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Newcastle JMP Medicine Interview (MSA): Format, Dates, Pathways

What happens at the Joint Medical Program's interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

The JMP interview is the Multiple Skills Assessment (MSA): six rotating stations of eight minutes each, in person at Newcastle (Callaghan) or Armidale, plus an online Personal Qualities Assessment the same day. The JMP's key dates put it between 30 November and 11 December 2026. Your UCAT ANZ score decides who is invited. UNE's JMP admission policy ranks eligible applicants on the interview stage, with the UCAT breaking ties.

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Key facts (2027 entry)

Format
The JMP Assessment: a Multiple Skills Assessment (MSA) of rotating stations, plus an online Personal Qualities Assessment (PQA) on the same day.
Stations and timing
Six stations of eight minutes each, with a two-minute break between stations.
Online or in person
In person for domestic applicants, at the University of Newcastle (Callaghan) or the University of New England (Armidale). Bring photo ID. International applicants do the MSA online.
When (2027 entry)
The JMP's key dates: invitations by email in mid-November 2026, assessments 30 November to 11 December 2026, and offers from UAC on 8 January 2027. UAC's medicine dates page gives early November for invitations and mid-January 2027 for interstate non-rural applicants.
Who is interviewed
Ranked on a UCAT ANZ aggregate of Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning. Situational Judgement is not used. The cut-off is set after applications close and is lower for rural applicants.
How the interview counts
UNE's JMP admission policy ranks eligible applicants on the interview stage, with ties broken on the UCAT. Your ATAR only needs to clear the JMP's 2027 minimum (94.3, or 85 from a rural or remote school).
Places and course
170 places a year across both universities, from more than 3,000 applicants. A 5-year full-time Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine, taught in Newcastle, the Central Coast or Armidale.
Other routes
Miroma Bunbilla Program (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, no UCAT), Rural and Remote Admissions Scheme, Rural Bonus Scheme, Regional Excellence Pathway, Excellence through Equity and more.

What happens on the day

The JMP Assessment has two parts on one day: the Multiple Skills Assessment (MSA) with an assessor, and the online Personal Qualities Assessment (PQA).

The Multiple Skills Assessment (MSA)

  • 6 stations. You rotate through six stations, discussing scenarios or doing activities with an assessor at each one.
  • 8 minutes each. Stations are eight minutes long, with a two-minute break between them.
  • Four things assessed. Your capacity to thrive in the JMP learning environment, your ability to make decisions affecting yourself and others without certainty about the outcome, your interpersonal and communication skills, and your desire and driving force to be a doctor.

The Personal Qualities Assessment (PQA)

The PQA is an online test of personal qualities important for studying and practicing medicine. You complete it on the same day as your MSA session.

Where and what to bring

  • Newcastle or Armidale. You pick your preferred MSA location (Callaghan or Armidale) in the direct application. It is not guaranteed, and there are no other locations or dates.
  • Location is not your campus. Where you sit the MSA does not decide where you enroll. You can ask to change your preferred enrollment location until 4 December 2026.
  • Photo ID. Without acceptable photo ID you cannot sit the MSA or the PQA.
  • Do not miss it. If you are invited and do not attend without a written explanation, the JMP assumes you have withdrawn.

How you get an interview

You need three applications and a UCAT ANZ score. The UCAT decides who is invited to the JMP Assessment.

The three steps

  • UCAT ANZ. Registration closed on 15 May 2026 (final bookings with a late fee by 5 June). Testing ran from 1 July to 5 August 2026.
  • Direct JMP application. Closes 30 September 2026. Late applications are not accepted under any circumstances.
  • UAC application. Due 30 September 2026 (late fees apply after that). You must list the JMP as a preference by 1 December 2026.

How the UCAT is used

  • Three subtests. The JMP adds up Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning. Situational Judgement is not part of selection for 2027 entry.
  • No fixed cut-off. The cut-off is set after direct applications close, and it differs for rural and non-rural applicants. There is no minimum on any one subtest.
  • Silence means no. If you have not heard by mid-November, assume your application was not successful.

Academic minimums

  • ATAR 94.3. The minimum for school leavers. A limited ATAR is not recognized.
  • ATAR 85 for rural schools. If you finished Year 12 at a rural or remote high school (MM2 to MM7) under the Rural Bonus Scheme. It goes by the school's address, not your home address.
  • University study. If you will have finished at least one full-time year of a degree by the end of 2026, you are assessed on that instead of your ATAR. TAFE qualifications do not count.
  • Educational Access Scheme. Up to four adjustment points if you have faced educational or other disadvantage.

