Updated October 24, 2026

Flinders Medicine Interview: Panel Format, GAMSAT Cut-offs, Dates

What happens at Flinders' medicine interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

The Flinders Doctor of Medicine interview is a semi-structured panel, not an MMI. It normally lasts about 45 to 50 minutes with a small panel, normally an academic, a community member and a doctor. You must pass it, and then your interview score, GAMSAT and weighted GPA count equally. For school leavers on the Bachelor of Clinical Sciences / Doctor of Medicine, the course page says an interview is not required.

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Key facts (2027 entry)

Format: Semi-structured panel interview with a common set of scenarios and questions for every applicant. It is not an MMI.
Length and panel: Normally about 45 to 50 minutes with a small panel, normally an academic staff member, a community member and a doctor. They know only your name.
Online or in person: In person if you live in or around Adelaide or Darwin. If you are interstate or more than 60 km outside those metropolitan areas, you may be interviewed online on Microsoft Teams. Your invitation email confirms the mode.
When (2027 entry): South Australia: 21 September to 2 October 2026. Northern Territory: 21 to 24 September 2026. Requests for other dates are not considered.
Who is interviewed: Applicants with a GPA of at least 5.00 and at least 50 in each GAMSAT section, shortlisted on overall GAMSAT score within each sub-quota. The 2027 cut-off for non-Flinders, non-rural graduates was 76.
How the interview counts: You must pass it. Then interview score, weighted GPA and overall GAMSAT are weighted equally.
Other routes: School leavers apply through SATAC for the 6-year Bachelor of Clinical Sciences / Doctor of Medicine, ranked on Year 12 results and UCAT ANZ. The course page says an interview is not required.

What happens on the day

Flinders runs one long panel interview for graduate-entry MD applicants in both South Australia and the Northern Territory. Everyone gets the same set of scenarios and questions.

The format

Normally about 45 to 50 minutes. That is far longer than one MMI station, so you will talk through several topics with the same people.
A small panel. Normally an academic staff member, a community member and a doctor. Flinders does not tell you who they are in advance.
A blind panel. Interviewers get no information about you except your name, so they have not read your GAMSAT or grades.
Exam conditions. Interviews run under examination conditions. Breaking those conditions can mean failing the interview.

What the panel assesses

Five qualities. The application guide lists quality of motivation, learning style, communication skills, pro-social attitude and approach to decision-making.
In the course page's words. Communication skills, ethical reasoning, motivation for a medical career and the ability to reflect on personal experiences.

In person or online

Adelaide and Darwin locals. You are interviewed in person if you live in or around the Adelaide or Darwin metropolitan area.
Interstate or rural. If you live interstate or more than 60 km outside those metropolitan areas, you may be interviewed online through Microsoft Teams. The guide's FAQ also says applicants should normally plan to attend in person wherever they live, so wait for your invitation email, which confirms the mode.
The mode is fixed. It can only change for extenuating circumstances backed by supporting documents.

No feedback, no notes kept. Flinders records only scores. Panel notes are destroyed and it cannot give feedback on how you did.

How you get an interview

You apply directly to Flinders through its own online application system. Shortlisting for interview is on your overall GAMSAT score, compared with other applicants in the same sub-quotas or priority groups.

Minimums to apply

GPA 5.00. A Flinders-equivalent GPA of at least 5.00 from your most recent Bachelor degree (or a One-year Honours degree). There is no 10-year rule.
GAMSAT 50 in each section. Valid sittings for 2027 entry run from September 2022 to March 2026. A September 2026 result counts only from 2028 entry.
Overall GAMSAT formula. Flinders uses (Section I + Section II + 2 x Section III) / 4.

2027 entry GAMSAT cut-offs for interview

These are from the main round of interview offers and can change if more invitations go out. SARM and NT cut-offs are not published because those places also use priority groups.

Non-Flinders graduates (non-rural, non-humanitarian): 76.
Flinders graduates and Flinders Graduate Reserved places: 64.
Rural (Bedford Park): 61.
Humanitarian visa holders: 60.

