Mock Interviews

[drmota]

how many of you did one? did you find it useful? porque. and if you don't speak german that means why. thanks
-mota

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[Ashanti Rock]

how many of you did one? did you find it useful? porque. and if you don't speak german that means why. thanks
-mota

I did one before my first interview...mainly to calm my nerves cause I was freaking out! It was with a prof who did not know me - so kind of like a closed file- either way, I found it really helpful. It made my first interview not feel like the first and I also finally articulated why medicine, which was the hardest thing for me to do.

 

[TracksuitsRock]

I loved it. It showed me exactly what I needed to work on, which like the last poster was mostly my "story" about why medicine. It also showed me a lot of things I WAS good at, which I had doubted. That allowed me to go into the interview much more confident. Mine was videotaped and then you have to watch it afterwards with the interviewer and talk about it. That was painful in theory but ended up being ok, especially since I knew I would never have to see him again.

Hope you choose to do one - I think you will find it rewarding - and good luck on your interview!!!!!

 

[DrMike24]

I did a few... One was with a doc who was a mentor to me who wrote one of my letters of rec. He critiqued my answers and it was great because being a doctor he was up to date with healthcare and all that good stuff. My schools career services has a mock interview thing where you bring in a videotape they record it so you can watch it later. I think the best things about the mock interview is that you practice what you are saying. Even if you practice on your own it is night and day when you are with someone else, especially a doctor/someone important, like someone on the adcom. I definetly recommend it.

 

[Risa]

Can I respond to this thread or does my username need to end in "rock?"

I didn't have one, and I'm glad I didn't. Personally, i feel like the way to come across strongest in an interview is to actually have a real conversation, like where I'm thinking about the questions asked of me in real time and giving honest answers. I felt like the more interviews I had (I've had them at seven schools), the harder it was to sound genuine since many of my answers were becoming "scripted," simply given the number of times I'd recited them.

So I say, skip the mock interview and keep it fresh as long as possible. But that's just me.

 

[Ashanti Rock]

Can I respond to this thread or does my username need to end in "rock?"

I didn't have one, and I'm glad I didn't. Personally, i feel like the way to come across strongest in an interview is to actually have a real conversation, like where I'm thinking about the questions asked of me in real time and giving honest answers. I felt like the more interviews I had (I've had them at seven schools), the harder it was to sound genuine since many of my answers were becoming "scripted," simply given the number of times I'd recited them.

So I say, skip the mock interview and keep it fresh as long as possible. But that's just me.

How dare you post in this thread. I am changing your name....from now on we shall refer to you as Risa Rock

 

[drmota]

Can I respond to this thread or does my username need to end in "rock?"

I didn't have one, and I'm glad I didn't. Personally, i feel like the way to come across strongest in an interview is to actually have a real conversation, like where I'm thinking about the questions asked of me in real time and giving honest answers. I felt like the more interviews I had (I've had them at seven schools), the harder it was to sound genuine since many of my answers were becoming "scripted," simply given the number of times I'd recited them.

So I say, skip the mock interview and keep it fresh as long as possible. But that's just me.

hmm. interesting perspective. anyone care to comment?
-mota

 

[DrMike24]

So I say, skip the mock interview and keep it fresh as long as possible. But that's just me.

I see where you are coming from. I think therefore it depends on the person. I am not a very good speaker naturally, so it definetely helped me.

 

[Matt0751]

I always knew that if I got to an interview I could talk my way in. I have worked in sales for many years and dont mean to brag... but I consider myself quite the charmer... but anyway.


The Mock Interviewer hit me with a few questions I should be prepared for. My actual inteveiws were much smoother but I was stumped by three questions in the mock interview.

"what do you see as the most promminent issue in medicine today?"

"If a 16 year old girl came in to your general practice wanting an abortion, what would you do?.... would you tell the parents?"

"A 70 year old man comes into your office with a terminal brain tumor. He has one month to live. he has made his peace with the world and wishes you to help him end his life. What do you do?"




The anser to the second two questions will vary with who you are as a person, but for the answer to be correct, you need to make sure you mention that according to the current laws.... in your response.

Def do a mock interview. It will give you some worse case senario questions to practice on

 

[DarkFark]

I did it, and it was a good thing I did- I made some mistakes that were corrected.

