Veterinary Medicine INTERVIEW PREPARATION THREAD

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Reply 60

VictiniCup

What ethics questions are possible to get? Any advice with these kinds of questions. Worried about them

Reply 61

Isabellarowland

Anyone who’s had interviews/ offers from Surrey wanna take one for the team and give us some hints 😉😉

Reply 62

redorde

@Little Tail Chaser and any one else
I have an interview v soon and I was wondering whether there would be any questions about what I am studying at a-level? Like, will they test me on the knowledge involved?
This is for Surrey and Bristol btw

Reply 63

animalmagic

Original post by redorde

I think that this is more likely to happen in a Cambridge interview. MMI questions are more likely to be set in advance and not be bespoke and I think they are more interested in finding out if you have the attributes to be a vet rather than to work out how well you will do in your A levels.

Reply 64

Kassyoung4444

Original post by Little Tail Chaser

VETERINARY MEDICINE INTERVIEW PREP THREAD

So you've done the hard graft; given your time up for free to work in lambing sheds in the freezing cold, and done more than your fair share of cleaning up cat sick in small animal clinics. You spent ages on your personal statement and may have suffered through the horror of the BMAT. So far it's paid off, and all that that stands between you and a place at the vet school of your dreams is an interview. No pressure! This thread aims to address some applicants' common questions, as well as providing resources to help with preparation.

Note: Posting about specific interview questions is against the rules, as it gives an advantage to people yet to be interviewed. Be aware that universities explicitly ask you not to discuss interviews at least until the admissions process is over, and they do check these forums to see what people post.

🐕 When are they?
Applying for veterinary medicine is a long waiting game. Interviews are held between November and March, with invites being given out at many points during this time. If a university asks for candidates to take the BMAT, don't expect to hear anything until close to/after results are given out. That said, don't expect universities that don't ask for the BMAT to get back before then! No news is good news!

🐈 What's the Format?
Most vet schools now use the MMI, or 'multiple mini interview' format. This involves candidates rotating around a series of stations for the duration of the interview to either answer questions on a specific topic, or carry out a task. Typically interviewees will have between 5 and 10 minutes per station, with some universities providing 'rest stops' in between.

Some universities continue to use the traditional panel interviews, where the interviewee sits in front of the same interviewers for the duration of the interview. Some universities couple a short panel interview with the MMI as their interview process, and other universities include features such as group tasks, or computer tasks.

🐇 What do I Need to Bring?
Upon receiving an interview invitation (which are usually sent by email), universities will also provide you with information about what you need to bring with you when you attend. Alternatively some places may ask that you send information to them, either by email or by post, prior to the interview. Examples of what you could be asked to bring include:
[ul]
[li]ID (either a passport or driving license), and photocopies of ID.[/li]
[li]Completed forms, such as declarations and work experience forms[/li]
[li]Work experience references, and photocopies of these[/li]
[li]Exam certificates (especially for English, maths and sciences), and photocopies of these[/li]
[li]Passport photos [/li]
[/ul]
It is imperative that you check, and double check any correspondence you have with universities so that you bring everything you need. If in doubt, contact admissions or bring things you're unsure about anyway.

Before your interview, ensure that you have replied to any emails sent by the university to let them know how many visitors you are bringing, and also to inform them if you have any disabilities or learning differences. Note that this does not just apply to physical disabilities, and you may be entitled to special consideration/extra time if necessary during your interview. Do not rely upon any disability declaration on UCAS as this may not be specific enough. If you do not let your university know of any special considerations you have before the interview, then it is unlikely that they will be able to consider them afterwards.

🐎 What do I Wear?
Many people struggle with this. It's a case of wanting to look formal and like you made an effort, while still wanting to look like you're not afraid to get your hands dirty and would be willing to wrestle a lamb out of a lambing ewe with your bare hands at any moment :wink:

You have to make the call. At the end of the day universities care much more about what you say/do than how you're dressed. What you wear should be something you're comfortable in; interviews are stressful enough already without feeling like you look like an idiot. As a general rule I'd say it's better to be overdressed than under, but there's no need to go to town. A simple white shirt with a blazer and dark trousers (school trousers?) and smart shoes is a good shout usually. Heels are fine if you're comfortable in them, but bear in mind that the day may involve a lot of walking, especially if there's a campus tour involved, so flats may be a more sensible option (or at least bring a change of shoes).

