When I had my University of Central Lancashire interview back in Summer 2020, I was in the first cohort of students taking their MBBS interviews online.
There are so many websites and resources online giving advice and providing resources for medical interview preparation, with most of them available free of charge; each of them is helpful in their own way so the more reading and studying you can do, the wider your perspective will be.
I would like to share my experience with you to help you prepare for your Medicine interview.
My Interview Prep Tips:
- The preparation that helped me most was mock interviews. I emailed my teachers from many subject backgrounds, including science, politics and even drama, for practice. A politics, sociology, or philosophy teacher would be able to help me to answer medical ethics questions and give a different perspective compared to science teachers. My drama teacher could help me with my communication skills and body language.
- I also asked my friend to do online mock interviews with me using a question bank with model answers. Recording these online meetings allowed me to review them to help me with refining answers and identifying possible areas for improvement. Of course, the more practice, the better your performance, but you also don’t want to over-practice as it becomes less natural.
- You will also need to learn some core concepts for the interview. Research the university, the NHS, the course and the GMC. I used this to think about what qualities the School of Medicine was looking for in an applicant, and to appreciate the traits and duties of a professional physician. This also aided me to further reflect on why medicine at the University of Central Lancashire was the right choice for me.
- Staying updated with the news also enabled me to adopt multiple perspectives and fluently discuss questions addressing current events and ethico-legal notions. I found BBC Health particularly helpful for this.
- You should also consider your work experience and reflect on it, including other relevant experiences you have had to show your transferable skills.
My Online Interview Tips:
- A great piece of advice would be to thoroughly review your Personal Statement and know it inside out.
- Even though it is online, dressing well and being neat is still essential, as a set level of professionalism is expected in interviews.
- Non-verbal communication and your body language are still truly important. Leaning forward to show interest and leaving arms open to show an open body language are examples of this. Looking at the screen of your laptop or computer will appear as if you are maintaining eye contact, which is much better than looking around the room, which is what we instinctively tend to do when we are nervous!
- Interviews are also a good opportunity for applicants to ask their questions; having a question or two ready to ask at the end of the interview may be useful to show additional interest.
- The greatest tip I can ever give is to be natural, comfortable and treat the interview like a conversation as you will naturally relax and come across more confident. Preparing for your interview in advance will massively increase confidence and if you are confident, you are already halfway there!
For further information about studying Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire, visit the website or email: [email protected].
