University of Auckland — Medicine (MBChB) Medicine InterviewFormat, Questions & Prep Tips

Why do you want to study medicine at the University of Auckland specifically, and what role do you see Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences playing in your development as a doctor?

Reference Auckland's gateway programme structure (BHSc / BSc Biomed), the FMHS clinical footprint across Auckland hospitals, and any specific research or community-health interests. Be honest about your journey into BHSc or BSc Biomed.

You are in a clinical placement and a senior doctor consistently uses outdated terminology when referring to Māori patients. You have observed that Māori patients leave consultations appearing disengaged. What do you do?

Frame around Te Tiriti o Waitangi Article 3 obligations (equity in health outcomes), the right of Māori patients to culturally safe care, and the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) cultural safety expectations. Address the power dynamic between a student and a senior doctor. Document, raise with supervisor, consider patient advocacy pathways.

The FMHS values culturally responsive care, particularly for Māori and Pacific communities. Describe a time you engaged with a culture or community different from your own. What did you learn about your own assumptions?

Authentic reflection over performance. MAPAS panel and general FMHS examiners are alert to superficial "cultural awareness" answers. Be specific about what changed in your thinking.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi places obligations on the Crown and on institutions. In practical terms, what do you think those obligations mean for a medical school and for you as a future doctor?

Acknowledge all three Articles: kawanatanga (partnership), rangatiratanga (protection of Māori authority over their hauora/health), and ōritetanga (equity). Translate into concrete clinical and institutional practices — not abstract acknowledgement.

Role-play: a 70-year-old Māori kuia has been referred to you for a follow-up appointment after a cardiac event. She tells you she also wants to discuss rongoā Māori (traditional healing) alongside her prescribed medications. How do you respond?

Lead with respect and genuine curiosity. Do not dismiss or pathologise rongoā. Explore interactions with medications, document, and involve a cultural liaison or kaumātua support service if available. MCNZ cultural safety standards apply.

Explain what UCAT ANZ is to a Year 12 student who has not heard of it and is unsure if they want to study medicine.

Lay language, no jargon. Break down the five subtests briefly. Contextualise why universities use it. Keep it two minutes maximum; check understanding.

You are studying for your BHSc final exams and a close friend asks to copy sections of your lab report. What do you do?

Academic integrity is a gateway issue at Auckland — dishonesty in Year 1 forfeits MBChB eligibility. Address the friendship compassionately but clearly explain the stakes for both of you. Offer alternative help (tutoring, study session).

Auckland's RRAS scheme supports students from rural or regional backgrounds. Why is it important that the medical workforce reflects the communities it serves?

Discuss health workforce maldistribution across rural New Zealand, the link between doctor origin and practice location, and Te Whatu Ora's (Health New Zealand) rural health strategy. Avoid generic diversity-is-good framing — cite specific rural health outcomes.

A fellow BHSc student confides they used a prescription stimulant that wasn't prescribed to them to get through finals. They are applying for MBChB next year. What do you do?

Weigh confidentiality, professional fitness obligations (MCNZ is the NZ equivalent of AHPRA), and the welfare of your friend. Start with a conversation; don't catastrophise but don't ignore either. Consider FMHS student conduct obligations.

Your GPA in the 4 core courses is at exactly the 6.0 threshold but your UCAT ANZ was strong (90th percentile). How would you reflect on your readiness for the demands of MBChB?

Show self-awareness rather than defensiveness. Discuss what contributed to the GPA outcome, what strategies you would use in the more demanding MBChB curriculum, and why you still believe you are ready.

Describe a situation in which you had to give feedback to someone that you knew they would not want to hear. How did you approach it?

STAR with genuine reflection. Prioritise process over outcome — examiners want to see how you balance honesty with compassion.

New Zealand's Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 restructured the health system into Te Whatu Ora — Health New Zealand. Do you think centralising the health system has helped or hindered health equity for Māori and Pacific peoples?

Engage substantively with the reasoning behind the restructure (fragmentation of DHBs) and the Māori Health Authority (now Manatū Hauora functions). Argue a position, acknowledge complexity, reference equity data if you can.

Role-play: you are a first-year house officer and a patient asks you directly whether they have cancer. You do not know the result yet and your consultant has not spoken to the patient. How do you handle this conversation?

Acknowledge the patient's anxiety. Be honest that you do not yet have the information. Do not speculate. Commit to a timeline for getting the consultant to speak with them. Document.

What is one current challenge facing the New Zealand health system that you think medical students should understand before they graduate?

Strong options: rural workforce shortages, Māori health disparities, mental health service gaps, the Pae Ora reforms, or primary care underfunding. Show you have read beyond the Auckland FMHS website.

Tell us about a time you worked in a team where conflict arose. What role did you take, and what would you do differently now?

Avoid making the other party the villain. Focus on your own contribution to the dynamic and what your reflection produced. Genuine growth matters more than a tidy resolution.

Should the Medical Council of New Zealand require all registrants to demonstrate cultural safety competency with respect to Māori health as a condition of renewal of annual practising certificate?

MCNZ already requires cultural safety as a component of the Good Medical Practice framework. This question asks whether you would strengthen it further. Argue both sides before landing: workforce readiness, patient safety data, potential tokenism vs structural change.

If you were not studying medicine, what career would you pursue, and why does that path still relate to your commitment to health?

Authentic answer. FMHS examiners look for candidates with sustainable lives and genuine identity beyond medicine. Do not panic — a real answer is better than a curated one.

You receive an unexpected failing grade in MEDSCI 142. You need to pass all 7 prescribed courses to remain eligible for MBChB. What immediate steps do you take?

Practical and proactive: contact the course co-ordinator, review the grade, understand the aegrotat/reconsideration process, and speak to an academic advisor. Also address the emotional dimension — resilience, not denial.

A patient from a Pacific community refuses a recommended surgical procedure, saying they need to discuss it with their family and church elders first. The team is frustrated by the delay. How do you advocate for the patient?

Respect for whanau/collective decision-making is central to Pacific health models and is consistent with informed consent principles. Educate the team about the cultural context, ensure the patient has adequate interpreter support, and document the process.

Tell us about a moment when you seriously doubted whether medicine was the right path for you. What happened, and what did you conclude?

Vulnerability is an asset in this station. Auckland values self-awareness. A candidate who has genuinely interrogated their motivation is more credible than one who claims to have never wavered.