Online Medical School Interview Questions

Many universities are intending on continuing their MMIs online, whilst some are shifting to a panel format in light of the difficulties inherent in running a multi-station interview process virtually. You should focus therefore on continuing to prepare as before, but perhaps with a slightly renewed focus on the ‘big topics’. If communication proves more difficult via online channels, interviewers are likely to look to confirm the most important parts of the candidate profile that they are looking for, rather than focus on smaller domains. As the saying goes, ‘common things are common’ – make sure you are prepared as such. Here are fifty of the most likely questions for online medical school interviews.

Motivation for Medicine, Understanding of Current Issues

Why do you want to be a doctor?
What are the most difficult aspects of a medical career?
Why are you interested in becoming a doctor rather than a nurse, occupational therapist or other allied healthcare professional?
How can you illustrate that you have the resilience required to deal with a medical degree, and the subsequent career?
How will you deal with night shifts and busy weekends?
What qualities are present in all good doctors?
What have you read or researched that has changed your opinion on the profession?
Tell us about one important development in healthcare in the last 10 years.
What sources do you use to keep on top of healthcare and medical news?
What can you tell us about COVID-19? Do you believe the government policy to have been correct?
What are the intrinsic issues with the race for a vaccine for COVID-19?
Is the NHS efficient? Should it be privatised or re-modelled?

Communication, Team-working and Soft Skills

Tell us about a time when you demonstrated your ability to lead others.
What makes a good team player? Do you possess those qualities?
What makes a good leader? Do you fit this description?
Tell us about a time when you were part of a team that succeeded against the odds.
Tell us about a time when you had a falling out with a friend or colleague, and how it was resolved.
Did you have a mentoring position at school? If so, tell us about it and your learnings.
What is the role of the multidisciplinary team in Medicine?
What kind of challenging situations have you found yourself in, where communication was difficult? This may have been an emotional situation, or a stressful situation.
What kind of patients might doctors find it harder to communicate with, and how can these barriers be overcome?
How do you deal with difficult or stressful situations? Do you work well under intense pressure?

Ethics

What is your opinion on abortions? Would that opinion change the care that you provide?
What medical issues have you read about recently?
Should recreational drugs be legalised in the UK?
Should junior doctors be allowed to go on strike?
Should the same care be provided on the NHS to those that cause their health issues or comorbidities (such as through smoking or eating poorly) as is provided to those that try to live a healthy lifestyle?

Empathy and Caring

What do you understand the term empathy to mean?
How would you differentiate between empathy and sympathy?
Tell us about a time when you dealt with an angry customer, patient or peer at school.
Should doctors admit their mistakes?
Tell us about a time when you supported a friend through a difficult time.
Tell us about your volunteering work, or other experience in a caring role.

Work Experience

Tell us about your work experience.
What surprised you about the medical profession during your work experience?
What parts of your work experience did you enjoy the most?
What parts of your work experience did you enjoy the least?
How did you organise your work experience? Was it challenging?
What most impressed you about the doctors, or the work that they did, during your work experience?
Why do you think that it’s so important for potential medical students to do a wide range of work experience?

Interests and Activities

Tell us about your proudest achievement outside of academia.
Why are outside interests so important for doctors?
How will you contribute to student life at our university?
What activities help you deal best with stress?
Are you more interested in team or individual sports?

Learning Style

Tell us about your learning style.
What motivates you to learn?
Do you learn well in groups?
How have you thought about and reflected on your learning style, and applied this to your schoolwork?
Tell us about an academic challenge – like an essay writing competition – that you took on, above and beyond the standard school curriculum.

Test

Online Medical School Interview Questions

Motivation for Medicine, Understanding of Current Issues

Communication, Team-working and Soft Skills

Ethics

Empathy and Caring

Work Experience

Interests and Activities

Learning Style

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