Ethics MMI Questions

Ethics MMI questions present a moral dilemma, usually medical, and ask you to reason through it aloud in five to eight minutes. They appear in nearly every Australian medical school MMI, and they are marked on the quality of your reasoning, not on reaching a particular conclusion.

The scenarios below are original Deepmock stations written in the style of real Australian MMIs. Deepmock students have completed 10,000+ mock MMI stations across 1,200+ scenarios, and ethics stations are consistently where structured practice moves scores the most.

You do not need to have memorised the four pillars of medical ethics to do well, though it helps to recognise the underlying tensions: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. What matters more is that you can name the competing interests in a scenario, consider more than one viewpoint, and reach a defensible position under time pressure.

Practice questions

1. A close friend in your course admits they submitted an assignment written largely by an AI tool, breaching university policy. They ask you not to tell anyone. What do you do?
What examiners look for: Examiners look for a clear identification of the competing duties: loyalty to a friend versus academic integrity. Strong answers explore options before committing, and show awareness of consequences for patients if dishonesty carries into clinical practice.
2. You are a junior doctor and a 15-year-old patient asks you for the contraceptive pill, insisting her parents must not know. Talk through how you would approach this.
What examiners look for: This tests awareness of mature-minor consent and confidentiality, not legal precision. Examiners want you to balance the patient's autonomy and safety with honest limits of confidentiality, and to communicate without judgement.
3. A patient with capacity refuses a life-saving blood transfusion on religious grounds. Their adult child begs you to override the refusal. How would you think this through?
What examiners look for: Examiners want recognition that a competent adult's refusal is generally decisive, weighed against the emotional pull of the family's distress. Look for candidates who explore what support and clear communication can offer without dismissing either party.
4. During a placement, you notice a senior clinician gave a patient the wrong dose of medication but did not report it, and the patient was unharmed. What would you do?
What examiners look for: Examiners assess whether candidates prioritise patient safety and system learning over hierarchy and discomfort. Good answers consider raising it directly and appropriately rather than staying silent or escalating dramatically without first seeking clarification.
5. An elderly patient with early dementia insists on continuing to drive. Her adult son wants you to report her to the licensing authority immediately. Discuss how you would handle this.
What examiners look for: This probes the tension between patient autonomy, family concern, and public safety. Examiners look for candidates who consider capacity assessment, graded options, and honest communication rather than jumping straight to reporting or refusing outright.
6. Two patients arrive at the same time needing the last available bed in intensive care. Talk through the factors you would consider in an allocation decision like this.
What examiners look for: Examiners want to see structured, criteria-based thinking such as clinical need and likely benefit, rather than arbitrary or purely emotional reasoning. Strong candidates acknowledge the discomfort of the situation while still reaching a reasoned position.
7. A patient you know socially through a community group asks you, as a future doctor, to write a medical certificate for a day they did not actually work due to being unwell.
What examiners look for: Examiners look for a clear refusal grounded in professional integrity, delivered without damaging the relationship unnecessarily. They want candidates to acknowledge the awkwardness while explaining why honesty in documentation matters for trust in the profession.
8. You suspect a fellow student is affected by alcohol before a practical assessment involving patient contact. Walk us through how you would handle this.
What examiners look for: This tests willingness to act on patient safety concerns despite peer loyalty and social discomfort. Examiners want candidates to consider direct but private conversation, appropriate escalation, and care for the student rather than public confrontation.
9. A patient's family asks you not to tell the patient that their diagnosis is terminal, saying it would "take away their hope." What is your view?
What examiners look for: Examiners want candidates to recognise the patient's right to information about their own health alongside genuine cultural or family sensitivities. Strong answers explore gently understanding the family's reasons rather than dismissing them or automatically overriding them.
10. Parents at a community clinic ask you why they should vaccinate their child when they have read conflicting information online. How would you approach the conversation?
What examiners look for: Examiners look for respectful, non-judgemental engagement rather than lecturing or dismissing the parents. Good answers show curiosity about their concerns and an ability to share information clearly without damaging trust in the relationship.
11. You come across a public social media post from a colleague joking about a difficult patient interaction, without naming anyone. Does this concern you, and why?
What examiners look for: Examiners assess awareness of professional boundaries and public trust in the profession, even when no strict confidentiality breach has occurred. They want candidates to weigh humour and stress-coping against how such posts could be perceived by patients or the public.
12. Some people argue that voluntary assisted dying undermines the medical profession's duty to preserve life. What is your view on this tension?
What examiners look for: Examiners are not looking for a particular political stance, but for balanced reasoning that acknowledges both patient autonomy in suffering and legitimate professional concerns. They reward candidates who can hold competing values in mind without becoming one-sided.
13. As a future doctor, you are offered a fully paid conference trip by a company whose product you might one day prescribe. Talk through your thinking on this.
What examiners look for: Examiners want recognition of conflict of interest and how it can subtly influence clinical judgement even when a candidate feels personally unaffected. Strong answers consider transparency, professional guidelines, and erring on the side of patient trust.
14. During a consultation, a patient reveals they are having an affair. Their spouse is also your patient and has an upcoming appointment with you. What are the issues here?
What examiners look for: Examiners look for a firm grasp of confidentiality as owed to each patient individually, even when it creates discomfort. They want candidates to reason through why the information generally cannot be shared, while considering how to manage the situation professionally.
15. A genetic test taken for an unrelated medical reason unexpectedly reveals that a man is not the biological father of his teenage son. Should this be disclosed, and to whom?
What examiners look for: Examiners want careful separation of clinically relevant findings from sensitive incidental ones, and awareness that disclosure could cause significant family harm. Good answers consider confidentiality obligations and who has a genuine need to know.
16. A patient from a cultural background different to your own asks you to involve a male relative in all decisions about her care, rather than speaking with her directly. Discuss.
What examiners look for: Examiners look for respect for the patient's stated wishes and cultural context, balanced against ensuring her autonomy and voice are not lost entirely. They reward candidates who ask questions rather than assuming what the patient wants.
17. You realise partway through a task that you made a small error earlier that did not end up causing any harm. No one else has noticed. Would you disclose it, and to whom?
What examiners look for: Examiners assess honesty and professional accountability even when there is no immediate consequence or personal benefit to disclosure. They want candidates to reflect on how a culture of transparency protects patients over time, not just in this one instance.
18. A terminally ill patient in significant pain asks you, hypothetically, whether you would ever consider helping them end their life sooner. How would you respond in the moment?
What examiners look for: Examiners want a compassionate, honest response that acknowledges the patient's suffering without making promises outside the law or a candidate's current role. Strong answers explore what support and further conversation could look like rather than shutting the topic down.
19. Some medical schools allow students to practise basic examinations on patients under anaesthesia without asking for consent specific to that student. What is your view?
What examiners look for: Examiners look for candidates who can articulate the tension between training future doctors and respecting individual consent and dignity. They reward reasoning about informed consent standards rather than a simple yes or no answer.
20. During a serious outbreak, health authorities require a period of mandatory isolation for infected individuals, even those who feel well. Discuss the ethics of this policy.
What examiners look for: Examiners want candidates to weigh individual liberty against collective wellbeing and public health responsibility. Good answers consider proportionality and fairness rather than treating the policy as automatically justified or automatically wrong.

