Advice & Insight From Interview Specialists
We have compiled a list of 300+ interview questions asked at MMI and Traditional interviews at Medical Schools in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
For additional MMI Interview Scenarios and model answers, review our Medical School Interviewer Approved MMI Question Bank.
Do you think general practitioners have an obligation to report their patients’ health status to a public health agency if their patients have active infectious diseases?
The man who lives next door to you often rides his bicycle in the company of his two young children but without a helmet. In fact, on several occasions, you have seen him riding with his helmet hanging by its straps from the handlebars. His young children sometimes wear a helmet, sometimes not. If the man fell off his bicycle and hurt his head in a way that would have been prevented if he had worn a helmet, would it be reasonable to ask him to contribute towards the treatment costs for his injury?
In recent years, there has been an increase in popularity of full-contact sports, such as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and boxing. Should doctors have a role in regulating such sports?
Should medical students who receive federal funding spend time practising medicine in a less desirable area, to give something in return?
What kinds of special medical needs are there for people who live in isolated (ethnic, socio-economic, geographic) groups?
If you were an intern and accidentally killed a patient, how would you react?
Should IVF be covered by government health provisions?
Discuss the pros and cons of legalising marijuana on health provision. How does this impact a physician’s present ability to write out a prescription for ‘medical marijuana’? Would legalisation cost the health care system more or less after it was passed?
Do you think that a food-addiction should be taken as seriously as an addiction to something like cocaine?
How does religion play into medicine?
Discuss one of these health care issues: human genome project, AIDS, abortion, the right to die, the cost of health care, and genetic engineering
Recently, the Prime Minister of Canada suggested the idea of deterrent fees (a small charge, say $10, which everyone who initiates a visit to a health professional would have to pay at the first contact) as a way to control health care costs. The assumption is that this will deter people from visiting their doctor for unnecessary reasons. Consider the broad implications of this policy for health and health care costs.
What is your opinion about stem cell research using fetal tissue?
How would you advise patients who are interested in visiting an acupuncturist or a chiropractor?
When is it appropriate to participate in the assisted suicide of a patient? Why or why not?
“Liberation Therapy” (LT), a vascular operation developed to potentially cure multiple sclerosis (MS) in certain patients, has recently come under very serious criticism – delaying its widespread use. Among other experimental flaws, critics cite a small sample size in the original evidence used to support LT. As a healthcare policymaker, your job is to weigh the pros and cons of approving novel drugs and therapies. Please discuss the issues you would consider during an approval process for LT.
Imagine your friend’s father is 70 years old and has lived in Vancouver his whole life. He is taken to the emergency department at the Vancouver General Hospital. He has had good health until now and this is the first time he has been to the hospital of any kind since he was 20 years old. What changes in the healthcare system and environment in the hospital do you think he would notice?
How does the Canadian health care system compare to that of Britain’s system?
Why do you want to study Medicine?
Tell me about some experiences that made you want to practice medicine.
How do you think you will have impacted the practice of medicine 20 years from now?
What are three things you do well?
What would you like to improve about yourself?
What do you want the epitaph on your gravestone to say?
What did you do at [undergrad institution]?
Walk me through your time at college? If there was something you could change, what would it be?
What was the most valuable experience you had in college?
Can you tell me about your UCAT/BMAT?
Can you explain the trend in your undergraduate grades?
What was your favourite non-premed college course?
Describe your research experience — give me your hypothesis, methodology and findings.
Tell me more about any research that you have been involved in
What is the overarching theme of your activities?
If you had the chance to make your case to the admission committee, what would you say to them to convince them that they should accept you?
What would you like me to tell the committee that (1) you didn’t tell the other interviewer, and (2) you didn’t mention in your application?
How did you get involved in community service?
I see you’ve done a lot of activities related to X, tell me about what you’ve learned from those experiences. How do you think you’ll apply those lessons to your career as a doctor?
What were some of the challenges you encountered in your job as a ____?
What clinical experience have you had?
Tell me about your involvement in this organization/sport/lab.