Booking your interview

Email invitation. Shortlisted applicants hear by their preferred email. The course page says from late August to mid September 2026 (the June 2026 application guide said mid to late August).
Book online. You pick a date and time through a link that is only open for a limited time.
$65 fee. A non-refundable interview administration fee, paid when you book. The June 2026 application guide set the deadline at 7 September 2026, before the course page moved some dates later. Your interview is not confirmed until it is paid.

Your grades do not get you an interview. Flinders shortlists on GAMSAT and only calculates your weighted GPA if you pass the interview.

How offers are decided

After interviews, Flinders ranks applicants on an overall selection rank within each sub-quota or priority group they qualify for.

Pass the interview first. If you do not pass, your application ends there.
Three equal parts. Interview score, weighted GPA from your most recent Bachelor degree, and overall GAMSAT score.
Weighted GPA. For most degrees it is built from your last three full-time years, with the most recent year counting three times and the earliest once. Postgraduate degrees do not count.
One offer only. First-preference locations go to the highest-ranked applicants. Lower preferences are used only if places are left.
Timing. Offers start from late October and can be made right up to the start of the MD in February 2027. Some applicants are waitlisted.
Numbers only. Any feedback Flinders gives is numerical, and the MD cannot be deferred.

Routes, quotas and dates for 2027 entry

Flinders has a graduate-entry MD and a 6-year pathway for school leavers. The graduate-entry MD requires an interview. For the school leaver pathway, the course page says an interview is not required.

Graduate-entry MD: places and sub-quotas

Bedford Park (Adelaide). At most 75% of places normally go to Flinders graduates and at least 25% to graduates of other universities.
Rural. At least 28% of South Australian places are normally for applicants from a rural background (10 years in total, or 5 in a row, in ASGS remoteness areas RA2 to RA5).
SARM Program. Up to 60 places (30 in Mount Gambier, 30 in the Riverland) to study the whole MD in rural South Australia.
Northern Territory (NTMP). Up to 24 places funded by the NT Government, with a return of service obligation in the NT. Priority goes to NT residents and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants. New Zealand citizens cannot apply.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants. Up to 5 reserved places at Bedford Park. The Indigenous Entry Stream offers a route for graduates without a GAMSAT result.
Humanitarian visa holders. Up to 4 places at Bedford Park.

Graduate-entry MD: 2027 dates

18 May to 27 July 2026. Applications open and close. The course page says the closing date was extended from 20 July, and the application guide also lists 27 July. The application fee is $160.
14 August 2026. Deadline for statutory declarations, transcripts and supporting documents, per the course page, which says it was extended from 31 July. The application guide still shows 31 July.
Late August to mid September 2026. Shortlisted applicants are told by email, per the course page. The application guide said mid to late August.
21 September to 2 October 2026. Interviews in South Australia. Northern Territory interviews run 21 to 24 September. The course page and guide give the same dates, and both say the timeline may change.
Late October 2026 to February 2027. Offers. Year 1 starts in mid-February 2027.

School leavers: Bachelor of Clinical Sciences / Doctor of Medicine

This 6-year pathway is only for Year 12 students and recent school leavers with no record of higher education study. You apply through SATAC (course code 214941 for Bedford Park).

No interview required. The course page says an interview is not required. Your rank is 90% Year 12 results and 10% UCAT ANZ, using all four sections of the test.
ATAR 95. The minimum ATAR (or equivalent) to be considered. For 2026 entry, the median ATAR among offers was 99.45.
Places. About 35 domestic places at Bedford Park and 12 in the Northern Territory, where the first degree is taught at Charles Darwin University.
Into the MD. You need a GPA of at least 5 in year 2 to move into year 1 of the MD.
Quotas. There is a rural and remote sub-quota and up to 5 places for Indigenous applicants. Send the documents to SATAC within 10 working days of applying.
Dates. Sit the UCAT ANZ between 1 July and 5 August 2026. The SATAC closing date for the Flinders course is 1 December 2026.

