Themes that recur
Six accounts now — one new B-grade YouTube transcript (Louise Robson, fourth year at RVC). That's the one I want to lead with, because it gets specific in a way the other accounts don't. Louise describes the RVC interview as having seven stations — a mix of ethical scenarios, a role-playing station, and practical elements. She says she prepared by following current animal welfare news: "badger culling was a big thing, TB testing was a big thing that year, so I made sure I looked into that." But then adds an important caveat: "a lot of the questions I got asked were more about my opinion and how I'd interpret something — it was more about me rather than what I knew about everything going on." That line is the key.
Three of the six accounts (including Louise, the 2024 B-grade source, and the Medic Mind aggregate) describe the stations as conversational rather than interrogative, and Louise explicitly compares RVC to Nottingham: "at Nottingham they asked a lot more current affairs — RVC was more about me." One confirmed accepted applicant (2022, US) adds that one station required explaining something medical despite the briefing saying no medical knowledge would be tested — worth flagging.
What surprised applicants
Two surprises that keep appearing. First: the four-hour block vs. the actual interview duration. Two sources independently note that you're scheduled for four hours but the MMI circuit runs under an hour (~45 min for the stations, ~10 min for the group task). The rest is campus time — probably tours, waiting. Don't arrive mentally exhausted from four hours of anticipated pressure. Second: the group task. Three of six accounts single it out as a distinct element that sets RVC apart from most other UK vet schools.
Louise confirms it's there. The 2016 account describes the whole RVC day as similar to Liverpool's MMI format at the time but with this additional layer. Prepare for both formats in one day — the individual MMI reasoning and the group dynamics skills are genuinely different.
Where the accounts diverge
One real factual tension: station count. Louise (2021, B-grade) says seven stations. The 2015 TSR account also says eight. The 2022–2024 accounts describe six plus a group task. It's possible Louise is counting the group task as one of the seven. It's possible the format evolved.
What I can say with confidence: it's a multi-station MMI format plus a group component, lasting under an hour of actual interview time. Don't get too attached to a specific number. The more stable divergence: current affairs preparation. Louise did it and found it somewhat useful but not decisive — "it was more about me." The 2022 US applicant emphasises reviewing your own application instead. Both feel true; prepare for both, weight your personal story more heavily.
What I'd tell my past self before this interview
Louise's framing has stayed with me: the ethical scenario stations aren't knowledge tests about badger culling — they're reasoning tests. The question is how you think through a hard problem, not whether you've memorised the policy position. So yes, follow current animal welfare debates (badger culling, TB testing, factory farming, end-of-life decisions), but do it so you've formed a view, not so you can recite facts. Practice saying "here's how I'd reason through this" out loud.
The second thing: know your own application. The 2022 account is explicit that stations probe what you've already written about. And don't underestimate the group task — it tests something the individual stations can't, and three separate accounts mention it. Arriving at it depleted from the MMI stations is a real risk.