The majority of medical schools interview the top candidates before offering places. These can take place anytime between November and April. It is important for applicants to prepare for these in advance and also practice giving answers to some of the more common questions out loud.

The structure varies from one medical school to another. Applicants may be interviewed by one person or a panel of interviewers, and it may last 10 minutes or an hour. Applicants may also have more than one interview.

Ashbourne’s principal, Mike Kirby, and Director of Studies, John Wilson, are now on the interview panel at UCL Medical School and can provide practice interviews and invaluable advice on the format and kind of questions asked.

Interviews are not designed as a form of torture: they are useful tools to see if the applicant is capable of making quick and rational decisions that they can explain clearly in a pressurised situation. They test the applicant’s communication skills, enthusiasm and motivation. Applicant should be able to demonstrate that they have thought a lot about medicine and the issues surrounding it.

What the interviewer wants to know about the applicant:

• who they are and what are they doing now
• why do they want to be a doctor/how they made the decision
• what have they done to find out if medicine is the right career path
• what have they learnt during their work experience
• what aspects of the course particularly appeal to them
• whether they have a realistic understanding of what a career in medicine involves
• what are their other interests
• whether they have good communication skills/enjoy working with other people
• whether they demonstrate an active interest in health/medical issues

Applicants should think through their answers to possible interview questions. Applicants don’t need to (and shouldn’t) learn answers off by heart but they should have a good idea of what they would say in reply to the more commonly asked questions so that they come across confidently on the day.

The obvious question: why do you want to be a doctor?

The applicant should make sure that they have thought carefully about this and give an honest answer, not an answer that someone else has given them. Clichés should be avoided.

There will inevitably be some questions that the applicant has not prepared for, but the important thing with these is for the applicant to take their time in replying and think carefully before giving an answer. Applicants should be honest and genuine and ask the interviewer to re-phrase the question if they do not fully understand what has been asked.