The Most Common Medicine Interview Mistakes

A medicine interview tutor writes about the things you should avoid at all cost when undertaking medicine admission interview 

People get stressed in interviews. This is natural, because when someone evaluates us in an exam or interview, we become nervous. With such tension, it is sometimes difficult to present yourself in the best light, and after that, there is often a feeling of dissatisfaction: I could do better.

Admission interview into the higher education institution is always tricky on its own, and the fact that the enrollee is often pretty nervous does not make it easier, either. Our medicine 1interview tutors at medicmind.co.uk are more than ready to coach you on medicine interview questions, but there are also other common mistakes that future students (if they want to be such) should spare no effort to avoid. Read about it in this article. 

Mistakes you should avoid

Poor preparation 

Even if you are completely confident in your abilities, you need to prepare with all due responsibility – with the help of medicine interview tutors. Yes, it’s impossible to predict every possible turn of the conversation, but here’s what you can do:

Rehearse a story about yourself

Better in front of a mirror, so that the speech is logical, without hesitation and pauses. The story should not be too long, you should state only the most important, which will form the first impression.

Reread your motivation/cover letter

Think about what questions can be asked about your motivation letter. Prepare and write down corresponding answers. Flip through the books you’ve mentioned and be ready to hold a discussion about them.  

Carefully study all the information on the chosen course

The information that should interest you includes professors and tutors, topics, subjects. Write down for yourself what attracts you the most about them and why. 

Read the news and innovations on the subject you plan to study

And make up your mind on it. Consequently, should the medical interview touch the topic of the latest developments, you can show that you are in the know. 

List your strengths and weaknesses

It is highly likely that you will be asked unexpected questions just to test your reactions and train of thought; however, you will be able to answer the basic questions with confidence. 

Doubts, uncertainty and hesitation

Should the interviewer notice that you lack the desire and enthusiasm to study on the course, then most likely you will be brushed off in favor of someone else. Indeed, commissions look for young enthusiastic people 2with burning eyes, motivation and desire. 

Don’t ask, for example, if you will be able to switch to another course/program if you don’t like something – this significantly reduces the chances of successful enrollment. 

You need to convince not only the interviewer, but also yourself that you are the one and only best candidate; thus, the more enthusiasm and energy you show off in the conversation, the better. Smile, come with a positive attitude and win them over with your charisma! 

Lies and untruths

It is counterproductive to put down lies in a motivation letter, and lying directly in an interview isn’t far better, either. This will inevitably be noticed by the interviewer and the commission – with the dire consequences. For example, you may be asked whether you have read a certain article on your subject. You didn’t read it – but you decided to risk it and answer “Yes”, nonetheless. 

Rationally, next you will be asked about your opinion on this article – and then awkward silence comes into play. It’s better to say something like: “I haven’t read it – yet – but this article is on my reading lists. If you know something about the narrow subject of the article or about its author, you are free to elaborate in that direction. 

Excessive familiarity

It is important to maintain a healthy balance between excessive formality (read – stiffness) and familiarity. It’s nice to add a couple of pleasantries at the beginning of an interview to break the ice and at the end – but do not communicate in a too relaxing or familiar way. And, indeed, don’t you dare mentioning how much you’re looking forward to college parties. Be confident and professional, treat the interviewer with due respect. 

Bored look

If the candidate shows outright how bored he is, he is unlikely to succeed in the interview. The interviewer will rationally conclude that this enrollee is unlikely to be able to maintain the motivation to complete his studies – and medical studies require a great deal of enthusiasm and willpower3

The lack of eye contact 

Eye contact isn’t easy to maintain, especially when you’re nervous. It is better to practice with friends, relatives, and teachers in advance. Gestures during an interview also reveal a lot about you. Avoid swinging your arms too much or adopting closed postures (crossed arms and legs). If you don’t make eye contact, you may be seen as shy, closed off, or insecure. If there are several interviewers at the interview, ensure that you are making eye contact with each one in turn when answering questions.

Inappropriate clothing

It is better to think over your appearance in advance and wear something modest and formal – like trousers with a shirt or a suit for the boys, while girls can choose a classic sheath dress 4– or a suit as well. 

Being late

You should never be late to the medical interview, not even five minutes late. Being on-time is crucial, and thus it is way better to arrive early and wait in a cafe nearby, collecting your thoughts and calming yourself down. Consider everything that may be an obstacle: traffic jams, weather, transportation. 

And although this rule is obvious, people still continue to be late – and this really infuriates the interviewers. If it so happens that you are delayed, it better be a force-majeure (or at least come up with one). Call the contact person and politely warn them about you being late, explaining the situation thoroughly. 

  1. Rajpurkar, Pranav, et al. “AI in health and medicine.” Nature medicine 28.1 (2022): 31-38. ↩︎
  2. Crompton, Catherine J., et al. “‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family.” Autism 24.6 (2020): 1438-1448. ↩︎
  3. Ainslie, George. “Willpower with and without effort.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 44 (2021): e30. ↩︎
  4. Carufel, Robin, and Elizabeth Bye. “Exploration of the body–garment relationship theory through the analysis of a sheath dress.” Fashion and Textiles 7 (2020): 1-28. ↩︎

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Icy Health Editorial Team

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