 

[tacrum43]

how many of you did one? did you find it useful? porque. and if you don't speak german that means why. thanks
-mota

Isn't porque spanish? But anyway, I thought a mock interview was very helpful. The main thing it did was calm me down because I found that it was actually easier to articulate my answers when I was talking to a person than just practicing them by myself. If you can, maybe look up typical questions from the schools you are going to be interviewing at and have the mock interviewer ask some of those.

 

[Flopotomist]

I strongly recommend a mock interview, but make SURE it is with somebody that is BRUTALLY honest. Bonus points if it is somebody that slightly intimidates you.

In addition to practicing to answer - you get to learn what stupid things you do with your body (eg, biting your lip, sitting in a chair funny, shaking hands like a quadriplegic etc.).

 

[Law2Doc]

I strongly recommend a mock interview, but make SURE it is with somebody that is BRUTALLY honest. Bonus points if it is somebody that slightly intimidates you.

In addition to practicing to answer - you get to learn what stupid things you do with your body (eg, biting your lip, sitting in a chair funny, shaking hands like a quadriplegic etc.).

Agree with this -- you can eliminate lots of silly nervous tics if they are pointed out to you. Find someone honest, candid and knowledgable about medicine to work with. Friends/Family/Mentors who are physicians, advisors or med students tend to be best, if your school doesn't offer actual mock interviews. Videotaped interviews are really helpful too if that's an option. It tends to be a lot less nerve wracking when you are in the actual interview and the interviewer asks you questions you are ready for -- sort of like on a test when you see problems taken directly from an old exam you practiced with.
It is very important to be nonrehearsed and not have "canned" answers to questions. But I don't advocate "winging it" as it's easy to be totally flustered or stumped in an interview -- some folks do better than others at recovering without long embarrassing silences, or saying something really stupid. Some folks will say just be yourself, and that is great advice or bad advice, depending on who "yourself " is. But the interview is your big chance to bypass others and get into med school and far too many people neglect this aspect of the admissions process, are passive or lukewarm, trying harder not to screw up than to make points, and end up wasting a great opportunity. I firmly believe that while some people are naturally gifted interviewees, most really aren't, and it is a skill that can be learned and improved by practice, like any other.

 

[silas2642]

how many of you did one? did you find it useful? porque. and if you don't speak german that means why. thanks
-mota

I thought porque meant pork. I was starting to salivate there for no reason at all.

Anyway, I did do a mock interview right before my first interview. I felt it was enormously helpful. They videotaped me (vomit) and I got to see just how nervous and fidgety I really was. It also got a lot of the pre-interview jitters out of me, so that by the time I got to the real interview, I felt as though I had already gone through the process. I also learned not to pick my nose or smell my armpits during the interview if I got nervous. That was an important tip.

 

[ND2005]

Can I respond to this thread or does my username need to end in "rock?"

I didn't have one, and I'm glad I didn't. Personally, i feel like the way to come across strongest in an interview is to actually have a real conversation, like where I'm thinking about the questions asked of me in real time and giving honest answers. I felt like the more interviews I had (I've had them at seven schools), the harder it was to sound genuine since many of my answers were becoming "scripted," simply given the number of times I'd recited them.

So I say, skip the mock interview and keep it fresh as long as possible. But that's just me.

I don't think the only benefit of a mock interview is to practice your scripted answers. They also are a great benefit to see how you respond to nervousness/how you act in the interview -- as someone below said, if you can find a brutally honest and/or intimidating interviewer, that's ideal (hope for the best, prepare for the worst). A mock interviewer (who is honest) can even tell you random things like that you use your hands too much when you talk, or that you talk too fast/slow.

I don't have very many scripted answers at all for my interview (I have the strengths/weaknesses Q answered, and I have a lay-term definition of my research project, but that's about it), but I still think just being in that situation and seeing how you react is very good practice.

 

[DrKitty]

I did a mock interview before my first interview to just calm my nerves down. Looking back, I don't think the mock interview had any resemblance to the real interview. It just helped me calm down and feel more prepared as time approached my first interview

 

[deleted50541]

I did a mock interview with my boss/mentor who happens to also do medical school interviews. He didn't hold back at all in his criticisms of my responses and actions. It was brutal to say the least, but it really helped me identify the weak points in my interviewing skills. Additionally, the mock interview taught me how to keep the conversation geared toward my strengths at all times. In particular, learning to dominate the interview with discussion about my research, which I have managed to do every single time.

