I Am Expecting a High ATAR and Scored Highly in UCAT. Do I Still Need Interview Training?
Posted: October 12, 2025 by Rob
This is one of the most common questions asked by MedEntry students. Having used MedEntry's program, many students score highly in UCAT. In addition, many expect to receive a very high ATAR. These students may feel that a place in medical school is close to guaranteed, and question whether interview training is still necessary.
Here is a question often asked by our students: "I'm expecting an ATAR of 99.85+, and I achieved a 99th percentile in UCAT. Do I still need interview training?"
The answer is: congratulations, but yes, without question.
There are several reasons for this.
1. Interviews test a completely different skill set
ATAR measures academic consistency across two years of schoolwork. UCAT measures reasoning speed and judgement under timed exam conditions. Neither tests what an interview does: the ability to think on one's feet, speak with clarity and confidence under pressure, and engage genuinely with interviewers from different backgrounds. Interview skill is a separate discipline entirely, and requires its own preparation, regardless of how strong a student's academic or UCAT results may be.
2. How much does the interview count towards medical school entry?
Interviews are frequently underestimated, and the extent varies significantly by university. When making the final selection for medicine, interviews are weighted anywhere from 25% to 100% of the admissions criteria, depending on the institution. At several Australian medical schools, once ATAR and UCAT thresholds have been cleared, the interview becomes the single largest factor in whether an offer is made, in some cases outweighing ATAR and UCAT combined.
Exactly how each university weights interview, UCAT and ATAR changes from year to year, so it is always worth checking current admissions criteria directly. For a full, regularly updated university-by-university breakdown, see How Will Medical and Dental Schools Use Interviews?
3. Interview outcomes are subjective
Even if a student is invited to interview at every medical school in Australia and attends them all, there is no guarantee of a place. Interview panels assess judgement, communication and professionalism, qualities that do not always present consistently, even for well-prepared candidates. This subjectivity is precisely why deliberate practice matters: it is the one part of the process that can be meaningfully trained and improved.
4. You can't predict this year's competition
Cut-off scores for medicine vary from year to year, depending on the number of applicants and the strength of that particular cohort. A place that seemed secure based on the previous year's data may not eventuate. Every stage of the application, including interviews, should be treated as genuinely contestable rather than a formality once ATAR and UCAT are secured.
5. A strong interview can win you a scholarship
Many universities offer scholarships to students who achieve the highest overall 'Selection Rank' (also called 'Entry Rank'), typically calculated by combining UCAT, ATAR and interview scores. A strong interview performance can be the difference between narrowly securing a place and qualifying for a scholarship, which assists financially and is a valuable addition to a CV. Many past MedEntry students have gone on to win scholarships that helped shape their preferred specialty pathway.
6. A higher Selection Rank has other benefits
Universities often use a student's overall Selection Rank for allocations such as campus placement or hospital posting, not only the initial offer. Students with a higher rank are more likely to receive their preferred choice in both respects.
It is therefore worth aiming as high as possible across every component of the application, and ensuring genuine preparation for interviews rather than relying on ATAR and UCAT alone.