What was the greatest challenge in your life so far?
Discuss your greatest accomplishment/failure.
What are your biggest personal weaknesses?
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
Explain your research project. Will you pursue graduate studies if not admitted to medical school?
What does compassion mean to you?
Explain [particular activity/event] in your essay.
Looking back on your life, what’s one thing you wish you could change?
What are some leadership positions you’ve had?
Why would you choose…………. University?
What would you do if you won 10 million pounds/dollars?
If you weren’t accepted this year, what would you do to improve your application?
Why did you come here today? In 30 seconds sell yourself.
What is the sickest person you have ever seen, and how did you deal with that?
Why do you care about other people? Where does your empathy come from?
How do you think people on the West and East coast are different?
If your best friend was in the room, what would he/she say that you have to work on?
Do you speak French?
How would you diffuse a situation with a hostile patient?
What can you do to help people empathize with people with special needs?
How do you respond to feedback and criticism? Describe a situation where your work was criticized. What was your immediate reaction to the situation?
If the Prime Minister were to ask your advice on one change that could be applied to the current healthcare system that would improve it significantly, what change would you suggest?
If you were Harry Potter and had a magic wand, how would you change the health care system?
What do you know about health care delivery systems (in the US and abroad)?
How would you address the impending crisis of the baby boomer generation ageing and living longer?
Due to a shortage of physicians in rural communities, some policy-makers have suggested that medical programs preferentially admit students who are willing to commit to a two or three-year tenure in rural areas after graduation. Consider the broad implications of this policy for health care and the costs associated. Will this policy be effective?
What do you think of the health care system, and what changes should be made that don’t require a huge overhaul?
Statistics have shown that the effects of advanced age such as changes in vision and response time may adversely affect elderly drivers’ ability to drive safely. As a matter of fact, many doctors discuss the issue of stopping driving with their older patients as a precaution for the safety of theirs as well as the public. Do you think older drivers have to give up driving when they reach a certain age?
Which medical related journals, newspapers and publications do you read to stay in touch with new medical discoveries and current events?
What is the healthcare system like in your hometown?
Why does the US spend so much money and get such poor results compared to other countries?
What are some of the difficulties facing paediatricians today?
You are on the Prime minister/President’s health advisory team. What two things would you urge him to do/consider?
Do you see a universal, single-payer healthcare system working in the US?
What is not working with the health care system of the United States? (then follow up question) What do you think is not working with Canada’s (or other countries’)
How would you spend £1,000,000 to improve healthcare in the UK?
What is wrong with the health care sector today and what would you do to fix it?
What are the biggest problems facing health care?
What are your thoughts on the current healthcare system?
Why is health care so expensive in the United States and how would you fix it?
Who would you pick as Time’s Person of the Year?
Why is there so much inequality in health care delivery worldwide?
How do we fix the problem of 43 million people being uninsured?
How does our health system compare to systems of other countries?
Do you know the percentage of uninsured individuals in the United States? If so what?
What do you think of nationalized health care?
Name three significant problems with healthcare in developing countries.
What do you think about premium medical services available to those who can pay for the added service?
Some people are worried that National Health Insurance would result in the rationing of care. What about specialist fees? I’m an oncologist and new cancer treatments are extremely beneficial but expensive, what about them? Did you know that over half of healthcare spending occurs in the last 2 months of peoples’ lives? What do we do about that? Should we ration their care?
You are in charge of the country. How would you fix health care?
What are the issues around health coverage for the elderly, especially when resources are limited?
How does the Japanese healthcare system differ from the US healthcare system?
Why do you think HIV/AIDS is so prevalent in Africa?
What does socialized medicine mean to you? What does universal healthcare mean to you?
Do you think that HIV education in Africa really makes a difference without tackling the underlying cultural difference? Without sustained presence, does a short-term program do any good?
Do you think medicine should be more about changing behaviour to prevent disease or treating existing disease?
What would you tell to people who say that 17-18-year-old students are too young and not mature enough to enter the medicine program and that older students (that have completed a baccalaureate for example) should be privileged?
