2026 entry · Medicine interview
University of Aberdeen
Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) · format, dates and preparation
At a glance: That matches the average UK MMI station count (6).
Each station is shorter than the 7-minute UK average: practise being concise and getting to the point fast.
Interview timeline
When are University of Aberdeen medicine interviews?
| Invitations released | November to December |
|---|---|
| Interviews held | From mid-December, running to March |
| Delivery | In person (Suttie Centre, Foresterhill) |
Aberdeen states there are no alternative dates beyond those allocated, so plan to attend your assigned slot.
How interview waves work
Interview invitations are not sent in one batch. Schools release them in waves across the cycle, so the date you hear back depends as much on when your application was processed as on how strong it is.
- Most invitations go out in waves from November to January, with interviews held between late November and March.
- A quiet December does not mean a rejection. Later waves are normal, and some schools (Southampton, King's, Brunel) run well into the new year or beyond.
- When an invitation arrives you usually have to respond fast, often within two weeks, or the place is released.
- A handful of schools interview early: St George's from November, Oxford and Aberdeen in mid-December.
What changes year to year
The biggest change year to year is delivery mode. Many schools moved online during the pandemic; some have stayed online (Bristol, Glasgow, Keele, Nottingham, Plymouth, Aston), while others returned in person (Aberdeen, Leeds, Anglia Ruskin, St George's). Exact calendar dates move by a few weeks each cycle, but the month-level windows below have stayed stable.
Cross-checked for 2026 entry. Windows are month-level and describe the most recent (2026-entry) cycle. Exact dates shift by a few weeks each year and are confirmed only in a candidate's official invitation email. Always treat the invitation as the source of truth. University of Aberdeen: official interview page (2026 entry)
Assessment focus
What University of Aberdeen looks for
Real experiences
What applicants actually say about the University of Aberdeen interview
Gathered from applicant forums, weighted by how many independent sources agree. These are unverified community reports, not official university information, and can shift between cycles.
6 insights · 1 widely reported
Aberdeen runs two very different admissions bars for Scottish versus rest-of-UK applicants: crowd-tracked 2025-entry UCAT invite levels sat around 2310 for Scottish applicants versus roughly 2690 for RUK, and in 2022 entry 48 percent of Scottish applicants got an interview against only 15 percent of RUK applicants, reflecting a tiny RUK quota (around 19-25 places versus 250+ for Scottish candidates).
Widely reported · 3 sources(spans several cycles)
Aberdeen runs two very different admissions bars for Scottish versus rest-of-UK applicants: crowd-tracked 2025-entry UCAT invite levels sat around 2310 for Scottish applicants versus roughly 2690 for RUK, and in 2022 entry 48 percent of Scottish applicants got an interview against only 15 percent of RUK applicants, reflecting a tiny RUK quota (around 19-25 places versus 250+ for Scottish candidates).
"2025 Entry showing 2310 for Scottish applicants, 2690 for RUK, and 2640 for International applicants (paraphrase from search aggregation)"
TSR thread 'Aberdeen scoring system? Ucat cut off?'"1226 Scottish students applied with 587 (48%) interviewed; 543 RUK students applied but only 80 (15%) were invited to interview, for 2022 entry (paraphrase from search aggregation)"
TSR official A100 2024/2025 entry applicant threads"quota breakdown discussion: 254 places for Scottish candidates, 25 for RUK/ROI, 19 international for 2023 intake (paraphrase)"
TSR official A100 2023 entry applicant/offer holder threadThe widening-access Gateway to Medicine route has a noticeably shorter and different interview than standard A100: three stations of five minutes with two questions each, covering motivation, teamwork and professionalism, versus the standard seven-station format direct A100 applicants get.
Several reports · 3 sources(spans several cycles)
The widening-access Gateway to Medicine route has a noticeably shorter and different interview than standard A100: three stations of five minutes with two questions each, covering motivation, teamwork and professionalism, versus the standard seven-station format direct A100 applicants get.
