Interview Guide

Preparation for medicine interviews is not absolutely necessary, but it can help you to be less nervous and not have to think as much during your interview. I would recommend starting practice as soon you get confirmation of your first interview

Practice Questions

The simplest and most obvious way to prepare is actually one of the best. Medic Portal is an excellent resource, which has hundreds of practice interview questions which you may be asked. There are many ways to use these questions in your preparation, such as getting someone else to ask you the questions and you respond, or by typing up or speaking aloud your answers after reading the questions. This will allow you to be more comfortable in the interview setting, to help you give the best answer you can possibly think of. You can also prepare answers to obvious questions, such as why you want to study medicine or why you chose that university.

Reading

Medical students are expected to have knowledge about what you need to be a good doctor and reading the GMC - Good Medical Practice handbook is the best way to make sure you know all your duties as a doctor. You should also read at least one book in the field of medicine e.g Immunology, Neurology etc. as you may be asked about this in your interview. They can also ask you about any medical articles you have read recently, so make sure you have one fresh in your mind to talk about if needed.

Roleplay

You may be asked to roleplay a specific scenario in your interview and the best way to prepare for this is to ask someone to help you with this to make sure you are able to communicate effectively in real time. You may also want to learn some techniques for more difficult roleplay scenarios such as delivering bad news; displaying empathy is essential in roleplay scenarios.

General Tips

Many interviewees try to express their knowledge in these interviews, which can be good, however it is best not to overdo it, as some people may bend the question they are asked to be able to show off their in depth knowledge of a parallel topic, which can lead to them not directly answering the question at all or to a high enough standard. For example, if you are asked about your work experience, you should not talk about everything you know about type II diabetes or the immune system and try loosely relating this to your work experience.