Med School Interview Prep

[TonesRN]

Hey guys,

 

I found an interesting link to a group that helps people applying to med school. Unlike other interview prep programs out there, these guys are dermatology resident physicians from AB and former MMI interviewers who will be heading to Dal next month! Not a bad option for those wanting to prep for upcoming interviews...like Kaplan for the MCAT! They are called Medical Admissions Consultants.

 

macadmissions.com

[dermkeener2011]

My brother took this mmi prep course last year and loved it! He really found it beneficial for his interview. He was accepted into med school starting this fall and personally thanked the 2 instructors for giving him the tools to perform as well as he did on his interview.

[future_doc]

Most of us don't need it. I did no prep as my MMI was smack in the middle of finals and GPA was the priority. I was personable, confident, thought quickly on my feet, an ethical thinker and problem solver, was adaptable, went in to have fun and it went fine.

[dermkeener2011]

Sure, some people don't prepare for these interviews and do fine. But with an interview worth such a great percentage of the weighting after you're invited to interview (50-100% for certain schools of the weighting is based on the interview alone), one would be foolish not to prepare as best they can for this interview. A course preparation is a good way to help develop an approach to any kind of question they may throw at you. Like I said, my brother is not the most confident guy in the world, especially when in an interview situation...but he felt extremely prepared and calm using the approach to questions that he learned from the course.

 

So although it may not be for everybody, it certainly won't hurt to do extra preparation and ensure you put your best foot forward for likely the biggest interview you've had in your life, up until now.

[collegedude22]

Honestly I'd just practice answering a couple MMI-style questions with a friend who's been through the process and get some feedback. You just need to get used to presenting a structured, considered answer with confidence. I probably spent 30 minutes to an hour preparing in this way and did well on my interview, despite being a generally introverted person.

 

The MMI is designed to be difficult to prepare for, but this isn't a bad thing. It's not assessing something that is readily "learned"; rather, it's supposed to test critical thinking, communication skills, and sound judgment. These are "soft" skills that are developed over basically years of a person's life.

 

That said, if an applicant has a high degree of anxiety that might interfere with communication (above an beyond the normal anxiety every person experiences before an interview), or feels he or she is lacking in communication skills in general, some more preparation might be beneficial.