Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about Medicine interviews, complied by the ultra-fantastic @A_J_B!
How long do MMI interviews last?
Usually each station is about 5 to 7 minutes long, and depending on the number of stations it can last for an hour in total. However don’t worry- time flies
What colour should my suit be?
Make sure it’s formal and sober-black, navy blue, brown would be perfectly fine. Definitely don’t go for orange or neon green suits. The same applies for online interviews, dress up in the same way as you would for an in-person interview
How long should my answers be?
A rough guide-keep it between 1.5-2.5 minutes. Should give you enough time to mention the important points which are most likely what the interviewers are looking for-nobody wants to hear you ramble on for ages!
Is it a good thing if they ask me follow-up questions in an MMI station?
Sometimes if you have finished answering the question before the station ends, you will get asked a follow-up question. However, there have been instances when this was not the case and I had to sit in awkward silence with the interviewer. Bottom line- don’t fuss too much about this.
Should I go for any MMI interview courses or circuits?
We don’t think it is necessary. TSR offers enough material for you to prepare, with loads of medical students and doctors kindly volunteering and helping out.
However, if you want to spend your money on MMI circuits- no one’s stopping you.
I have been rejected post-interview from med schools-does that mean I am not fit to be a doctor?
Absolutely not-I personally had to reapply to med school as I got 2 pre-interview and 2 post-interview rejections the first time round. However, when reapplying I focussed on my weaknesses and got 4/4 offers.
If a med school rejects you it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person-it just means that there are some skills which require more polishing and development-and that’s perfectly doable with smart and efficient practice.
How should I practice for my interviews?
-Practice speaking in front of other people or in front of a mirror (to maintain eye contact).
-Read up on the structure of the NHS, ethics, and medical hot topics. You don’t have to go into too much of detail about these but make sure when asked in an interview you can say a few sensible logical things.
When should I start prepping for my interview?
-I would recommend starting interview prep as early as possible - preferably after finishing your UCAT. You don’t have to do super intense prep throughout-but starting off by reading up on ethics, NHS hot topics.etc. would be great. Balance that with doing as many mock interviews as possible, or just practice speaking in front of a mirror.
Do I need to know the specifics of every hot topic that comes up in an interview?
No you don’t need to have a topic memorised by heart-most of the time the interviewers are just trying to make sure you have a general idea of what’s going on in the world of medicine and can extrapolate/make thoughtful conclusions about these
Extra tips from @GANFYD:
The "gold standard" book to look at would be: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-Int...cal+interviews, though I am not saying there are not others.
You should read GMC guidelines, particularly relating to ethics: https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance and Outcomes for Graduates https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/sta...-for-graduates, as well as med school guidance such as: https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2...y-medicine.pdf
You should keep up to date with current healthcare issues in the news, eg https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health; https://www.nhs.uk/news/; https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-c...EaAt5eEALw_wcB; https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/?s=richard+lehman&x=0&y=0 (a blog reviewing journal articles)
You can find a wealth of information on sites such as: https://www.themedicportal.com/?s=interviews; https://www.themedicportal.com/blog/; http://student.bmj.com/student/secti...nterviews.html; https://6med.co.uk/guide/interviews/; https://www.medical-interviews.co.uk...ool-interviews; https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studyin...s-and-teachers; https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/wor...s-constitution (apologies if any of these need log ins to access)
There are many youtube videos relating to MMI questions, some of them med school specific.
Read the prospectus, admission documents, anything you can find about the course and any info sent by each medical school who invites you to interview, and research the local area, both pros and cons and any possible health areas of interest.
And above all, practice. Give friends and family the lists of questions and get them to fire them at you all the time, so you get used to being put on the spot and answering under pressure. Try to find some structure to use when answering all questions so you do not ping around all over the place and try to link answers back to your own experiences where possible.
Having said that, don't be too rehearsed: no pre-written answers and flashcards etc, just bullet points for how you might deal with ethical questions in terms of the 4 pillars, always giving both sides, but usually giving an opinion one way or another and being prepared to justify it; and how are you going to answer a "why medicine" or "why here" question?
Also, be prepared for the weird and wonderful. Most med schools like to chuck in an off the wall MMI station - DO NOT PANIC. It is not about a right or wrong answer, it is about how you organise your thinking and how you cope with the unfamiliar under pressure.
Too many people think you already need to know everything for a med school interview and leap into in depth discussions of no relevance, when what is wanted is to see that you are an OK person, who can communicate, be thoughtful and reflective, is empathetic, can work as a team and wouldn't be too irritating to work with as a colleague!! You can all do that!
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and was just some quick thoughts of the top of my head, so please don't all tell me you have found much better resources! Good, use them and shine!!
This article was created with HIVE
This article has been written and published by a member of The Student Room's community. Our HIVE tool enables any member of TSR to publish articles about school, college, university, life...anything they want, really!
You can publish your own article on The Student Room by using the tool here.
If you believe this article breaks our site rules in any way, please post your concern on this thread.
