How long to study/practice for interviews?

[pms_testosterone]

Any tips on how much time to spend studying for a med school interview? Or, for successful applicants, how much time did you spend preparing?

I find I'm average to bad at interviews in general, if that helps.

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[harkas]

It depends on whether or not you're a good interviewer. If you're socially awkward and get nervous, you will likely need more time preparing. The BEST thing you can do is do as many mock interviews as you can - with teachers, friends, coworkers, whoever.

Also instead of trying to come up with an answer for every question imaginable, try coming up with 7-10 stories that taught you something and explain the things you DID, not what you thought or saw (i.e., how you saw your favorite doctor do something cool vs. how you helped a patient; the latter shows initiative.) They should include how you overcame a weakness, your strengths, patient encounters, something unrelated to medicine, etc. Having these stories ready to go will make answering questions easier without sounding too rehearsed and it will also keep you engaged in the conversation (but you should always have an answer ready for the question 'tell me about yourself' and 'why medicine' and 'why this school). Just my two cents.

 

[theonlytycrane]

"How much" will depend on each person. You should make a list of super common questions (i.e. what's your greatest weakest, challenging time, etc.) that you'll probably be asked, write your answers to them, and practice saying those answers out loud (daily) + practice with other people.

Practice some ethics / role-playing questions depending on the school you will be interviewing at.

If you have a job where you work with people / customers, tell them you're applying to medical school (if appropriate). Then they will say "oh cool! why do you want to become a doctor?" -> then you practice "Why Medicine"

"Why Medicine" should be an internalized monologue (practice this one everyday x 5).

 

[pms_testosterone]

Does the answer to "why medicine" need to be a soundbite? Or can I recount my whole rambling journey of how I got to the point of deciding to apply to med school? Is it a no-no if my answer indicates which specialty I'm interested in? Sorry for my naivety here, LOL.

 

[harkas]

Does the answer to "why medicine" need to be a soundbite? Or can I recount my whole rambling journey of how I got to the point of deciding to apply to med school? Is it a no-no if my answer indicates which specialty I'm interested in? Sorry for my naivety here, LOL.

Should be 1-2 minutes max. You can say what specialties interest you but don’t sound definite (as a pre med you don’t know enough about medicine to know what you want).

 

[sss1219]

For my first II it helped me to study 3ish days. It takes a while to get the body language (sitting up straight, hand gestures, and especially eye contact) and getting everything you want to say out succinctly, so just grab a family member or friend and let them critique the way you communicate over a couple sessions. I found that the only answers I needed to memorize were why this school, tell me about yourself, and why medicine. For ethical questions, it helps to find example scenarios (CASPER scenarios were helpful) and writing your answers out, but once you understand the motifs in these questions (shared and informed decisionmaking, confidentiality, competence, etc.) then they become easy to work through.

Your first interview will be nervy no matter how much you practice, but your subsequent interviews go more smoothly once you know what to expect!

EDIT: An important piece of advice - when they ask an open ended question like 'tell me about yourself', that's your opportunity to take the interview by the horns and lead the discussion into things you want to talk about. For example, if you have lots you could say about a long term volunteering gig or something, you can say something along the lines of '.....I'm very fulfilled by helping out those less fortunate, seen in having worked in x role for y long and learning z from it'. The interviewer will almost always probe on those experiences you bring up afterwards (unless the questions are pre determined).

 

[LizzyM]

..I'm very fulfilled by helping out those less fortunate, seen in having worked in x role for y long and learning z from it'. The interviewer will almost always probe on those experiences you bring up afterwards (unless the questions are pre determined).

Yeah, they'll probe because it sounds unnatural and like complete bu11sh*t.

Much better to say, I've been very involved in X. I first got involved when....

No one who is fulfilled by helping "the less fortunate" will talk about it that way.

 

[pms_testosterone]

Thanks all! This is all great info. I've only got the one interview, so I'm hoping to do decently the first time. 🙂

 

[pms_testosterone]

I think this is a neurotic pre-med question. But is anyone willing to give feedback on my answer to "why do you want to be a doctor"?

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

I think this is a neurotic pre-med question. But is anyone willing to give feedback on my answer to "why do you want to be a doctor"?

You need to research each school so you can answer why you want to go there. If you PM me ill read your answer

 

[AllBleedingStops]

So far I haven't seen a lot of specifics. The short answer for time is about a day for me.*

I am not the authority on interviewing but I have had experience interviewing in multiple formats, including several medical schools and I got accepted so maybe sharing my process would help you. When interview season was getting going I made sure I had at least one reliable suit combo with a couple shirts and ties that fit well and were relatively in style. I generally do not use white shirts for interviews because I feel they are overused and a conservative color choice outside white worked better for my confidence and "standing out" visually. (If you are female, my main advice would be to not overdo the makeup and wear walkable heels is you choose heels). Then I made sure I had a cheap but professional headshot for those interviews that wanted a picture of you.

When it came to interview prep itself I would just google lists of medical school interview questions and practice them out loud with another person. They don't need to be memorized or contrived, but if you have actually thought of the majority of topics they could ask, you will probably feel more comfortable giving similar answers in the interview. A key to this is practicing out loud! Multiple times I thought my answer was good in my head until it sounded like bull**** or I stumbled over it badly out loud (time varies based on how well-prepped you are). I also usually did very basic research on some current major political and healthcare topics just so I could have a decently reasonable discussion and ask appropriate questions should they come up - don't spend too much time delving into intricacies, just know things that have happened recently (30 minutes tops). Once I felt comfortable with questions, I would spend about an hour and dig through the school's website again to find anything they were really proud of and anything I could ask questions about when they inevitably ask "do you have any questions".

My other big step was checking out the area as best as I could. If I traveled, I would try to go to campus the night before and see if I could find the entrance, or better still, the rooms I would be going to. It made me more confident to know the basic traffic flow and the way to the interview the next day. Finally, I would prep my outfit like ironing and getting accessories out, making sure toiletries were good, drinking an extra bottle of water, etc. Set a few alarms and have someone call you if you are not sure you will get up. If you are alone and traveling hotel staff have often been super helpful in this regard. Eat breakfast and have coffee or whatever your normal routine is. Don't do more question prep, you'll freak yourself out. Leave a little extra time to get ready and get to the interview. Don't forget ID. I usually brought my own folder and pad to take notes - sometimes you get this there but I always felt better bringing it. And a huge one that I noticed a lot of people would get caught up in - turn off your phone!


* This only refers to preparing for questions and does not include accommodations, dress, investigating the location, etc.