Make a list of your top strengths, goals, values, accomplishments and abilities to use as a general reference for all interview questions. Develop your TOP 5 list. Go into every interview with 5 key things you want a program to know about you. What makes you a good candidate? What makes you unique? Know your weaknesses. If you encountered academic difficulty you will probably be asked about it at least once during your interviews. Know what you will say ahead of time and reframe it in a positive light. (Example: My father became very sick a few weeks before I took step 1 and I did not pass on my first attempt. I learned from this experience how manage my education even in the face of personal difficulty. Though he was still sick when it came time for step 2, I passed the first time I took it.)
How to Ace Your Emergency Medicine Residency Interview
Answering Common EM Interview Questions as Your Most Authentic Self
Shelby Wood gives advice for interviewing on the virtual interview trail and her approach to answering these commonly-asked residency interview questions as your most authentic self!
Mock interviewsMany students feel that they benefit from a mock interview. A mock interview can be arranged by your faculty advisor.Plan to treat every interview as though it counts and do not use your first interview as a “practice” because you may findthat you really like the program. Prepare as if it were a real interview: review your answers to specific questions, have alist of question you plan to ask and If possible, dress as if it were a real interview.
Prepare a Two‐Minute DrillThis is a great response to open ended questions like “tell me about yourself?”
This is intended as an icebreaker that gives the interviewer enough information about you and your background and interests to start a longer conversation. Make this two‐minute drill personal; you don’t need to follow the suggestions above exactly. In practicality, you may have 10 minutes of material that you have memorized and rehearsed that will allow you to mold the two‐minute drill to any situation. The two minute drill doesn’t have to be done in order from top to bottom, for instance you may be introduced by another, then you can start the two minute drill and skip the first fifteen seconds.
