Medicine interview candidate information - 2024 entry

Uploading consent forms and documentation

• You must complete your consent form and upload your GCSE or equivalent certificates to your portal; along with A levels or equivalent, and degree or equivalent, if appropriate. If you do not have the certificates to hand, you should contact your school and/or exam board. We will accept a reissued Certificate of Results if that is all that the exam board will provide.
• Do not start completing the tab until you have your certificates available, and please note that, once you have submitted your form, you will not be able to go back into it and add information or further certificates later. (You can always email missing certificates to medoffice@le.ac.uk subsequently.)

To upload you will need to register on MyStudentRecord as a new user and follow the instructions to sign up for an account:

You can find your student number in the body of your confirmation email. This is sent from study@le.ac.uk, when the University received your application. 

Click my applications and select Medicine MBChB.

You will then see four tabs but you only need to complete the 'consent and declaration tab' and complete the form.  

Please do not click into any of the other tabs as we will not be monitoring those (i.e. documents, request deferral, change course, withdraw application).

You must upload certificates for all your completed qualifications that have UCAS tariff points such as music, drama, and dance. *.bmp, *.gif, *.jpeg, *.jpg, *.pdf file extensions are valid. The maximum file size is 5mb per document, please ensure any documents uploaded are not more than this. You can check the file size of your document by right-clicking on the image and selecting 'properties'.

Please save all that apply to you in terms of completed qualifications from GCSE, A-level, Degree, or international equivalent via the relevant buttons. 

Once you have saved all your certificates in this manner, you can then upload:

Use the back button once you have uploaded all your documents to return to your application. If you have any technical issues when uploading your documents, please email applicationhelp@le.ac.uk. For all other enquiries please contact Medoffice@le.ac.uk. 

Marks may be deducted if instructions are not followed correctly.

Remember, you have signed a declaration that you will not record or disseminate information from your interview.  It would potentially be detrimental to you to help other candidates; and if we became aware of information having been spread around, this could be considered a probity issue requiring referral to our Fitness to Practice panel.

Please also note that moderators/observers may join stations and listen in.

Adjustments

• If you have a specific learning difficulty where you are granted extra time in exams, or feel you will need any other adjustments, then to request these you need to contact medoffice@le.ac.uk. We aim to make reasonable adjustments as if you were on the course. There will be instructions to read for all the stations and further documents to read in some stations, you will also need to be able to hear questions asked in a normal conversational tone and give your replies within the time allotted.

Information session with students

• You can attend an online session with one of our current students on the following dates. Please choose a date close to your MMI interview. All times are GMT.
  • Wednesday 6 December, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Friday 8 December, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Tuesday 12 December, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Wednesday 3 January, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Friday 5 January, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Tuesday 9 January, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Tuesday 23 January, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Wednesday 7 February, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Friday 9 February, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  • Tuesday 13 February, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
  The students will be able to answer your queries about the medical school, give general interview advice and, if you are attending an online interview, you will also get the opportunity to test out the platform (Blackboard Collaborate) that we will be using.

Medicine at Leicester video

• Parents’ talk: for those attending a face-to-face interview, there will the opportunity for anyone accompanying you to attend a talk given by a member of staff. If you come alone or are an overseas candidate being interviewed online, then you can choose to share this 'studying at Leicester' talk with them instead.

Browse more course and curriculum information.

Be prepared

Read, read and read the instructions for MMI so you know what to expect and how it will run. Please make sure that you have your photographic ID with you. You may bring a notepad and pencil with you, though you will be asked to leave any notes behind.

Practice questions

If possible, try and have a practice couple of interview questions with a teacher or sensible adult to give you feedback on your performance. Practice really does help with performance and nerves. Make sure you are well fed and watered and get a good night's sleep so you are in best condition to perform well.

First impressions matter

Be polite and courteous at all times. Ensure you are dressed smartly and professionally. “Dress like you would like to see your Doctor dressed”.

Be aware of body language

Don’t be too fidgety and try to stay natural. It is ok to smile. Try and maintain eye contact.

Take your time

Try not to rush your answers. Speak clearly, and concisely and explain your reasoning and thoughts. A good trick is to ask the interviewer to repeat the question whilst you think about the answer, if you prefer not to sit in silence.

