Applicant Interview Information
As part of our admissions process for MPAS Physician Associate Studies, all suitable applicants will be required to attend an interview. Our interviews will be carried out online, using Microsoft Teams with staff within the School of Pharmacy. For applications received by the UCAS equal consideration deadline (29 January 2025), the interviews will take place between November 2024 and March 2025 for September 2025 entry. The interview is an opportunity for you to meet staff and further discuss your application and why you are interested in becoming a Physician Associate.
How will the interview work?
I. If your UCAS application is suitable, you will receive an email inviting you to book an interview slot. You should follow the instructions in this email to book a suitable date and time for your interview.
II. Closer to the date of your interview (at least 48 hours before the date of your interview), a Microsoft Teams meeting invitation will be sent to you via email. Once you have received this, please follow the listed steps:
- Open the email containing the Microsoft Teams meeting invitation and select ‘Yes’ to accept.
- Once you have accepted the meeting invitation, you will need to open your email calendar to access the meeting invitation. Please go to the date and time of your interview in your email calendar to locate the meeting invitation and double click on the meeting invitation to open it.
- On the day of your interview, please open the meeting invitation in your email calendar and select the “Click here to join this meeting” link to join your online interview at the appropriate time. Please note, the meeting invitation will also include a meeting ID and a password, but you do not need to use these details to join your online interview.
If you have not received an email containing a Microsoft Teams meeting invitation at least 48 hours before the date of your interview, or if you are from a country where Microsoft Teams does not function, please email mpasadmissions@reading.ac.uk. Please note that, occasionally, our emails could arrive in your junk/spam folders – please check your junk/spam folders carefully for the email containing the Microsoft Teams meeting invitation before contacting us.
III. When you join the interview, a recording will be started. This recording is carried out for safeguarding purposes and to ensure that the interview process is fair. Recordings will be held securely and members of the School staff will have access. Recordings are retained until 31 August 2025, or for 90 days, whichever is shorter. The recording will not be shared for any purposes other than safeguarding and quality assurance unless required by law. Please note that candidates are not permitted to make their own recordings of their interview. If this concerns you, please let the interviewer know.
IV. You will be required to hold up a piece of photographic ID to the camera so your identity can be verified (for example, your passport, driving licence (full or provisional) or ID card). Please have this document to hand at the start of your interview.
V. The interview will take 30 minutes and will involve questions of three different types:
- General questions to find out why you want a place on our programme, your understanding of the role of a physician associate and what experiences you have that have led to your decision.
- Questions to explore your experiences in various settings, which demonstrate key personal attributes that are important when working in health care.
- Situational judgement-type questions that describe educational or heath care scenarios and ask you to explain how you would approach them.
VI. We are operating a staggered gathered field interview process. This means that we will be interviewing all suitable applicants before making offers. For applications received by the UCAS equal consideration deadline (29 January 2025), we will complete all interviews in early March 2025, and we aim to have sent all offers to successful applicants by the end of March.
VII. You are permitted to have a chaperone present with you in the room during the interview, who would typically be a parent/guardian, teacher, or another family member. However, chaperones are not permitted to discuss answers to questions with you or otherwise interfere with the interview process at any time and cannot have applied to study MPAS Physician Associate Studies at the University of Reading in the current academic year.
VIII. At any time during the interview, you may request that your interviewer repeat or clarify a question if you feel this is needed. This does not affect the mark awarded for your performance and you will not be penalised for this. You may also request that a question is shown on-screen as text in addition to it being read by an interviewer.
IX. Please contact us if you may require any specific adjustments to be made to accommodate a disability or other circumstances. We will consider all requests on a case-by-case basis.
What do I need to do to prepare?
For the interview, please be prepared to chat about your own experiences and personal attributes that you feel would make you an excellent health care professional. You might want to think about what has motivated you to apply and why you aspire to become a physician associate. You will need examples of how you have responded to and worked in different situations, e.g. within a team or as a leader, or where you have needed to demonstrate other professional skills such as empathy or effective communication. The interview will also involve a discussion of a situational judgement scenarios, which you will not be able to prepare for.
Who should I contact if I have further queries?
Shortly before your interview, you will receive an email from the Department with a Microsoft Teams invite.
If you have any other queries about the interview process, please don't hesitate to contact us at mpasadmissions@reading.ac.uk.
For further information about our programmes and studying at the University of Reading, please visit our courses page.
