Medical School Interview Readiness Questionnaire

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Background and Motivation

Why do you want to pursue this path?*

Why do you want to pursue this path?*

Try to be as honest with yourself as you can, this is for you to identify areas you need to work on.

Yes
No
Somewhat
Can you explain why you want to become a doctor/study medicine?
Have you researched other healthcare fields and can explain why you have chosen to pursue medicine (e.g. instead of nursing)?
Do you have a realistic understanding of the challenges within this career path?
Can you articulate your commitment to lifelong learning and professional development?
Have you thought about your long-term goals and aspirations within the field of medicine?
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Personal Statement

Are you able to talk about your personal statement as well as attributes and experiences to further support your application?*

Are you able to talk about your personal statement as well as attributes and experiences to further support your application?*

Yes
No
Somewhat
Have you reread your personal statement?
Can you go into detail about all aspects of your personal statement?
Are you able to recall details from your work experience / volunteering?
Do you have examples of when you worked in a team?
Are you able to explain your strengths and weaknesses?
Have you identified activities that you do in your spare time which share the skills required to be a doctor?
Can you discuss a setback or failure you've experienced and how you've grown from it?
Can you discuss a situation where you dealt with a conflict of interest?
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Medical School

Question*

Question*

Yes
No
Somewhat
Have you researched the medical schools you have applied to?
Do you know what you like about the medical school?
Do you know the course structure at the medical school?
Do you know how anatomy is taught at the medical school?
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Medical Ethics

Do you have a good level of medical knowledge and understanding of medical ethics?*

Do you have a good level of medical knowledge and understanding of medical ethics?*

Yes
No
Somewhat
Do you know the four principles of medical ethics (or the medical ethics in your country)?
Do you know three Cs (Confidentiality, Consent, Capacity)?
Have you read the GMC guidelines (or the guidelines within your country) ?
Are you up-to-date with current health topics?
Are you familiar with current healthcare challenges and debates?
Can you discuss recent advancements in medicine or medical research?
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MMI Interviews

Have you prepared and practiced MMI specific questions?*

Have you prepared and practiced MMI specific questions?*

Yes
No
Somewhat
Are you aware of how the MMI interviews work at this university?
Have you practiced different types of MMI questions (data interpretation, role-play, prioritisation as well as the standard q's) ?
Do you practice answering MMI questions with friends and family?
Do you understand what medical school interviewers are looking for?
Is there a doctor or medical professional you know who has provided feedback on your MMI performance?
Can you effectively communicate complex information to someone with limited knowledge?
Have you practiced active listening skills, such as paraphrasing and clarifying?
Can you provide examples of how you have demonstrated empathy and compassion in challenging situations?
Do you have examples where you had to prioritise tasks and make decisions under pressure?
Can you discuss a time when you had to adapt to an unexpected challenge?
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Lady stressing over the laptop doing the MMI station
Good Medical Practice book
Stick to the Medical Interview Question Topic – no waffling !

Talking is great but as long as it is on topic and answering the question. MMI questions are designed to be a little open to allow you some room to explore the subject but try not to go off on a tangent. Explain your points in a clear and logical manner so they flow from the highest overall theme down to the detail. Connect this all back up towards the end in the summary. When you feel you’re veering off track finish your point and then reset yourself – but don’t repeat yourself. If you have finished with the questions then let the interviewer ask follow up questions – in fact proactively offer to answer any areas they want expanding. Great opportunity to nudge the interviewer into giving you a hint as to what you need to focus on to get the higher score.

Be structured in your Medical Interview Question response, addressing each point in turn – use examples!

To effectively respond to a medical interview question, start by clearly understanding the question and identifying the key competencies it addresses, such as clinical knowledge, teamwork, or communication. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework to structure your response. Describe a relevant situation, your role, the specific actions you took, and the outcome. For example, if asked about teamwork, discuss a time when you worked with a multidisciplinary team on a complex patient case.

Conclude by reflecting on what you learned and how it improved your practice, linking your experience back to the role you’re applying for. This approach ensures your response is clear, relevant, and effectively showcases your skills.

Don’t be shaken by the MMI interviewer challenging you.

Interviews are actually conversations or discussions about a topic. You need to talk about the issue at hand providing the overarching principle and then relating it to your own personal experience and the context of the scenario / question being presented. Assessors may challenge you and be quite antagonistic about your viewpoint, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wrong – but always make sure you caveat any opinion since there is rarely a black and white conclusion. All because the assessor asks you to explain or reconsider doesn’t mean you’re wrong but it does mean you need to empathize with the other side of the argument and put forward their rationale and the justifications of your view. Always appreciate the points put forward by the examiner. You may even reconsider your own points, but as long as you’re able to explain your reasoning you should be good.

Keep your answers focused on skills required of a doctor

Know what skills are required by a doctor. If you understand what skills are required you will better understand how to structure your responses. Your suitability to be a doctor is being tested here so you need to show that you possess the qualities required. Of course, in an MMI interview its a little hard to show that you’re a good listener but you can definitely provide examples and demonstrate that you are a good communicator, have teamworking ability, leadership skills, empathy etc..). I would write these skills out and read them daily so they become ingrained in your mind !

Use reflection wherever you can

The work experience is a time that you can provide real reflections on your development. How did it change you? What did you learn? What impact did it have? How did you feel? Reflecting well shows you are willing to learn from your experiences – you’ve already done this during your personal statement but here you need to help the assessor appreciate that you learnt and changed.

Use and name the ethical principles!

Ethical questions are almost guaranteed. Always mentioned the ethical principle you are applying; Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-maleficence and Justice and sometimes, Capacity. Of course you can describe these principles but that’s not enough you need to actually use the principle so the assessor knows you know the principles – and will help you stand out and look more organised. Be systematic in your application of the principles explaining each one in context.

Make sure all your arguments are balanced!

Most questions will have a controversial or subjective perspective – whatever you do make sure you assess both sides. Take on each role explaining the pros and cons before coming to a conclusion based on evidence. Never ever jump to a conclusion. You need to demonstrate the ability to understand the other side – a key requirement for a doctor. For every point you make for a particular position make sure you say however and giver the counter argument. You can summarise your own view or come to a decision but make sure you state why and if … happened… then to ensure you cater for other scenarios and that the premise of your position is clear. DO NOT be one-sided or make a blanket statement or take an extreme position.

Difficulties with Medicine!

The medical school wants you to appreciate that medicine is not a perfect career and that hard times are ahead. Acknowledge the difficulties – long hours, low pay, hard work, life long learning, emotional stress, overwork – but offset these with the reason for you wanting to become a doctor and why you feel this is your calling. You can even explore how you would deal with any challenges that you’ve faced and how this relates to medicine.

Read the GMC Guidelines twice!

The Good Medical Council publishes ethical guidelines and is the main source that you should be looking at before your interviews. If something comes up about professionalism etc. don’t be afraid to drop the words “GMC Guidelines” in there. You don’t need to memorise the document, but it definitely will be helpful if you are aware of them so that you can answer in line with best practice.

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