Is there anything you have changed in an extracurricular program that will remain after you graduate?
If you were to direct a movie, what would the theme be?
What would you say to me if I told you I don’t think you have a strong enough interest in the ‘hard sciences’ to get through medical school?
How do you expect to change in medical school?
How do you balance your time?
Tell me about your volunteer experiences.
How do you think your parents feel about your accomplishments? Are your siblings as motivated as you?
If you could change something about your time in school, what would it be?
How do you think the curriculum design suits your learning style?
Tell us about your overall academic performance, so far. Where have you excelled, and where could you improve?
We have many of the top candidates in the country apply here…what do you bring to the entering class that makes you a better choice than many of the other candidates we have this year.
What will be your biggest challenge in coming to medical school?
Tell me about your research in X. Have you thought about what your academic concentration will be?
Who is your role model?
Describe a difficult situation, how you overcame it and what you learned.
What experiences have you had (and what insights have you gained from these experiences) that lead you to believe you would be a good physician?
If you do not get into medical school, what would you do in the following year to try and improve your chances during the next admissions cycle?
What obstacles have you come across?
Tell me more about the research projects you participated in.
Tell me about the research that you did. How was it relevant to the other projects in the lab? How is it relevant in general (As a doctor, why would I care about this drug)?
What do you do for fun?
Why did you take time off?
What is the most eye-opening experience you’ve had?
Why would you pick UCLA over all the other schools you’ve interviewed/been accepted at?
How would a friend describe you?
What is the most important thing in your life?
What was the most interesting question you’ve been asked during an interview?
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
How do you think that people learn most efficiently?
What was your favourite class?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What schools have you interviewed at?
What schools have you been accepted to? Tell me about your life up until the end of high school.
Why did you select your undergraduate institution?
What have you learned from the experiences you have described?
What experiences do you wish you had had an opportunity to participate in?
Did your volunteer role with a board of directors’ conflict with the medical community in any way?
How do you know when you’ve learned enough?
Why did you get involved in volunteering?
What type of patient population do you see yourself involved with in the future? What things are crucial to good health care interactions?
What are the pros and cons of the bill in front of Congress that, if passed, will limit residency work hours?
What is going to be the biggest challenge for future physicians?
What kinds of problems do you think you will encounter as a physician?
From the recent experiences you’ve had shadowing doctors, what problems have you observed in our health care system and what do you think we can do about them?
How would you reach out to people in poorer communities around the hospitals who aren’t coming to use its services?
What do you think of ‘socialised medicine’?
Tell me about activity x?
Talk to us about your current GPA.
Tell us something that we would not know about you from reading your CV.
What achievement are you most proud of, so far, on your path to medical school?
What are you reading right now?
What originally sparked your interest in medicine?
Why do you want to be a physician? Discuss this question with the interviewer.
What kind of speciality would you like to do?
What are your motivations, and why haven’t you chosen another career of equal difficulty or stature?
Would you still be a doctor if the highest salary you could earn was £20,000/$20,000 a year?
What experiences have you had (and what insights have you gained from these experiences) that lead you to believe you would be a good physician?
Why is research so important in medicine and should medical students be obligated to carry out research projects?
What skills did X give you that apply to medicine? How did you learn compassion/ communication/ etc from this experience?
What do you think about cosmetic dermatology and the doctors who pursue it?
Do you believe that physicians ought to be upstanding citizens in the community?
What do you do when an encounter with a patient is going badly?
What would be your biggest fear in practising medicine?
“What would be some of the things you would consider in treating a patient who is in chronic/incurable pain?
What is it about medicine that you enjoy, and what is it that you may not enjoy?
What do you consider is the greatest challenge for doctors?
What are some of the major issues in the world concerning healthcare?
Why do you want to study medicine?
What are some of the attributes required to be a good physician?
What sorts of challenges do you anticipate as a medical student, and as a doctor?
What are the pros and cons of self-directed learning and problem-based learning?
How have you prepared yourself for this type of learning (PBL and SDL)?
