75+ Medical School Interview Questions & Answers

Why is this question asked?

This question helps interviewers understand your background and motivations, providing a segue into more detailed questions about your experiences and qualifications.

How to answer:

• Be concise: Focus on 2-3 key points about your background that are relevant to medicine.
• Show growth: Mention how your experiences have shaped your decision to pursue medicine.
• Stay relevant: Avoid unnecessary details that do not add to your narrative​ 

Stuck on “tell me about yourself” in a med school interview?

Why is this question asked?

In addition to learning about your unparalleled skills in your medical school recommendation letter, admissions committees love to hear genuine and thoughtful replies during your interview. Interviewers want to assess your ability to handle conflicts professionally and learn from those experiences. This question reveals your conflict resolution skills, maturity, and ability to reflect on and grow from difficult situations.

How to answer:

• Be honest: Share a genuine experience where you faced conflict.
• Show resolution: Highlight how you addressed and resolved the conflict.
• Reflect on learning: Emphasize what you learned and how it helped you grow​ 

Check out some of the HARDEST medical school interview questions you must prepare for!

Why is this question asked?

Any medical school curriculum will involve a great deal of teamwork and collaboration in a clinical environment. You will have to rely on others, and they will have to rely on you. This is also true for when you become a residency student, a resident doctor and an independent practician. Cooperating well with other professionals like nurses, physician assistants, and secretaries enables delivery of high-quality health services. Good cooperation also coincides with proper use of resources relative to patient needs.

How to answer :

• Use specific examples: Describe a personal experience that demonstrates effective teamwork.
• Highlight key qualities: Focus on communication, support, and collaboration.
• Connect to healthcare: Relate these qualities to a medical setting

“Just think back to an awesome team you were on. What was it about it that made it so much fun or that made it work well? Use real life examples and specifics when answering this.” - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Why is this question asked?

This question assesses your ability to critically evaluate your beliefs and adapt your perspectives based on new information. It also reveals your open-mindedness and willingness to learn.

How to answer:

• Choose a thoughtful example: Select a belief you genuinely reconsidered.
• Explain your reasoning: Describe why you initially held the belief and what changed your mind.
• Show growth: Highlight how this change has positively influenced your approach or perspective​

“Do not say any highly controversial or inflammatory opinions that would be considered red flag things here … I don’t see why this question can’t be answered with some levity though. I.e. I don’t like Game of Thrones, or I really like pineapple on pizza. You will have to judge this when you get to the interview but if they are asking this more seriously, think of something that may have been unpopular to believe, without you being a bigot. Generally, if it is not something you would say to a stranger in public, you probably do not want to say it to the interviewer.” - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

One of our med school students, Sarah, found that expressing an unconventional opinion can unfortunately sometimes have negative consequences during the interview. Fortunately, Sarah was able to reapply to medical school, brush up on her interviewing skills and received 2 acceptances.

"My view of how medicine should be practiced is somewhat unconventional, and my experiences were accordingly somewhat less typical than those of the average applicant. I certainly feel that this made it harder to be offered interviews, and in my interviews with a couple of schools, I felt some slight push-back against my views and vision. I also really struggled with interviewing at first because I am just not a naturally gifted interviewer. After a really bad set of interviews at the first school I interviewed with, I was rejected almost right after and knew I needed practice and advice." - Sarah, BeMo student

Why is this question asked?

Interviewers want to see if you can recognize and learn from your mistakes. This question tests your self-awareness, maturity, and ability to grow from past experiences, so it’s important you take the time to craft a mature and genuine answer. This is why medical school interview preparation is vital, and also why medical schools value situational judgement tests like CASPer and AAMC Preview.

How to Answer:

• Be honest but strategic: Share a minor professional lapse, not a significant failure.
• Highlight the lesson learned: Focus on what you learned from the experience.
• Show growth: Emphasize how you have changed your behavior or approach since then​

Dr. Monica Taneja, a graduate from the University of Maryland medical school and one of our admissions experts, emphasizes the importance of spinning a negative into a positive.

“Focus on an experience where you can provide significant redirection and growth without focusing on the negative. You want to make sure to spin by acknowledging ethical gray areas without red flags.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland

Remember to choose an example that isn’t too critical. Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, says:

“This is a fine line … I would talk about something unprofessional but light. The important thing here is to talk about what you learned from it and how you plan to avoid it in the future.” - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Why is this question asked?

