Personal Development
Personal development questions focuses on YOU. They allow the interviewers to know more about your personality and hobbies. This is also generally the first section of the interview so it's a great time to get a positive first impression!
Be truthful
Show your talent and interest
Be prepared to further elaborate on your answers
Tell me about yourself
This is the first question of the interview. You will be given 30-60 seconds to, well “tell them about yourself”. This question is one of the most frustrating questions to answer, as you have so much to say yet so little time. For this question, you are expected to be fully prepared and be mindful not to speak overtime by large margins. There are many different ways you can choose to answer this question, however, avoid giving details such as your name, school, academic results or any information that can be easily found on your CV. One of the best ways we recommend is describing yourself with two traits and back them up briefly with personal experience. Again, be mindful of the time limit when giving examples of personal experience as you can easily go overtime here. Make sure you are very familiar with everything you choose to include in your answer here as it is very likely the interviewers will ask follow-up questions according to your response.
Why do you want to study medicine?
This question seems daunting at first glance, yet it is very likely to appear in your interview. In reality, you simply have to summarize the one to two paragraphs of your personal statement in your section about “Interest”. Find the trait and example that you find the most interesting and you are most familiar with, as again it is likely the interviewer will ask follow-ups. Backup your response with evidence such as how an experience or internship ignited or furthered that particular reason of interest. Try and avoid very cliche reasons for interest and find one that you truly believe is your driving force to study medicine.
Can you tell us a hobby of yours?
For this question, it is important that you mention a hobby you truly enjoy and have good knowledge of. If the interviewers also share your hobby, it is very likely they will ask another question asking the details of your participation in the hobby. Failing to answer would cause the interviewers to question your honesty and authenticity, leaving a bad impression. You should give a brief description of why you enjoy the hobby and finally end the answer by linking a trait or skill that is shared between your hobby and medicine, showing how your participation in this hobby will contribute to you being a good physician.
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What is your biggest weakness?
At first glance it may seem like a trick question, it actually is not. You are welcome to talk about a real weakness of yours, albeit ensuring that this weakness does not drastically hinder your ability to study or be a good doctor. Focus on why you think this particular trait can be a weakness and how your plan or have already begun to improve it. Refrain from talking about things that are not weakness at all, you will essentially be dodging the question which will only annoy the interviewers
What are the unique qualities of healthcare workers? Do you have them?
There are numerous unique qualities of healthcare workers, caring, patience, and resilience just to name a few. However, this is not the main focus of the question, as I am sure anyone can mention a dozen of them. The main focus on this question is whether you can show and prove that you have such qualities to become a good healthcare professional. Pick one or two qualities that fit you and support your claim with experiences. Be specific about how these experiences have allowed you to build up these qualities. It would be a bonus if these experiences are medical-related, such as internships or clinic shadowing.
Do you have any experience related to medicine?
This question is very easy if you do have quite a few experiences, simply mention one that is the most memorable to you. This question will, however, be a lot harder to those who do not have any experience. If you really cannot think of any medical experience such as shadowing, internships or research, try and talk about activities you participated in secondary school that have some correlation with medicine or biology. You should try your best to link how these activities relate to medicine. The biggest mistake you can make is saying you do not have much experience and giving some kind of excuse why. This is simply showing you do not have enough interest in the subject you are interviewing for, giving interviewers no reason to consider your application.
Experience that could be considered medicine-related:
➣ Shadowing
➣ Internships
➣ Research
➣ Competitions
➣ Taster programs
➣ Workshops
Tell us one thing you learnt from that experience?
This question is obviously a continuation of the above question. It is best for you to focus on describing one thing that you’ve learned, one that is most memorable to you. You should be very specific as to how you manage to learn this one thing through your experience mentioned above. Give concrete examples within the shadowing or internship that allowed you to learn the specific trait or skill you mentioned. Finally, link the trait or skill back to how it can help you become a better physician in the future
What does success means to you?
The answer to this question varies widely with different people. In general, avoid talking about money, fame or other materialistic metrics. If you have no idea, think about either your short term or long term goals, then the reason why you would like to achieve them. This is likely what success means to you.
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