It’s that time of year again, when UCAS applications have been submitted, admissions tests have been sat, and the wait for medicine interviews begins. If you’re a prospective medical student and you’re currently preparing for a medicine interview, or you’re waiting to hear whether you have been invited to interview, it can be an incredibly nerve-racking time and there can be an overwhelming amount of information online about what to do and how to prepare.
We asked our current BSMS medical students what top tips they have for preparing for medical school interviews, and have collated them into what you can do a month before your interview, a week before your interview, and the day of your interview, so that you feel as prepared as you possibly can for the big day.
However, although we may be the authority on the BSMS interview process, we also understand that there are a lot of other medical schools with different ways of doing things, so we’ve also listed some excellent resources you can use to help research, prepare, and practice for your medicine interviews.
So without further ado, what can you do to prepare for your medical school interviews?
Second year BSMS student, Thivya, provides her top tips for preparing for an interview. Watch her video below.
A month before your interview
Research current health news
You may be asked about different healthcare related issues and developments in your interview, so it’s a good idea to get a bit of a grasp on what’s going on in the world of medicine right now. Try to read these articles critically and recognise what you actually think about what you’re reading.
"I researched lots of current issues and developments in medicine, and the NHS to get a good baseline understanding, and then made a huge list of all possible questions that I could find online to get a general idea of what I could be asked." – Emily, Year 2
Research the NHS and its values
The NHS is a consistent topic for medicine interviews, and medical schools are looking for future doctors who align with the NHS core values, as well as those that have the skills and qualities to make a great doctor. Read up on the NHS, have a look at it’s constitution, and make sure you can answer questions that show you display those values.
"Read around the NHS, its values and the issues it faces." – Waqar, Year 2
Reflect on your experiences
Speaking of skills and qualities, medical schools want you to be able to prove that you have the aptitude to make a great doctor. That means going beyond just saying that you are resilient/empathetic/communicative etc., and providing evidence that you are resilient/empathetic/communicative etc. Reflect on the experiences that you’ve had (e.g. work experience, volunteering, clubs and sports etc.) and think of specific examples that show the skills and qualities that make a great doctor.
"I found making a table of key transferable skills and examples of where I had seen them used on work experience, and examples of where I had used them myself, really helped. This table would actually end up being a summary sheet for things to remember for the interview if you're asked for examples." – Maisha, Year 2
Use free online resources to prepare
There’s a lot of information out there to help you prepare, including some paid for courses and question banks. Our students indicated that there is more than enough free content to use, and we’ll link some of these at the end of this article.
"I found interview questions online and made notes on roughly what I would say in response to each one." – Thivya, Year 2
"I used tips and resources from websites like Medic Portal." – Nandana, Year 3
"It’s also worth even looking at tips/video examples from recruiters/organisations on social media - there’s lots of amazing social media accounts that give interview tips out there (they may not be purely medical interviews - however the general advice on how to portray yourself and how to behave in interviews are applicable and very helpful)." – Callum, Year 5
Practice!
It sounds simple, but it really is that important. Practice with friends. Practice with family. Practice with teachers. Practice on your own. If your school is running mock MMIs or you can attend some online, try to go along. You can find questions online and practice answering them. Get used to being asked questions about yourself and your experiences, and get used to being asked tough questions you don’t know the answer to. Practice!
"Practice, practice, practice! Ask your teachers, ask your family, if you have any family friends or friends parents who have lots of interview experience themselves, ask everyone to do mocks for you!" – Callum, Year 5
"A really good way to prep is to get used to having difficult or uncomfortable conversations and maintaining composure. Finally I took part in as many public speaking opportunities that I could find and got used to people asking me questions I hadn't prepared; if you can do it to a big group of people you can easily do it in your interview." Amelia, Year 2
"I find answering questions about myself really hard, and sometimes a bit cringey, and I had to get more comfortable with them - so I printed off a big list of potential questions and got people to ask me them, it got me used to being put on the spot and helped me make my answers concise and fluent." – Evie, Year 4
A week before your interview
Research the medical school
So you’ve got an interview next week with a specific medical school. It’s a really good idea to research them in some depth so you know what they’re all about. Alongside this, think about why you would like to study there and what you would be looking forward to getting involved in.
"Research the medical school, the local health and the syllabus." – Waqar, Year 2
Know the process
The last thing you want is to wake up on the morning of the interview and not know where you need to go or how you join the session. Medical schools will provide information about their interview processes on their websites and will usually email across any prior information you need. Make sure you understand what you need to do on the day of your interview and what type of interview you will be doing. This can help inform your preparation, and also minimises nerves on the day. You’ll likely be nervous enough about doing an interview, the last thing you need is more nerves from not knowing whether there’s a roleplaying station or not.
