How To Prepare For Med School Interview

What Are Your Biggest Strengths

The interviewer isnt asking this question because theyre looking for a long list of appealing adjectives. Select strengths that are unique to you as an individual, but demonstrate them through tangible examples from your past.

Dont come up with strengths on the fly. Prepare for this question well in advance. Ask your friends, family, and mentors what they believe your strengths to be. Sit down with a pen and notepad and reflect on what makes you uniquely you.

Are you skilled with time management? Are you a highly empathetic person who excels at communicating with people and achieving compromise? Always relate your strengths back to how they make you a good addition to that particular medical school.

Preparing For The Interview

Preparation is essential to success. Think about the topics you could be asked about and what points you would make in response. Dont memorise stock answers because it will appear stilted and you may be caught out if the question isnt quite the same. You wont be able to anticipate all the questions, so dont be alarmed if you are asked the unexpected.

The interview may focus on what youve put in your personal statement. Read it through and be prepared to discuss anything youve mentioned. You may have to talk about your work experience or reading you have done, for example.

Be aware that you may be given scenario questions. Youll be asked how you would deal with different problems or situations or how youve coped with similar ones yourself.

University College London Interview

Its not clear if UCL will hold online or in-person interviews. Last year, each interview was around 20 minutes, with two interviewers present. Roughly 950 candidates will be interviewed for 334 places. Youll get at least one weeks notice if youre invited to interview.

Recommended Reading: What To Wear To An Interview Women

Is It True That Medical Schools Reject Overqualified Applicants

In some cases, medical schools might reject candidates they believe will not attend their program, in order to give the spot to another student who is more likely to attend. This practice is called “yield protection” so that medical schools can preserve the real or perceived desirability of their program. That said, there is no way to know whether you will be turned down by a given school for being too qualified, so try not to heavily factor yield protection into your school list decisions.

—-

Leicester Medical School Interview

If you apply to Leicester Medical School, youll be ranked by UCAT score and academic record and the highest-ranked candidates will get an invite to interview. Around 1,000 people are interviewed and roughly 850 offers are made for the 290 places available. The interviews will be held online again this year.

Don’t Miss: Questions To Ask A Cfo In An Interview

Top 3 Medical School Interview Questions

Now that you know a bit about how to approach medical school interview questions, its time for what youve all been waiting for some examples. Now, its important to note that every admissions panel gets to pick its own approach. That means you may not be asked the same things by every board.

But, there are certain common medical school interview questions that youll probably encounter. Here are the top three, along with example answers.

How To Prepare For Med School Interview: Before The Interview

Preparation is the key to success as the well-worn cliché goes, and medical school interviews are no exception. One of the most stressful aspects of student life is abiding by often strict or overlapping deadlines, resulting in cramming for tests, all-night essay-writing sessions, and many other unpleasant instances of racing against the clock. Your interview for medical school requires copious preparation, but if you get started early, you can have a pleasant and productive experience that leaves your committee with a clear sense of your fit for their program.

How early is early enough? How long to prepare for a medical school interview? Starting the day youre invited is certainly good, but earlier than that is even better. Unfortunately, some medical schools will only give you a couple or weeks notice, so its wise to start preparing for a potential interview shortly after applying. If you do start that early, focus on basic info-gathering like schools interview formats, common medical school interview questions, and other more general information. Part of the benefit of starting early is that you wont have to cram with an immanent deadline hanging over you, so take your time and seek to really understand what you may be heading into.

Once you receive your invitation, its time to really get to work.

Check out the ultimate guide to med school interviews and learn tips that will help you make a great impression:

You May Like: What To Wear To An Interview Women

Dont Memorise Your Answers

Important side-note, I dont think you should be learning answers off by heart, this will not be useful for many reasons: you will not seem natural, and it will look very rehearsed, there are too many potential questions you cant learn all of them and if they ask you a question that is slightly different you will be thrown off and not able to adapt your answer. Instead, practice quick thinking and building a nice answer to an unknown question on the spot.

Explain A Of Your Application

If theres an aspect of your application thats particularly weak, expect to be asked about it. Dont be defensive. Instead, explain what happened, what you learned in the process, and how the situation affected your growth as a human being and medical student.