Always answer the question you have been asked

When under pressure or you have rehearsed too much, it can be easy to not answer the question being asked and maybe use a response you have prepared ‘more or less’ on that topic. Listen carefully and read all instructions so you know exactly what is being asked of you. We are not expecting you to know anything about medicine yet. That is why you are applying to medical school.

If you have a bad station, continue

Remember, every station is considered independently so if a station hasn’t gone as well as you may have hoped, park it and move on. Usually, it hasn’t gone as bad you think, and you don’t want it to affect the performance on your other stations. Keep your enthusiasm up throughout.

Be yourself

We want to know more about you, your goals and aspirations and your achievements. We don’t want you to be all the same – so be yourself and make your aim showing us the best of you. You have worked hard to get to this point.

Enjoy it and good luck!

Accommodation

If you wish to stay the night before or after, we have agreed a special price at the University's College Court which is an easy 30-minute walk away and has car parking on site. Please email conferences@leicester.ac.uk and quote the reference CCMED2024. (Special room rate of £32.00 + VAT on a bed and breakfast basis for single occupancy (double occupancy is an additional £21.00 + VAT per night)).

There are also a variety of other accommodation options in the city centre itself.

Getting to the George Davies Centre

If you are arriving by car, parking at the University is in our multi-storey car park (LE2 7TF). Full details of car park prices can be found on our website. George Davis Centre is about a 15-minute walk from the car park.

If you're arriving by train, the George Davis Centre is about a 15-minute walk from the train station, located on London Road.

If you are a blue badge holder or require accessible parking, please get in touch with us at study@le.ac.uk and we'll make sure you have access to suitable parking.

How to find the George Davies Centre

On the day

Please report to the George Davis Centre (GDC) reception in plenty of time, where you will be met by a member of our team. As it is a secure building, you may be asked to provide a form of photo ID upon arrival.

You will be taken to a room with the other candidates being interviewed that morning/afternoon, where you will have a welcome talk and your photo ID will be checked.

You may keep a reusable bottle of water with you; along with a notepad and pencil if you wish. You will be asked to leave your mobile phone in a secure room.

Half of you will then go on a campus tour with one of our current students, where you will have the opportunity to talk to them about the course, plus see some of the facilities (teaching permitting). You will then have your multiple-mini interview.

The other half of you will do your interview, then have a tour.

The multiple-mini-interview will consist of 7 stations, each taking about 10 minutes. All the timings will be done for you. Each station will have clear instructions outside which you will get time to read. One station will be a simple numeracy station, where you will not require any medical knowledge, nor need a calculator.

If you are entitled to extra time then you will be given time to read any written material before the start of the interview; and will sit the numeracy station separately with extra time. Otherwise, the interview itself will be of standard duration.

Accompanying visitors

You may bring one person with you. They can wait in the GDC café where there will be free WiFi available; or they may choose to explore the campus. Attenborough Arts Centre is across the road, the Queens Road shopping area is across Victoria Park; or they may wish to visit the city centre including Highcross, The Lanes and the Richard III Centre.

What to do in advance

1. Ensure you will have access to the following:
   • a device with good internet connection, a camera* and microphone
   • Google Chrome web browser (or Safari if iPhone or iPad but Chrome for Mac computers and laptops)
   • A room where you will be undisturbed
     
     *your camera must be on for the duration of the interview.
     You may wish to consult with your School about this if using their technology, as some School’s firewalls will not permit the use of Blackboard Collaborate.


2. Please make sure you've read this section in full, and have watched the video to learn about Blackboard Collaborate and more about the interviews.