How offers are decided

Once you are invited, the interview decides your place. UNE's JMP Admission and Selection Policy (in effect since July 2024) says applicants are ranked on the interview stage, with ties sub-ranked on the selection test (the UCAT). The same policy still lists older ATAR minimums, so use the JMP's 2027 figures of 94.3 and 85.

  • ATAR is a gate. You must meet the academic minimum, but the policy ranks on the interview stage, not on ATAR.
  • Rural and non-rural quotas. UNE's policy splits places between rural and non-rural applicants at each university. Quotas also cover Bonded Medical Program and Indigenous places.
  • Offers through UAC. Offers come in January 2027 (8 January). You are offered a place at either Newcastle or UNE, and your preferred location is not guaranteed.
  • Results are provisional. Academic eligibility is confirmed once UAC has all your results. You hear the outcome only in the UAC offer rounds.

Indigenous and rural pathways

The JMP runs several entry schemes, mostly for rural applicants and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants.

Miroma Bunbilla Program (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants)

17 places are set aside each year. You do not sit the UCAT and do not lodge the direct JMP application.

  • Apply. Through UAC, plus the Miroma Bunbilla application form (open 1 August to 31 October 2026). You also confirm your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status with the University of Newcastle.
  • Check the UAC deadline. The JMP's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants page says UAC applications close on 30 September 2026, but its key dates and entry pathways pages say 31 October 2026. UAC's medicine dates page lists 30 September 2026 as the last day for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants to include the JMP as a preference. Aim for 30 September.
  • Assessment week. A day of MSA and PQA testing, and a week of pre-admission activities from 30 November to 4 December 2026.
  • Offers. UAC's December Round 2.

Rural pathways

  • Rural and Remote Admissions Scheme (RRAS). For Australian citizens or permanent residents who have lived in a rural or remote area for 5 years in a row or 10 years in total, with a statement from a rural community leader. You are invited if you meet a lower UCAT threshold. The target is 30% rural students (33 at Newcastle, 18 at UNE).
  • Rural Bonus Scheme. A minimum ATAR of 85 instead of 94.3 if your high school is in an MM2 to MM7 area.
  • Regional Excellence Pathway. Current school leavers who finished Year 12 in the Hunter New England or Central Coast Local Health Districts, live there, and get an ATAR of 99.00 or higher can be offered an interview without the UCAT. Their MSA is in the week of 11 January 2027.
  • Communities Entry List. For residents of the Hunter New England, Central Coast or Mid-North Coast Local Health Districts (5 years in a row or 10 in total). You still sit the UCAT, MSA and PQA.

Other routes

  • Excellence through Equity. Up to 6 places for University of Newcastle enabling students. Current Open Foundation students do not need the UCAT: up to 20 are shortlisted and sit the standard MSA in January 2027. Past Open Foundation, Newstep or Yapug students (within five years) sit the UCAT with a lower threshold and the November to December MSA.
  • Biomedical Science Pathway. For recent Newcastle Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduates who score at or above the lower rural UCAT cut-off.
  • Regional Health Professional Pathway. Up to 10 places for nurses, physiotherapists, paramedics and pharmacists working in the Hunter New England rural footprint.

Dates for 2027 entry

These are the JMP's own key dates. Interstate applicants should read the note below.

  • 30 September 2026. Direct JMP applications and UAC applications close.
  • 31 October 2026. Closing date for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applications to UAC, on the JMP's key dates. UAC and the JMP's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander page say 30 September.
  • Mid-November 2026. Interview invitations emailed (UAC says early November).
  • 30 November to 11 December 2026. MSA in person at Newcastle or UNE for domestic applicants. Miroma Bunbilla runs 30 November to 4 December.
  • 1 December 2026. Last day to add the JMP to your UAC preferences, unless you are applying as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicant (30 September, per UAC).
  • 8 January 2027. UAC releases offers. Excellence through Equity and Regional Excellence MSAs follow in the week of 11 January.

Interstate and non-rural? UAC's medicine dates page says interstate non-rural applicants are assessed in mid-January 2027. Its JMP entry also gives 23 November to 4 December 2026 for NSW, ACT, Queensland and all rural applicants. The JMP's own dates page says neither, so go by the date in your invitation.