"MMI with three stations each lasting 5 minutes and 2 questions per station, focusing on motivation to study medicine, teamwork and professionalism/core qualities (paraphrase)"
TSR thread 'Gateway to Medicine Aberdeen'"paraphrase of gateway applicants comparing station format to standard A100 interview"
TSR thread 'gateway to medicine @ Aberdeen 2024- Discussion thread'"paraphrase of gateway interview format discussion"
TSR thread 'Gateway to Medicine interviews'Aberdeen's waitlist is described as moving substantially rather than being a dead end: rank is purely the combined academic/UCAT/interview score and applicants move up automatically as others with offers elsewhere decline. The number of declined offers has climbed each recent cycle (320 in 2022, 459 in 2023, 519 in 2024), which experienced applicants read as a sign that waitlist offers keep opening up into the summer.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
Aberdeen's waitlist is described as moving substantially rather than being a dead end: rank is purely the combined academic/UCAT/interview score and applicants move up automatically as others with offers elsewhere decline. The number of declined offers has climbed each recent cycle (320 in 2022, 459 in 2023, 519 in 2024), which experienced applicants read as a sign that waitlist offers keep opening up into the summer.
"scores are awarded for academics, UCAT and interview, and ranked; those with highest scores made offers first, working down in score order (paraphrase from search aggregation)"
TSR thread 'Waiting list aberdeen medical school'"in 2022 there were 320 declined offers total, in 2023 there were 459 declined offers total, and in 2024 there were 519 declined offers total (paraphrase; source page returned 403 on direct fetch, figures relayed via search snippet only)"
Search aggregation citing FOI-style figures discussed alongside TSR waitlist threadApplicants consistently describe Aberdeen's MMI interviewers as friendly and low-pressure rather than adversarial, even on stations with genuinely tough questions.
Single report(spans several cycles)
Applicants consistently describe Aberdeen's MMI interviewers as friendly and low-pressure rather than adversarial, even on stations with genuinely tough questions.
"some questions were standard while others were harder, with some very challenging questions, though the interviewers were super friendly (paraphrase from search snippet)"
TSR thread 'Aberdeen Uni Medicine interview pls help'Interview day at the Suttie Centre follows a fixed rhythm: arrive, register, wait as a group, split off to your first station, rotate through seven 7-minute stations with 2 minutes to read instructions between each, then get a campus tour afterward. Interviewers reportedly tell candidates they see around 800 applicants for roughly 150 places, which sets the tone of the waiting room.
Single report(spans several cycles)
Interview day at the Suttie Centre follows a fixed rhythm: arrive, register, wait as a group, split off to your first station, rotate through seven 7-minute stations with 2 minutes to read instructions between each, then get a campus tour afterward. Interviewers reportedly tell candidates they see around 800 applicants for roughly 150 places, which sets the tone of the waiting room.
"the interview went very fast, and interviewers mentioned they interview about 800 applicants and only around 150 people actually get in (paraphrase from search snippet)"
TSR thread 'Aberdeen Uni Medicine interview pls help'Aberdeen tends to send interview invites early in the cycle: for 2026 entry, one parent reported Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen invites all landing in November with interviews starting late November, ahead of many English medical schools.
Single report(2026 entry)
Aberdeen tends to send interview invites early in the cycle: for 2026 entry, one parent reported Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen invites all landing in November with interviews starting late November, ahead of many English medical schools.
"To add to this list, can't remember exact dates but Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen were all November with interviews stating late November, DD had 3 interviews in one week all in December!"
Mumsnet 'Medicine 2026 Part 2' megathread, poster HGC2Free prep guide
How to prepare for University of Aberdeen
- Each station is scored independently by a different assessor: a weak station doesn't sink the ones before or after it, so reset your mindset walking into each one.
- Teamwork stations are scored on how you collaborate, not just the outcome: practise narrating your thinking so a partner (or examiner) can follow it.
- Have a specific, personal answer ready for "why this course/school": generic answers about "helping people" are the most common reason candidates lose marks here.
- Structure your reasoning explicitly: state your assumptions, weigh the options, then give your answer, rather than jumping straight to a conclusion.
- Have examples ready that show professional judgement in practice: how you handled a mistake, a conflict, or a confidentiality-adjacent situation.
Verified against the university's own admissions page.
University of Aberdeen: official School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition admissions pageResearched 2026-07-03 for 2026 entry. Formats can change year to year: next check due 2026-09-01.
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