Winning Medical School Interview Preparation

Medical school interview preparation is very important. By the time you make it to the medical school interview stage you are perceived to have all the qualifications to be admitted, but the last hurdle is your communication and social ability.

This in person meeting determines if you fit that school's "culture" and to determine if you actually represent what was conveyed in your application. Now is your chance to sell yourself to the admissions committee and showcase you deserve to be a member of their entering medical school class.

There are universal basics for any interview and they apply to medical school interviews as well:

  • remain relaxed
  • be yourself
  • have a positive demeanor.

Along these lines it is important to be prepared. Medical school interview preparation is crucial and takes a number of forms. For starters...

Professional Friendly Help

If it hasn't already been made clear to you but by the time you are invited to interview, it means the medical school already considers you to be a good enough candidate on paper and now they want to see how you are in person.

I know a lot of students get scared at the thought of medical school interview preparation where you have talk about yourself, your background and why you would be a good fit for medical school but it's something you are going to have to do in order to be a doctor. 

But don't let fear stop you!

If you have any doubts about how you will handle your interviews then I strongly encourage you to use my medical school interview prep services.

When you're this close to getting that acceptance to medical school you cannot leave anything to chance and that is why I highly recommend you take advantage of my Interview Preparation coaching

Know Your Medical School Application

One of the easiest ways for medical school interview preparation is to know your application.

It may be weeks or even months between when your application is submitted until the time you actually interview so it's a good idea to brush up on yourself and have the best medical school interview preparation possible.

A good starting point would be to review your transcript. 

Knowing the courses which you took and interesting tidbits about the classes can go very far, especially if there's a course outside the norm of the premed curriculum.

Which courses were your favorites? Your least favorite? Tell me about this course... If there are any particularly low or high grades be prepared to discuss went on in those classes.

Remember to be sincere, honest, and open in your responses; never make excuses for poor performance. Be prepared to talk about what you learned from negative situations and turn what could be a liability into an asset.

Here's your sample of medical school interview questions.

Medical school interview preparation means reviewing your AMCAS and secondary applications. It will be beneficial if you can discuss with confidence every experience you have listed or discussed. There are several types of interview formats that you may encounter.

Some schools use the open file format in which your application is made available before and during the interview, allowing for specific questions to be asked.

In stark contrast, there is the closed interview in which your application has not been reviewed and the interviewer is attempting to get to know you as a person without insight on your background (comparable to a blind date).

I don't have to mention this twice, but your medical school interview attire is key to your success.

Medical School Interview Formats

Interviews are primarily one-on-one, but some schools use a panel of more than one interviewer. You will find that there is diversity in who comprises the committee:

  • medical school students
  • medical school admissions members
  • faculty
  • or practicing physicians

I find having a diversity of backgrounds is beneficial to the applicant because you will be exposed to a number of perspectives and if you don't gel with a particular individual there's room to improve with the other medical school interviewers.

In today's day and age rarely will you ever have a medical school interview with just one person. 

There's the multiple mini interviews which are gaining in popularity and are best described as speed dating.

Do not be surprised if you find yourself in a group interview where other applicants are in the room at the same time.

I would advise taking the stance that you are in a round-table discussion where there must be a give and take between you and the other applicants present, while remembering you must stand out in the eyes of the medical school admissions committee.

It is important for you provide relevant answers, respect others, and still achieve the goal of being offered a spot in the medical school class.

Here's some medical school interview tips that you need to keep in mind too.

Winning In Your Interviews

Once you're invited to a medical school interview the ball is in your court. Basically, the medical school knows you are good enough on paper to be accepted but there's one final hurdle.

The admissions committee wants to know how you are as a person and if you have personal characteristics that will make a good doctor.

Throughout your premed career you've taken practice tests, went to office hours and used tutors to ensure that you knew the material cold and you really want to do the same when it comes to your medical school interview preparation.

You're Good Enough To Be Admitted

Congrats.

You've received an interview invite. Meaning the admissions committee believes your "stats" are strong enough for you to be admitted already.

However, there's one more obstacle you have to overcome.

AdComs want to be comfortable that you're able to actually a "normal" person and aren't weird AF in some ways that could be totally off putting.

Seriously, are you trustworthy enough that we can trust you to go see patients on your own down the road?

The interview is the big test to see what type of person you are because anyone can hide behind the computer screen and present their best credentials.

At the end of the day there's a lot riding on your performance. I wouldn't leave it to chance after working so hard to reach this point. One of the best things you can do to secure your future is to participate in my mock medical school interview service

This way you can outshine the competition, have confidence and make the strongest case of why you should be admitted to medical school over everyone else who is competing for one of the very limited seats available.