interview courses, are they worth it?

[tas2009]

Hi
having just recieved a nasty rejection from st georges, i am keen to do better at my next interview. the iscmedcal books talk about the courses they run at the end of them. has anyone been to one of them, and are they any good. at 150 pounds a go, i dont want to waste money, but at the same time, i dot want yet another rejection.
any advice appreciated.

[MonkeywithaMachete]

I don't know about the specific course you mentioned, but a formal practice interview would give you a huge advantage over those who are being interviewed in a formal atmosphere for the first time. My school offered practice interview sessions with current medical interviewers, free of charge. They gave me constructive, positive feedback and I felt it gave me a huge confidence boost. And even with a negative feedback, you'd have gained experience and know how to improve. It's really a win-win situation, though it depends on how the session is run and the quality of the feedback. Although £150 is a fair bit of money, I would still go for it. Better to be safe than sorry!

[terrified_tony]

Hi,
assuming your a grad, if you have recently left uni then get back in touch with them. Most uni's will give careers advice and help for a few years afterwards and they might be able to help with interviews and the like, would be best to go somewhere like that first and see what they say. It might be a simple lack of practice or if they can't see an issue then maybe go to someone specialised but certainly worth getting some basic advice first!

[qasman91]

I was thinking of going to one of these courses as well, but from what i've heard there isn't much you can't get from getting good interview prep books, practising with it, and asking a couple of people (preferably friends of friends that are doctors/med students so you dont know them, its more realistic) to help you out by doing mock interviews with you; this is basically what i've heard these interview courses are about. But since i haven't actually gone on one, I'm sure they'll definitely be helpful, so if you're willing to spend that money then by all means.

[minnako]

Lots of good advice here.

I don't know how useful they are, personally, since I haven't tried them, and I'm sure they benefit some people.

I'd say, if you have time (depends on when next interviews may be), get in touch with your university or school and organise a mock interview, which they really should be offering. Get friends or parents to mock interview you a few times, if you can, since it gets more useful the more you and they get into the groove. If you're willing to spend money, I suggest interview books like the 150 medical school interview questions book, because they can help you prepare outline answers for key questions. You may choose to book the interview training now, or after you've tried these, depending on how confident you feel. I do think it's worth trying all the options at your disposal, but it will very much depend on how much time you have.

Good luck!

[tas2009]

thank you all.
i went to one, and it was very very useful. well worth the money in my opinion

[Dr Freddy]

Hi Tas2009,

Do you mind me asking which course did you go to? Did it help you get offers?

Kind Regards,

[House Jr.]

I've been on a few courses and even though they were useful, I could have gotten the same advice if I was given a mock interview by a friend or teacher. Those courses mainly focus on interview technique rather than content, such as eye contact body language, confidence, etc. You can get tips on the way to structure your answer in the ISC Medical book, the content of your answer can come from your reseach and experiences, so as you can see, the courses won't exactly help very much. Also, I wouldn't take your SGUL rejection to heart, their interview style is very different to the way many other universities do their interviews so it may have just been the case of you not being suited to MMI.