Here, you’ll find a list of the most common questions that you can expect to hear during your medical school interview.
Much like a job interview, your medical school interview can cause a lot of stress in your life. There’s no shame in that – a lot is at stake. You’ve spent countless hours getting yourself to get to this point, and getting accepted into your dream school is so close you can taste it. The only thing left to do is ace your interview and move one step closer to attending the medical school of your dreams.
For most, the scariest aspect of a medical school interview is the fear of the unknown. You can go into an exam confident because you knew what you would be tested on beforehand, which allows you to study and prepare yourself. With an interview, however, there’s an element of uncertainty that you can’t prepare for, which can be terrifying. You don’t know what you’re going to be asked, and you’ll have to think on your feet. While some thrive under these spontaneous circumstances, others prefer to be more calculated with their responses. These are the people who are typically more stressed about their interviews. If you fit this bill, don’t be discouraged. It isn’t a bad trait, you are just much more comfortable in situations where you know what to prepare for.
Fortunately for you, knowing how to prepare for a med school interview is more plausible than you think. Sure, you’ll be asked some questions that might catch you off guard, but for the most part, many interviews of this nature consist of a common set of questions asked in almost all interviews, thus making it easier to prepare for. You don’t want your answers to sound robotic, but if rehearsing your answers to likely questions will make you more comfortable going into your interview, then more power to you.
Here’s a list of common questions you need to be ready to answer during your medical school interview:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want to study medicine?
- Why should we choose you?
- What are your goals?
- What do you hope to gain from this medical school experience?
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- What initially got you interested in being a doctor?
- What is it about this medical school that made you apply?
- What field of medicine are you most interested in?
- What experience do you have working in the medical field?
- Based on what you know or have heard about medical school, what aspect do you think will be the most challenging for you? Why?
- Give an example of a time you had to collaborate with others.
- Give an example of a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in life?
- What experience do you have working with diverse populations?
- What is the biggest challenge facing the medical industry today?
- If you were able to change one thing about our healthcare system, what would it be?
- What characteristics are important to a healthy doctor/patient relationship?
- Who are your role models?
- What do you do in your spare time?
As you can see, most of these medical school interview questions are designed to evaluate your knowledge of medicine, along with who you are as a person. Every medical school in the United States--and elsewhere around the world--is different. Throughout the interview, the interviewer will attempt to determine if you are truly the perfect candidate.
Of course, it might also be helpful to prepare a few questions to ask medical school interviewers of your own. By having a specific list of questions prepared, you will be able to demonstrate your interest and also show that you are adequately prepared.
Being prepared is the easiest way to decrease the stress and pressure that inherently comes with each medical school interview. The more you can to in advance, the less you will need to worry about once your big med school interview day actually arrives.
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