🐑 What are the Questions?
Bad question. As mentioned previously, it's unlikely that anyone will tell you exactly what they were asked.

The following are fair game:
[ul]
[li]Questions about anything at all that you wrote on your personal statement, work experience forms, or any other documents that the university has received.[/li]
[li]The cliché, 'why do you want to be a vet'.[/li]
[li]Simple questions about work experience; things that you should have picked up during your time in practice, for example vaccinations and worming protocols.[/li]
[li]An explanation of a case study you saw while seeing practice.[/li]
[li]Questions about your personal traits, e.g. "Describe a situation when you used X skill"[/li]
[li]Questions about animal welfare and ethics. Your opinions on controversial issues surrounding veterinary medicine/farming/animal research etc[/li]
[li]An ethical dilemma/scenario, where you're asked what you should do in a certain situation.[/li]
[li]Questions about your understanding/exploration of the veterinary profession. Have you looked into all the avenues that veterinary graduates can go down? Do you have realistic expectations of the career?[/li]
[li]Calculation (MMIs) - some simple vet-related maths. May be done with or without a calculator. Usually several questions done step-by-step.[/li]
[li]Practical task (MMIs)[/li]
[/ul]
Again, these are general guidelines. Please do not ask for, or give out, specific questions.

🐄 How can I prepare?
Better question.

The most important thing you can do is to completely dissect your PS, doing more research on topics you've mentioned to the point where no questions relating to anything you've written about will faze you. Even for Liverpool, which don't read your personal statement, brushing up will help as you can still mention anything that was on there.

Another important area to prepare for is questions about current affairs (especially if anything big in the news can be related to anything you mentioned in your PS). There are a wealth of vetty news websites out there, so go and get reading! It doesn't have to be vet-specific either. General sciencey news is definitely relevant, and advances in human medicine often have veterinary links. Make a point of reading a couple of articles a few times per week. When you're seeing practice, see if you can pick up some copies of the Veterinary Times. The RVC have some free podcasts that may be of interest, as do Farming Today (released free on iTunes daily).

Some examples of some issues to brush up on could include:
[ul]
[li]Animal testing[/li]
[li]Bovine tuberculosis and the badger cull[/li]
[li]Milk prices[/li]
[li]Fox hunting and the ban[/li]
[li]Pet obesity[/li]
[li]Pet hoarding[/li]
[li]Horse racing[/li]
[li]Antibiotic and antihelminthic (wormer) resistance[/li]
[li]Inappropriate captivity of animals (e.g. SeaWorld)[/li]
[li]Inappropriate dog training (Caesar Milan etc)[/li]
[li]Organised dog fighting[/li]
[li]Dangerous Dogs Act and breed specific legislation[/li]
[li]Puppy farming, inappropriate genetic selection goals (e.g. brachycephalic dogs) and corrective surgery[/li]
[li]Tail and ear docking and declawing[/li]
[li]Unwanted cat and dog control[/li]
[li]Animal organ transplants (e.g. kidneys in cats)[/li]
[li]Chemotherapy for animals[/li]
[li]Electronic dog collars[/li]
[li]Issues facing racing greyhounds[/li]
[li]Potential changes to agriculture as a result of the EU referendum[/li]
[li]Supermarkets going 'cage free'[/li]
[li]Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and slurry storage in Wales[/li]
[li]Pin firing[/li]
[li]Harambe the Gorilla[/li]
[li]Compulsory microchipping of dogs[/li]
[li]Babesia[/li]
[li]Hunting, e.g. Cecil the lion[/li]
[li]Anthrax[/li]
[li]Ebola virus (since it's zoonotic)[/li]
[li]Alabama rot[/li]
[li]Marius the giraffe[/li]
[li]Food security and the horsemeat scandal[/li]
[li]Schmallenberg virus and its vaccine[/li]
[li]Swine flu[/li]
[li]Avian flu[/li]
[li]Foot and mouth disease[/li]
[li]BSE ('mad cow disease' :wink:

[/li]
[li]Rinderpest/cattle plague (not current at all, but still interesting!).[/li]
[/ul]
This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor should you feel at all obliged to research every single one in detail. It's perfectly okay if you've never heard of some of these before, your interviewers don't expect you to be a vet already!

