What will your interviews ask?Practise the right questions for each medical school.
Add your universities to see how each one interviews and the questions to practise.
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Free · No sign-up · 24 Australian medical schools mapped · 621 questions in the bank
From your school list to a practice plan
Interviews differ far more between schools than most applicants expect. The planner reads what each of yours actually runs, so your practice time goes where the marks are.
- 1Each school's real format: MMI, panel, traditional or recorded, with the station count, timings and when interviews run, from our research of each school’s published format.
- 2The question types, ranked: every station mapped to a question type, then ranked across your schools so the types they all test come first.
- 3Locked practice questions, then a mock: real questions from the question bank for every type you need to practise, and a mock built for each school.
The question types Australian medical schools test
Ranked by how many Australian medical schools test each one. Open a type to see what assessors look for and how to practise it.
Empathy & role play21/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Communication with an actor or patient: listening, acknowledging feelings, explaining clearly and agreeing a next step.
How to practise. Run timed role plays with a friend playing an upset patient, relative or colleague, and get marked on empathy as well as content.
66 empathy & role play questions in the bankWhy this university20/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. That you know how this school teaches and where it places students, and why that suits the way you learn.
How to practise. For each school, name its teaching style, one placement or pathway feature, and the reason it fits you. Generic answers that fit any school score poorly.
Ethics & professionalism19/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Balanced reasoning through a dilemma: weighing both sides, applying the core principles and landing on a safe, justified decision.
How to practise. Practise talking through consent, confidentiality, capacity and resource allocation out loud, using a structure such as "identify, explore, decide, safeguard".
175 ethics & professionalism questions in the bankWhy medicine17/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. A motivation for medicine that is specific, tested against real experience and honest about the downsides of the job.
How to practise. Rehearse a two-minute answer built on one or two moments you can talk about in detail, then stress-test it with "why not nursing?" follow-ups.
45 why medicine questions in the bankPersonal qualities & resilience17/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Self-awareness: your strengths and weaknesses, how you cope with pressure and failure, and whether you have the qualities of a good doctor.
How to practise. List three strengths and one genuine weakness with evidence for each, plus a setback you can reflect on without sounding rehearsed.
90 personal qualities & resilience questions in the bankTeamwork & leadership16/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Evidence that you work well in a team, can lead when needed and handle conflict without blame.
How to practise. Prepare two STAR examples, one where you led and one where you followed, each ending with what you would do differently.
16 teamwork & leadership questions in the bankIndigenous health & cultural safety15/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, the gap in outcomes and what culturally safe care looks like in practice.
How to practise. Read the Closing the Gap targets and prepare a reflective answer on cultural safety that avoids generalisations.
44 indigenous health & cultural safety questions in the bankData & problem solving14/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Calm, structured thinking: reading a graph or table, doing quick calculations, prioritising and explaining your reasoning as you go.
How to practise. Practise interpreting simple graphs and prioritisation tasks against the clock, narrating your thinking aloud.
44 data & problem solving questions in the bankRural & community health14/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Genuine interest in rural, remote or underserved communities and realism about practising there.
How to practise. Research the region’s health needs and prepare an honest answer on whether you would work there and why.
61 rural & community health questions in the bankHealth system & hot topics9/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Awareness of how Australian health care works (Medicare, public and private systems, rural workforce, Closing the Gap) and the issues in the news.
How to practise. Keep a running list of five current stories with a two-sided summary of each, and practise giving a balanced opinion in under two minutes.
128 health system & hot topics questions in the bankWork experience & reflection4/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Reflection, not description: what you saw, what it taught you about the job and how it changed your view.
How to practise. Turn each placement or volunteering role into one short story with a clear lesson about patients, teams or yourself.
27 work experience & reflection questions in the bankResearch & academic reasoning2/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. Academic curiosity: how you approach research and evidence, and how you reason through an unfamiliar problem.
How to practise. Be ready to explain any research you have done in plain language: the question, your role, the result and what you would do next.
28 research & academic reasoning questions in the bankYour application1/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. That everything you wrote is true and that you can talk about it in depth, including what you learned.
How to practise. Reread your application and prepare a follow-up answer for every activity, book or experience you mention.
Group task1/22 of 22 schools
What they look for. How you behave in a group while assessors watch: contributing, listening, drawing others in and helping the group decide.
How to practise. Practise a timed group discussion with friends and focus on summarising and including quieter voices rather than winning.
Every Australian medical school's interview at a glance
Each school's format and the question types it tests most. Open a school's guide for timings and more example questions.
Australian Capital Territory1 school
- Ethics & professionalismHealth system & hot topicsWhy medicine+9Guide
New South Wales8 schools
- Rural & community healthWhy medicineEthics & professionalism+5Guide
- Why medicineEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+2Guide
- Ethics & professionalismEmpathy & role playPersonal qualities & resilience+3Guide
- Data & problem solvingWhy medicineWhy this university+6Guide
- Rural & community healthWhy medicinePersonal qualities & resilience+4Guide
- Personal qualities & resilienceWhy medicineEmpathy & role play+6Guide
- Rural & community healthWhy medicineEthics & professionalism+6Guide
- Rural & community healthEmpathy & role playEthics & professionalism+5Guide
Northern Territory2 schools
- CDU / Flinders — NT Medical ProgramNo interview to prepare for
- Charles Darwin UniversityEmpathy & role playWhy medicineTeamwork & leadership+3
Queensland4 schools
South Australia2 schools
Victoria3 schools
Frequently asked questions
Now practise the questions that count
Every question type in your plan is in the interview question bank, with follow-ups and a mark scheme for each. Start with a free mock, then work through the types your schools test most.
Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: 14 September 2026 · Editorial policy