interview prep

Hang in there! The only thing tougher than waiting for a dental school interview is… well, actually, nope — that’s pretty much as tough as it gets. 😅 But seriously, you’re right on schedule. Most schools don’t send all their invites at once, and it’s totally normal not to hear anything in...

With student interviewers, your questions can be more personal, but you still want to show that you know something about the school. It's also a good idea to ask a question that relates to something you've just discussed or about a commonality that you two share, or that you share with the...

Not every school will have a writing station, but the ones that do will present you with their prompt (or two and you can pick one) and a time limit. That could be eight minutes, it could be 30. There are a variety of categories you might be presented with at the writing station—it could be a...

It’s possible that your MMI will include a picture station, where you are presented with an image and asked to describe it. The image could show something emotionally evocative or medicine-related or look like a vacation photo. Like most MMI stations, this one tests your communication skills...

Medicine is a team sport. To gauge your collaboration skills, some schools will assess you in teamwork activities that you complete with another applicant. The pair of you might be asked to create an action plan together or one of you may act as an instructor and the other as a doer. (And then...

You've now reviewed our last two posts on how to answer Moral & Ethical Situation Prompts. Here are some prompts to put what you've read into practice. Don't forget to verbalize: What information is missing? What assumptions are you making? How do you work through the situation? You’re a...

There are times when your personal beliefs may conflict with your ability to provide a legal medical procedure, such as abortion or physician-assisted death. So, what then? You can be a conscientious objector. But that doesn’t preclude you from providing your patient with information on a doctor...

In an MMI interview, the Moral & Ethical Situation prompts are the ones that terrify applicants. They feel so high stakes. For example: Decide which of these two patients gets an organ transplant. Geez Louise. Many MMI questions—especially the ones about morals and ethics—may omit details you...

Despite the prevalence of obesity and related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and stroke in the US, there is little training on nutrition in American medical schools. Dr. Stephen Devries, a cardiologist and co-lead of the Nutrition Education Working...

Many medical schools, including those at Duke, NYU, University of Massachusetts, and Rutgers, are using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) to evaluate applicants. This is because it is an effective way to evaluate an applicant’s ability to process a complex scenario or issue under pressure and...

Begin preparing for your interview by thinking through your most meaningful experiences that will help demonstrate your skills and abilities in the areas of critical and creative thinking, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, and empathy, as well as those that reinforced your commitment to the...

I am currently a third year resident physician with extensive experience in MMI interviews, MMI question development and MMI Coaching. I remember how stressful medical school and CARMS interviews can be, so I wanted to create a coaching service that can help you excel in your interview and...

Most applicants come away from their first med school interview saying, “that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” As in many areas of life, the anticipation of a stressful event can be worse than the event itself. Although many med schools work hard to make applicants feels relaxed, this...

Your primary app is submitted and your secondaries are in. Each step in the application process is bringing you closer to your goal of med school acceptance and the next phase of your training as you prepare to become a physician. The next step? The med school interview. And it’s happening...

Hi, was wondering if anyone wanted to practicing interviewing each other through zoom/google hangouts or something. Sorry if this is totally weird, but I would love to practice with strangers since I'm too comfortable with friend interviewers. I'm afraid that my performance during my past...

If you’ve been invited for an interview at a med school that uses the MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) method, you may have some questions: Why did they choose this format? What will your interview be like? How can you prepare effectively? It’s natural to feel anxious about a med school interview...

In 2004, Canada’s McMaster University published a study that examined how the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) method can be used to more accurately assess candidates for medical school admission. The study found that the traditional interview format was not a reliable admissions tool because too...

Physician Assistant program interviews are similar to medical school interviews. There are three possible interview formats: traditional, MMI (multiple mini interview) or a hybrid of these two. Traditional interviews involve anywhere from one to three people interviewing one to three students...

Hi, I am looking for someone I can practice for med school interviews with over Skype. I have a panel-style interview this month. Although I have practiced with my peers, I think it would be helpful to get extra practice and a fresh perspective from a stranger.

It’s no secret that the medical school application process is a long and difficult road. Applying to medical school can take from nine months, up to a year! So when should you begin? How does the process work? To start off SDN’s Admissions Prep week, here’s an outline of the 3 main phases of...

Need Help with Your Med School Application? Schedule a FREE 15-minute phone consultation with a Harvard Medical Student today! I am a fourth year at Harvard Medical School and recently matched into Ophthalmology at the Harvard-affiliated Mass Eye and Ear residency program. I graduated magna cum...

I've been reading all the helpful interview-related threads on here, but was wondering if there are any good YouTube videos out there on this. I remember seeing a similar thread that compiled links to adcom presentations a while ago. Thanks!

We're very excited to announce the launch of White Coat Admissions Strategists, a new medical school admissions consulting company. Our goal is to provide comprehensive support through each step of the application process at affordable prices. Our organization was founded by three Johns...

3 Key interview questions and how to answer them: 1. "Tell me about yourself." The most open ended of questions and often the first question. Although this question can seem intimidating it is actually an opportunity. This is the chance for your to structure the interview and present your...

What are some good tips to prepare for MMI interviews? All I can really think of is reading through sample questions and formulating answers, and practicing aloud, but how do I know if my answers are 'correct?' Are there resources available that detail recommended answers to questions that have...