What will happen on the day

1. Make sure that any other audio using sites e.g. Zoom or YouTube on your device are turned off.
2. Do not have any devices that may cause interference nearby. Bluetooth ear phones do not seem to work well.
3. You will receive an email with a link to join the interview. Copy the link in your email and paste into your browser. If you will be using a Microsoft PC or laptop, you should use Google Chrome as the browser to access your interview. If you are using an Apple device, such as iPad or iPhone you will need to use Safari, for a Mac you will need to use Google Chrome.
4. You will be taken to the Collaborate site and asked to enter your surname and UCAS ID. Please follow the instructions in your interview letter for the correct format to use.
5. You will need to turn on your audio and agree to share your video.
6. You will enter a Welcome Room where there will be other candidates. Depending on your bandwidth you may need to turn off your audio/video in this room (remember in all other rooms they must be on). We will give you a briefing and check your camera and microphone are working.
7. If there are issues the best option is to log out and in again.
8. If you are still struggling to access your camera and microphone try the following:
   
   a) You will see a camera symbol at the end of the URL, click on this symbol to allow access to your camera. Select allow.
   
   
   
   b) If that does not work click on the padlock symbol at the start of the URL and give permission there.
   
   or c)
   
   Whilst in Blackboard select the icon on the bottom right hand side of the screen.
   
   This will open the following ribbon:
   
   
   
   Click on the settings cog wheel.
   
   The following pop up will appear, you need to click on the camera and mic icon.
   
   
   
   Once you have done that the following will pop up:
   
   
   
   Please select the correct device from the drop down option
9. If these measures do not work try another device.
10. You may want to adjust your audio settings through settings cogwheel.
11. We will take control of moving you from room to room. As a participant there are limited things you can do.
12. There will be 6 stations. Each will be given a different room name e.g. station 1, station 2 etc. You will be automatically moved to the next station at the end of each station.
13. When you are being moved into your first room the screen will tell you where you are going. The first time you are moved can be a bit unnerving.
14. On entering the room the examiner will say hello and confirm your name. They will then show you the instructions for that station. You will have 1 minute to read them. You will then complete the station which will last a total of 7 minutes. Some of the stations may be split into a task. e.g. reading and then questions; or watching a video then questions. The examiner will keep time, though time alerts will be posted on the chat.
15. The interviewer will put up any files, but you are able to alter the size of the font and scroll up and down yourself (see video).
16. At the end of the 7 minutes the interviewer will stop and complete their marking. Whilst they are doing this please sit in silence. They will show the instructions again ready for the next candidate. We will then move you to the next room. Again the first time this happens it can be a bit unnerving.
17. At the end of the cycle you will usually leave the circuit from the last station unless you have to redo a station in which case we will take you back to the waiting room and sort this out. If you need to redo more than one station we will re-arrange your interview time.
18. To leave go to the 3 horizontal lines top left and then at bottom ‘leave session’.
19. You will then be given a separate link to join a room for a numeracy station (a seventh station). In the station you will be given information about accessing the answer sheet. This will be invigilated so you will need to keep your camera on. You will not need any medical knowledge, nor any calculators for this short station.

Top tips

Check your technology

If you have concerns about either your technology or being able to ensure a quiet, undisturbed environment at home we would encourage you to approach your school/college if applicable to support you in providing this.

Check your connectivity

Do ensure you have a good internet connection. Where possible, try and use a device that is plugged into the internet (with an Ethernet cable), as opposed to a wireless device.

First impressions matter

Try and remove any distractions from the background and keep it as simple as you are able to.

Be aware of body language

It may be worth filming yourself practising to see how you come across. Try and maintain eye contact by looking into the camera.

Be prepared

Read, read and read the instructions for MMI so you know what to expect and how it will run. Please make sure that you have your photographic ID with you. You may use a notepad and pencil to take notes, though we ask you destroy these after.

We would be very grateful if you take the time to provide us with some anonymous feedback. The link to the questionnaire will be in your attendance confirmation email which you will receive after the interview.

Offers will be made once all the interviews have been conducted. These will go out in batches, starting in mid-March. Then we will see how many people accept our offer. This determines how many more offers we can make, and so the process will go on up to the UCAS deadline for decisions of 16 May.

We will be holding Offer Holder Days in the spring, and these will give offer holders the opportunity to meet other offer holders, visit the dissection room and experience a lecture and some group work; as well as visit accommodation options and see the city.

As we approach the UCAS deadline for decisions date, anyone without a decision will be contacted, as we may need to run a waiting list. All of this is due to the strict Government enforced cap on our numbers.

In the meantime if you are interested you may wish to sign up to some of the online events we are running; browse our outreach programme of events.