While my mentor and I scripted out answers to 8 key questions, I never recited them verbatim in an actual interview. These answers served merely as guides in case I were to lose my train of thought.

I highly recommend doing mock interviews, both with people who do and do not know you well. Be sure to do a follow-up with these people too. That way, you can debrief them on your performance and get suggestions for further improvements.

 

[drmota]

thanks for the advice y'all. i'm doing one tomorrow morning at 11. i'm hoping its helpful but my only worry is that it may shatter my confidence in how good of an interviewer i think i could/will be. but pretty much the majority of you think its a good idea so i'm doing one at our career center. any more tips would be great. thanks again.
-mota

 

[Flopotomist]

thanks for the advice y'all. i'm doing one tomorrow morning at 11. i'm hoping its helpful but my only worry is that it may shatter my confidence in how good of an interviewer i think i could/will be. but pretty much the majority of you think its a good idea so i'm doing one at our career center. any more tips would be great. thanks again.
-mota

The best advice I can give is to NOT be afraid of a moment of silence. Taking a second to pause and think about your answer carefully before responding gives you the appearance of being thoughtful, and can prevent you from making a major blunder. It also eliminates annoying "uhm... uhhh.. uhm" behavior.

I would do this for EVERY hypothetical situation, ethics dilemma, or "give me a time in your life when" kind of question.

 

[gary5]

My school didn't offer them, but I requested one after being waitlisted following my first interview. I highly recommended mock interviews. It is very important to know that you need to perform and to know in advance how you want to present yourself.

 

[TimmyTheWonderD]

.......and if you don't speak german.......

Ich tat nicht dies, obgleich ich gehört habe, daß sie nützlich
sind!



you are in trouble!

 

[drmota]

Ich tat nicht dies, obgleich ich gehört habe, daß sie nützlich
sind!



you are in trouble!

uh oh. i have no idea what that means. if you're gonna kill me do it in my sleep. thats all i ask for.

the mock interview was incredibly helpful. i definitely got one or two questions that were unlike anything i could ever anticipate and it helped to see how i would react once put on the spot. furthermore, once you open your mouth and try to talk about things you realize how tough it can be. but i got in my groove within ~10 minutes. my interviewer didn't really have that much to offer me. she just pointed out what i did right and wished me luck.
-mota

 

[byeh2004]

Ich tat nicht dies, obgleich ich gehört habe, daß sie nützlich
sind!



you are in trouble!

du bist recht bruder!

 

[drmota]

ich haba eine longa schlonga.
-mota

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

didn't do one. I think if you prepare with the feedback site youll be OK.

 

[CerealBox]

my first interview was horrible. i wish i had done a mock interview.

...and at the end of one of my real interviews, my interviewer critiqued my answers and told me 2 things i should never do again.. i have no idea if i got into that school or not. but i wish a practice interviewer had torn me apart and not a real interviewer...

 

[QofQuimica]

I had three of my co-workers at Kaplan mock-interview me. One was a current med student, and the others were getting ready to start, so they had just finished going through the process for real. It was a panel interview, with all three of them asking me questions at the same time. All I can say is that they were much meaner than any real interviewer has ever been. I mean, they were asking me questions like whether I thought I was better than other people because I had scored a 43 on the MCAT and why I wasn't married. No real interviewer has ever asked me such a question. So overall it wasn't a very realistic preparation. But it did help me realize that I had to tread carefully on certain subjects like that, because people might EXPECT me to think I'm better than everyone else. They'd be wrong, but if they don't know that they're wrong, then I'm still just as screwed as if I really thought I were better than other people, right?

I guess this is my longwinded way of saying that you should do the mock interview. I learn something new about myself every time I interview, and I also have just gotten better at it with experience; you get better at interviewing with practice like anything else. I think the most important thing is to be candid and positive throughout the whole interview, even if the interviewer is being rough on you. Whatever happens, you should never lose your cool due to anything s/he says to you, because sometimes interviewers are testing you to see how you react. I've ended up getting accepted to some places where I had interviewers that challenged me. Hope this helps, and good luck.