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Frequently asked questions

Do ethics MMI questions have a right answer?

No. Examiners score your reasoning process: identifying the ethical tension, considering multiple perspectives, and committing to a position you can defend. Two candidates can argue opposite conclusions and both score well.

How many ethics stations does an MMI have?

Most Australian MMIs include one or two ethics-flavoured stations out of six to ten total, though some scenario or role-play stations also carry an ethical undercurrent. It varies by university and by year.

Do I need to know medical law to answer these?

No. You are not expected to cite legislation or case law. Examiners care about sound ethical reasoning and communication, not legal expertise, though a general awareness of concepts like consent and confidentiality helps.

Should I use a formal ethical framework like the four pillars?

You can, but reciting a framework is not the goal. It is more useful as a mental checklist to make sure you have not missed an angle, than as a script you narrate out loud.

How long should my answer be for an ethics station?

Aim to speak for most of the allocated time, typically five to eight minutes, with a brief pause to organise your thoughts. Rushing to a one-line answer usually signals underdeveloped reasoning to examiners.

What is the biggest mistake candidates make on ethics stations?

Jumping straight to a firm conclusion without exploring the tension first. Examiners want to see you weigh perspectives before committing, not just state an opinion confidently.

Can I disagree with the interviewer if they push back on my answer?

Yes, and you should if you have good reasoning. Interviewers often play devil's advocate to test whether you can hold your position under pressure while still listening and engaging respectfully.

Ethics MMI Questions

Practice questions

1. A close friend in your course admits they submitted an assignment written largely by an AI tool, breaching university policy. They ask you not to tell anyone. What do you do?

2. You are a junior doctor and a 15-year-old patient asks you for the contraceptive pill, insisting her parents must not know. Talk through how you would approach this.

3. A patient with capacity refuses a life-saving blood transfusion on religious grounds. Their adult child begs you to override the refusal. How would you think this through?

4. During a placement, you notice a senior clinician gave a patient the wrong dose of medication but did not report it, and the patient was unharmed. What would you do?

5. An elderly patient with early dementia insists on continuing to drive. Her adult son wants you to report her to the licensing authority immediately. Discuss how you would handle this.

6. Two patients arrive at the same time needing the last available bed in intensive care. Talk through the factors you would consider in an allocation decision like this.

7. A patient you know socially through a community group asks you, as a future doctor, to write a medical certificate for a day they did not actually work due to being unwell.

8. You suspect a fellow student is affected by alcohol before a practical assessment involving patient contact. Walk us through how you would handle this.

9. A patient's family asks you not to tell the patient that their diagnosis is terminal, saying it would "take away their hope." What is your view?

10. Parents at a community clinic ask you why they should vaccinate their child when they have read conflicting information online. How would you approach the conversation?

11. You come across a public social media post from a colleague joking about a difficult patient interaction, without naming anyone. Does this concern you, and why?

12. Some people argue that voluntary assisted dying undermines the medical profession's duty to preserve life. What is your view on this tension?

13. As a future doctor, you are offered a fully paid conference trip by a company whose product you might one day prescribe. Talk through your thinking on this.

14. During a consultation, a patient reveals they are having an affair. Their spouse is also your patient and has an upcoming appointment with you. What are the issues here?

15. A genetic test taken for an unrelated medical reason unexpectedly reveals that a man is not the biological father of his teenage son. Should this be disclosed, and to whom?

16. A patient from a cultural background different to your own asks you to involve a male relative in all decisions about her care, rather than speaking with her directly. Discuss.

17. You realise partway through a task that you made a small error earlier that did not end up causing any harm. No one else has noticed. Would you disclose it, and to whom?

18. A terminally ill patient in significant pain asks you, hypothetically, whether you would ever consider helping them end their life sooner. How would you respond in the moment?

19. Some medical schools allow students to practise basic examinations on patients under anaesthesia without asking for consent specific to that student. What is your view?

20. During a serious outbreak, health authorities require a period of mandatory isolation for infected individuals, even those who feel well. Discuss the ethics of this policy.