What are some viable solutions to the doctor shortage in rural areas?
In what field of medicine can you see yourself?
You voiced your interest in international health…Would you feel guilty for going overseas to provide health care while many of your fellow citizens are waiting months and months in long queues to be seen by a doctor?
What is your opinion on the privatization of medicine?
How would you react if you committed a serious medical error?
What are the social, legal, medical implications of a needle-exchange program? What do you think are some viable alternatives?
How well do you think you have performed in this interview today?
When you suffer a setback, how does that emotionally affect you and your work?
Medical school is expensive. Have you made a solid financial plan for tuition costs here at university and beyond?
What questions do you have for us about our school of Medicine?
What do you know about our school of Medicine?
What research did you conduct before choosing to apply here?
What direction do you think adolescent medicine is heading in?
What is the role of women in medicine and how has it changed?
Who are your role models in medicine?
What makes a good doctor?
It has been said that the average intern has killed 1.5 patients. Would you be able to live with yourself?
What is the most negative thing about practising medicine, in your mind?
How is soccer a metaphor for life and medicine?
Do you think doctors make too much money?
How do you know that you would be happy in medical school?
How will you handle family life and medicine?
When did you decide that you wanted to become a doctor?
What would you do if a career in medicine didn’t work out?
What is hospital care like from a patient’s perspective?
A patient comes in and complains of trouble breathing. You tell the patient that there is a problem with her heart and you would like to admit her to the hospital. Name some characteristics that she, as a patient, would be looking for in you, her doctor.”
Do you have any specific field you are interested in?
How have your interactions with physicians influenced your view of medicine?
How do you want to impact medicine?
Describe some of the problems in health care that are most troubling to you.
Where is medicine going in the next 50 years?
Tell me about yourself.
What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Which medical schools do you think to have unimpressive programs?
What would be the hardest thing for you to do as a physician?
What do you see as something you may have a problem with in the future as a physician?
Talk to us about your experience and thoughts on handling blood and other bodily fluids. You will be subject to difficult scenarios in your role as a physician. How do you feel about this?
As a future physician, how do you plan to use your role to benefit members of your community? Do you think volunteering is important?
As a physician, you will be faced with death on a daily basis. How will you professionally cope with this reality?
How would you fix the US healthcare system? How do systems in other countries compare?
How does your family feel about you attending medical school? Do you have a great deal of support?
What would you identify as a weakness in your application?
What was the last book you read?
Have you experienced failure, no matter how hard you tried? How did you deal with it?
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
What makes you unique?
What are your faults?
What three adjectives would classmates use to describe you in a classroom setting?
Who in your life mentors, or inspires you?
Why do you want to become a leader in the field of academic medicine, and how would our school ensure that you will achieve this goal?
Tell me about yourself
Can you tell me about your family and siblings?
Tell me about your family and how they shaped you.
What do your parents do?
When you suffer a setback, how does that emotionally affect you and your work?
Who in your life mentors, or inspires you?
Tell us about your overall academic performance so far. Where have you excelled? Where could you improve?
Where did you grow up in? How would you describe this area?
What do you want me to tell the admissions committee that you feel is absolutely critical to your application?
What is your strongest quality?
What are you passionate about?
How would you describe the education that you have received?
What are you doing right now?
Can you tell me about some of your volunteering activities?
What activities have you been involved in?
Do you ever think about what makes you successful?
What has been the most challenging experience you have ever had to deal with?
Tell me about your childhood.
What motivates you?
What do you feel is the single most important quality a Physician should possess?
What is your favourite area of medicine so far? Which is your least favourite? Why?
If you could meet anyone in the history of medicine, who would you choose and why?
Which medical related newspapers, journals or publications do you read to stay in touch with new medical discoveries, and current events?
Should medical students who receive federal funds spend time practising medicine in a less desired area, to give something in return?
What is your opinion on socialized health care versus privatized health care?
How would you like to see the delivery of healthcare evolve?
How will you overcome the challenges in medicine?