When discussing controversial issues, it may help to have some knowledge of some of the legislation surrounding them, for example the Animal Welfare Act and the Five Freedoms, the Dangerous Dogs Act and the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

Some people are fortunate to know people that can offer them a 'mock interview' (for example at college or with a vet they see practice with). If this is an opportunity open to you, take it up!

The calculation part of MMIs is arguably the easiest part to prepare for. Think of maths that vets need to do on a daily basis, then go and find some practise questions online. Practise for human nurses/doctors is just as good for preparation if you can't find much that's vet specific.

Preparation for the practical task is tricky, and I would argue unnecessary. Often it's less about your dexterity (you're not being asked to build a scale model of Hogwarts with matchsticks, here), and more about your ability to follow instructions. If you desperately want to practise, perhaps find instructions online for a craft you've never tried before, and see how well you can teach yourself.

🐀 How Likely am I to get an Offer?
Your chances of getting an offer after being interviewed vary between universities, but are approximately between 65-30%. Some places will give you this information on the day, for others it's available online.

Universities also vary in the way that they give out offers. Some, like Bristol, give out a few every week, after each interview, before assessing the rest of the interviewees later in the application cycle. Others, such as RVC, interview everyone first, giving out interviews in big batches at the end. Some places have a separate number of places for people in different categories (for example Edinburgh have a set number of places available to Scottish and international applicants, and another set available to people from the rest of the UK). In this case one category may be interviewed and offers given out before the other set of people are interviewed. Offers can start to be handed out as early as December, but it may be as late as March.

Bear in mind that even if you get a rejection, that isn't the end of the story! Universities often give out more offers as people begin to firm/decline their places, as they have a better idea of how many spaces are left to be filled. There are many cases of people being phoned up after being rejected, only to be given an offer on the phone. This can happen at any point up to and even beyond results day. Bear in mind, though, that this only applies to people that have been interviewed. Also, universities don't 'snipe' students; if your favourite university rejected you but another gave you an offer that you firmed, you won't get another offer over the phone.

🐍 Tips
[ul]
[li]Get a good night's sleep the night before your interview.[/li]
[li]Ensure that you know where you are going! If a university has multiple campuses, check which one you need to go to. At the RVC, VetMed interviews are held in Camden while nursing interviews are in Hawkshead, for example.[/li]
[li]Be sure to arrive there in plenty of time, nothing worse than panicking because you think you're going to be late! Make sure you know for certain which trains/buses you need to take, where you take them from, and how much the fare is. It won't hurt to have a back up route.[/li]
[li]That said, if you're going to get stressy, don't arrive hours and hours in advance. You'll have nothing to do but read over your notes and it'll make you worried.[/li]
[li]Be mindful of how you conduct yourself for the entirety of the day, not just during your interview. You never know who could be watching, and in some cases people like student helpers/ambassadors actually have a small say on what they thought of applicants, including whether they felt as if they would fit in at the university, and whether they got a good feel for them during any campus tours/walks between rooms. Be respectful, engage with everyone that's talking to you (I know it's a nerve-racking time but one word answers are no fun for anyone!), and it goes without saying that you should not be rude to any members of staff or the other applicants![/li]
[li]Often, interviewers are more interested in your thought process and the justifications for your answers than the answers themselves. Explain yourself, and don't worry about being 'wrong'.[/li]
[li]Sometimes interviewers like to play devil's advocate. If you're going to argue a point, know some of the counter arguments and have responses to these.[/li]
[li]If you muck up a station in an MMI, that's okay! You don't have to be perfect all the time :wink:

. Your next interviewer will have no idea, so just compose yourself and go into the next one with an open mind.[/li]
[li]If you really don't know the answer to a question, give it your best shot but be honest. "I'm not sure but I think X. If that's not the case then I'd be interested to know what the answer is, though" turns the situation around and shows that you're willing to learn.[/li]
[li]Upon being asked a question, your reflex action may be to launch into a torrent of verbal diarrhoea :tongue:

