Medical School Interview Preparation Guide

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► What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
► Why did you choose your major? How has it prepared you for a career in medicine?
► What was your favorite class and why?
► Discuss a book that you've recently read for pleasure. Why did this book interest you?
► How do you spend your free time?
► What do you consider to be your strengths and your shortcomings?
► There are 1,000 applicants as qualified as you, why should we select you for our class?
► Do you have specific goals in medicine? Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
► What will you do if you don't get into medical school?
► Do you have any questions for us?

► What do you do if you suspect a colleague (another doc) is abusing drugs?
► Rank intelligence, compassion, and integrity in the order of importance to you?
► Why a physician? Why not nursing?
► What part of your CV are you most proud of?
► What made you go into medicine?
► Tell me about yourself?
► Why did you volunteer where you did?
► Who are your heroes/role models and why?
► Why did you apply to this medical school?
► Why do you want to be a doctor?

► Should the federal government reinstate the death penalty? Explain.
► What do you expect to be doing 10 years from now?
► How would you attract physicians to rural areas?
► Why do you want to attend our medical school?
► What other medical schools have you applied to?
► Have you prepared for this interview?
► Have you been to other interviews?

► If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
► How would your friends describe you?
► What do you do with your spare time?
► What is the most important event that has occurred to you in the last five years?
► If you had three magical wishes, what would they be?
► What would you do on a perfect day?
► What are your best attributes?
► What is your greatest fault?

► How do you handle stress?
► What was the most stressful event in your life? How did you handle it?
► The night before your final exam, your father has a heart-attack and is admitted to a hospital, what do you do?

► What are the pros and cons to our health-care system?
► If you had the power, what changes would you make to our health-care system?
► What is your opinion of HMOs and PPOs?
► Do doctors make too much money?
► Is it ethical for doctors to strike?
► What is the Hippocratic Oath?
► What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
► Should fetal tissue be used to treat disease?
► If you were a doctor and an under age girl asked you for the Pill (or an abortion) and she did not want to tell her parents, what would you do?
► Should doctors be allowed to `pull the plug' on terminally ill patients?
► If a patient is dying from a bleed, would you transfuse blood if you knew they would not approve?

► Describe the most exciting (scary, unusual, etc.) event of your life?
► Is there something about you that would make it difficult to get along with you?
► What do you think will be the most difficult aspect of medical school?
► Why did you do so poorly in bio 191?
► Imagine that you find a lamp that gives you three wishes? What would they be?
► What qualities would you look for in a doctor?
► What qualities would you look for in your patients?
► Who do you admire the most in your life?
► Have you always put forth your best effort in every situation?
► Tell me about something that you know a lot about?

► What are your goals in medicine? Answer this one in a similar fashion to why you want to be a doctor?
► Where do you see yourself in 15 years? (what specialty will you be in/ where do you plan to practice) are all the same questions?
► Do you plan to continue your hobbies through medical school?
► If you had one day to do anything, what would you do?
► What was the last book you read? What did you think about it? Would you recommend that I read it? The last movie you saw? What did you think of it?
► What was the last medical book that you read/studied? If you have not studied one, don't lie. But usually, everyone has looked at medical books when someone in the family has been sick. One good book that I had used in undergrad was the Merck manual which discusses most common illnesses?
► Which classes did you enjoy most? Why? --talk with great enthusiasm when you are talking about things you like in general. Make sure that your enthusiasm is at its highest when you talk about medicine?
► How would your friends describe your personality? --AKA, what are your strengths?
► If you were stranded in an island, what three books would you want to have with you and why?
► What are your strengths and weaknesses? What would you change about yourself?

► Did anyone you know influence your choice of career?
► Do you have family members who are doctors?
► What do they think of the field?
► How has their lives changed over the past few years with the changes in medicine?
► Do you want to follow in their footsteps?
► Which field of medicine are you interested in? Again, keep in mind that many schools have been pressured into graduating more students interested in primary care specialties?
► What kind of experiences do you have in the medical field?
► Where do you plan to practice?

► What do you think about the health care system and which way should it go?
► What do you think is wrong with the current health care system in the US?
► Name a meaningful experience you've had and how it shaped you to pursue work as a physician?
► Is there a good deal of drug use at your school? Possible follow up: Have you taken drugs?
► Which languages do you speak? Why?
► Which of your college courses interested you the most?
► If you couldn't ever be trained to be a physician, what would you be?
► In your present living situation, how do you settle disputes with your roommates?
► Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
► What interests you outside of medicine and getting into medical school?

► What do you do in your spare time?
► What other medical schools are you applying to?
► How do you view abortion?
► Would you perform abortions as a doctor? Under what conditions?
► What are three things you want to change about yourself?
► How would you describe the relationship between science and medicine?
► Think back on your undergraduate experience at SU; what would you change about it?
► If you were in charge of SU what would you change that would impact the undergraduate experience?
► Name something you are most proud of?
► Which family member has influenced your life so far and why?

