Never done an MMI? Start here.
You don't need to revise for this. Read the next two minutes, then run one station and let the feedback do the teaching.
What an MMI actually is
Most UK medical and dental schools interview by MMI — a Multiple Mini Interview. Instead of one long panel, you move through a circuit of 6–10 short “stations”, each around 5–8 minutes, each with its own interviewer and its own topic: ethics, communication, motivation, a role-play, teamwork, an NHS issue, and so on.
You get a short prompt, a minute to think, then you talk. There are no trick questions and rarely a single “right” answer — they want to hear how you think, not whether you memorised a fact.
A practice station here is one of those: a scenario and four linked questions. A circuit is several stations back to back, like the real thing.
What you're scored on
Every answer you give here is marked out of 10 on the same five things a real panel looks for:
Structure
Does your answer have a clear shape — a beginning, a couple of distinct points, a conclusion — rather than one long ramble?
Content
Are your points accurate and relevant? Do you show you actually understand the issue, not just vibes?
Communication
Are you clear, calm and easy to follow? Would a nervous patient feel listened to?
Relevance
Do you answer the question that was asked, and stay on it?
Depth
Do you see more than one side? Can you weigh things up instead of giving a flat, one-line take?
What a strong answer looks like
The question
“Why do you want to study medicine?”
Notice this isn't a polished speech. It's clear, honest, and built from real experience. The notes on the right are what an examiner is thinking.
I want to study medicine because it sits exactly where my two strongest interests meet: understanding how the body works, and working closely with people.
↳ Opens with a clear, direct answer — no waffle.
Volunteering on a stroke rehab ward for a year showed me what that actually looks like day to day. I saw how much the small, human parts of care — explaining things without jargon, sitting with someone who was frightened — mattered to patients alongside the clinical treatment.
↳ Specific evidence, not a generic claim. Shows reflection on real experience.
It also gave me a realistic picture of the hard parts: slow progress, emotional weight, long hours. Knowing that hasn't put me off — if anything it made the choice feel more considered.
↳ Acknowledges the downsides — this is depth. A one-sided 'I just love helping people' answer scores lower.
So my motivation isn't one dramatic moment. It's a steady pull towards a job that's intellectually demanding and fundamentally about people, and experience that has tested that rather than just confirmed it.
↳ Short conclusion that ties back to the opening. Clean structure.
That's the whole idea. Now try one.
Your first free station is Motivation for Medicine — the same question you just read, plus three follow-ups. Untimed, typed, no card.
Start my free station →