The medical school interview is an experience which you will most likely not forget. It can be a defining morning or afternoon which determines your entry to medical school. It also marks the first time during your application to medical school where you are truly out of your comfort zone but it certainly can be prepared for. This is because you can control how to prepare your personal statement and for preparatory examinations, such as the UCAT and BMAT.
This guide takes you through five things that you can do to help you before your medical school interview.
1. Medicine Interview go-to phrases
There are moments in an interview where a question may catch you off guard, or you may be in danger of waffling your answer where a concise sentence or two would have done the trick. Whilst practice is important to help prevent these situations, if you do find yourself in this situation during the interview, it can be helpful to have some go-to phrases which you can say with conviction to help you get back on track.
Phrases such as “this is important because” or “the bottom line is” can help you regain control of your answers.
2. Medical work experience
Whilst you may have kept a log of your work experience and clinical exposure prior to your interview, you will likely not have the time to go into each area in detail. Prior to your interview, go through your log and highlight key instances which you want to convey to your interviewers just in case a work experience question arises.
You can potentially summarise your work experience by stating how long you have been doing it for and by highlighting what you have learnt from your experience. Showcasing your ability to summarise and reflect is important as these are two key skills you will need as a medical student.
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3. relaxation techniques
Medical school interviews are a stressful experience for every applicant but this is to be expected. What is important is how you deal with this stress. There are different types of techniques you can use prior to entering your interview room, such as controlled breathing or those such as a mantra, where you repeat the same word over and over to block interfering thoughts.
Relaxation techniques will be useful not only for your interview, but also during your medical training, as clinical examinations (OSCEs) are also stressful experiences where these techniques can come in handy!
4. body language
Body language can work both for and against you, so it is essential you portray yourself in the best possible light. You want to portray yourself in the best light possible, so maintain eye contact, open body language, and smile!
5. Watch yourself
This requires a little more preparation but by filming yourself answering questions can help you identify the nuances that come out when you are nervous.
It can be beneficial to get used to being filmed whilst you are interviewing as you will be filmed as a part of your communications skills training during medical school and at postgraduate level.
It can be very helpful. For example, during my first year communication skills training where I was filmed talking to a patient, it became obvious that I was nervous because whenever the patient answered my questions, I automatically replied with ‘fantastic’!
Hopefully, these tips will help you before your big day(s). Remember, being interviewed by a medical school is a privilege in itself so remember to enjoy the day! If you’d like to practice in mock interview conditions with Medicine Interview Experts, why not check out our Interview Tutoring Bundle and see if it’s something that interests you?
INTERVIEW TUTORING BUNDLE
Prepare effectively so you walk into your Interview filled with confidence.
Signing up for 6med’s Interview Tutoring Bundle means you’ll be guided by Medicine Interview experts who will help you face the toughest Interview questions and come out on top.
Interview Online Course
Interview Online Course
Prepare effectively so you walk into your Interview filled with confidence.
Signing up to the Interview Bundle means you’ll be guided by a Medicine interview expert who will help you face the toughest Interview questions and come out on top.
Want to learn how to Interview like a pro, then this bundle is the one for you…
