Are Medicine interviews hard?

username2190247

I've heard lots of people talk about how interviews can be daunting and stressful, but no one really says anything about how difficult they actually are. If you prep yourself, would it go smoothly or is there a chance they screw you over by giving you multiple questions you weren't expecting? I know that can happen, but generally speaking you'll expect/be prepared for most of the questions they throw at you.

Also, how much time do you need to prep adequately enough? 2 weeks? Months?

I know there are 2 different types of interviews; MMIs and Panel interviews, so preferably you describe the difficulty of each one separately so we know what to expect from each type of Interview.

One last thing; anyone who's been through the process and gotten in, can you please recommend a few books/resources to use while prepping for interview.

Thanks.

Reply 1

newgirl66

Original post by ASTK98

There is a medical school interview book ISC book which is good and Medical Ethics A Short Introduction which is a crash guide to ethical stuff.

Do some bullet points from the interview book about the NHS and medicine breakthroughs. Don't need to learn it but have enough in your head to be able to talk with relative ease.
Think about how patient/medical teams/doctors and the teamwork involved
Read about the ethical side of medicine
Do some notes about "why this uni" - maybe things about the course, the town
Think about why you want to be a doctor
Think about your strengths and weaknesses
Read your personal statement and think about what you learned during work experience
If it's MMI you may have role play situations so get over your nerves about that and put a calm hat on and just do it!

If you have more than one interview then use all your notes above and just keep re-reading!

Remember, they do want to give you an offer - don't think of them as trying to trip you up, even if they do try it's because they want to see how you respond. It's not personal so stay calm and take time to think.

Good luck!!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

username2190247

Original post by newgirl66

Thanks! If you know, how many stations are there usually involving role play? 1/2 or more? Also, does the ISC medical book cover stuff regarding the NHS and Medical breakthroughs, or are you talking about the other book?

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Reply 3

newgirl66

Original post by ASTK98

It will depend on what uni and how many stations they have but I would think 2 role play stations at most.

The Isc book covers a lot of the NHS stuff and lots more besides. The ethics book is just that - it's only little but well worth reading I think. Some MMI stations may ask you to discuss an ethical thing and getting your head round the sort of situations that may arise is helpful. There aren't necessarily right or wrong answers but it shows how you think and maybe listen to others thoughts too.

Reply 4

username2190247

Original post by newgirl66

Ah I see; you reckon it would be a good idea to start prepping from now then? I know you don't get invited to interview until December at earliest, but I'm on a gap year rn and don't really have much to do, maybe a bit of prep a few days a week and then intense prep once I receive an interview?

Thanks for the help.

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Reply 5

newgirl66

Original post by ASTK98

Yes if you've got time then why not. Don't overdo it though you don't want to sound like a robot. Just start to think like a medic. Watch good TV docs about medical issues, read the Guardian/bbc health pages so you know what stores are in the news. You're not expected to know huge amounts but just demonstrate interest in the subject.

Of course, you can never tell what will come up in interviews and none of the above may come up at all but, in some form or another it usually does plus if you've done the prep you will feel and project more confidence. Smile, look them in the eye and then relax!

Reply 6

Angury

Original post by ASTK98

If you prep yourself, would it go smoothly or is there a chance they screw you over by giving you multiple questions you weren't expecting? I know that can happen, but generally speaking you'll expect/be prepared for most of the questions they throw at you.

As you've said, I don't think you can prepare for every single question. What you can do is prepare for the more generic questions that you know are likely to come up, and this will give you a good structure to fall back on when they throw in a weird question.
Basic questions about your work experience, volunteering, teamwork/responsibility, your reasons for going into Medicine etc. Make sure that you know your Personal Statement well and are able to expand upon the points that you have made. Be prepared to reflect upon any work experience - what did you find difficult? What surprised you? etc.

Original post by ASTK98

Also, how much time do you need to prep adequately enough? 2 weeks? Months?

I didn't start preparing until I received an invitation to an interview as I was convinced that I wouldn't receive any. That gave me about two weeks to prepare which was more than enough time.

Original post by ASTK98

I know there are 2 different types of interviews; MMIs and Panel interviews, so preferably you describe the difficulty of each one separately so we know what to expect from each type of Interview.

I personally preferred my MMI to my panel interview as I felt that the interviewers were able to get a more accurate perspective of my character. I also walked out of my MMI feeling that there was nothing more I could have done, while after my panel interview I was constantly thinking about how it could have gone better.

I think every university does interviews differently, so it is a good idea to go on their individual websites. Some medical schools even put up videos of sample interviews on their websites - I know QUB did in the past.

Having a read through past medical applicant threads of the respective medical schools on TSR will also give you a good idea of the types of questions, the style of the interview and how applicants generally found the overall experience. Some medical schools are known for their relaxed, easy-mannered approach, while others may be more formal, scientific or known for asking 'odd' questions.

Original post by ASTK98

One last thing; anyone who's been through the process and gotten in, can you please recommend a few books/resources to use while prepping for interview.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905812051/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i2_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=W6M8W0G4BVWD8XJ4K6ME&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=16f14aeb-bd11-4e9e-8c26-9ca0139074ee&pf_rd_i=desktop

http://www.medical-interviews.co.uk/interview-questions-medical-school-interviews.aspx

https://www.themedicportal.com/e-learning/interview/

http://www.bbc.com/news/us/health

I would also recommend doing a mock interview so you have a structure to your answers and something to fall back on when you have a total mind blank in the middle of the interview. Mock interviews can also help you word your answers much better and stop you getting tongue-tied too much - but don't learn answers off by heart. Just make sure you have a good idea of what you want to cover for the obvious questions and how you would go about answering them.

Good luck.

Reply 7

newgirl66

Yes MMI better than panel really, as if you don't do well at one station you can redeem yourself at next. In a panel you're stuck with the same couple of people, who you might not like but you just have to keep going!! the varied stations also make you strangely less nervous as you are too busy focussing on the task in hand to think about much else.

Reply 8

imperial_medic

Hey guys!

I'm in my first year at Imperial and was just as worried about interviews as you all last year! I had my first interview (Cardiff) early on in November and had no idea how to go about preparing for it (basically I stressed out too much) :frown:

The first thing I'd say is to stay calm, not panic or stress and remember: YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! :biggrin:

There are lots of resources out there online, in books and courses. From my experience I would suggest the latest edition of the ISC book (even if none of your interviews are MMI it has extra info that the old version doesn't have!!!) for practice qs, Medical school interviews: the knowledge https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-School-Interviews-Need-Knowledge/dp/0957290403 - seriously so helpful with background info for things that could come up in interviews, and if you're interested in courses I'd highly recommend MedICU http://medicu.co.uk/ - honestly, this course was so helpful last year! A lot of courses are superrr expensive with large class sizes where you can't even ask questions, barely any feedback or chance to practise questions - this course was the exact opposite! I had a mock interview on the day (a panel and an MMI) that they recorded and received personalised constructive feedback that helped soo much and boosted my confidence! I had 2 interviews afterwards and managed to get both offers :smile: