General Interview Discussion and Questions - 2021 Entry

[DrDrLMG!]

Specific Question: Hi, this might belong to another forum but I want to ask about some ways to prepare for interviews and know the question types better without paying too much? I don't have the money to go to prep courses and sit through a mock interview, but any websites or free resources would be really helpful. The only thing I am using now is MSO and the interview portal.
Thank you!

This would be the place to discuss this question

 

[Emmamz]

ahh thank you LMG!

 

[Scorpion]

Emmamz to answer the question, just Google 'med school interview questions' or 'MMI questions' or something to that effect. There are plenty of free ones on offer. But looking at what's available here on MSO (see Skarzin's guide for bulk questions) you won't be out of resources anytime soon. And I'd argue that reflection on how you'd go about answering certain kinds of questions/ brainstorming the experiences you could refer to trumps the quantity of questions you attempt.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

ahh thank you LMG!

If you google search MMI or Medicine interview practice questions, you’ll get approximately 1 gazillion options. The issue isn’t quantity of practice, it’s quality. Practicing saying answers aloud, getting feedback and using that feedback to inform your next practice, that sort of engaged and active practice is what will help you and you can get at least some of that here thanks to our amazing volunteers! You might have some trusted family or friends that could help you with some live experience, too. And in previous years, some students have organised zoom sessions to practice with each other.

 

[cookieaaa]

Hi, what advice do you guys have to best be aware and up-to-date of the current medical issues in Australia? I've heard that interviewers, particularly in the panel interview, like to throw such questions to see if applicants are informed of such things.

 

[Scorpion]

Hi, what advice do you guys have to best be aware and up-to-date of the current medical issues in Australia? I've heard that interviewers, particularly in the panel interview, like to throw such questions to see if applicants are informed of such things.

I think you’ll find you’re aware of many of these issues already. I very much doubt the interviewers will expect you to comment on something that happened the week of the interview or anything, or ask you anything the public wouldn’t have at least heard about. There are plenty of articles on free news sites where you can check up on the different aspects of the issues. Some that come to mind are:

• The impacts of COVID-19 throughout the year. I’m sure you already have thoughts about this and there’s plenty to discuss but it may be helpful to gain a few opinions on it or collect some facts. The interviewers wouldn’t expect you to spew memorised statistics at them, so just gain a general understanding of the topic.
• Anti-vaccination movements or protests
• Discrepancies in healthcare for white vs. Aboriginal Australians, urban vs. rural areas, etc.
• Controversial topics such as euthanasia possibly?
• Issues surrounding the delivery of healthcare eg.’telehealth’ and its pros and cons

There are definitely more but just staying updated on the top news articles of a chosen reliable source should keep you in the loop. Bear in mind that being aware of an having an understanding of these issues is important beyond simply preparing for interviews. It will serve you well during a future career in healthcare and ensure you stay informed in relevant societal issues all Australians should know about.

 

[Crow]

Discrepancies in healthcare for white vs. Aboriginal Australians

This might come across as picky and I know you definitely don't mean any ill-intent, but please don't draw a distinction between "white" and Aboriginal Australians, as the two are not mutually exclusive. That wouldn't go down well in an interview.

 

[Sokka]

This might come across as picky and I know you definitely don't mean any ill-intent, but please don't draw a distinction between "white" and Aboriginal Australians, as the two are not mutually exclusive. That wouldn't go down well in an interview.

would a better phrasing be “the inequalities in health outcomes amongst Australians, such as in the indigenous and rural communities”?

 

[DrDrLMG!]

would a better phrasing be “the inequalities in health outcomes amongst Australians, such as in the indigenous and rural communities”?

Yes, that’s appropriate phrasing. Also, obviously those are supremely important groups, but don’t forget to think beyond this to other marginalised communities with massive health inequalities such as those with disabilities (especially intellectual disabilities), trans and gender diverse people, prisoners/inmates, refugees, those with significant mental health presentations, for example.

 

[Scintillating98]

Hey all,

I hope this isn't a super dumb question, but what are your chances once you get to the interview stage? Good, or only good if you ACE the interview?

 

[threefivetwo]

Hey all,

I hope this isn't a super dumb question, but what are your chances once you get to the interview stage? Good, or only good if you ACE the interview?

Many universities place a high weighting on the interview. As such, it's on you to do well in the interview to differentiate you from the other applicants (who've also prepared too) and hence improve your possibility of a place offer. To put your chances in context, at WSU 1 in 4 interviewees get a place offer (? please correct if I'm wrong).

