typical interview questions

[footbasket]

Hi,

What are some of the main questions we will be asked during our ophtho residency interviews?

Thanks for the help.

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[Visionary]

Hi,

What are some of the main questions we will be asked during our ophtho residency interviews?

Thanks for the help.

Nothing you can prepare for in advance, really. Topics vary widely. Some interviewers, perhaps most, ask get-to-know-you questions that have nothing to do with ophthalmology. Others like to pimp you to see how you react. Strangest thing I had to do was stack a few pills on top of each other. Same guy (he's notorious) has been known to pull a brick out of his desk, slam it down, and ask the applicant to tell him 10 things you could do with that brick. Just relax, be yourself, and enjoy the process. That's the best advice I can give you.

 

[midwesteye]

I have heard the same thing that Visionary stated above (varying questions, get to know you questions). A few questions that I think are likely to come up pretty often:
-Tell me about yourself
-Tell me about your weaknesses/strengths
-Why did you apply to/why are you interested in program X
-Questions about your CAS interests
-Do you have any more questions/what else can I tell you about our program?

Notably, nothing about my research (I'd be interested to know if programs frequently ask questions about your research or if it's hard to fit in to the short interview time slots). I'd assume it also varies based on the program's interest/strength in research.

 

[InterviewMe]

-Questions about your CAS interests

This. 90 percent of the conversations so far have consisted of someone flipping through my CAS and making conversation about my activities.

 

[NeuroOph]

If they ask you a weird question, they are definitely trying to see if you are going to get rattled. I would not smirk or take the question lightly. Just think about it for a little bit and then answer it to the best of your abilities. If you can't answer it say something like "Wow, that's a difficult question. I'm not sure if I can answer that." That might buy you more time. Always go with a non-controversial answer. My advice on interviews and exams is to never stand out in the crowd. It's the rouge antelope that gets eaten by the lion.

 

[jsridhar]

A good resource:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...NGEzZi00ZDBlLWI0M2UtMzRiNmM2MDhjMzRh&hl=en_US

See page 23-24

 

[MstaKing10]

every single interview ends with "do you have any questions". Have some well thought out questions and lots of them in addition to preparing for other questions they will ask.

 

[Ophtho222]

Can someone please explain to me how programs expect to get to know us and rank us if all they ask during interviews is 'what questions do you have for me?'

Am I supposed to craft my answer in some creative way to 'sell myself'??

So confused!

 

[JayZBlue]

Can someone please explain to me how programs expect to get to know us and rank us if all they ask during interviews is 'what questions do you have for me?'

Am I supposed to craft my answer in some creative way to 'sell myself'??

So confused!

Just be yourself and enjoy the interviews. I wouldn't try crafting anything. Good interviewers can smell BS a mile away. If you're interested in the program, you'll have questions to ask. It's okay to ask the same question to multiple interviewers.

 

[WhatNEyeTem]

Just be yourself and enjoy the interviews. I wouldn't try crafting anything. Good interviewers can smell BS a mile away. If you're interested in the program, you'll have questions to ask. It's okay to ask the same question to multiple interviewers.

I think this is probably the best piece of advice on this thread (ie. "be yourself and enjoy the interviews").

You have to put yourself in the mind of your interviewer: they are interviewing scores of applicants who basically all appear the same on paper (eg. top 1/3 of class, high Step 1 scores, some Ophthalmology activities). Of course, there are going to be some standouts who have published in "Nature" and "Ophthalmology", but for the most part, everyone is going to look the same.

Beyond academics/brains, most faculty want someone who is (a) a team-player; (b) doesn't have a huge ego and is willing to follow instructions from them; and (c) is just overall pleasant. As a fellow, I remember my attendings asking me which interviewees they should definitely NOT match. Therefore, don't rub the residents or fellows the wrong way either if you want to match at a program!