How to Answer Medical School Interview Questions with Confidence and Clarity

/Preparing for medical school interviews is a daunting and can be overwhelming. To some interview skills come naturally to others they have to be learnt through practice and improvement. To excel in interviews you must have an organized approach to answering questions – any question whatever the subject ! This improves the quality and structure of your answers and also helps you appear more confident and comfortable in front of your interviewers. The approach below provides a framework with which to answer ethical, situational, and personal questions and once learnt can be used to address any question you are asked on interview day and beyond.

My Approach to Answering Ethical and Situational Questions

Ethical and situational questions are more challenging then many of the other questions you’ll face in your medical school interview. These types of questions are unpredictable and initially seem to have multiple “correct” answers. You are often presented with an unpredictable scenario – possibly medical possibly not – and your goal is provide an insight into your thought process, ability to empathise, and ultimately the rationale and principles you use during the decision making process.

The more MMI practice you do the better you’ll get at applying ethical standards and using the correct approach to a given scenario.

Understanding the Challenge

The unpredictability can throw students so having a pre-formed answer is a recipe for disaster. The key is to use a structured approach that shows a clear and logical thought process, even if the situation presented is ambiguous. An example of how to do this is provided below – study it carefully and start emulating the approach.

Example Question

Scenario: As a doctor at a local hospital, you suspect a man with alcohol dependency is consuming the hand sanitizer from the stands throughout the hospital. He’s not a patient at the moment but has been admitted many times in the past. Due to the result of his actions, there is often no sanitizer available for public use. What do you do?

Use the following framework to answer :
Summarise question and conflict / issue at hand
Analyse different approaches and their impact at both micro and macro level
Consider the alternatives by understanding what’s missing or asking questioner clarifying questions
Make a decision and justify your answer using evidence and theory

So for this situation here is how the framework can be applied:

Step 1: Summarize Question and Identify Conflict

Firstly, rephrase the question in your own words so show the interviewer you understand it and to confirm you haven’t missed anything. Secondly, identify and discuss the dilemma or conflict at hand which in the scenario described are as follows:

Infection Prevention: Hand sanitizer is an critical part of ensuring the health of the public, staff, and patients.
Alcohol Dependency: Due to the man’s dependency removing the sanitizer may worsen his situation and cause further harm.

Step 2: Analyze Possible Decisions and Their Impact

When exploring possible solutions to the conflict / issue identified consider their effects on different stakeholders from the individual, to the patient, to the staff, to the community to the system – you need to start broad and think in terms of the highest grouping and then slowly work your way in when deciding on who and what is impacted. The decisions being considered should be weighed by their positive and negative outcomes.

Removing the hand sanitizer dispenser stops the man from misusing it but also impacts the public health by limiting access to essential infection control equipment.

Stakeholder Impact – Identify the different individuals, systems, communities, and even institutions

Man with Alcohol Dependency: Removing the sanitizer may worsen his addiction, potentially leading to more serious consequences.
Public: Infection prevention is crucial in a hospital or any other healthcare establishment. Removing the hand sanitizer will certainly increase the risk of transmitting disease.
Staff / Hospital: Nurses and doctors may fall ill due to the spread of bacteria due to the lack of sanitizer.
Community: The community at large may be impacted by either a disease outbreak or the lack of services due to the spread of infection within the hospital resulting in a loss of services.

Step 3: Handle Ambiguity and Consider Alternatives

There is some missing information in the scenario so its worth acknowledging this and stating your assumptions. Show your thoughtfulness by suggesting ways to gather more information or explore other solutions. For example, you could consider approaching the man non-confrontationally to understand his situation and whether he’s open to receiving help for his alcohol dependency.

Step 4: Make a Decision and Explain Your Reasoning

After considering all options, you need to be clear with your decision and which should be based on the highlights of your analysis, with an explanation of why other options were less ideal.

Final Decision Example:

“While considering the well-being of the different stakeholders particularly the man and the public health concerns, my decision is to firstly approach the man, offer help with his addiction while ensuring that hand sanitizers remain available for public use. This approach addresses both his immediate needs and the hospital’s infection control requirements.”

Structuring your response so you take all parties into account, demonstrates a reflective, empathetic approach while shows a clear and decisive decision.

Answering Personal Questions: How to Tell Your Story Effectively

Personal questions are used to assess your self-awareness, reflective abilities, and interpersonal skills. These questions often ask you to recall an experiences or share a story, where you highlight how you faced a challenge, what you learned, and what you would do differently. It’s also a good idea to relate the learning to healthcare and your chosen profession.

Using the STAR Method to Structure Your Answer

Another effective method to approach personal questions is by using the STAR approach: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This framework helps you present your answer logically and concisely, without rambling or leaving out any important details.

Step 1: Situation

Describe the context of the situation and set the stage for the story and / or event. For example, if you’re asked about a conflict, you could explain the specific event that led to the disagreement.

Step 2: Task

Explain what the challenge or task was faced in the situation and the difficulties related to it.

Step 3: Action

Describe the actions you took to overcome the issue – be specific about what you did and the reasons behind it.

Step 4: Result

Conclude with the result of your actions – what its impact was both positive and negative. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and especially what you learned. This helps interviewers see how you grew from the experience and how you handle similar situations moving forward.

Avoiding Vague Statements

It’s crucial to avoid vague statements- by being specific in your examples with an appropriate level of detail the interviewer will understand your thought process and your involvement in the situation. The more you can make your story relatable and trigger emotional engagement from the interviewer the better.

Final Thoughts: Organizing Your Answers for Success

In both ethical/situational and personal questions, the key is the structure of the answer during the medical school interview. A clear and logical approach can show your interviewers that you are reflective, empathetic, and capable of making thoughtful decisions based on rational logical thinking.

For Situational and Ethical Questions: Summarize question back to the interviewer and identify the conflict / issue. Evaluate the stakeholders, possible approaches and state any assumptions. Finally make a clear decision with supporting reasoning and evidence.
For Personal Questions: Use the STAR method to present your story—Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

In practice, these strategies help you improve your responses and leave a lasting impression on your interviewers. Best of luck on your interview journey!

Mock MMI Interview Practice