Medicine at University of Leeds Medical School & Interview Questions 2024
Overview of University of Leeds Medical School
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The University of Leeds, established in 1904, is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, renowned globally for the quality of its teaching and research. Its strong academic expertise combined with the breadth of disciplines provides a wealth of opportunities, and has a real cultural, economic and societal impact on the world. Leeds University Medicine MBChB course is one of the most competitive in the UK and is recognised for the quality of its teaching and assessment.
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Leeds Medicine Course Structure
Leeds school of medicine strong partnerships with the major Leeds teaching hospitals, regional general hospitals, general practices, hospices and private organisations provide our students with early clinical experience across primary care, hospital care and the wider community. Years one and two While on placement in a general practice in years one and two, you will work with voluntary groups close to your practice – helping you learn the importance of the voluntary sector as potential partners in healthcare delivery. Year three In year three students will integrate their clinical skills and knowledge by undertaking five junior clinical placements, each lasting five weeks. Year four In year four you undertake a further five clinical placements lasting six weeks in each specialty. Year five As a year five MBChB student you will participate in a mandatory series of clinical placements with a strong focus on transition to early postgraduate practice.
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Leeds Medicine Entry Requirements
GCSE
Six 5-9s (B-A*) including Chemistry and Biology (or Dual Science/Double Science), English Language and Mathematics.
A Levels
AAA
Must include chemistry or biology. If Chemistry is not offered then Biology must be offered with either Physics or Maths.
IB
36 points
Including 6 in 3 subjects at higher level, one of which must be chemistry. Two subjects from biology, maths and physics must also be offered at higher or standard level if not offered at GCSE. English must be offered with a mark of at least 5 at standard level if not offered at GCSE.
Scottish Higher
AAAAB at higher level, including biology
Scottish Advanced
AB at Advanced Higher, including A in chemistry
Degree (Graduates)
2:1 Honours degree in a science or medically related degree If chemistry not offered at grade B at A-level there must be equivalent chemistry within the degree offered.
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Leeds University Medicine Admission Tests
UCAT
Yes
Leeds Medical School will require the UCAT for 2024 Entry - this is their latest update and a change in 2023.
This means that anyone sitting their entrance exams in 2023 - will need to sit the UCAT and not the BMAT for entry to Leeds.
How Does Leeds Medical School Look At The UCAT?
Leeds Medical School will require the UCAT for 2024 & 2025 Entry - this was changed in 2023.
This means that anyone sitting their UCAT entrance exams in 2024- will need to sit the UCAT and not the BMAT for entry to Leeds.
There is no known UCAT Cut Off Score for Leeds Medical School - this will only be known retrospectively (ie later in 2024).
Leeds Medicine Application Statistics [International]
2024 Entry: 339 Applicants, 32 Interviews, 12 Offers
2023 Entry: 576 Applicants, 16 Interviews, 7 Offers
2022 Entry: 574 Applicants, NA Interviews, 17 Offers
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👉🏼 Latest UCAT Cut Off Scores Per Medical School (Updated for 2024 Entry)
👉🏼 Where to apply with a low UCAT score in 2024 (2025 Entry)
BMAT
No - For 2024 Entry the BMAT is no longer needed to study medicine at Leeds University.
** PLEASE NOTE: For 2024 Entry for Medicine at Leeds - the BMAT will not be used. Instead, the UCAT will be used **
How Did Leeds Medical School Look At The BMAT (2023 Entry and prior)?
The BMAT replaced the UCAT in the Leeds Application Process in 2014. However for 2024 entry this has since been changed back to the UCAT.
There is no BMAT cutoff at Leeds for Medicine 2022 entry.
There is greater weighting on the first two sections of the BMAT
BMAT scores are viewed in combination with the applicants’ overall academic achievements against the rest of the cohort applying that year, therefore there is no specific minimum BMAT score required.
It is used with the overall application and then candidates are invited to interview.
The average BMAT score for Leeds is 4.1 in sections 1 and 2.
GAMSAT
No
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Course Information
Graduate Entry
No
Intercalation
Optional
University of Leeds Medical School offers a BSc year, usually after year 2, 3 or 4 of the MBChB. Half of the students intercalate.
Applications : Place
Application Statistics (Home)
10.3
Application Statistics (International)
NA
Applications : Interview
3.7
24
International Student Tuition Fee
The international student fee per year is £44000
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Work Experience at Leeds Medicine
Many applicants gain insight through work experience, voluntary work, part-time employment or organised community schemes. Activities connected to or independent of the school are given equal merit. Leeds Medical School understand that it can be difficult to get work experience at a hospital or GP surgery, but work experience in a care setting such as at hospices or homes for the elderly, or anywhere clinical care is delivered e.g. community pharmacy, chiropodists etc., is also acceptable.
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Personal Statement for Leeds University Medicine
Not assessed, but used at interview as an opportunity to demonstrate your motivation and enthusiasm to study medicine.
