Mock Interviews and Other Interview Prep

[frosty42]

How many mock interviews is a reasonable amount to expect to do prior to your first interview?

And are there any other ways to prep that people recommend?

I've had 2 mock interviews and I've tried recording myself answering questions, but I still feel nervous and like my mind is going to go blank once I feel the nerves of the actual interviews.

Any advice would be welcome!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

Your college's career counseling center can help you with this.

 

[KnightDoc]

How many mock interviews is a reasonable amount to expect to do prior to your first interview?

And are there any other ways to prep that people recommend?

I've had 2 mock interviews and I've tried recording myself answering questions, but I still feel nervous and like my mind is going to go blank once I feel the nerves of the actual interviews.

Any advice would be welcome!

There is no magic number. Based on your signature, it looks like you have a very decent application and are going to do very well. You will be fine once you lose the butterflies 5 minutes into your first interview. Interviewers know you are nervous, and good ones are very talented at getting you to calm down so they can make an accurate evaluation of you as a candidate.

Consultants rely on the anxiety of people like you, and that's a possibility if you have the money and feel the need. With your profile, though, it really doesn't seem necessary, and I wouldn't recommend it. Two mock interviews is one more than I've had, and I'm not worried.

As @Goro suggested, your premed advising office is probably the only free resource that might actually be high quality. Other than that, Amazon has a few books that might calm your nerves. There is also always YouTube. Some of it is decent, and some is crap. Judge for yourself.

My advice is to chill, realize how good you must be to have 5 IIs at this point in the cycle, tell yourself no one deserves it more or is better than you, and then just be yourself and resist the urge to psych yourself out. You'll be fine.

 

[frosty42]

There is no magic number. Based on your signature, it looks like you have a very decent application and are going to do very well. You will be fine once you lose the butterflies 5 minutes into your first interview. Interviewers know you are nervous, and good ones are very talented at getting you to calm down so they can make an accurate evaluation of you as a candidate.

Consultants rely on the anxiety of people like you, and that's a possibility if you have the money and feel the need. With your profile, though, it really doesn't seem necessary, and I wouldn't recommend it. Two mock interviews is one more than I've had, and I'm not worried.

As @Goro suggested, your premed advising office is probably the only free resource that might actually be high quality. Other than that, Amazon has a few books that might calm your nerves. There is also always YouTube. Some of it is decent, and some is crap. Judge for yourself.

My advice is to chill, realize how good you must be to have 5 IIs at this point in the cycle, tell yourself no one deserves it more or is better than you, and then just be yourself and resist the urge to psych yourself out. You'll be fine.

Thank you! I think I’m just getting caught up in the SDN craze.

Appreciate the support.

 

[KnightDoc]

Thank you! I think I’m just getting caught up in the SDN craze.

Appreciate the support.

It's impossible not to. The key is to play your own game and focus on what got you to this point. It's what the schools are seeing when they are reviewing your application.

With respect to the IIs, just remember that simply getting them is by far the single most difficult screen in the whole process. Hopefully, keeping in mind that you are statistically likely to convert 2 of the 5 IIs into As, and that you are also statistically likely to receive more IIs at this point in the cycle, will infuse you with the confidence you need to close the deal.

 

[deleted1106140]

Does anyone know of any free Discord/Slack or Google Doc programs that do mock interviews with current medical students this year? I know there was one last year.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Go on job interviews for practice? Obviously they won’t ask about medicine but questions like strengths/weaknesses, tell me about yourself, what do you do for fun are common to both. If anything it would help in terms of practicing mannerisms and avoiding filler words.

 

[LindaAccepted]

How many mock interviews is a reasonable amount to expect to do prior to your first interview?

And are there any other ways to prep that people recommend?

I've had 2 mock interviews and I've tried recording myself answering questions, but I still feel nervous and like my mind is going to go blank once I feel the nerves of the actual interviews.

Any advice would be welcome!

As Goro wrote there is no magic number for mock interviews. Some people practice a bit and are confident. Some practice a lot. I think almost all have butterflies and nerves when they do something important, like a med school interview, for the first time. That's normal.

The question becomes do you feel confident enough to overcome the normal butterflies and nerves. If you have access to a pre-health advising office, go there. If you don't, you might need to go elsewhere for an additional mock interview.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

As Goro wrote there is no magic number for mock interviews. Some people practice a bit and are confident. Some practice a lot. I think almost all have butterflies and nerves when they do something important, like a med school interview for the first time. That's normal.

The question becomes do you feel confident enough to overcome the normal butterflies and nerves. If you have access to a pre-health advising office, go there. If you don't, you might need to go elsewhere for an additional mock interview.

I think that the intensity of butterflies is inversely proportional to the amount of interviews that one has.

 

[wishfull]

There is no magic number. Based on your signature, it looks like you have a very decent application and are going to do very well. You will be fine once you lose the butterflies 5 minutes into your first interview. Interviewers know you are nervous, and good ones are very talented at getting you to calm down so they can make an accurate evaluation of you as a candidate.

Consultants rely on the anxiety of people like you, and that's a possibility if you have the money and feel the need. With your profile, though, it really doesn't seem necessary, and I wouldn't recommend it. Two mock interviews is one more than I've had, and I'm not worried.

As @Goro suggested, your premed advising office is probably the only free resource that might actually be high quality. Other than that, Amazon has a few books that might calm your nerves. There is also always YouTube. Some of it is decent, and some is crap. Judge for yourself.

My advice is to chill, realize how good you must be to have 5 IIs at this point in the cycle, tell yourself no one deserves it more or is better than you, and then just be yourself and resist the urge to psych yourself out. You'll be fine.

 

[wishfull]

Hey, How did u find the people who can help in the Mock interviews. I am looking for someone for my BS/MD first Interview. Appreciate help..

 

[salmonellaisafish]

I found people on Fiverr who were either residents or medical students that would set up a mock interview for you. Was really helpful for residency interviews, having someone give you non-biased feedback. I had searched residency mock interview and I think paid about $50 for a 1 on 1 interview for 60 min with full feedback. Would search around and check peoples reviews, I had a great experience.