How to prepare

A panel of about 45 to 50 minutes rewards depth and consistency more than quick, polished answers.

Know your motivation in detail. Expect follow-up questions on why medicine and why now. Have two or three real experiences you can explain and reflect on.
Show how you learn. Learning style is one of the five qualities. Be ready to describe how you study, take feedback and recover from a setback.
Talk through decisions out loud. For scenarios, name the people affected, the options and the risks before you choose. Say what you would check or who you would ask.
Speak to the community member too. The panel normally includes a community member as well as a doctor. Use plain words and avoid jargon.
Practice a long interview, not just short stations. Do at least one full mock that runs close to 50 minutes so you can keep your energy and focus to the end.

Think about rural and Territory health. Flinders trains doctors in rural South Australia and across the Northern Territory, so read about the health needs of those communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a Panel (in person or online) station, written for applicants to Flinders University (Doctor of Medicine). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

You've already completed a first degree. What happened during your undergraduate studies that made you decide to sit the GAMSAT and move into medicine?

Tell one honest, specific story and explain what it taught you about yourself, not just what you did.

Closing the Gap draws attention to the differences in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. How has your awareness of this shaped your motivation for medicine, and what role do you see for yourself?

Link a real experience or something you learned to a concrete role you could play, and show humility about what you still need to learn.

Many remote communities rely on fly-in fly-out doctors, which can disrupt continuity of care. If you were one of those doctors, how would you make sure a patient with a complex chronic illness still gets consistent care?

Give practical steps like clear handover notes, working with local health workers and involving the patient's family.

You are a medical student on a rural placement. A local farmer has a severe hand injury but refuses to be transferred to the regional hospital three hours away, because he can't leave his livestock during a drought. What do you do?

Respect his right to decide, explain the risks clearly, look for practical solutions to his worry and involve your supervising doctor.

A friend who is also applying to medicine tells you in confidence that they exaggerated their rural background on their application to get into a rural entry pathway. How do you respond?

Show you take honesty seriously, talk to your friend first and explain why rural places matter to the communities they serve.

Some people argue that doctors who enter medicine as graduates are more emotionally prepared for clinical work than those who come straight from school. What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the entry pathway you've chosen?

Be balanced and self-aware, and point to what you have done to build the maturity the other pathway might offer.

Frequently asked questions

Does Flinders use an MMI for medicine?

No. The Flinders MD interview is a semi-structured panel interview that normally lasts about 45 to 50 minutes, using the same scenarios and questions for every applicant in both South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Is the Flinders medicine interview online or in person?

It depends where you live. Applicants in or around Adelaide or Darwin are interviewed in person. Interstate applicants and those more than 60 km outside those metropolitan areas may be interviewed online through Microsoft Teams. Your invitation email confirms the mode.

What GAMSAT score do I need for a Flinders interview?

You need at least 50 in each section to apply. Shortlisting is on overall GAMSAT, and for 2027 entry the cut-off was 76 for non-Flinders, non-rural graduates, 64 for Flinders graduates and 61 for rural applicants at Bedford Park.

When are Flinders medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

South Australian interviews run from 21 September to 2 October 2026 and Northern Territory interviews from 21 to 24 September 2026. Flinders says requests for alternative dates will not be considered.

Do school leavers have an interview at Flinders?

The course page for the Bachelor of Clinical Sciences / Doctor of Medicine says an interview is not required. It ranks school leavers on Year 12 results (90%) and UCAT ANZ (10%).

Sources

Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.

Flinders University: Doctor of Medicine (MD) Domestic Application Guide 2027 (PDF) · read October 23, 2026
Flinders University: Doctor of Medicine · read October 23, 2026
Flinders University: Bachelor of Clinical Sciences / Doctor of Medicine · read October 23, 2026
SATAC: Undergraduate key dates · read October 23, 2026
UCAT ANZ: Test cycle · read October 23, 2026