Everyone makes mistakes. Dont sweep them under the rug. Demonstrating what you learned from the experience shows maturity and perseverance.

Also Check: Interview Questions To Ask A Cfo

How To Prepare For The Virtual Medical School Interview

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical school admissions have had to make tons of unprecedented changes, including the shortened MCAT, a delayed cycle, and of course, the virtual interview.

If you havent received any interviews by this point in the cycle, dont worry. In a regular cycle, applicants normally dont receive interviews until around late August at the earliest.

In general, this cycle has been delayed by roughly two weeks, so the earliest interviews should come around early September. Medical schools usually give out interview invitations all the way through March, so dont be concerned if you havent received one yet!

If you have received an interview, then you may be wondering: how do you prepare for a virtual med school interview? The answer is simpler than you may expect.

Refine Your Communication Style

As youre practicing, its crucial that youre aware of the way you speak and work towards improving your overall eloquence and coherence. The best way to do this is, as we said above, by practicing with sample questions and completing mock interviews with personalized feedback from experts. You can also record yourself as you practice to note down your areas of improvement and work towards improving them. This self-improvement cant happen overnight you might have to practice for a few weeks before your communication skills get to where they need to be. Thats one of the reasons we recommend starting your interview prep early. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you work on your communication style:

You May Like: Questions To Ask A Cfo

What Do You See As The Biggest Problem With Health Care In The United States Or Any Other Policy Or Current Events Or Future Events Question

A common misconception: There are perhaps no questions that send more shudders down premed spines. Students believe they have to frantically read everything they can about the Affordable Care Act in order to answer questions effectively and not seem like theyve been buried under a rock. Moreover, they think they have to take a specific position or they will get automatically rejected.

How to approach this question: First off, these types of questions rarely come upalthough theyre a bit more common during MMI interviewsso you shouldnt spend too much time worrying about them. Regardless, your interviewer is more interested in how you think than the actual position you take . Therefore, before you state your position and provide your rationale, explore both sides of the issue to demonstrate thoughtfulness. Based on your considerations, you should then take a position and humbly stick with it.

Heres an example response that does this well:

Prepare For Medical School Interview Success

Once you have some time to begin strategizing, determining how to prepare for medical school interviews will start to feel less daunting. It can also help you begin narrowing the list of institutions youre considering. *This article was originally published in January 2018. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2021.

See yourself as a medical student?

Read Also: System Design Interview Prep

What Career Would You Pursue If You Couldnt Be A Doctor

You can be honest about how disappointing it would be not to be able to become a doctor, but thats not an answer to the question. Medicine is a very value-driven field of employment, so its important to select a career with similar values to the ones you find in medicine. For example, if you wanted to stay in the realm of medicine, you might say you would become a paramedic, a lab or radiologist technician, or surgical technologist.

Pick a field that demonstrates your values and desire to help people.

Residency Interview Preparation Tips

Applying for medical residencies is a complex, difficult process. But going through the process can help prepare you for interviews. As part of the application portfolio for a medical residency, you will need to write a personal statement. In this document, you will describe your achievements and explain your reasons for wanting to pursue a particular field of study and applying to a specific program. You will need to convey this information during your interview as well, so writing your personal statement can help you collect your thoughts and explain your reasoning in a concise way. You dont want to stumble and mumble when your interviewer asks why youre interested in their program.

Your interviewers will want to know a lot about you, your skills, and your background. The questions will range from broad to narrow . Be prepared to express not only what you know and what you can do, but you should also be able to describe your values, your professional goals, and your motivations for wanting to pursue a career in a particular field of medicine.

You cant know ahead of time exactly what questions will be asked, but there are numerous resources to help you get an idea. The American College of Physicians® details some questions you may be asked. The Association of American Medical Colleges also lists common residency interview questions. Reading over these samples can give you a pretty good idea of the kind of information you should be ready to describe.

Also Check: Best Interview Clothes For A Woman

Whats The Last Book You Read/enjoyed

This is quite similar to the previous question, as its another opportunity to demonstrate there is more to your life than the strict pursuit of medicine. The interviewer could ask you about a book, movie, or television show you enjoyed recently.

