King's College London - Medicine

• Duration of the degree is 5 years
• If you studied abroad and did not complete GCSEs/IGCSEs as part of your qualifications, will look for evidence of equivalency.
• Turn 18 years of age before commencing the second year of the Medicine
• Bachelor degree holders are welcomed to apply
• UCAT SJT will also be used to shortlist interview applicants

Subjects required: Chemistry and Biology + GCSE / IGCSE / IB MYP English @ B or 5 + GCSE / IGCSE / IB MYP Math / IB AA @ B or 5 or AL Math in SL or HL Level 2

• A Levels: A*AA (EPQ, General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives not considered). If more than 3 A levels are taken, highest 3 A levels will be taken into account
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 38 includes TOK/EE, 19 from three Higher Levels, required subjects need level 6
• HKDSE: 5*55 for electives and 44 for core
• Bachelor degree holders: 2:1 in bioscience or high school graduate biology and chemistry at level A
• ATAR 97
• USA: 55554 in five APs or SAT 1380 with a minimum of 620 in Maths and 650 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + ACT 29
• Canada: 90%

Taking qualifications earlier than you should doesn’t compensate for a lower grade

Qualifications taken more time than it should is also of a concern

English Language Proficiency

• IELTS Academic – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element
• TOEFL Internet Based Test (IBT) – normally a minimum overall score of 110, with 25 or above in each element

a. Where is it going to take place?

Clinical placements will take place at district general hospitals located across the south east of England and over 350 general practices, some are listed as below:

• King’s College Hospital
• University Hospital Lewisham
• Princess Royal University Hospital
• Croydon University Hospital
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• St Thomas’ Hospital
• Guy’s Hospital
• Darent Valley Hospital
• Tunbridge Wells Hospital
• Eastbourne District General Hospital
• Medway Maritime Hospital
• Maidstone Hospital
• William Harvey Hospital
• Conquest Hospital
• Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital
• Great Western Hospital

b. What are the clinical placement sites like?

• The King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust serves 958,000 local population across Lambeth, Southwark, Bromley.
• For people across south-east London and Kent, King’s College Hospital is the designated major trauma centre, heart attack centre and the regional hyper-acute stroke centre.
• King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is renowned for the international reputation of its specialist services including treatment for liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, diabetes, cardiac services, haematology and fetal medicine.
• Partner hospitals including Guy’s, King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospitals are three of the most renowned and busiest teaching hospitals in London.

c. How is clinical placement going to be for undergraduate students?

The clinical placement will take place from Year 2 to Year 5.

d. What is the course structure?

The course is divided into three Stages with an optional intercalation year between Stage 2 & 3.

• Stage 1: Year 1
  • Foundation in biomedical sciences and population sciences
  • 60% Lectures, seminars and similar + 25% Clinical Placement + 15% Self-study time
• Stage 2: Year 2 + Year 3
  • Sciences + Clinical Practice
  • 45% Lectures, seminars and similar + 40% Clinical Placement + 15% Self-study time
• Stage 3: Year 4 + Year 5
  • Future Practice
  • 15% Lectures, seminars and similar + 75% Clinical Placement + 10% Self-study time

e. What is the teaching style in King’s College London medical school?

The following teaching methods are adopted in the course:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Small group and case-based teaching
• Clinical Placement
• Self-study time

f. Does King’s College London offer the intercalated degree?

King’s College London offers a range of intercalated degrees from clinical and biomedical sciences to humanities subjects. The intercalated BSc is optional to be taken between Year 3 and Year 4.

The interviews will be conducted in 4-7 Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) + Numeracy and literacy test (40 minutes) :

• 3-5 minutes per MMI station and 90 seconds interval in between
• different interviewers at each MMI station

The interviewees are encouraged to prepare at least three points per topic.

• Motivation for Medicine

1. Why do you want to study Medicine?

2. What personal qualities should a good healthcare professional have, and when and where have you had to exhibit these qualities to date?

3. What interests you about King’s College London?

4. What did you gain from your hospital work experience?

5. Describe the key differences between primary and secondary healthcare.

6. Have you recently read any research that interested you?

7. Describe a time when you worked in a team for a project and things did not go according to plan.

8. Which part of your personal statement best shows readiness for Medicine?

• Ethical Scenarios

1. An actor plays the role of your elderly neighbour. You have just accidentally run over your neighbour’s cat whilst reversing your car. You have 5 minutes to break the bad news to her.

2. A 15-year-old refuses chemotherapy. How would you approach this?

3. You see a peer posting patient-identifiable info online—what should happen?

4. You are given details of 15 individuals, including their age, sex and occupation. A nuclear attack is imminent and you are only allowed to save 5 of them from destruction. Which ones and why?

5. Should physician-assisted dying be legalised?

6. How to rebuild vaccine trust?

• Teamwork & Patient Communication

1. Without using your hands, explain how to tie shoe laces.

2. A simulated patient is angry about a delayed appointment. De-escalate and agree next steps.

3. Explain randomized controlled trials to a non-scientist relative.

4. A team member isn’t contributing to a group project—how do you handle it?

5. A time you received difficult feedback—what changed?

6. Tell a patient’s family about a test delay.

7. Encourage a quiet group member.

8. How would you approach a case where a patient’s family disagrees with medical advice?

• NHS Awareness & Current Issues

1. What’s one realistic way to reduce elective backlogs in the NHS?

2. How should the NHS use AI decision-support ethically and safely?

3. Discuss resource allocation for high-cost drugs with marginal benefit.

4. What is the impact of private healthcare integration into the NHS?

5. How do you think new technologies like telemedicine are shaping the future of the NHS?

• Data, Graphics or Article Interpretation

1. Interpret a survival curve comparing two treatments. Discuss limitations and confounders.

2. Explain this graph about obesity trends.

3. Describe this picture to an alien.

• Resilience, Reflection & Professionalism

1. Tell us about a setback (e.g., exam or UCAT component) and your growth since.

2. You’re asked to “help” a friend in an OSCE—what are the risks and right response?

3. Should doctors ever be allowed to strike? Weigh autonomy vs patient safety.

4. Describe breaking confidentiality.