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hey all,

I hope this isn't a super dumb question, but what are your chances once you get to the interview stage? Good, or only good if you ACE the interview?

It very much depends on where you’re interviewing, how much the interview weights in the final offer formula, and, if relevant, what your UCAT and ATAR are. Generally speaking, though, you need to ace your interview because all unis interview at least x3 (and some up to x8) the amount of people they have places for (with the exception of USyd).

Many universities place a high weighting on the interview. As such, it's on you to do well in the interview to differentiate you from the other applicants (who've also prepared too) and hence improve your possibility of a place offer. To put your chances in context, at WSU 1 in 4 interviewees get a place offer (? please correct if I'm wrong).

worst case scenario is around 1 place for every ~3 interviews, but that’s not the whole picture because a big portion will not have WSU/JPM as their top preference and will get more desirable offers elsewhere. But yeah, worst case scenario (which is usually what we quote for simplicity).

 

[watermelona]

how much time do we get between each MMI station (wsu, jmp) to prepare our answers? do we get the question(s)/ethical scenario a few minutes before the station actually starts and do we get any paper or something to write a few points or just time to think about our answer? also for stations with multiple questions do they ask them as each question progresses or do we get all parts of the question together and answer them 1 by 1?

 

[threefivetwo]

how much time do we get between each MMI station (wsu, jmp) to prepare our answers? do we get the question(s)/ethical scenario a few minutes before the station actually starts and do we get any paper or something to write a few points or just time to think about our answer? also for stations with multiple questions do they ask them as each question progresses or do we get all parts of the question together and answer them 1 by 1?

This is the basic MMI structure
You would typically have around 2 minutes + any additional time gained from exiting the previous station early. The bell rings at the conclusion of a station, you exit it, and move to the next station, where the question is placed near or on the door.
The 2 min countdown starts immediately after the bell rings, so you need to move to the next station quickly! No paper is provided, it’s only thinking time. For stations with multiple questions, they ask you as the question progresses - this is why it’s in your interest to keep your answers nice and tight, i.e. not include any fluff, as they’ll simply cut you off if you run over their arbitrary time limit and this can be jarring.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

how much time do we get between each MMI station (wsu, jmp) to prepare our answers? do we get the question(s)/ethical scenario a few minutes before the station actually starts and do we get any paper or something to write a few points or just time to think about our answer? also for stations with multiple questions do they ask them as each question progresses or do we get all parts of the question together and answer them 1 by 1?

You get 2 minutes ‘reading time’ to read through the initial info and start preparing what you want to say before you walk into the room. You didn’t get paper/pen when I did it a few years ago, but I recall someone last year saying that had changed.

 

[threefivetwo]

You get 2 minutes ‘reading time’ to read through the initial info and start preparing what you want to say before you walk into the room. You didn’t get paper/pen when I did it a few years ago, but I recall someone last year saying that had changed.

Took it last year - not sure if it’d be breaking NDA, but you don’t get paper. It’s worth practicing nailing the points in your head quickly.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Took it last year - not sure if it’d be breaking NDA, but you don’t get paper. It’s worth practicing nailing the points in your head quickly.

Was that for JMP and WSU? There was definitely someone saying they got paper, (can’t remember which one) which sounded weird to me because I couldn’t even really think of a station I did where it would have been useful. Your reports of no paper make much more sense and this is how I’d be preparing.

 

[dotwingz]

I didn’t get paper at JMP. If I recall correctly and not trying to break the NDA (this is more about the delivery of the interviews rather the interviews themselves) there was a rough outline, scenario, or definition on the paper on the door to read for like 2 minutes before you walked in

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I didn’t get paper at JMP. If I recall correctly and not trying to break the NDA (this is more about the delivery of the interviews rather the interviews themselves) there was a rough outline, scenario, or definition on the paper on the door to read for like 2 minutes before you walked in

Yep, that was the same for me at both JMP and WSU, I’m sure (though that’s remembering back to 2017).

ETA: A brief review of last year’s thread reveals UAdel at a minimum allow you pen and paper to make notes that you can then take into the interview.

 

[threefivetwo]

Was that for JMP and WSU? There was definitely someone saying they got paper, (can’t remember which one) which sounded weird to me because I couldn’t even really think of a station I did where it would have been useful. Your reports of no paper make much more sense and this is how I’d be preparing.

Yup, I interviewed at both. At Adelaide, where I interviewed too, we got paper to take notes on - but that isn’t a straight MMI, it’s more of a blended MMI/SSI (fairly sure this isn’t breaking NDA).