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probing questions during the MMI


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hey forum of knowledge,

 

do the interviewers at Mac always ask follow up or probing questions or only if you seem to run out of things to say/don't fill the time?

 

Merci!

 

I'd like to know as well! Also, is it best to finish your answer by 6.5/7 minutes to leave some time for questions, or if you can talk for almost 8 minutes, is it best to keep talking the whole time?

 

Thanks!

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I seem to recall every station having a few follow up questions. Sometimes you get to the end of them, and sometimes there are so many that you probably won't get to the end. Getting to a f/u question does not mean you haven't adequately addressed the original one properly. And then when you're done going through those, don't be surprised if a few chit-chatty questions come up.

 

I would say you should be able to answer most of the original prompts in under 4-5 minutes which gives you plenty of time for follow ups. If in your practicing you are averaging 7-7.5 minutes you may want to have someone track your conciseness and work on that!

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I would make my answers 4-5 minutes MAX. More than that and you inevitably end up just repeating yourself. Leaving more time for follow up questions gives the interviewer a better chance to understand your thought process by having you defend yourself from different angles.

 

Also, as an interviewer, I tune out after minute 4 of monologue. Seriously, it's boring, and I'd rather talk to you about the issue than hear you lecture me on it.

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I would make my answers 4-5 minutes MAX. More than that and you inevitably end up just repeating yourself. Leaving more time for follow up questions gives the interviewer a better chance to understand your thought process by having you defend yourself from different angles.

 

Also, as an interviewer, I tune out after minute 4 of monologue. Seriously, it's boring, and I'd rather talk to you about the issue than hear you lecture me on it.

that's a relief.. I was worried because I can't fill up more than 5 minutes, and beyond that it just feels like repetition

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thanks for the replies aquadon and japlanet! that helps a lot!

 

i'm just worried that i will talk less and try to finish by 5ish minutes and that the interviewer will not have any more questions for me! i've heard stories that sometimes you end up standing there awkwardly in silence if you finish early....is this true? or at mac, do the interviewers keep questioning you till the end of the 8 minutes?

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hey forum of knowledge,

 

do the interviewers at Mac always ask follow up or probing questions or only if you seem to run out of things to say/don't fill the time?

 

Merci!

 

It is very interviewer-dependent. Personally, I ask probing questions to make it more engaging. But understand this, an interviewer's approach to applicants should be pretty standardized across the candidates that he/she is interviewing. The experience should be the same in your circuit.

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They will keep talking to you for the entire 8 minutes, but it may not all be about the question!

 

This is not necessary true. Again, it is very dependent on the interviewer. When I interviewed, I remember sitting in silence for a couple of minutes. It was very awkward - that is why I choose to be more engaging when I interviewed candidates.

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This is not necessary true. Again, it is very dependent on the interviewer. When I interviewed, I remember sitting in silence for a couple of minutes. It was very awkward - that is why I choose to be more engaging when I interviewed candidates.

 

thanks for the info!

 

i was wondering if a 1-minute or 30-second time warning is given at all. i would find that super helpful, and have heard it does happen at some schools. any info on this for mac?

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thanks for the info!

 

i was wondering if a 1-minute or 30-second time warning is given at all. i would find that super helpful, and have heard it does happen at some schools. any info on this for mac?

 

To be honest, we have a lot of MMI-type style of evaluating in our program, so I don't remember the specifics as it pertains to the Mac Med interview.

 

I think the key is not to worry too much about running out of time. Quite often, you will find that time flies by. Being in mid-sentence when the bell ring is ok.

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