USyd interview

[psychoclops]

I recently got an interview invitation from University of Sydney. Most of their questions this year are based on scenarios with a question whcih the applicant will have 2 minutes to prepare for. There are 8 stations with 7 min. at each station. I am wondering if anyone has any advice on how to prepare for this type of interview? Anyone know if they will also be asking some of the more traditional med school interview questions?

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[willcandude]

I recently got an interview invitation from University of Sydney. Most of their questions this year are based on scenarios with a question whcih the applicant will have 2 minutes to prepare for. There are 8 stations with 7 min. at each station. I am wondering if anyone has any advice on how to prepare for this type of interview? Anyone know if they will also be asking some of the more traditional med school interview questions?

Thanks

yah same here. i need advice on how to prepare for syd interview. do they ask any current health issues in australia?

are all the questions about my background, experiences, etc? are there ethics questions?

many thanks!

 

[nicko18]

i'll be part of the interview panel as a current student. We have an information session on 31 Aug - from last years reports they are scenario based, not heard too much about if any traditional medical entrance questions are involved (eg leadership qualities, experience etc..) i think they are all supposed to be ascertained depending upon how you handle the scenario. The old interviews expected you to be somewhat familiar with the health system and medical profession - it's current pitfalls and the like, and I would hope there are similar themes in the new interviews.

I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks about this one.

PS: I much prefer the traditional interview panel of 3, and a 20 minute interview.

 

[nicko18]

Will the MMI questions be testing technical medical or dental
knowledge?

No, the questions may have a clinical flavour but they are designed to test the process of reasoning in for example ethical issues or team building. Medical science graduates or those who have worked in the health service may have more knowledge of work procedures. They are unlikely to be able to handle the ethical issues any better.

To what extent can students fake it?

We can never really know people’s underlying attitudes. We can observe their behaviour. Applicants who have gone through the MMI process report it is difficult to maintain a false attitude as the scenarios are so varied. Likewise, the interviewers are varied. There are most often no easy answers to the scenarios; we are more interested in their line of reasoning. Some applicants will have been coached. We like the idea of applicants reading about, or being coached in, matters of professionalism before they come to us.

What happens if the applicant finishes before the seven minutes are up?

It may well happen that all of the necessary information has been collected within the seven minutes. You are advised to tell the applicant that all the questions have been asked and the mark determined. However the applicant must remain within the room until the bell goes. Likewise, if the bell has gone the interview must end immediately even if not completed.

If applicants score an unsatisfactory in one of the checklist items have they failed?

Please note that an applicant scoring unsatisfactory in one checklist item does not mean the applicant has failed. An applicant doing poorly in one section can be compensated for by doing well in other sections. For those familiar with assessment this is called context specificity.

Should I be concerned about the medical/dental focus of some
of the scenarios?

The scenarios in the MMI have been carefully vetted to ensure that they focus on issues of professionalism. Some of them inevitably have a clinical flavour but we are not testing technical medical or dental understanding but rather, for example, an understanding of the ethical issues arising. The applicant may have trained as a lawyer, medical scientist or economist for example.


Sample MMI Question

Attribute (s) being assessed: Respect for diversity (disability)
Category: Communicator

Imagine you are the principal of a full fee paying school. There has been an allegation by members of the public of an incident in a park in which at least two senior school students were seen verbally abusing a young person with intellectual impairment for the amusement of a group of other students. Two final year students are to attend a hearing with the principal to explain their actions in the incident. What are the issues the principal is likely to consider at the hearing?

Further question prompts for interviewer
1. In what ways might the Principal establish the facts of the case?
2. What possible impact might this incident have for the disabled young person?
3. How might the attitudes of the parents of the disabled young person differ from those of the senior students in responding to the Principal about the incident?
4. What underlying reasons might the Principal give for recommending the two final year students are suspended from school?
5. How might the Principal use the incident to raise awareness around disability discrimination in the school?

 

[deleted100801]

interview in 3.5 hours!!! has anyone interviewed yet?

 

[psychoclops]

interview in 3.5 hours!!! has anyone interviewed yet?

Best of luck! I finished my interview approx. 1.5 hrs ago. I think its a really good way of testing what kind of person you really are, very hard to fake or even prepare beforehand. Anyways its over and done with, and now the wait begins....AHHHHHH. Let me know how your interview went

 

[driedcaribou]

I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks about this one.

I know you're trying to be helpful but are you sure you are not violating any rules by sharing this sort of information?

 

[psychoclops]

I know you're trying to be helpful but are you sure you are not violating any rules by sharing this sort of information?

I don't think any rules are being violated. The same info. was sent to the applicants by USyd.

 

[driedcaribou]

I don't think any rules are being violated. The same info. was sent to the applicants by USyd.

Then I suppose the next question is, why repost it here then?

 

[nicko18]

why repost it here then?

No i'm not breaching any rules. The only confidential material is what exists in the marking sheets and the marks given to applicants. There are tutorial services that have reams of sample questions and past questions. Also because it is interesting to view what a sample scenario entails even for those people not receiving an invitation letter as yet.

Thirdly I believe it serves as a good guide, and answers the question posed about whether they intend to probe into your background and whatnot.

You seem to have an issue with it being posted, or me reposting information that is relevant to applicants. I can't understand why. But don't worry on my behalf, it's all publicly available not only on the information website attached to Usyd, but now on SDN.

 

[driedcaribou]

You seem to have an issue with it being posted, or me reposting information that is relevant to applicants. I can't understand why. But don't worry on my behalf, it's all publicly available not only on the information website attached to Usyd, but now on SDN.

If it's posted online, then I see no issue with it being posted here.

But if you find that posting previous banks of interview questions as being ethical then that's fine with me. I could argue about 'fair process' but I am only here to ensure you're not violating any rules.

One can train for interviews. It is definitely a skill. But many interview processes are considered 'confidential'. If this process has no confidentiality agreements, then do as you see fit.

For example, I am sure you are aware that many standardized exams have agreements that you do not record any of the material from the exam elsewhere.

 

[deleted100801]

Best of luck! I finished my interview approx. 1.5 hrs ago. I think its a really good way of testing what kind of person you really are, very hard to fake or even prepare beforehand. Anyways its over and done with, and now the wait begins....AHHHHHH. Let me know how your interview went

I thought the new MMI format was a excellent method and very efficient on the school's part. Ah, the wait.... Hopefully good news will arrive oct-nov!

toothy85

 

[nicko18]

What proportion of applicants are culled at the interview stage?

It used to be 1/3.

PS driedcaribou, thanks for your concern. Confidentiality surrounds what I outlined in a post above. Current questions obviously form part of that. I wouldn't contemplate for a second giving you this year's questions on a platter. I have as much vested interest in the best applicants getting selected as the rest of the panel.

Giving someone this year's exam is vastly different from giving past papers. Ditto with interviews. You will also find that exams that can't leave the room are done so because questions may be repeated in the future. This is not one of those circumstances. I've never heard anyone with a problem of past questions being circulated.

Best of luck to you all! - i hope the wait isn't too stressful

 

[juc25]

Wow, I was just browsing through this forum and it seems like lots of people already had the interview from USyd. I'm Canadian student who applied for USyd med school and haven't heard anything from them yet. I'm not sure if I should take it as rejection or they haven't got to Canadians yet... hopefully latter.

 

[willcandude]

i'm a canadian and i think they finished their canadian interviews in vancouver around a week ago.

 

[deleted100801]

i'm a canadian and i think they finished their canadian interviews in vancouver around a week ago.

Interview invites were sent out a few weeks ago (i'm canadian too, however a dental applicant...but same interview)