Curtin Medicine Interview — Format, Questions & Prep Tips
Curtin is one of the newest Australian medical schools (first intake 2017) and runs a 5-year undergraduate MD designed for outer-metropolitan Perth, rural Western Australia, and Indigenous workforce service. The MMI runs 8 stations of 8 minutes each (with a 2-minute reading window). Stations span ethical reasoning, communication and role-play, motivation, teamwork, and reflective practice.
CASPer is required alongside UCAT-ANZ and ATAR — distinctive among Australian undergraduate medical programmes. CASPer quartile materially influences pre-interview ranking. Prepare for CASPer as seriously as UCAT-ANZ; practise typed situational judgement responses under time pressure.
Curtin's mission is outer-metropolitan and rural WA workforce — examiners specifically probe candidates who can name communities (Mandurah, Rockingham, Northam, Esperance) and connect motivation to workforce shortages. The Centre for Aboriginal Studies entry pathway provides bespoke MMI and weighted academic review for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Applicants per year
- ~1,500
- Interviewees
- ~350
- Offers
- ~115 (~33% of interviewees)
- MMI stations
- 8
- Station length
- 8 mins (+ 2 min reading)
- Lowest selection rank (2025)
- ATAR 95.40
Interview Format
- Multiple Mini Interview with 8 stations of 8 minutes each (+ 2-minute reading).
- CASPer required alongside UCAT-ANZ and ATAR — distinctive among AU undergrad MDs.
- Delivered at the Bentley campus or virtually depending on cycle.
- Stations cover ethics, communication and role-play, motivation, teamwork, reflection.
- Pre-interview ranking weights ATAR, UCAT-ANZ, AND CASPer outcomes.
- Centre for Aboriginal Studies entry pathway with bespoke MMI weighting.
Sample Interview Questions
Why Curtin specifically? What attracts you to a newer medical programme with an outer-metropolitan and rural workforce mission?
Engage with Curtin's specific mission, the Bentley campus, and the East Metropolitan Health Service network. Authentic specifics over branding.
What's your connection to outer-metropolitan Perth or rural WA?
Concrete: Mandurah, Rockingham, Northam, Esperance, Kalgoorlie. Generic enthusiasm scores poorly.
A patient at Midland Public Hospital declines treatment because they don't trust the medical system. What do you do?
Engage with the historical reasons for distrust (particularly relevant to Indigenous and outer-metro communities), capacity, autonomy, and relational rebuilding of trust.
Voluntary assisted dying is legal in WA. How does the WA framework operate?
Engage with WA VAD Act's eligibility, conscientious objection provisions, and the VAD Navigator Service.
Role-play: explain to a patient in Esperance why their cardiac investigation requires retrieval to Perth.
Plain language. Time-critical without panic. Engage the patient. Reference RFDS / WA retrieval pathways.
What does the Curtin Rural Clinical School (Northam, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury) mean to you?
Concrete engagement with the geography and workforce needs.
Explain bulk-billing access and Medicare to a young patient in outer-metropolitan Perth.
Plain language. Concrete dollar example. Cultural context.
Closing the Gap targets continue to lag in outer-metropolitan Perth and rural WA. What role can a Curtin graduate play?
Concrete: AMS partnerships (Derbarl Yerrigan, Kimberley AMS), cultural safety, recognising racism, workforce closing the gap.
Describe a time you connected with someone from a very different background.
Authentic. Outer-metro Perth is culturally diverse.
A patient asks for a controlled medication. SafeScript WA shows recent prescriptions from multiple sources. What do you do?
Real-time monitoring, addiction medicine, therapeutic relationship, alternatives.
Tell us about a time you reflected on critical feedback.
Authentic.
Should Curtin's rural-bonded graduates be required to complete a defined rural service period?
Workforce intent, autonomy, BMP framework. Balanced reasoning.
Role-play: explain to a parent in Mandurah why their child's viral fever doesn't need antibiotics.
Validate. Plain language. Antibiotic stewardship.
Describe a time you worked in a team in a constrained environment.
Process focus. Constructive problem-solving.
What concerns you most about a newer medical school like Curtin?
Honest. Network effects, alumni pipelines, identity formation. Self-aware engagement.
A teammate at Curtin makes a culturally insensitive comment during a Centre for Aboriginal Studies workshop. Address it.
Specific behaviour. Private conversation first. Escalation if needed.
What does CASPer as part of selection signal about Curtin's priorities?
Engage with the situational judgement signal and how it complements traditional academic assessment.
How to Prepare
- Prepare for CASPer as seriously as UCAT-ANZ — typed situational judgement under time pressure.
- Build concrete connection to outer-metropolitan Perth or rural WA — named communities, exposure, workforce engagement.
- Brush up on the East Metropolitan Health Service network and Curtin's rural clinical sites.
- Read the WA VAD Act — has appeared in stations.
- Engage with Derbarl Yerrigan and other WA AMS organisations.
- Practise cross-cultural role-plays — outer-metro Perth is culturally diverse.
- Drill 8-minute MMI pacing.
Common Pitfalls
- Underestimating CASPer — its quartile materially affects pre-interview ranking.
- Generic "outer-metropolitan commitment" without specific community engagement.
- Treating Curtin as a Perth backup — examiners want mission-aligned candidates.
- Going abstract on cultural safety — Curtin wants applied reasoning.
- Skipping the rural-bonded service question — examiners read hesitation as weak commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does CASPer affect my Curtin application?
CASPer is mandatory and feeds pre-interview ranking alongside UCAT-ANZ and ATAR. Scores are reported in quartiles; falling in the bottom quartile significantly reduces interview likelihood. Prepare typed situational judgement responses under time pressure.
What ATAR do I need for Curtin?
The lowest selection rank for 2025 was 95.40, with the competitive median around 97+. Curtin combines ATAR with UCAT-ANZ and CASPer for the selection rank. Rural Origin and Aboriginal entry pathway adjustments apply.
What is the Centre for Aboriginal Studies entry pathway?
The Centre for Aboriginal Studies administers Curtin's entry pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants with bespoke MMI and weighted academic review. Integrated academic and cultural support is provided throughout the MD.
Where are clinical placements?
Years 1–2 are anchored at Bentley with early community placements. Years 3–5 distribute across Royal Perth, Midland Public, St John of God Midland Private, and the Rural Clinical School (Northam, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury).
How does the rural pathway work?
Curtin's Rural Origin Pathway prioritises MM2-7 applicants with selection-rank adjustment. BMP allocations carry rural-bonded service obligations post-Fellowship.
Is Curtin a "newer" school — does that disadvantage graduates?
No. Curtin (first intake 2017) is AMC-accredited and produces graduates eligible for the same intern, RACGP, and specialty pathways as established programmes. Foundation programme allocation is based on educational performance measure within the school, not school prestige.
Does Curtin interview in person or online?
Curtin has run both formats since the pandemic. Most domestic applicants interview at Bentley, with virtual interviews retained for interstate and international candidates. Verify the format on your invitation.
Sources & official admissions information
We cross-check every interview guide against the school's own admissions guidance and the UK regulators.
- Curtin — official admissions page — Programme overview, entry requirements, interview format and timeline straight from the school.
- UCAT Consortium — Official UCAT registration, test format, scoring methodology and free practice materials.
- General Medical Council (GMC) — approved UK medical schools — Statutory regulator. Approved medical schools, the registered-doctor register, and fitness-to-practise standards.
- Medical Schools Council — Selecting-for-excellence guidance, MMI principles, and an A–Z of UK medical schools.
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