Medical schools seek applicants who can demonstrate empathy and compassion, essential traits for effective patient care and professional interactions.

How to answer:

• Provide a specific example: Use a concrete experience to illustrate your empathy.
• Highlight your response: Describe how you addressed the situation compassionately.
• Connect to medical practice: Relate the experience to how you will care for patients as a physician

Practice for your interview with our mock MMI simulation!

Why is this question asked?

Similar to the AMCAS Work and Activities section, and AMCAS most meaningful experiences, interviewers want to learn about your interests outside of academics and how these experiences have prepared you for a career in medicine.

How to answer:

• Be enthusiastic: Choose an extracurricular you are passionate about.
• Highlight relevant skills: Explain how this activity helped you develop skills applicable to medicine.
• Share a memorable story: Provide a specific example that showcases your involvement and growth​.

“Go wild here! The more passionate you truly are about something, the more this will come across in your interviews and you will find you have no problems talking about something you are really passionate about.” - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Why is this question asked?

This question aims to understand your academic interests and how your undergraduate studies have prepared you for medical school.

How to answer:

• Be specific: Highlight a particular aspect of your major that you enjoyed.
• Connect to medicine: Explain how this aspect has prepared you for a medical career.
• Share personal insights: Provide examples of projects or courses that were particularly impactful.

Why is this question asked?

Interviewers want to assess your understanding of healthcare disparities and your ability to propose practical solutions, whether as a traditional interview format or MMI policy question. This question also reveals your awareness of current challenges in the medical field.

How to answer:

• Show awareness: Demonstrate knowledge of the specific issues faced by rural healthcare systems.
• Propose solutions: Offer realistic and implementable solutions to address these challenges.
• Be specific: Use concrete examples and data to support your proposals

Essentially, knowing what’s happening in the medical field is your best preparation for this question. Our med school admissions expert, Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, says:

“You should be prepared during interviews to discuss challenges facing the medical field. A thoughtful answer is giving some current initiatives or program that work to address these challenges, while acknowledging the setbacks. Broadly, you should be familiar with legislation that affects medical practice.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland

Brush up on regional initiatives, both public and private, to improve healthcare in the areas around the school you’re interviewing at. A region-specific answer will resonate more than discussing a national or broad solution to this issue, since many medical schools have a special focus on improving healthcare in their region and local rural communities.

Applying to DO schools? Prepare for osteopathic med school interview questions!

Why is this question asked?

This question assesses your involvement in and commitment to research, an important component of medical education and practice. It also evaluates your ability to discuss your research experiences in detail.

How to answer this question:

• Be honest: If you haven't completed research, express your interest and why it appeals to you.
• Describe your role: Provide details about your specific contributions to any research projects.
• Highlight outcomes: Discuss what you learned and how it influenced your interest in medicine​

This may also seem obvious, but if you did not complete a research project, do not lie about it. It is dishonest and could really damage your career. Not having research is not the end of the world as it isn't usually considered in the same league as other medical school requirements.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying that you have other interests [than research], but you MUST explain how you intend to supplement this. For example, you may be interested in education or quality improvement more than academic research. I wouldn’t completely discount research or talk about it with disgust, but instead of shooting the question down entirely, turning it around to other related areas of interest that supplement your academic forays.” - - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Why is this question asked?

News flash: we know you’ve applied to other schools…every member of the admissions committee does! This question is asked to assess your learning style and goals for training. If you have no knowledge of the schools you applied to, this shows a lack of resourcefulness and diligence, which are two substantial red flags.

How to answer:

• Be strategic: Mention schools that align with your career goals and interests.
• Show research: Demonstrate that you have researched each school's programs and strengths.
• Stay positive: Avoid negative comments about other schools; focus on why each school is a good fit for you.

Why is this question asked?

This question assesses your self-awareness and ability to articulate your strengths in a way that aligns with the medical school's values and needs.