Why do you want to help people through medicine?
Have you thought about the struggles you will face as a doctor?
What do you think are some pros and cons of HMO’s?
Why not a teacher, a lawyer, or a social worker?
What do you think about women in medicine? Are they disadvantaged in any way?
How do you see yourself involved in medicine– as a clinician, a researcher, etc?
What is one of the most important health issues going on the world, and how would you fix it?
Tell me about your path to medicine?
Why do you think you would be a good physician?
Name three changes in the delivery of health care you would like to see.
What do you think about managed care? What would you do to change it?
Medicine tends to be emotionally draining as well as difficult in other aspects. How do/will you deal with this issue?
What do you think makes a good doctor?
Where do you see yourself 15 years from now?
Tell me about the most meaningful community service work that you have done. How about of something that you failed at and what did you learn?
How can you help to sustain student interest in the community once they get to medical school?
Why should we pick you?
Who would negatively benefit from socialized medicine?
What do you see as the three most important issues in medicine today?
What challenges will you face working in a rural area?
What do you think are the biggest challenges you will face as a practising doctor in ten years?
What sets you apart from other candidates?
Name one thing that you are most proud of.
Do you consider yourself disadvantaged in any way?
Why are you a better applicant than everyone else?
Describe a typical day for you.
Have you read anything interesting lately?
Give me a one-sentence summary of yourself.
What would you be if you could be anything completely unrelated to science?
Tell us something that we would not know by reading your CV.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
What can you bring to the field of medicine?
How do you feel about bureaucratic regulation in medicine, and how will you deal with it?
What are you looking at in deciding what school to attend?
If a friend was sitting in the room what would be 2 positives and 2 negatives they would say about you?
Tell us about a patient you remember from _______ experience? – What was her name? – How old was she? – What was her diagnosis? – Did you follow up on her after she left your care? – What did you learn from her?
Tell us about a patient you remember from one of your shadowing experiences
What are the three most important things you observed in the rural family practice clinic?
What did you learn/what most impacted you about your experience volunteering at ___________?
What medical experience have you had?
What volunteering experience has stood out in your mind?
What physician do you admire and what qualities does he/she embody that you would like to emulate?
Why did you choose to go to ___________ for undergrad? Did you apply to many schools?
How did you prepare for the UCAT/BMAT/MCAT?
Describe your research experience.
What would you do if you don’t get into medical school no matter how hard you tried?
During your experience as a volunteer, what was something that impacted you in a negative aspect? How would you remedy that?
What do you do in your spare time?
What was your favourite class in college? What was your least favourite class in college?
How did you pick all the schools you applied to?
What is the most significant experience you have had that made you want to become a physician?
How has your education to date prepared you for a career in medicine?
Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Where will your ambition have taken you?
What makes you unique?
Describe one failure in your life so far.
How did you end up where you are?
What’s the last book you read?
What have you been doing since you applied?
Where do you see yourself in 12 years? And, what challenges do you foresee in your plan?
Who is someone that embodies professionalism in your eyes, and why?
Talk to us about the prospect of handling blood and other bodily fluids. You will be subject to difficult scenarios in your role as a physician, how do you feel about this?
As a physician, you will be faced with death on a daily basis. How will you professionally cope with this reality?
What are your thoughts on alternative medicine? Which aspects do you agree and disagree with?
What got you interested in the field of medicine and why are you pursuing it?
Why do you want to be a doctor and why this state? Have you had rural medical experience in this state?
Why an M.D. and not a PhD?
Why medicine at this school?
What frustrations have you experienced with healthcare restrictions when providing patient care? Do you anticipate having the same frustrations as a physician?
What are some of the challenges in primary care medicine that you’ve seen/experienced?
How have your experiences prepared you for medicine? Tell us about a specific patient you have encountered, what did you learn from that experience?
Give me your analysis and opinion on the democratic and republican viewpoints on healthcare reform.
When might a physician refuse to care for a patient? What if they are the only doctor for miles and miles in rural Alaska?
How would you change the healthcare system?
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