Question 1

What’s the best way to prepare for an interview?

Accepted Answer

The best way to prepare for an interview is practice. Everyone who has been offered a med school interview will have the requisite grades and exam scores - the whole point of the interview is to differentiate the top candidates. While this is something you can prepare for, it’s not achieved by making notes or flashcards - the best preparation is being asked questions and answering them! If that sounds stressful - our interview tutoring packages are specifically designed to prepare you in the most efficient and thorough way. We give you as much practise as you need, so when you’re in the interview, you are completely confident.

Question 2

Should I ask a question during the interview?

Accepted Answer

This is dependent on the context of the interview, and will really vary from situation to situation. For example, in an MMI situation it is unlikely that it would be appropriate to ask a question to the examiner - it is not a conversational format. Conversely, it is recommended during an oxbridge interview to ask questions to further your understanding. Interview tutoring with our medical students is an excellent way to understand the nuances of the situations and help you get to grips with what exactly you should be doing in your interviews.

Question 3

What does the interview tutoring involve? What do I get?

Accepted Answer

1-1 tutoring with an experienced medical student, with a comprehensive and focussed plan tailor made to you. We focus initially on building confidence and answering questions, and then moving on to refining via mock interviews.  The interview tutoring package allows you access to over 100 different tutorial videos that have been curated to allow you to learn in your own time as well.

Question 4

Should I shake their hand during an interview? What should my body language be like?

Accepted Answer

The best way to answer this question is to think about the most welcoming and friendly people that you have met in your life - part of being a medical professional is interacting and helping many different people and it is key that you have an open and inviting demeanour. Part of this includes smiling, open body language - you are more likely to think positively of someone if they are welcoming and friendly towards you. Depending on the context of the interview, it may or may not be appropriate to shake their hands - in times of COVID it may be best not to, but the most important thing is that you are smiling and open with them. You have nothing to fear, and allowing yourself to be open lets them see your best characteristics and really let your personality shine.

Question 5

How do I stand out during medical school interview?

Accepted Answer

At medical school interviews, they are looking for two things. Will you be a good doctor, and will you be a good student. The qualities of both of these individuals often overlaps, and one of the ways to stand out (in a good way!) at interview is to clearly display these. Make sure that you are friendly and open - many of you will already have these characteristics intrinsically, it is just a question of making sure that they are shown to the interviewers. Confidence in yourself and your answers is a great way to stand out at interview. If you feel that this is one of the areas that you lack, interview tutoring and the practice that it brings may be a good option for you.

Question 6

How long should med school interview answers be?

Accepted Answer

A quality that is required in medical professionals that are under pressure is an ability to be concise without sacrificing the quality of the communication. As such, your answers should fall into the category of being long enough that all the relevant experience and evidence for your answer is communicated, but not too long in that the interviewers lose interest and you begin to repeat yourself. The answer is not precise and depends on the context, but for many questions this will be around 1-5 minutes. The exact timing can be very difficult to get right - as we know, but with practice this will become much easier. If in doubt, er towards a more concise answer.

Question 7

I’m really shy - will I still be able to do well at interview?

Accepted Answer

100% yes! The skill of interviewing well is one that can be learnt and can be taught. If you have the ability to practice and learn from others, you will absolutely be able to do well. Confidence is something that comes with practice and time, and as such has nothing to do with natural disposition. If you are already at interview stage, you are a competent and competitive interviewee, and so you need to trust yourself - you have every right to be there. Practise is the single most effective thing to increase confidence and your ability to do well at interview, and as such we would recommend interview tutoring as a good way to achieve this.

Question 8

Should I ask a question after the interview?

Accepted Answer

This is dependent on the context of the interview, and will really vary from situation to situation, and depend on the question that you want to ask! If the question is illustrating a deeper interest in a scientific or ethical principle that has been brought up, then asking a question can be a great way to illustrate understand and curiosity. Conversely, we would never recommend asking 'how did I do?' Or a question that asks for immediate feedback - it doesn't give a confident impression and is likely to undermine your answers. Ultimately, there is no one answer and rather the way forward would be to increase your confidence in interview situations through practise, so you will be able to judge for yourself if or if not it is an appropriate time to ask a question.

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