Why Mock Interview?
The well-worn (but rarely well-adopted) adage that "practice makes perfect" cannot be held to be any more true than with regard to the performance arts. Acting, singing, the playing of an instrument and the presentation of speeches all require studious practice for the purpose of presenting accurately the intent of the artist. For precisely this reason, when presenting oneself for examination in an interview setting, the most effective preparation for placing the best foot forward is to rigorously practice in an environment similar that of the final performance.
Although reviewing practice questions and having your best friend fire them at you mercilessly for hours will help you prepare your answers, the reality of these informal studies is lost. The key missing feature: pressure. Without stress, you will find it effortless to respond to the questions for which you have constructed well-formed answers. As a result, you may become lazy in your speech and delivery, listen less closely to inquiries for follow-up information, or haphazardly meander around the topic of specific inquest.
The benefits of formalizing your practice with mock interview can provide:
- A spontaneous environment in which to practice active listening, allowing you to adapt quickly to unexpected lines of questioning or reform your "prepared" answers to accommodate your live audience.
- Desensitization to the natural bodily reactions from which we all suffer when faced with abject scrutiny in a public setting.
- The opportunity to record and review your interview to determine where poor habits (such as slouching, speaking too softly or quickly, hemming and hawing in your responses) can be moderated or eliminated.
- A venue in which you may evaluate the quality and depth of your answers to interview questions.
The trick to making mock interviews most productive is to attempt as best as one can to reproduce the conditions under which your medical school interview will take place. A formal outline of how this can be accomplished is provided in the Medical School Interview Guide.
