What are prioritisation questions?

Prioritisation questions are a common MMI (multiple mini interviews) station. You will be provided a scenario and you will then have to choose which tasks, people, items, etc to prioritise in the given situation. These scenarios can range from being especially clinical to sometimes very random and completely unrelated to healthcare. You can find some examples at the bottom of this guide.

These questions aim to test your logical thinking, problem-solving, communication, ethics and time management skills. Being able to effectively prioritise is a key skill both in medical school and also as a doctor!

How should you approach these questions?

A key thing to know is that there is not necessarily a right answer to these questions. The interviewer's aim is to see how you come to a conclusion and what your exact thought process is. So let them know exactly what you are thinking when you make your decisions. If you follow the steps below then it will be hard to fail one of these questions.

1. Take a minute to decide on your rationale.

  • During most interviews you will be given a minute or so to 'read' the question. Use this time to decide exactly how you are going to treat the situation. Make sure you are not winging it whilst speaking.

2. Justify exactly why you are making your decisions to the interviewer.

  • Your task is not just to choose your priorities, it is also to explain them in detail with clear rationale.

3. Be ready for the interviewer to jump in.

  • Sometimes the interviewer might jump in and question your choices. Be ready for this!

4. Make sure you are competent with ethical debates.

  • Ethics are often intertwined with prioritisation questions. If you can do ethics well, you can do prioritisation well. Our ethics guide is linked at the bottom of this article.

5. Sound confident (but not closed-minded).

  • You need to make sure you sound like you actually agree with your rationale. Our team are always surprised with how many students don't sound like they back themselves! However, if the interviewer questions your rationale, it could be okay to change your opinion slightly.

Common mistakes

We have listed some of the mistakes we see most commonly with our interview students. Make sure to not fall into these traps!

1. Backtracking too easily.

  • Just because the interviewer questioned your rationale does not mean you should necessarily backtrack. Take your time and give it some proper thought before changing anything.

2. Not verbalising your rationale.

  • Explain exactly what is going on in your head when approaching the scenario.

3. Not being prepared for extra interaction with the interviewer.

  • Remember, the question could turn into more of a conversation rather than just the student talking at the interviewer.

Example questions

A liver has become available for transplant. However, you have too many patients who are in need of the liver. Choose who will receive the liver from the following:

  • A 38 year old prisoner
  • An 86 year old lady
  • A 25 year old alcohol-dependent man
  • An 11 year old girl

Your trust has been given extra funding, where will you spend the money? Your options are below.

  • Gastrointestinal ward
  • Mental health ward
  • General practice
  • Social media team
  • Neurosurgery ward
  • Public health team

You are going to a desert island, what 3 items would you bring?