Free Interview Resources
Free practice questions, preparation advice, and expert insights for Medicine interviews at Oxford.
Real Medicine interview questions in the style Oxford asks. Try answering each one aloud before you reveal the hint.
Why is sugar in your urine a good indicator that you might have diabetes?
Problem-Solving
Hint
Start with what the kidney filters, then ask why glucose is usually recovered rather than excreted.
How many different molecules can be made from six carbon atoms and twelve hydrogen atoms?
Problem-Solving
Hint
Draw possibilities systematically, then check whether two drawings are genuinely different structures or the same molecule rotated.
Interpret the graph showing relative solubility in octanol versus aqueous solution as pH varies.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Focus first on the flat regions, then ask how gaining or losing hydrogen ions could change charge and solubility.
How would you calculate the moles of water inside a glass?
Problem-Solving
Hint
Estimate the volume, convert to mass using water density, then divide by molar mass.
Interpret graphs showing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes being treated with insulin. Start by telling me which graph represents each type.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Think about insulin production, insulin sensitivity and how blood glucose should change after insulin is given.
Tutorial-style interviews with subject-specific problems, often involving unfamiliar material.
Oxford interviews typically take place at the college you applied to. You will usually have two or three interviews of around 20-30 minutes each, sometimes at different colleges if you are pooled. The atmosphere is meant to resemble a tutorial: the interviewer gives you a problem and watches how you reason through it.
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Can you design an experiment to differentiate between a normal strain and a multi-resistant strain of bacteria?
midHint
Think about controls, antibiotic exposure, growth measurement, repeatability and how to avoid overclaiming.
How would you find out the weight of all the blood in a living person?
midHint
Estimate blood volume from body mass or use dilution thinking, then convert volume to mass using density.
Why do a cat's eyes appear to glow in the dark?
entryHint
Begin with how light is detected by photoreceptors and why reflecting light back through the retina might help night vision.
Why do some habitats support higher biodiversity than others?
midHint
Compare high-diversity habitats and separate possible causes: speciation, extinction, energy, climate and ecological niches.
Why do many animals have stripes?
entryHint
List possible functions first, such as camouflage, warning signals, mimicry, communication and development.
Describe what happens when a neuron is excited and an action potential follows.
midHint
Explain resting potential, depolarisation, ion-channel opening and restoration of membrane potential in sequence.
Why do we have red blood cells?
entryHint
Start with oxygen transport, then ask why a specialised cell is better than oxygen simply dissolving in plasma.
Tell us about a medical topic you've been reading about.
entryHint
Choose one topic you genuinely know, explain what interested you, then describe a question you would investigate next.
What did you learn from your work experience that changed how you think about being a doctor?
entryHint
Use a specific observation, explain what it showed about medicine, and reflect on your own suitability.
Why do you want to study Medicine at Oxford rather than a more clinically integrated course elsewhere?
midHint
Connect your answer to Oxford's pre-clinical/clinical split, tutorials, research project and your own learning style.
Is it easier for organisms to live in the sea or on land?
midHint
Define 'easier' before answering: energy cost, support, reproduction, predation, desiccation, salinity and sensory demands could all matter.
Discuss the problems and possible solutions associated with noise in hospitals.
midHint
Think about patients, staff, sleep, safety alarms, ward design and how you would test whether a solution works.
If you could save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose?
midHint
Avoid treating it as taste; compare biodiversity, human dependence, ecosystem services, reversibility and climate vulnerability.
What is your view on an opt-out organ donation policy, and what evidence or principles would affect your view?
hardHint
Balance autonomy, consent, public benefit, trust, equity and the practical evidence on donation rates.
12+ weeks
8-12 weeks
4-6 weeks
1-2 weeks
the week of
Oxford Medicine interviews use a traditional panel format but increasingly test the skills assessed by MMIs elsewhere: ethical reasoning, communication, empathy, and the ability to think under pressure about unfamiliar clinical and moral scenarios.
Q1. A 14-year-old patient asks you not to tell their parents about a health concern. What do you do?
How to approach this: This tests your understanding of Gillick competence and patient confidentiality. Assess whether the patient is competent to make decisions. Balance the duty of confidentiality against safeguarding obligations. Explain that your answer depends on the nature of the concern (routine vs. safeguarding risk) and demonstrate you can navigate the tension between patient autonomy and duty of care.
Q2. Should the NHS fund expensive treatments that extend life by a few months?
How to approach this: Engage with the ethical tension between individual patient benefit and population-level resource allocation. Reference the concept of QALYs and NICE thresholds without being formulaic. Consider different perspectives: the patient, the clinician, the taxpayer. Acknowledge that "a few months" may have immense value to the individual, and avoid a purely utilitarian answer.
Q3. Look at this graph showing antibiotic resistance trends. What can you infer, and what would you recommend?
How to approach this: This tests data interpretation and scientific reasoning. Describe the trend before interpreting it. Consider what is driving resistance (overprescription, agricultural use, poor adherence). Propose multi-level solutions: prescriber education, rapid diagnostic tests, antibiotic stewardship programmes, and investment in new drug development. Demonstrate you can move from data to policy.
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Book Mock Interview →Watch & Learn
Official mock interview for Oxford A100 Medicine showing the style of discussion.
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Further Reading
by Paul Kalanithi
Encourages reflection on the human and professional dimensions of Medicine.
by Henry Marsh
Good for realistic reflection on clinical decision-making, uncertainty and responsibility.
by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Supports discussion of cancer biology, research history and the relationship between science and medicine.
by Ed Yong
Useful for microbiome, infection, symbiosis and systems-thinking discussions.
by University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
Directly relevant official reading suggestions for Oxford Medicine applicants.
by University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
Explains shortlisting, interviews and decision-making for A100.
by UCAT Consortium
Official UCAT practice should be the baseline before paid resources.
by University of Oxford
Shows how Oxford tutors explain the purpose of academic interview questions.
by General Medical Council
Useful for grounding ethics, professionalism and Fitness to Practise discussions.