👉🏼 Ultimate Medicine Personal Statement Guide 2024
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Does This Medical School Have A Gateway or Foundation Year?
Website
Description
This is a new foundation course for students from widening participation backgrounds. There is automatic progression to the full Leeds medicine course as long as certain requirements are met.
Criteria
Foundation Year Medicine Leeds Entry Requirements:
A level: BBC including Chemistry or Biology at B grade. Physics or Maths must also be offered if Chemistry is not taken.
GCSE: A minimum of 6 GSCEs at grade C 4 or above will be required in Maths, English Language, Biology and Chemistry or Dual Science.
BMAT: Required
UCAT: Not Required
Contact Leeds for their widening access criteria which must be met. Their "Access to Leeds" criteria is listed below:
You will be eligible for Access to Leeds if you are a UK student and you meet two of the following six criteria:
You are from a household with an annual income of £25,000 or below or in receipt of 16-19 Bursary Fund or Discretionary Learner Support with an income threshold of £25,000 or in receipt of free school meals during your GCSE studies.
You are the first generation of your immediate family to go to university.
You attended a school achieving below the national average at GCSE.
Your studies have been disrupted by circumstances in your personal, social or domestic life.
You live in an area with low progression to higher education (see our online postcode checker).
You live or grew up in public care.
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Leeds Medicine Interview Questions 2024
Key Details
MMI Interview
8 stations
7 minutes each, 1 minute of preparation time.
Interview Dates
Leeds medical school normally send Invitations to interview in batches from December. Results released from January onwards
Key Aspects
🎓 Leeds Medicine Interview Questions & Topics 2024
Leeds medical school have stated that you are likely to be asked about your work experience and knowledge about the profession at the interview.
There are a number of topics that are more likely to come up at the University of Leeds Medical School MMI Interview, which can be derived from past Leeds MMI stations, including:
Discuss the BMAT Section 3 essay
General/Personal Statement Station
Personal qualities & insight
Role play Station
Motivation & Insight into Medicine
Ethical Dilemma
❓ Leeds Medical Interview Past Questions 2024 & Likely Topics
Please find below a list of suggested questions that could come up at your interview this year, created by our team to help guide your preparation.
Motivation to study medicine
Why medicine?
Why Leeds?
What did you learn from your work experience?
Have you ever doubted whether you want to do medicine?
What qualities of a doctor did you see from your work experience?
What do you know about the Leeds Medicine course? How is it taught?
Why do you think you will be well suited to this course?
Why medicine and not dentistry or nursing?
Tell us about your volunteering
What are your hobbies?
What do you understand about what a career in medicine entails? How will the Leeds course help you towards this?
What are the negatives of a career in medicine? How did you overcome these thoughts?
Personal Insight
Why should patients trust you?
What are your best qualities?
How do you manage stress?
Can you provide us with an example of a time when you demonstrated resilience?
Give us an example of a time when you demonstrated teamwork.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
How would your friends describe you?
Tell us about an article that you have recently read.
NHS & Local Area
What changes would you make to the NHS if you could?
What are the NHS values and why are they important?
What is it like to be a doctor?
How do you deal with overpopulation?
What do you know about the local area here in Leeds?
What are the main challenges that face the NHS?
How has COVID changed the way the NHS operates?
What do you think are going to be the long-term consequences of COVID on the NHS?
How does the healthcare system differ here compared to other areas in the UK?
Ethical Scenarios
Understanding of the four ethical principles
Understanding of the GMC’s good medical practice
What is the debate surrounding euthanasia, should it be legalised?
Who would you give this organ to? [Prioritisation]
If you notice that a colleague has turned up to work drunk, what would you do?
Who can you escalate concerns to within a hospital?
Should doctors be paid to go to pharmaceutical conferences?
Other Stations
Tell us about your BMAT essay
Role play: breaking bad news
Describe how you would communicate with a patient who is worried about an upcoming surgery.
Role play: explain to someone how to draw this picture
Role play: substance abuse
Role play: demonstrating empathy for health conditions or grief
Understanding of communication techniques needed for different people
Data interpretation: draw this graph
Talk us through this article
Analysis of a newspaper article about medical news, what are your thoughts on it
🗣️ Leeds Medicine Interview Tips 2024
Leeds Medicine Interview Article Analysis - it is fundamental that you spend time practising and researching articles that they could give you. There is no excuse not to. You must learn everything about it, critically analyse the article and work out its strengths and weaknesses. Make sure that you know how to apply the four medical principles to this article. What are the implications of this article on the NHS or how doctors may act? These are aspects that you can consider commenting upon.
Expect follow-up questions - this is especially true for the questions in the article, and less so for the personal questions. As such, we would recommend keeping your answers short, at a maximum of 2 minutes to allow them to ask the questions that they must ask so that you can score full marks.
BMAT Essay - Once you have completed your BMAT examination, note down the key points made in your section three essay so that you can annotate and elaborate on these, during the interview. One of the stations often involves a discussion of your BMAT essay.
