Improving Interview Scores

[cujo]

Hi All,
This seems to be a hot topic for all of us who didn't get in this year.
Here is my situation:
I read the Rollins book, went to both practice interview days, and was told specifically at the practice interviews that if I answer the same way at the real thing I will ace it. I practiced more, went to the interview, and felt like I answered at least at the same level as in my practice interviews. Felt fairly confident coming out of it.
My score was a 69...
Sooo anyone have any insight? What do you focus on going into the interview? I am not looking for any confidential answers or anything but I am at a bit of a loss of ways to improve short of just even more practice and maybe more confidence so if anyone has any tips and tricks that would be wonderful.

[guest37045]

Your best bet is to find a student who has done interviews and ask them to evaluate you. As a general tip you need to appear flexible in your interview as it helps show that your opinion can be changed and you have an understanding of various viewpoints. So make a point of saying that if such and such a circumstance were to arise I would change my opinion to this because of reasons.

I also find the Rollins book to be rather poor at times as it often gives one answer and a lot of the questions are rather specific. It also doesn't necessarily address the you as a person questions that the MMI favours and places more of a focus on the medical side of things at times. It's not a bad book by any means, but I definitely feel that people would benefit more from a book specific to the MMI and how to answer those questions.

[Aodjd]

Jun 5, 2014 17:45:17 GMT -5 guest37045 said:

Your best bet is to find a student who has done interviews and ask them to evaluate you. As a general tip you need to appear flexible in your interview as it helps show that your opinion can be changed and you have an understanding of various viewpoints. So make a point of saying that if such and such a circumstance were to arise I would change my opinion to this because of reasons.

I also find the Rollins book to be rather poor at times as it often gives one answer and a lot of the questions are rather specific. It also doesn't necessarily address the you as a person questions that the MMI favours and places more of a focus on the medical side of things at times. It's not a bad book by any means, but I definitely feel that people would benefit more from a book specific to the MMI and how to answer those questions.

I agree that rollins could be very opinionated. He referred to spaying and neutering as a "social solution to the problem of irresponsible pet ownership" in one section, which I thought was strangely worded since reducing reproduction isn't the only benefit. However the book helped me focus on all parties involved, and gave me a guideline that I would follow for each station. Most of my answers started with the same opening sentence which helped me create a good routine.

[cbarne01]

My interview score improved by 7 points after reading Rollins and doing some more personal confidence prep. I agree that more transparency in the MMI scoring would be super because it appears subjective and honestly, random. As far as I know, I think scores are "compared to the other candidates you see today", against each other rather than by any idea of good/bad responses.

[guest37045]

Jun 5, 2014 20:47:39 GMT -5 cbarne01 said:

My interview score improved by 7 points after reading Rollins and doing some more personal confidence prep. I agree that more transparency in the MMI scoring would be super because it appears subjective and honestly, random. As far as I know, I think scores are "compared to the other candidates you see today", against each other rather than by any idea of good/bad responses.

There's a standard rubric that all candidates are assessed by.

[407406]

Well the Rollins book helps, it won't do anything if your not comfortable in the situation. One thing that you might consider is enlisting the help of strangers. Through friends, work relations, your parents etc. ask them to call in a favour and have someone you do not know conduct an interview with, and make sure that that person is a professional (someone who works in HR, or conducts interviews regularly) not some you could see a peer, have them critique you, and tell them to be honest you may find out you're not nearly as good as you thought you were. Having an interview with a friend or some you see as equal footing is easy, but to talk to someone who is a "superior", or "grown up"(you are to you just have to believe it) is totally is intimidating to most people. They don't have to know anything about veterinary medicine, have them ask standard interview questions (The "tell me a time you..." questions, either they supply them or you supply a list for them to pick from), the point is to get over the fear of a very unnatural situation.

There are proper ways to answer MMI questions they can be found by googling. These techniques keep your answer organized and make sure the interviewer understands your train of thought (Sometimes you say all the right things, but not in a way that makes sense).

A note on Rollins you don't have to agree with anything he says, you should just understand how he puts together his arguments, and look at the options he lays out to solve the problem, and tuck them away as tools to solve the problems put in front of you at the MMI, not memorizing in the hope they use the same question.

Another way to become more comfortable is take up a position, work, volunteer or otherwise that forces you to engage with strangers, not just superficial encounters like those you would get as a cashier at a busy supermarket.

Hope this help someone, and GOOD LUCK!

[daisy123]

Cujo,


I feel the same way. This was my second interview and I felt way more prepared than I did the first time yet my score did not improve at all (it was 68 this year). I read the Rollins book, practiced a bunch of examples from there and from the internet, went to the Mock MMI, followed the news, read CVMA position statements and had a guideline prepared in my head for how I would answer questions. I felt pretty good going into the interview and coming out; I wasn't overly nervous at all. I also always try to speak clearly and confidently and of course make good eye contact.