It may be more helpful to take a second or two to consider the question fully and compose your thoughts before responding.[/li]
[li]Don't worry too much about going off on a tangent. It may be more relevant than you think and the admissions tutor will stop you if needs be. That said, make sure that you actually answer their questions rather than skirting round the issue![/li]
[li]Consider your body language. Appear confident. Sit up straight, make eye contact. Introduce yourself with a handshake when you meet your interviewer(s), and thank them at the end.[/li]
[li]Have a question prepared to ask the admissions tutors. They may ask if you have any at the end, and it helps to show your interest.[/li]
[li]For group tasks, it goes without saying that you should neither dominate the conversation, nor shy away. Be yourself and act natural.[/li]
[li]If you have a panel interview, and you know who your interviewers will be beforehand, look them up and learn a bit about the work they've done. This is what they're interested in and may ask you about.[/li]
[li]People with long hair: you may want to tie it up if you think you'll get nervous and fiddle with it.[/li]
[li]Be sure to read all of the paperwork given to you on the day. If there is anything you need to sign and return (e.g. a consent form), ensure that you do this.[/li]
[/ul]

🐟 Resources: News, Further Reading and Calculation Practice
Royal Veterinary College - Selection Process
Edinburgh - Veterinary Medicine Interviews
Bristol - Veterinary Science Interviews
Liverpool - Guidance Notes
Nottingham - Admissions Process
Glasgow - Interviews for Entry
Cambridge - Interviews
Surrey - coming soon when their website doesn't constantly die on me....

RCVS - Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, which all registered vets are a member of.
DEFRA - Government department for agriculture and rural affairs. Lots of controversial news.
BVA News - Current affairs from the British Veterinary Association
Vetsonline.com - Vetty news galore! Have an email newsletter you can subscribe to.
Veterinary Practice News - More news from the vet world.
Farmer's Guardian - Wealth of farmy news.
Farmer's Weekly - In-depth and up to date agricultural news.

Merck Veterinary Manual - Great site to research further into cases you may see on work experience.
NADIS - Information on many animal diseases. Includes free webinars.
WikiVet - Requires (free) membership, but an interesting site maintained by veterinary professionals.
The Cattle Site - Fantastic resource for all things bovine.
The Pig Site - The same, but with information on our porcine pals.
The Poultry Site - I’m sure you can guess by now.
The Sheep Site - Baaa!
American Veterinary Medical Association - Insight into the veterinary world beyond the UK.

'What Would You Do?' Case Studies - Veterinary dilemmas from the Animal Welfare Foundation.
Drug Dosage Calculations Booklet - Questions and answers from Nottingham's School of Nursing
'Veterinary Technician's Guide to Practical Math' - A more in depth guide. Warning: includes a lot of info you definitely don't need to know.

🐖 Frequently Asked Questions

Click to Expand

BEST OF LUCK! :smile:

Massive thanks to Louiseee_ for help writing this article. If you're a vet student and you have anything to add, please drop me a PM or quote me below and I'll add your input :smile:

Last updated 27/07/16
This has been really helpful thank you, could you suggest any innovative research or vetmed developments that would be worth brushing up on?

Reply 65

vetstudent2020

Original post by Kassyoung4444

This has been really helpful thank you, could you suggest any innovative research or vetmed developments that would be worth brushing up on?

Hi
Have you had a look at http://www.edvet.co.uk its a winsome set up by current vet students and it has advice for interviews and current affairs in veterinary to look up etc. It’s really helpful x

Reply 66

Bazza17

Loving this thread, sat and read it all like the saddo I am! Anyone got a GEP interview in Edinburgh on Wednesday?

Reply 67

animalmagic

Original post by Bazza17

Loving this thread, sat and read it all like the saddo I am! Anyone got a GEP interview in Edinburgh on Wednesday?

Probably best to ask that on the Graduate Veterinary Medicine 2019 Thread :smile:

Edit: I see you did that already. I suspect most graduate applicants to Edinburgh are from overseas (due to the fees) and I'm guessing they may use this forum less than UK/EU applicants and that may be why you haven't had a reply. I think a large number will interview abroad because of this.