What is marked
The six things a medical interview marks.
Every station is one or two of these wearing a scenario. If you can tell which one you are being asked about in the reading time, you know what to talk about. Each has its own page: what the interviewer listens for, where students lose marks, and how to practise.
The six
- Communication Do you answer the question that was asked, clearly, at the right length, and can you be understood by someone who is not a doctor?
- Ethical reasoning Can you see both sides of a dilemma, name the principle at stake, and reach a decision you can defend?
- Empathy and perspective-taking In a role-play, do you notice how the other person feels before you try to solve their problem?
- Self-awareness When you talk about a failure, is it a real one, and do you know what it taught you?
- Teamwork Can you describe a time you were not the leader, and what you did instead?
- Motivation for medicine Is your reason yours, is it specific, and does it survive the follow-up question?
Which schools publish which
Some schools list the qualities they assess. Where they do, this is the domain each one falls under, in the school's own words. A school missing from a column still marks it. It just does not say so in those terms.
| Domain | Named by |
|---|---|
| Communication | UQ (verbal communication skills); Newcastle JMP (interpersonal and communication skills); Curtin (communication and critical appraisal skills); JCU (communication) |
| Ethical reasoning | Monash (ethical reasoning); JCU (advocacy and ethical reasoning); UQ (integrity) |
| Empathy and perspective-taking | Monash (empathy); UQ (kindness and compassion); JCU (empathy) |
| Self-awareness | Monash (resilience); UQ (adaptability) |
| Teamwork | Monash (collaboration); JCU (teamwork) |
| Motivation for medicine | Monash (motivation); Newcastle JMP (the desire and driving force to be a doctor); JCU (motivation); Bond (general suitability to medicine) |
Where to start
With motivation, then communication. Every school asks why you want this, usually early, and every station marks how clearly you say things. Once both hold up, work through the others with stations to time.
Other guides
- Start here What the interview is testing, and how the cycle runs.
- Timeline planner Put in your interview date and get a week by week plan.
- Pathway planner The whole road from school to consultant, drawn around your choices.
- Practice stations Real MMI stations with a two minute reading phase and a station clock.
- By university The interview at every undergraduate-entry school: format, timing, and what is marked.
- How to answer The questions every panel asks, what each is testing, and the follow-ups to expect.
- Question themes The subjects questions come from, from rural health to the profession, with prompts.
- Interview dates When each school sends invitations, holds interviews and makes offers this cycle.
- When you hear back Every school’s offer dates, and why the wait after the interview is so long.
- Formats What an MMI and a panel interview each are, and how to prepare for each.
- Interview soon? Days to go? What you can still book at short notice, and the prices.
- For parents Who your child is working with, and what I will not promise.
If you want a session
Thirty minutes, $40, online, and it comes off any package you go on to book. Tell me which of these worries you most.