Here was my basic guideline for what I tried to do in every station:


-Introduce myself/ shake interviewers hands/ nice to meet you


-Recap how I understand the scenario


-Go over every person in the scenario (stakeholders) and how they are affected


-List possible solutions


-State the best solution and why


-Relate it to a personal experience I've had (when possible) and how it affects my answer


-Say why this is a good scenario for potential vet students to consider **does anybody think this is where I went wrong?**


-Thank interviewers for their time





Can anyone provide any insight into what went wrong? I didn't really feel stumped or like I blew any stations so I'm at a loss. To say I'm disappointed in my score is an understatement.


Thanks so much to all the people who have already provided help and who will hopefully continue to do so on this forum! You're all wonderful.





My other stats btw are (for anyone who's wondering...I know I'm always curious)


Last 2 semester average: 86


8 Prereqs: 88


MCAT: 27

[guest 4053]

Jun 6, 2014 14:45:54 GMT -5 daisy123 said:

Cujo,


I feel the same way. This was my second interview and I felt way more prepared than I did the first time yet my score did not improve at all (it was 68 this year). I read the Rollins book, practiced a bunch of examples from there and from the internet, went to the Mock MMI, followed the news, read CVMA position statements and had a guideline prepared in my head for how I would answer questions. I felt pretty good going into the interview and coming out; I wasn't overly nervous at all. I also always try to speak clearly and confidently and of course make good eye contact.


Here was my basic guideline for what I tried to do in every station:


-Introduce myself/ shake interviewers hands/ nice to meet you


-Recap how I understand the scenario


-Go over every person in the scenario (stakeholders) and how they are affected


-List possible solutions


-State the best solution and why


-Relate it to a personal experience I've had (when possible) and how it affects my answer


-Say why this is a good scenario for potential vet students to consider **does anybody think this is where I went wrong?**


-Thank interviewers for their time





Can anyone provide any insight into what went wrong? I didn't really feel stumped or like I blew any stations so I'm at a loss. To say I'm disappointed in my score is an understatement.


Thanks so much to all the people who have already provided help and who will hopefully continue to do so on this forum! You're all wonderful.





My other stats btw are (for anyone who's wondering...I know I'm always curious)


Last 2 semester average: 86


8 Prereqs: 88


MCAT: 27

Hi Daisy,

It sounds like you had good preparation and a good approach. I think the only way you could improve is by considering everyone involved and stating how your decision would affect each person. For example, how you respond in a veterinary clinic to a tough situation could affect (most importantly) the animal, the client, possibly the client's family, the clinic and all those who work there, the veterinary community and it's reputation, the community and society, possibly public health and safety. I got an interview score of 78 with this approach (aka. the "stakeholders" approach), which isn't amazing but it's not bad. I then stated what I would do after considering all those involved. I also stated moral and ethical obligations if looking at the question from a veterinary perspective. If applicable, I stated how animal welfare is always a priority (as this is in the veterinarian's oath). I gave multiple solutions, not just one, and I gave backup solutions if my initial solutions proved ineffective. I have a lot of animal experience but I found it tough to incorporate my personal experiences into my answers because they weren't really related. I also tried to smile a lot and gave lots of eye contact, knocked before entering, shook hands before and after completing my answer and introduced myself (with the name I go by, not my given name). This is probably unrelated but I tried to dress in a way that showed my own style (as someone else mentioned in this thread). Everyone in my section was wearing pant suits with blazers. I went with a conservative skirt and a long sleeved lace top. I felt really comfortable in this and it made me feel more confident in myself.



 

[daisy123]

Thank you guest4053. All good things to consider.

[cujo]

Thanks for all the responses!
Does anyone happen to have any links to public information from either OVC or otherwise on how MMI interviews are generally scored? Like I said earlier I'm not trying to break any confidentiality rules, just want to make sure I have all the information I can to prepare for next time. I understand they can't make it too easy for us but at the same time it would be nice to have a better idea of what they are looking for so I don't waste another application making the same mistakes. I still feel like I said all the right things but I guess my delivery just wasn't as good as I had thought.

[Guest983]

Have an opinion. I doubt the interviewers want a wishywashy answer so say what you think! Justify your reasoning and include all outcomes and stakeholders. Show your personality and be concise.

You've workd hard to get to the interview stage so nerves are to be expected. But don't let it cloud your personality! Let them see why you will make a great vet. Be sociable, friendly, and yourself.

Practice your approach and don't get too caught up in it on the big day.