Have examples ready to use: many of the questions asked at Leeds are example-based, ie, they require you to draw on certain examples from your personal life, medical work experience and medical volunteering to help make key points that the selectors are looking for. As such, it is paramount that you spend time learning about these examples and thinking about different scenarios that you can use at the interview. It is helpful if these scenarios are malleable and can be applied to a number of different questions e.g. being a football captain, deputy head girl or playing in the school orchestra.
Personal Attributes - Leeds is very likely to ask you about personal attributes during the MMI interview. As such it is paramount that you go through and learn these. Leeds has repeatedly focussed on your strengths and weaknesses as a person, so make sure that you have suitable examples for this. Check out our 200+ interview question and answer guide for dealing with such interview questions.
Know the doctor training pathway: this is useful to mention in answers to show awareness about the career in medicine - and demonstrates that you have a considered approach, fortunately, we have a guide to the NHS and the doctor’s training pathway.
Read the MMI instructions carefully - you get enough time to read the instructions provided before the MMI station. Make sure that you don’t miss anything from this. Try and plan how you will structure your answer thereafter in the reading time that you get. Therefore it is really important that you practice MMI questions and ensure that you think about your structure for as many questions as possible before your interview.
MMI Stations - remember that each MMI station at Leeds is independent of the other. Therefore it is paramount that you try to treat them as such, if you have a bad station, try to forget about it and reset for the next station, this gives you the best chance of scoring well overall. Read our ultimate guide to preparing for medicine MMIs here.
Manage perceptions - As with any interview, it is all about managing the interviewer’s perception of you and painting yourself in the best light possible. The MMI process means that you must impress a larger number of people over a shorter time period. The key to managing this form of interview is to ensure that your focus remains on the current station, rather than previous ones (which may or may not have gone as well as expected). There are two minutes between stations, in which to read the instructions/task and to refocus before the interview begins.
Know the Leeds Course - we would always recommend doing this for every university that you plan to apply to. It is paramount that you know about the different topics covered each year. How does this differ from other universities? What is their policy on intercalation? Have you any idea about what you would plan to intercalate in at Leeds? Remember there is very early clinical exposure at Leeds - this can be an advantage!
Know the local area - Leeds is a diverse region of England, with a number of local factors and diseases that differentiate the Leeds region from the rest of the UK. Ensure that you research both communicable and non-communicable diseases in the area. How might this impact healthcare provision in the area?
Reflect Well - the Leeds Medicine selectors love reflection, make sure that you are good at not just stating what you have learnt, but also how this helped and what you benefitted from, and what you will carry forward about this at medical school and in clinical medicine. This is especially true when reflecting on your medical work experience during the medicine interview.
Practice Role Plays: Role plays are unique to medicine MMI interviews as they do not tend to occur in panel interviews. The only way to ace these stations is to practice! There are so many different medicine role-play scenarios that can come up, such as breaking bad news in the medicine interview, it is paramount that you read about tips for answering role-play scenarios and practice MMI calculation stations. You might want to also consider practising this with a medicine interview tutor, or booking a 1-1 online mock interview.
Don’t over-rehearse - this is a common theme amongst interview students and is very obvious to a trained examiner. As such, we would recommend focusing on the structure of your answer, and then naturally letting it flow when speaking to the answers, concentrating on the delivery of your interview answers. Read about our top tips for medicine interviews here. If you are struggling with this, consider booking sessions with an expert medicine interview tutor.
Learn about the non-academic societies at Leeds - this is really important and might augment your Why Medicine question as well as help you formulate an answer to how you will contribute to life at Leeds University. Spend time on their website, or looking at their Instagram for ideas about societies that you could think about joining.
Learn Medical Ethics & NHS Hot Topics - it is extremely likely that you will be asked about medical ethics at a medicine interview at Leeds, so there is no excuse not to brush up on your knowledge on these topics, especially the four pillars of medical ethics. Learn how to provide a balanced argument on this. Check out some of our free articles on NHS Hot Topics here. It is good if you have an opinion on them, as long as you present a balanced and well-reasoned argument, ultimately, which side you choose does not matter, but is helpful to have. Check out our bank of 200+ medicine interview questions.
Learn the NHS Core Values - This can be drawn into different answers about personal qualities or qualities of a doctor, which has formed a feature of stations in the past, and a good understanding of these core values will help you stand out against others. It is important to know about the NHS in general for your medical interviews - read our article here on this.
Good Medical Practice - Leeds also puts emphasis on knowing the values and qualities of a good doctor, which can be found in this document and are likely to come up at the interview in the MMI stations. This is universal to many universities, and something that we always recommend students cover during their medicine interview preparation.
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Contact Details
Leeds Institute of Medical Education
Room 7.09
Wosley Building
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT
Tel: 0113 343 7234
Email: ugmadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Website: www.leeds.ac.uk/medicine
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