Residency Interview questions -

With residency interview season officially underway I wanted to elaborate on how to prepare for residency interview questions. It was only a short two years ago that I was in your shoes excited about scoring the interview but also panicking about what interview questions I would be asked.

Remember spending countless hours googling and trying to research residency interview questions so that I could practice. I compiled a list of common interview questions into a word doc and typed out my responses to each question. I used this document to get a basis for what I generally wanted to convey. It is important to note that you do not want to script your responses as mentioned if you’ve read my previous blog post on How to prepare for Residency interviews.

Why should you trust me?

Well I went on about 15-20 residency interviews during my interview season (let’s just say I have plenty of experience), I matched to my top program on my first try, and currently serve as a resident mentor to med students counseling them on this subject.

Here is a list of my top 10 Residency interview questions that I was asked:

(note: these are in no specific order and I’ve included a few of my general responses to some of the questions)

Tell me about yourself?

This will typically be your first residency interview question. It’s a good “Ice-breaker” question not only for you but for the interviewer as well. However this question can actually be quite challenging for many applicants to answer. You don’t want to say too little but you also don’t want to say too much. I just starting off by saying where you are from, where did you grow up, (did you grow up in the same house your whole life like myself, or did you travel every year for a parent’s job? Do have siblings? Is there something unique about your family dynamic? For me I made sure to say my sister and I are 18 years apart (I’m the younger one if you were wondering).

Make sure to say these things it is what makes you YOU. Next what school’s did you attend starting with college and if the location isn’t obvious say the location. For me I bounced all around from state to state from college to residency so I made sure to make a note of this. Did work prior to med school also quickly share that (it doesn’t have to be spectacular). I nannied for my gap year, (an experience that I still cherish till this day) so I would also mention that).

Find the write mix of things that flows and just be yourself.

Why (Insert residency specialty) for me it was Why Anesthesia?

Personally I was exposed to Anesthesia prior to med school so I mentioned that. I mentioned my excitement during my med school rotation and how it was the only rotation I actually really looked forward to (true story). I talked about my love for procedures and etc. Just be yourself on this one. If it was by mistake that you fell in love with your specialty don’t be shy to say so. But have good reasons why you think you will make a good ____.

What are you looking for in a program?

Once again be honest, make a list of things you actually want out of a residency program. You may have to think hard about this one. But your list together into sentences and be ready to elaborate on this.

What was your most important accomplishment?

This may be hard for those of you who are more quiet and reserved like myself. I shared a more personal story an adversity that I had overcome that I was genuinely proud of myself for. I think sharing something unique here is a good idea. Make it into a short story, “Don’t just say when I won the Boston marathon”. Elaborate on it, explain all the hard work, sweat tears, you went through to qualify for it, and then what it was like to experience the race on race day. I good way to tie everything altogether is to say what you learned about yourself from this experience.

How would you describe yourself?

This question can be phrased in word only format or they may want you to elaborate on the few words you choose so be ready for either scenario. For questions like these I would stick to around 3 adjectives to describe yourself. And of course elaborate if the question calls for it.

What are challenges or weaknesses within your application?

Some people may know what they can say off the top of their head while others may have to think about this for a little. But trust me we are ALL NOT perfect and can improve on something in our lives. Don’t just wallow in your weakness, it takes a strong person to acknowledge what they are weak in. But more importantly say what you can to do in the future to get better and you will crush this one.

Strengths vs. Weaknesses? I made a list of strengths that I believed I have and narrowed it down to the 2-3. I did the same thing with my weaknesses and elaborated on each one briefly. The goal of this question is not to boast but choose something that you can tie into how that strength and or weakness will make you a good resident, and future attending. Particularly with your weaknesses don’t just beat yourself up. Make sure you acknowledge the weaknesses but say what your working on to overcome or get better at that weakness. This is KEY.

What challenges do you foresee for yourself when transitioning into residency? Similar to the last question I made a list of some challenges that I could think of and chose 2-3 to shortly elaborate one in the interview. I also made a point to say ways and referenced resources that would help me cope with the upcoming challenges.

What do you like to do for fun?

Be yourself, just tell them the truth. This came up very often in almost every residency interview question pool. If it’s something not many people may know about explain that activity in a little more detail.

Behavioral questions. If you were like me you may not know what these questions are. But these types of questions are more often being incorporated into interviews across the board. It is way to help promote non-bias residency interview questions while having the applicant explain how you respond to a specific situation and how you solve problems to achieve successful results.

These questions initially tripped me up when I first tried answering them. However after using the “STAR method” I felt much more comfortable.

What is the STAR method?

This is a technique used to answer behavioral interview questions that is well known. STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. Using this method I was able to prepare concise and clear responses to the most common behavioral residency interview questions. I highly recommend practicing these types of questions if you choose nothing else to practice.