"Read any instructions/rules from the medical school carefully: are you allowed pen and paper? How long is each station if MMI? If it’s online, will it take place in breakout rooms, and if so, how are you going to be moved between them?" – Waqar, Year 2
Test your setup
When it comes to online interviews, it’s very important to make sure everything works before the day of the interview. Test your camera and microphone, run a bandwidth check at the time your interview is going to take place, see whether your internet is stable or likely to drop out. You could try doing a practice interview online with a friend or family member and then get feedback from them on how everything looked and sounded. If you’re likely to have problems with connectivity, then maybe ask your school or college whether you’d be able to use a classroom or office on the day of your interview.
"Make sure you try out zoom/teams/Skype/video calls in your home well in advance beforehand to check you have the bandwidth! This means if you don’t have the best internet, you have time to find an alternative. If your home doesn’t have good quality internet - it is worth speaking to your school and seeing if they could provide you with access to a computer and internet in a room for your interview - I did a mock interview with someone online previously in this position, so there’s plenty of ways round poor internet!" – Callum, Year 5
Practice some more!
This tip might seem familiar, and that’s because it is! Keep practicing questions and answers as before. We do recommend that your practice and preparation should be over a longer period of time, rather than trying to cram it all in at the last minute.
"Practice with topics you know nothing about. There will always be a question you’re not prepared for so if you’ve practiced in scenarios where you don’t know the answer, you’ll be better prepared." – Maddy, Year 5
"I practised being interviewed for about half an hour everyday for 3/4 weeks. I was lucky enough to have a friend to ask me questions and give feedback, but even practising answering to yourself is very useful if no one is around." – Melis, Year 2
The day of your interview
Think about your surroundings
Today’s the day! If your interview is in person, make sure you know where you’re going, what time your train is, or where you can park your car, and what building you might need to find. If your interview is online, think about where you are going to interview from, be it your bedroom, an office, your school, and make sure there are minimal distractions – both for you and your interviewers.
"Pick a quiet place that you are comfortable in to complete the interview; if you’re comfortable with your surroundings then you're more likely to do your best." – Amelia, Year 2
"Also ensure your surroundings are tidy, and that you’re fully dressed - the interviewers may ask you to show them round the room to make sure there’s nobody helping you/you don’t have notes anywhere, so you don’t want to be caught out with a messy bedroom!" – Callum, Year 5
Try not to sound too rehearsed
This can be tough, given the amount of preparation you’ve done, but don’t use prepared answers and make sure you’re answering what you’ve been asked. Interviewers want to get to know you: what qualities you have, what experiences you have, and what makes you… you! Make sure that you get your personality across in your answers, and that you’re not just repeating something you’ve rehearsed.
"I would honestly advise against preparing set answers for interviews, because you’ll sound like a robot and interviewers will be able to see that." – Thivya, Year 2
"Don't over prepare on the morning of - have some key points you want to mention/bits of information you feel could be important and read over them." – Amelia, Year 2
Make sure you have contact detailsIt may sound like the worst case scenario, but there can be problems on the day of you interview, be it connection issues, traffic, or illness. Make sure you have contact details for the medical school you’re interviewing with and how you can make them aware of your situation. Contact the medical school and let them know, it may be possible to rearrange your interview date.
Get hyped… and also relax!
This can sound counterintuitive, but at this point you’ve done a lot of preparation, you know the medical school you’re applying to, and you’re all set up and ready to go. Interviews can be nerve-racking, but it’s your chance to show off who you are and why you’ll make an amazing doctor. Try to enjoy the conversations with your interviewers and make the most of your interview experience. Take a deep breath, have a drink of water, and do your very best.
"Have a glass of water to hand. And count to three before answering any questions - this helps stop you from blurting out something you know isn't the best answer, and allows your brain to calm itself so you can articulate the best response you can." – Amelia, Year 2
"Once you have prepped for interviews, the most important thing to do in my opinion is to remind yourself why you actually want to go to this university. Try to imagine yourself as a student there and think about all of the things that you would be excited about, because that enthusiasm is what will make you come across well." – Emily, Year 2
Finally, we wish you the best of luck with any medical school interviews that you have. It’s a real achievement to even get to that stage in the admissions process, and we know that with some preparation you’ll do your very best.
Additional resources
As we mentioned at the start of this article, there are lots of resources online that can help with your preparation for an interview. Here are just a few to help you get started:
Medical School’s Council – Interview Preparation - Core Values and Attributes - Work Experience Guidance Covid-19 Update
NHS – Core Values and Constitution
The Medic Portal – Medical School Interviews (please note that The Medic Portal does also have paid content but there is also a large amount of free content available here).
We Are Medics – @wearemedics – check out their Instagram and Twitter for some great interview preparation resources.
BSMS – Virtual Work Experience
Observe GP – Virtual Work Experience