Dreaming of becoming a doctor? Or maybe you’re already studying to be one? In either case, it’s important to be prepared for the interview process. This blog post will outline some of the most common questions medical students are asked in interviews, as well as tips on how to answer them. So whether you’re a first-year pre-med or a fourth-year med student about to enter residency, read on!
Medical School Interview Questions and Answers
Q1: What are your career goals?
A: This is probably the most common question that medical school applicants get asked. It’s pretty difficult to answer, so here’s my advice. First off, be sure to have a good idea of what you want to do for residency. You don’t want to answer one way, only to find out that you don’t get into the residency you really want. On the other hand, it’s difficult for an interviewer to see why they should invest time and money in someone who isn’t 100% sure what they want to do.
Q 2: Why do you want to be a doctor?
A: This is also a common question, and it’s important to have a good answer ready. Some things you could mention are wanting to help people, wanting to work in a challenging and stimulating environment, or feeling like you have the personality traits that would make you successful in med school.
Q 3: Why did you choose your undergraduate major?
Your answer here depends on your major. If you majored in a science field, then you could mention that you enjoyed the challenge of the coursework and that you’re interested in pursuing a career in medicine. If your major was something like English or History, you could mention that you were interested in the subject and enjoyed reading about it (I know it doesn’t sound like something a doctor does, but remember, there are lots of different specialties), or that you liked making connections between what you learned to real life.
Q4: Why did you choose your undergraduate school?
This depends on why you chose it. If it’s a top-ranking medical school, then you could mention that it has an excellent reputation and would prepare you for med school, or point out what other successful alumni have come from this particular college. On the other hand, if your school isn’t particularly well-known, you could mention how it has a smaller class size or a great faculty-student ratio.
Q5: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This is also a common question, and it’s important, to be honest. Some of your strengths could be that you’re hardworking, compassionate, or good at problem-solving. Your weaknesses could be that you get overwhelmed easily or have difficulty staying organized.
Q6: Have you had any healthcare experience?
If you have, then you can mention what kind of experience it was. For example, if you worked as a volunteer in a hospital or shadowed a doctor for a day, you could say that. If you haven’t had any healthcare experience, don’t worry – you can still talk about other aspects of your life that have prepared you to be a doctor.
Q7: What do you think makes a good doctor?
There are lots of qualities that make a good doctor, but some things you could mention are being able to compassionately care for patients, having strong problem-solving skills, or being able to work long hours.
Q8: Tell me about a time when you had to deal with adversity.
This question is meant to see how you handle difficult situations. Some examples of adversity could be getting a bad grade on a test, dealing with a difficult patient, or experiencing personal problems outside of school.
Q9: What do you like most and least about the medical profession?
Some of the things you could mention as being the most appealing about medicine are that it’s a very challenging and stimulating field, or that you like the feeling of being able to help people. As for what you could say you like least, it could be something like long hours, dealing with difficult patients, or the amount of paperwork involved in the profession.
Q10: Why did you choose your particular specialty?
Your answer here will depend on your specialty. If you’re interested in surgery, then you could mention that you like the challenge of working on a live patient and the satisfaction of fixing something that’s wrong. If you’re interested in psychiatry, you could mention that you’re interested in human behavior and the mind, or that you like working with people and helping them.
Q11: How well do you work under pressure?
You want to make sure your answer is positive – if you say something like “I don’t do well at all when I’m under pressure,” then it doesn’t sound too appealing to admissions committees. You could say that you’re able to stay calm in high-stress situations and handle whatever comes your way.
Q12: What do you think about the healthcare system today?
This question gives applicants a chance to talk about what they think can be done to improve healthcare in the United States. Some examples could include making the cost of medicine more affordable, increasing public health awareness, and reducing wait times for patients.
Q13: What is your experience with research?
If you’ve done any research, you could mention what type of research it was (e.g., clinical trials, lab work, etc.), and how it has prepared you to be a doctor. If you haven’t done any research, that’s okay – you can still talk about other aspects of your life that have prepared you to be a doctor.
Q14: What do you think the most important skill for a doctor is?
There are lots of skills that make a good doctor, but some things you could mention are being able to compassionately care for patients, having strong problem-solving skills, and being able to work long hours.
Q15: Do you think that medical students should be offered a tuition waiver?
If you’re for this idea, then you could say that it would motivate people to pursue medicine as a career. People who didn’t want to become doctors wouldn’t have to worry about paying back student loans after they graduated. If you’re against the idea of offering a tuition waiver, you could mention other ways in which society can encourage more people to enter the medical profession – for example, increasing salaries or improving working conditions.
Q16: Tell me about your research/academic background and how it has prepared you for a career as a doctor.