If you didnt enjoy the last book you read or program you watched, it could also be a good opportunity to flex your critical reasoning and analysis skills and discuss the specific reasons why you didnt enjoy it. Were the writers arguments weak? Did you not enjoy their writing style? Did you find the actors or plot unbelievable?

What Made You Decide To Become A Doctor

Essentially every admissions board on the planet is going to ask you this one, so make sure youre ready for it. Technically, there isnt a right or wrong answer. The board just wants a glimpse into what motivates you.

Often, the road to becoming a doctor is rough. If your reason for being on the journey wont sustain you, the odds that youll abandon the path go up. Admissions boards want to focus on students who will stay the course, hence why they dig into your motivations.

Ideally, you want your answer to point at your intrinsic motivations for becoming a doctor. So, avoid talking about prestige, paychecks, or family legacy. Instead, dig deep and get personal.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

Initially, I was focused on biochemistry. My goal was to enter the pharmaceuticals field, allowing me to develop medications or treatments that would improve the lives of people in the throes of an illness or dealing with chronic conditions. However, as I pursued my education, I discovered that I preferred a more personal connection.

Communicating with individuals, understanding their unique perspectives, and searching for ways to ensure they could live their best life became equally important. By becoming a doctor, I could make a difference on a personal level. Plus, my biochemistry background uniquely positions me to understand the pharmaceutical industry in a different way, ensuring I can guide patients more effectively while working with them to achieve their goals.

Read Also: Best System Design Interview Prep

King’s College London Interview

Medicine interviews at Kings College London take place between November and May, which is one of the longest interview periods of all Medical Schools. When drawing up their shortlist, Kings looks at everything: your GCSEs and A-Levels, your UCAT score, and your Personal Statement. Interviews will consist of a panel with two interviewers who complete assessment score sheets about candidates and will be done remotely in 2021/22.

How To Prepare For Medical School Interviews

Med School Insiders offers a comprehensive course on How to Ace the Medical School Interview that provides expert training to prepare you for the entire interview process.

Youll have dozens of years of medical school admission committee experience on your side. Our team of top doctors, all with adcom experience, came together to build this course from the ground up to provide you with the ultimate resource to master the medical school interview. The course includes all of the details, from what precisely to pack to making a cheat sheet to common pitfalls to how to address the most common questions.

We also have an extensive library of free resources covering a long list of interview topics as well as how to prepare for your primary applications, secondaries, and residency applications.

Don’t Miss: Questions To Ask Cfo In Interview

University Of Central Lancashire Interview

For this academic entry cycle, Medicine interviews at the University of Central Lancashire will take the format of a panel interview, and interviews will be conducted online .

What Do You Feel Are The Good And Bad Points About Being A Doctor

Give a balanced, well-researched answer. Talk about what you think you will enjoy about being a doctor as well as the challenges you might face. As well as RCS careers information, visit the NHS Careers website to learn about the reality of a medical career.

Positive aspects might include: job satisfaction as you know you are making a difference to peoples lives constant development of skills.

Negative aspects could include: it can be stressful it takes a long time to train being on-call means you have to wake up frequently in the middle of the night.

Also Check: How To Prepare System Design Interview

University Of Oxford Interview

The University of Oxford uses the Traditional interview format, and youll be asked questions by academic tutors. Roughly 25% of applicants will be shortlisted for a Medicine interview. Shortlisting is done by ranking your GCSE performance and BMAT score, with the top candidates getting an invite.

Youll have two interviews: one will be with your college of preference , and the other with a randomly-allocated college. The website states that interviews in 2021 will be done online with Microsoft Teams, but its not clear if that means all interviews for 2022 entry.

University Of Leeds Interview

The University of Leeds takes into account your BMAT score, academic record, and Personal Statement when shortlisting and usually invites 1,000 applicants to interview. They typically have eight six-minute MMI stations and havent specified if interviews will be online or in-person for 2021/22.

Also Check: Interview Attire Women

University Of Birmingham Interview

The University of Birmingham scores your application and then invites around 1,300 candidates to interview. Theyll make offers to around 850 students.

This year, the interviews will take no more than 30 minutes and will be conducted online via Zoom. It involves two stages: the first interview is broken down into two six-minute stations, one of which will involve a role-play scenario. Youll get two minutes to prepare for each station. The second stage is an online calculation station that takes 10 minutes and will be done on a different day.