I think that if you have gotten so far through the application process to medicine, you have done incredibly well. Take a moment to pause and congratulate yourself. I know that, wherever you may be in life, applying to Medicine, is in itself, an extremely busy and time-consuming process. However, it is a very worthwhile one, that is for sure.
In this blog I’ll be sharing three main tips for medicine interview preparation.
For context, I only did MMIs (Multiple Mini Interviews) and for all the interviews I got, I received offers from those universities.
Read and familiarise yourself with the most common questions that this specific university or medical school likes to ask.
To do this, I read the university’s email about the different types of questions that they usually like to ask.
Make sure to draft some specific answers to the common questions too, such as, ‘Why did you apply to our specific university’, ‘What makes you better than the other candidates here today?’ and also ‘Why did you apply to medicine over nursing?’.
I know that some people say not to do this, because then your answers sound too rehearsed and practiced. So, you should stop when you are confident in the answers that you remember them, but not that you sound so rehearsed, as if you would be reciting a script.
Practice, practice and more practice.
I think that it is important to practice with anyone who you know, and just practice doing mock interviews a lot too.
If your school, or someone you know, organises mock interviews, or mock MMIs, then attend these. Don’t worry if your school doesn’t organise mock interviews or mock MMIs. You could ask someone you know for help; they could ask you questions you have pre-prepared, and then you could practise answering them. Maybe try doing it in a new room, under time pressure, and ask them to ask follow up questions. This could be a friend, teacher, or someone you live at home with.
Practicing with people outside of medicine is useful, but if you know someone who works in healthcare, this could also be useful. They don’t need to be a doctor – they could be a pharmacist, or a nurse, or a Health Care Assistant. If you don’t know anyone who works in healthcare, this won’t disadvantage you.
Remember your why.
This is my most important point: remember your why.
If you have been invited to interview, then the university definitely already wants to and can see that you should be a student there. However, the interview is just to re-affirm this and also to confirm their thought process. If you want that spot, show them, grab it with both hands, be genuine and believe in yourself. This is more powerful than any preparation. Believe in yourself, and you are already halfway there.
Ultimately, whatever happens on the exam day, you should be proud of yourself for getting this far. In an MMI, if you mess up one station, forget about it and move on: they restart at every station, so you have a fresh chance.
As well as preparing and practicing, remember all the interview logistics, like arriving a few minutes early, dressing smartly, and turning your phone off. If you’re not sure about any of this, make sure to contact the University you’re interviewing at to ask!
Written by Maja Fulford
Hiya, my name is Maja Fulford, and I have just finished my second year of Medicine at Keele University. I have keen interest in Plastics, Dermatology and GP. Outside of medicine, I enjoy cycling, spending time with my friends and reading.
