medicine interviews, school by school, UK medicine interview questions and how the MMI works. Practice out loud with UK medicine mock interviews.