Three Top Tips to Ace Your Medical School Interview

If you are applying to study at medical school and have been short-listed as a suitable candidate, then it’s likely that you will be invited to take part in an interview.

At medical schools, admissions officers will use the interview to determine the best candidates for the program by identifying which applicants are the most suitable in terms of personality traits such as empathy, maturity, and interpersonal and communication skills.

When you apply to study medicine, the school will want to know exactly what kind of person you are before they agree to let you enrol on the program.

So, what can you do to improve your chances of standing out for all the right reasons in your medical school interview? Let’s find out.

Medical School Interview Preparation Tips

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Tip #1. Research Beforehand:

Once you have sent your OMSAS application and have been invited to an interview, it’s a good idea to carry out some extensive research on the school that you are hoping to study medicine at.

During the interview, you’re likely going to be asked questions such as ‘why do you want to study here?’. Of course, your reason may be something as simple as the fact that the school is conveniently located to where you currently live or work, but remember that that won’t sound very impressive to your interviewer.

Learn as much as you can about the school, teachers, past students, and the programs that they offer so that you can showcase your knowledge.

In addition, you should become familiar with the kind of values that the school adheres to so that you can demonstrate how well you would fit in.

Tip #2. Make a Good First Impression:

Studying at medical school usually means that you want to work in a highly respected medical career in the future, such as a physician or a surgeon.

When medical schools select their students, they are looking for individuals who can make a great first impression; they want people who take great pride in looking after themselves.

After all, you are going to be training for a job that involves the looking after and caring for others.

Remember that the tone of your interview will quickly be set in the first few minutes or seconds; if you fail to make a good impression, you may find it more difficult to convince the interviewer why you are a good fit.

Along with dressing smartly and bringing all the relevant documents along in a portfolio, you should carry yourself with confidence and a smile.

Tip #3. Prepare Great Questions:

During a medical school interview, it’s not only good to be prepared for the questions that you’re going to be asked – you should have some great questions of your own to ask, too.

This is also a good way to demonstrate your knowledge of the school; don’t ask questions that you could have easily found the answer to by simply looking on their website or in the prospectus.

Make a list of anything that would be important to you when studying at medical school, for example internship and work experience opportunities, teaching styles, and classroom or workshop sizes.

Good luck with your application!