Doing a practice or mock interview is a great way to replicate the medical school interview experience. Mock interviews prepare you for a medical school interview by giving you a chance to work the rough spots out of your delivery and identify problems with the content or presentation of your responses. You’ll also be more comfortable going into your first interview if you’ve simulated the experience before.
Ideally, a mock interview is conducted by someone who is familiar with medical school admissions and who can provide objective feedback about your performance. Some prehealth advising offices offer mock interviews, and if yours does, you should take advantage of the opportunity.
If you’re obtaining a premedical committee letter, you’re likely to have to go through an interview with one or more members of your committee. That experience also provides practice for the medical school interview; often, the types of questions asked in committee interviews are similar to those used for medical school interviews.
If you don’t have access to a prehealth advising office that provides mock interviews, check with your school’s career center to see whether it can help. At some institutions, the career center assists not only students preparing for job interviews but also those applying to graduate or professional schools.
Other options for practice include asking a physician, mentor, or professor to work with you. Going through interview questions with a willing friend or family member also gives you the opportunity to practice your responses, although that person’s knowledge of what medical schools are looking for is going to be much more limited.
Yet even without specific insight into the admissions process, whoever you practice with can give you feedback to help you hone your overall presentation by pointing out habits you may not be aware of, such as saying “um” before every sentence or fidgeting in your seat.
If possible, wear your interview attire to the mock interview. Because a suit isn’t exactly everyday attire for a premedical student, you may feel a bit awkward at first in your interview outfit. By donning the clothes you’ll wear on interview day, you more closely simulate the real experience and become more comfortable wearing professional attire.