Your answer here can depend on what type of research or academic work you’ve done (e.g., clinical trials, lab work, etc.). If you haven’t done any research or academic work, that’s okay – you can still talk about other aspects of your life that have prepared you to be a doctor.
Q17: What do you think are the benefits of working in a team?
Some benefits of teamwork could be that everyone can share their ideas and opinions, it leads to better problem-solving skills, and it allows for more creativity.
Q18: How well do you handle criticism?
If you’re able to take criticism positively and learn from it, then you could say something like “I welcome constructive feedback because I know it helps me grow as a professional.” However, if you’re not good at handling criticism, you could say something like “I understand that not everyone will agree with me, and I’m able to take constructive feedback well.”
Q19: What do you think about the role of government in healthcare?
This question gives applicants a chance to talk about what they think can be done to improve healthcare in the United States. Some examples could include making the cost of medicine more affordable, increasing public health awareness, and reducing wait times for patients.
Q20: Why did you choose to pursue a career in medicine?
Your answer here could be because you want to help people, or because you’re interested in science and want to learn more about the human body. You could also say that you’re impressed by the advances that have been made in modern medicine, and you want to be a part of that.
Q21: What do you think are the challenges of being a doctor?
Some possible challenges could be working long hours, facing difficult situations, or dealing with difficult patients.
Q22: Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation?
Your answer here could be about a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient, or when something bad happened during your shift. However, if you haven’t faced any difficult situations yet, you can talk about another challenging experience from your life.
Q23: Tell me about a time when you had to work long hours?
If you’ve ever had to work a shift that lasted 12 hours or more, you could mention that here. You could also say something like “I’m used to working long hours because as a medical student, I’ve had to juggle my studies with my clinical rotations.”
Q24: What do you think are the benefits of pursuing a career in medicine?
Some possible benefits could be that you’re able to help people, you’re able to make a difference in people’s lives, or you’re able to learn about the human body. You could also say that you’re impressed by the advances that have been made in modern medicine, and you want to be a part of that.
Q25: What do you think are the challenges of being a doctor?
Some possible challenges could be working long hours, facing difficult situations, or dealing with difficult patients.
Q26: Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation?
Your answer here could be about a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient, or when something bad happened during your shift. However, if you haven’t faced any difficult situations yet, you can talk about another challenging experience from your life.
Q27: Tell me about a time when you had to work long hours?
If you’ve ever had to work a shift that lasted 12 hours or more, you could mention that here. You could also say something like “I’m used to working long hours because as a medical student, I’ve had to juggle my studies with my clinical rotations.”
Q28: What do you think are the benefits of pursuing a career in medicine?
Some possible benefits could be that you’re able to help people, you’re able to make a difference in people’s lives, or you’re able to learn about the human body. You could also say that you’re impressed by the advances that have been made in modern medicine, and you want to be a part of that.
Q29: What are your strengths?
Here, applicants can talk about the things that they’re good at, such as being able to handle difficult situations, being able to work long hours, or being able to take constructive feedback well.
Q30: What do you think are the benefits of pursuing a career in medicine?
Some possible benefits could be that you’re able to help people, you’re able to make a difference in people’s lives, or you’re able to learn about the human body. You could also say that you’re impressed by the advances that have been made in modern medicine, and you want to be a part of that.
Q31: Why did you choose to pursue a career in medicine?
In order to make sure that our readers are adequately prepared for their interviews, we have asked a few well-respected medical students from India and the US to share their top interview questions. These medical students have been selected based on the fact that they all achieved an overall score of more than 260 in Step 1, and got into one of their dream medical schools. So, the students suggested questions are well worth looking at!
Q32: What do you think are the challenges of being a doctor?
Some possible challenges could be working long hours, facing difficult situations, or dealing with difficult patients.
Q33: Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation?
Your answer here could be about a time when you had to deal with a difficult patient, or when something bad happened during your shift. However, if you haven’t faced any difficult situations yet, you can talk about another challenging experience from your life.
Q34: Tell me about a time when you had to work long hours?
If you’ve ever had to work a shift that lasted 12 hours or more, you could mention that here. You could also say something like “I’m used to working long hours because as a medical student, I’ve had to juggle my studies with my clinical rotations.”
Q35: What do you think are the benefits of pursuing a career in medicine?
Some possible benefits could be that you’re able to help people, you’re able to make a difference in people’s lives, or you’re able to learn about the human body. You could also say that you’re impressed by the advances that have been made in modern medicine, and you want to be a part of that.
Here, applicants can talk about the things that they’re good at, such as being able to handle difficult situations, being able to work long hours, or being able to take constructive feedback well.