How to prepare

  • Prepare for the four qualities. The JMP names them: thriving in its learning environment, deciding under uncertainty, communicating, and your drive to be a doctor. Have a real story for each.
  • Practice deciding without all the facts. Talk through scenarios where there is no clear right answer. Say what you know, what you don't, who you would ask, and what you would do first.
  • Know the region. The JMP is supported by the Hunter New England and Central Coast Local Health Districts, and many of its schemes favor rural and regional applicants. Think about what rural and Aboriginal communities in New South Wales need from doctors.
  • Practice out loud, timed. Eight minutes is longer than it sounds. Practice keeping a calm, clear answer going, then reset in the two-minute break.

Book your travel early. The MSA is only held in Newcastle and Armidale on set dates, so plan the trip as soon as you are invited.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a MMI (in person) station, written for applicants to University of Newcastle and University of New England (Joint Medical Program). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

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. They say it doesn't matter because they plan to work rurally anyway. How do you respond?

Be kind to your friend but clear about honesty and fairness to real rural applicants, and say what you would encourage them to do.

You are a first-year medical student on a rural placement in a small country town. At the local pub on Saturday night, you see your supervising doctor drinking heavily. They are the only doctor on call at the local hospital tomorrow morning. What do you do?

Put patient safety first, explain how you would raise it respectfully, and name who you would go to if it is not resolved.

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. The clinic can't do the surgery he needs. How do you approach this?

Show you understand his reasons, respect his right to decide, and look for practical help that makes the transfer possible.

Medical schools here recruit students from rural backgrounds because they're more likely to go on to practice in the country. Whether you grew up in a city or a small town, how do you plan to contribute to rural health?

Be specific and honest about your own background, and give a realistic plan rather than a promise.

You are working in a regional hospital and discharging an Aboriginal patient who needs ongoing chronic disease management. You could refer them to a local mainstream clinic or to an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service. How would you discuss these options with the patient?

Ask what matters to the patient, explain both options fairly, and let them choose.

You're on a medical student committee deciding who gets a single travel grant for a rural clinical placement. Student A grew up in a remote town and wants to go back and serve their own community. Student B is from a major city, has never been to a rural area, and wants to see whether rural medicine suits them. Who should get the grant, and why?

Weigh both cases out loud, name the criteria you would use, and reach a clear decision you can defend.

Frequently asked questions

Is the JMP interview online or in person?

In person for domestic applicants, at the University of Newcastle (Callaghan) or the University of New England (Armidale). International applicants complete the MSA online.

How many stations are in the JMP MSA?

Six stations, each eight minutes long, with a two-minute break between them. You also sit the online Personal Qualities Assessment on the same day.

Does the JMP use ATAR to rank applicants?

ATAR is a minimum (94.3, or 85 from a rural or remote school, for 2027 entry). UNE's admission policy ranks eligible applicants on the interview stage, with the UCAT used to break ties.

What UCAT score do I need for the JMP?

There is no published score. The cut-off is set after applications close, is lower for rural applicants, and uses only Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning.

Do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants need the UCAT?

No. Applicants through the Miroma Bunbilla Program do not sit the UCAT or lodge the direct JMP application. They apply through UAC, sit a day of MSA and PQA testing, and attend a week of pre-admission activities from 30 November to 4 December 2026.

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.

  1. Joint Medical Program (JMP): Home · read October 23, 2026
  2. Joint Medical Program: How to apply · read October 23, 2026
  3. Joint Medical Program: Selection process · read October 23, 2026
  4. Joint Medical Program: Academic eligibility · read October 23, 2026
  5. Joint Medical Program: Assessment of personal qualities · read October 23, 2026
  6. Joint Medical Program: Applicant Assessment Guide · read October 23, 2026
  7. Joint Medical Program: Key dates · read October 23, 2026
  8. Joint Medical Program: Entry pathways · read October 23, 2026
  9. Joint Medical Program: Rural and remote status assessment · read October 23, 2026
  10. Joint Medical Program: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants · read October 23, 2026
  11. Joint Medical Program: Excellence through Equity Pathway application process · read October 23, 2026
  12. UNE Policy Register: JMP Admission and Selection Policy (current version, effective 5 July 2024) · read October 23, 2026
  13. University of New England: Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine · read October 23, 2026
  14. UAC: Medicine/dentistry/vet key dates and pathways · read October 23, 2026