How to Answer:

• Highlight unique qualities: Focus on traits and experiences that set you apart.
• Connect to the school's mission: Relate your strengths to the specific values and goals of the medical school.
• Be confident but humble: Showcase your strengths without appearing arrogant

Reframe how you think about this question to avoid coming off as too “braggy” or not confident in yourself, says our admissions expert, Dr. Monica Taneja, MD:

“Another way of thinking about this question is “why are you different.” Thinking about it this way focuses on your achievements as differentiators instead of coming off as “bragging” or better than others. You want to focus on your own background, experiences, or activities that make you stand out.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland

Here’s an example of how to respond from one of our admissions experts, Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD:

“During my interviews I talked about how I was very passionate about music and that, should I be accepted to a particular medical school, I would want to look into music-based initiatives both focused on patient care and within the education sphere itself. I would be super grateful for the opportunity to pursue this should I be accepted. I do think it's always good to give specific examples as opposed to broad statements about yourself (i.e. I'm a very hard worker or I get along easily with people). Practice answering this question and it always helps to do some research about each school you apply to so you can further make your responses more personalized.” - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Here's a tricky MMI interview question to practice with:

Why is this question asked?

This is also a moment-of-lightness question, but it also provides an opportunity to shed light on your character in a way that applies to medicine. There are many skills that you can exemplify in your answer to this question. For example, with a spoon, you can break things apart, gather things up, and eat directly, so it’s probably the most adaptable. If you’re really into cooking and healthy living, you might choose something like tongs because you’re really into creative salads. You could also just say that your favorite utensil in the kitchen is your own hands because they’re the most tactile, most efficient way of getting from A to B, and you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.

If you’re caught off guard by a quirky question like this one, take a quick pause. Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, one of our admissions experts, says this is completely fine to do:

“I often asked the interviewer for a moment to think about the question. It may seem awkward to take a pause, but giving myself 20 seconds to think about the question before diving into an answer really helped me with tough questions! I found that the pause was natural and allowed me to think of a clear answer instead of rambling.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Why is this question asked?

Simplifying and summarizing difficult concepts is a huge part of a physician’s job. Patients don’t need to know, for example, the neurochemistry involved in a case of depression, unless they are interested in that sort of thing. Their goal is to find a solution. A physician should be able to explain the relevant information to an audience of different ages and knowledge levels.

They’re asking you to be a real human and not an interview-bot. Relax and have fun, but be appropriate.

How to answer this question:

• Choose a unique skill: Pick something interesting and relatively unknown.
• Be clear and concise: Explain the process step-by-step in an easy-to-understand manner.
• Use analogies or visuals: Help the interviewer grasp the concept quickly with examples or visual aids​

How you teach is as important as what you teach in responding to this question. Explaining things is often easier in our heads than it is in reality. You have to be cognizant of the people you’re explaining to. Assume they know nothing or very little, but don’t condescend. Use analogies or metaphors when you can and always try to show an example or visual.

Here are some ideas for you:

• Teach them how to say hello in another, obscure language.
• Teach them how to sing something.
• Teach them how to multiply large numbers easily.
• Teach them how to line dance.
• Teach them the meaning of an appropriate gesture in another culture.

Why is this question asked?

Now, this question could be a multitude of things. It may be an open-ended question. It may be extra time for you to ask questions during your medical school interview. They may give you time to tell them something that isn’t on your application. They may ask you an ambiguous or weird medical school interview question that doesn’t have a clear answer.

Once, while interviewing, I was asked what I thought the definition of “still” was. For the osteopaths out there, you may have realized that it is the last name of the founder of osteopathic medicine and that was what they wanted to hear. This is why knowing the differences between DO vs MD is key when you are preparing for your interview, whether it's for an allopathic or an osteopathic school.

How to answer this question:

The best way to approach the "wrap-up" question, as always, is to be prepared. Research the institution, including the curriculum, unique opportunities, and its mission statement.

Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, our admissions expert, stresses asking questions you really want to know the answer to:

“Truly think – IF I was accepted tomorrow – what are the first things I would want to know about? Some things that come to mind – What is the commute like? How do you find the current curriculum is? Where do most people live?” - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, adds:

“What does the patient population look like at X institution? What support is there for students interested in research? What mentorship opportunities exist? Where do students rotate during third year rotations?” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine

One last thing about this “wrap-up” question – remember about the recency effect. Your last answer might be remembered more than anything else you say in the interview. Make sure that you leave the interviewers with the best impression by acing any question they ask at the end.