Residency Interview Preparation: Common Questions and How to Practice
Your residency interview is your chance to show your target programs that you’ve got what it takes to join their team.
Everything in your application – including your medical student performance evaluation and other evaluations – is fair game for interviewers. These are some of the most common questions/prompts you’ll hear:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you want to become a doctor?
- Why did you choose this specialty?
- What are your goals for residency and beyond?
- Why do you want to train in our residency program?
You’re also likely to be asked about your undergraduate and medical school research, clinical experiences, challenges you’ve faced, and experiences working with teams – especially conflict situations.
Before diving directly into responding to these questions, it’s important to take a moment and identify what you really want to convey in your interview. What three things do you want the interviewer to remember about you, above anything else? Some of these things might be experiences you’ve had – such as your year working with AmeriCorps before medical school or a unique situation you encountered in your chosen specialty that changed your outlook. Or they could be personal qualities, such as your resilience, your cultural humility, or your curiosity. Whatever they are, keeping them clearly in mind as you practice will make it easier to express them during the interview – and more likely to be remembered by your interviewer.
Now it’s time to practice, practice, and then practice some more!
Remember that you want your interview to seem conversational, engaging, and unrehearsed. That’s a tall order when you’re feeling nervous and maybe even a little desperate. Practice is the only thing that will help you feel comfortable and able to act naturally.
There are many ways you can practice:
Talk to yourself.
This is by far the most useful way of practicing your stories. Talk when you’re driving in your car, when you’re washing dishes, when you’re taking a walk – any time you’re alone. I really like this method because it helps you get comfortable talking about yourself without having to set aside designated “practice time.” You don’t even have to answer a specific question. One time, you might discuss something you wish you could improve on; another time, you might share a specific aspect of your medical experience as though you were talking to a friend. It will probably feel strange at first, but being able to talk about yourself easily is the key to a successful interview.
Record or film yourself.
I don’t recommend that you record yourself every time you practice because doing so can take you away from the informal storytelling that naturally occurs when you talk to yourself. But definitely record/film yourself at least once so you can understand how you sound to others. Perhaps you speak in a monotone, for instance, or overuse filler words such as “like” and “actually.”
Recording will also help you detect any nonverbal cues. Check to see whether you tend to lean forward when answering questions or draw back defensively, for example. Or maybe you repeatedly do something really annoying with your hand when you speak. If you record or film yourself in the early stages of your practice, it will help you uncover these problem areas while you still have time to improve. YouTube is chock-full of videos from speech coaches addressing every issue imaginable, so consider searching for and using some of these to help yourself sound clear and confident.
Debate yourself.
Some interviewers like to pose ethical or philosophical questions. Most of these questions have no right or wrong answer; the interviewers just want to know that you understand your chosen specialty and are able to think critically about challenging topics. That’s where this method comes in: pick a controversial topic in your field of medicine and then argue both sides. Presenting different – and, especially, opposing – viewpoints will ensure that you really understand them and will enable you to make a coherent argument for or against either side of an issue.
Practice with other people.
Find people who are willing to practice interviewing with you, such as classmates, friends, and family members. Give them a list of questions that they can ask you. Most importantly, be sure to request their honest feedback so you can improve!
If you want even more help, take advantage of Accepted’s experienced, professional interview prep before your residency interview. Make your mistakes with us, and then shine on the big day.
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