7 residency interview tips/advice for a successful 2025 Match

1. What questions do you have for me?
Do not be alarmed by this! This is a very important opportunity to get a 1:1 chance to ask your burning questions about a place that you may spend 3+ years at. You should've done a lot of research into the program, which should lead you to questions that are relevant to your assessment of that program's fit for you.

2. We will [probably] ask about your hobbies
I was also taken aback when I was interviewing and asked about my hobbies section. But at this point, it's all over reddit and it's one of my favorite questions to ask. I want to know what you're passionate about. I want to know what fills up your cup outside of medicine. Plus, I can often learn something cool from applicants. This is a pretty common question, so get ready to answer it with your favorite anecdotes that illustrate who you are.

NRMP video on the Match process:    • How the NRMP Matching Algorithm Works  

3. Make sure you know everything in your ERAS application/supplement
You never know what seemingly esoteric experience you put in your application that your interviewer will get excited about. I personally did a lot for the American Medical Women's Association [AMWA] so anytime I see AMWA activities on an application, I ask about it. Even if it's at the bottom of your list. Sometimes it's kind of obvious when the experience wasn't very meaningful to an applicant... this doesn't help us get to know you so please come prepared to discuss anything you put in your application.

4. Think about what "brand" you've curated with your application and emphasize that during your interview
Most applicants have some underlying themes about who they are. An example is from my own application where I really leaned heavily on the fact that I significant leadership experience and took a very non-traditional path as a premed/medical student. These were the themes that I referenced in some ways during my responses to questions and I felt were strongly conveyed in my application. Try to be consistent with what you submitted in your application!

5. Be prepared for the questions
I'd say that there are two buckets of questions - somewhat standard program questions that a lot of places will ask:
✦ Tell me about yourself
✦ Why X program
✦ Why X specialty
✦ Tell me something that isn't on your application
✦ Where do you see yourself in X years

And also behavioral questions:
✦ Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with the situation?
✦ Tell me about a time your responsibilities got a little overwhelming. What did you do?
✦ Give me an example of a time when you had a difficult conversation with a colleague. How did you handle the situation?
✦ Make sure you've searched for these lists of questions and prepped for many of the various categories they can fit into.

6. Practice, practice, practice!
Make sure you take advantage of opportunities to practice through your school, with friends, family... your dog? Just do it. Consider recording yourself so that you can coach yourself on things that seem like they could go smoother. You should have also, by this point, looked into the common questions I alluded to above and have an idea of how you'd respond to most of them. Interviews are nerve-wracking so it's important to try to make it almost like muscle memory and to practice figuring out ways to do your best and make a good impression. Interviews can help or hurt an applicant for their rank list position at a program so try your best to make it help you.

7. Do not neglect the virtual interview technology
A lot of residency interviews are still virtual, so make sure that your technology is as optimized as possible. I talk about not using a virtual background, stable internet, having great audio [like buying a wired microphone: https://amzn.to/40kgUzi - I use this; also avoid Bluetooth headphones], having a quiet environment to do the interview in, and considering an interesting background [I bought this room divider: https://amzn.to/3NFHone to add some texture to my background but I also saw some applicants with plants, instruments, books, etc].

Also, blog entry on virtual interview tips: https://blog.amandaxi.com/2020/10/26/...

Good luck!

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