University of Cambridge
Cambridge's standard Medicine course is a six-year programme with three pre-clinical years of medical sciences — the third year a specialised Part II study for a BA — followed by three clinical years. Teaching combines lectures and practicals with the college supervision system, where students discuss work in very small groups. Applications are made through a college, and interviews are arranged by colleges. Applicants must take the UCAT.
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The interview
Most applicants have one or two interviews, usually totalling around 35 minutes to an hour, with two or three interviewers. For 2027 entry, Medicine interviews are held in person at most colleges, with exceptions depending on the college and the applicant's location. Some colleges send material to read before the interview. Interviews are subject-focused: applying scientific knowledge to new problems, discussing personal statement topics, and exploring vocational aspects of medicine.
What they look for
- Understanding of your subjects and readiness to study at a high academic level.
- Capacity for critical and independent thinking.
- Intellectual flexibility and enthusiasm when faced with new ideas.
- Motivation for medicine and awareness of its vocational demands.
- Ability to engage with and build on the interviewers' prompts.
Typical question themes
- Applying A-level biology and chemistry to physiological problems
- Interpreting data or a short scientific passage
- Topics raised in your personal statement
- Recent developments in science or medicine
- Ethical and vocational discussion
Values you'll see
- Academic excellence and curiosity
- Small-group learning (the supervision system)
- Scientific foundations for clinical practice
How to prepare
- Know your personal statement thoroughly and be ready to go deeper on anything you mention.
- Practise applying A-level content to questions framed in unfamiliar ways.
- If you receive pre-interview reading, annotate it and prepare questions about it.
- Check your college's interview arrangements carefully — they vary.
- Practise thinking aloud and welcoming correction.
Practise for University of Cambridge
- Roughly how many times will your heart beat in your lifetime?
- We can live perfectly well with one kidney. So why do we have two?
- Why are most cells so small? Can you think of any exceptions, and how do they cope?
- Is a virus alive?
- Why do people become breathless when they climb a high mountain? How does the body adapt if they stay there?
- Elephants have far more cells than humans, yet they don't seem to get cancer more often. Why might that be surprising, and how might you explain it?