► What do you hope to gain during your medical education?
► Describe a typical day from your elementary school days.
► What questions do you have for me about our school?
► What is your weakness that concerns you most?
► Name some strategies to address the problem of smoking among teens; talk about some that haven't been tried before?
► What would your best friend say about you in convincing me I should admit you to our medical school?
► If you could be any character in history, who would it be, and why?
► How did you decide to apply to our medical school?
► Why did you choose our specific program?
► How are you a match for our medical school?

► What do you do if you suspect a colleague (another doc) is abusing drugs?
► Rank intellectual, compassion and integrity in the order of importance to you.
► Why physician? why not nursing?
► What part of your CV are you most proud of?
► What made you go into Medicine?
► Tell me about yourself. (Don't give a complete life history. Summarize the key points in a chronological manner and sprinkle with few details in your more recent history.)
► Why did you volunteer where you did? (see Sample Interview Question Video: Volunteering)
► Who are your heroes/role models and why? (see Sample Interview Question Video: Role models)
► Why did you apply to this medical school? (see Sample Interview Question Video: Why this medical school)
► Why do you want to be a doctor? (Give several key points in summary form). Replace very general responses like "I want to help people" with more specific intentions

► Smile! Radiate confidence. Fear is fine, but keep it in your heart and not on your face or in your handshake.
► A good handshake. Practice and ask for opinions if you are unsure what this means.
► A watch. Check the time zone!!!
► A comb/brush and toothbrush for last minute touch-ups.
► Minimal jewelry, conservative style. Prepare answers to likely questions associated with an engagement ring or wedding band.
► Minimal make-up. Look polished and professional.
► Neat, non-fussy hair, kept out of your face.
► You may want a nice folder or portfolio to keep papers and pen organized.

The tone of an interview is usually set in the first few seconds. Don't forget that you're there because you are being strongly considered. Be on time and look the part. Dress conservatively. Shine your shoes. Carry your documents in a portfolio. Make eye contact and use a firm handshake. Smile and be positive.

There's no real right or wrong answer to this question. It's appropriate to the medical field and your answer reveals a lot about what your priorities in medicine are and your awareness of current events in the medical world.
An overly vocal tirade about problems in the healthcare industry may not be well-received, so take this into account as you prepare your response.

They're looking for specific attributes including critical thinking, willingness to learn, teamwork, professionalism, and the ability to be a self-starter.

Designed to judge behavior when you are placed under pressure, this interview style can feel extremely negative when you're experiencing it. The questions may make you feel uncomfortable - that's what they are designed to do.

You might think "everything about me, obviously," but again this is not the right answer. Think about what you would want in a physician treating one of your family members. Would you want a hard worker, someone who is the smartest person around, or maybe just somebody who cares? Whatever you think it is, answer honestly and back it up with WHY you think that.

It is very important to stay abreast of current events in health care when on the interview trail. With all the debate over health care in the US today, there may be national news that interviewers want you to talk about. Being a physician today requires a lot more business savvy than ever before. Knowing how health care works, and having ideas about how could be fixed are great talking points during the interview.

Know your application. If there are weaknesses, interviewers might point them out and tell you that it will be hard to get in with those flaws. Be prepared to discuss how you will try to strengthen your application if you weren't accepted the first time around. As an example, some applicants do research or get a job in health care as an EMT or medical assistant and then reapply. Also have an answer prepared for whether or not you would consider another profession if you didn't get into medical school.

This will take some time on your part, similar to the last question. Learn about the school, learn about their faculty, their facilities and their affiliated hospitals. Do they have a nice quiet location that will help you study, or are they in a busy city? In which environment will you be able to study effectively and succeed?

Remember to make this unique to you. Do not make up a story, but try to add "You" to the story. Many fellow applicants will have similar stories about family members being sick and spending time in the hospital. Try to give a personal twist on why you decided that you to want to be a doctor.

Do not be afraid to show your feelings and emotions, show that determination, also do not be afraid to divulge incidences in your life that shaped you and are dear to you, i.e. situation that moved you or the passing of a close family member (not grandparent, everyone goes through this one and will not set you apart from other applicants) or friend. This answer MUST be an honest one and should come from the heart. Interviewers are looking for honesty in this question and will be able to tell by your body language and tone of voice. Only an honest answer can give you that body language and tone of voice that you need get through to the interviewer on a deeper level.

Medical schools are interested in applicants with excellent academic abilities (as shown in grades and MCAT scores), strong interpersonal skills (often demonstrated in volunteer, leadership and employment situations), clear motivation for medicine (as shown by significant involvement in medical settings), and demonstrated compassion and concern for others.