Your Medical School Group Interview: A Team Sport

In a group interview, multiple applicants are interviewed at once. And, typically, by multiple interviewers. The most important thing to remember here is that the other interviewees are not your competition but your colleagues. You won't impress your interviewers by bulldozing the other applicants and dominating the session. Of course, you want to speak up, express your thoughts and opinions, and show leadership—but you must have a team in order to lead. 

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind for a successful group interview:

  • Introduce yourself to your compatriots before you enter the room; try to remember their names and drop those names in throughout the interview. 

  • Listen to and converse with the other interviewees and the panel. Your interviewers are looking to see your communication and collaboration styles. 

  • When you answer a question, be sure to build on something someone else has said or compliment how others answered the question at the start of your own response. You don't have to compliment them if it doesn’t feel natural, but at least know what they've said so that you're adding to it. You don’t want to just repeat another’s answer. 

  • Prep for a unique question mix. Some of the questions they'll ask in the group interview are similar to those used in a one-on-one, while others are more like the MMI prompts that place you in hypothetical ethical or teamwork scenarios.