This topic might seem very similar to “UMAT® Exam vs Interview - what's more important?”. To be honest, it really probably is. This blog, only reflects my retrospective views and opinions on the matter but from the outset I will say that they are both of vitally equal importance to get into medicine and neither should be taken lightly while in year 12. To start off, I think it is important to establish that I personally believe that maturity indicates whether or not you may be a "good doctor" at a certain time in your life. However, maturity is likely to increase over the years (one would hope!), while you will never even get an opportunity to be a doctor if you are academically challenged and cannot meet the grade requirements.
Firstly, it’s important to consider why both marks and interview are looked at when considering candidates for entry into medicine. The marks are there because it’s a competitive field and they need some way of selecting out of a large pool of prospective students. So the marks reflect who is willing to work hard and who might have the mental makeup to tackle the difficult coursework that is involved in medicine. The interview on the other hand, is there to gauge your maturity and your personality. Medicine involves primarily taking care of other people and being responsible for lives and consequently, there maturity is obviously very important. Remember however, that you don't get an interview if you don't get the marks. So what this should tell you is that even if you do have the characteristics of a good caregiver, you also need to work hard on your academics- you won’t be able to get in just through the wow factor of a great interview. There has been many blogs on this site focusing on how to prepare and optimise your marks. I only will say that joining a UMAT® Exam preparation course and even a VCE or HSC preparation course will never be a bad move.
Getting good marks is a reflection of how hard you are able to work. Contrary to popular belief, outstanding students aren’t usually the brightest but they are definitely the most hard-working. This is also reflected in the course itself, because those who work hardest get the best marks on assessments. Of course intelligence helps, but it isn't a necessary ingredient for success. Preparation for UMAT® Exam and hard work will play a much bigger role than your starting IQ. This is important as many students can go into year 12 with a sense of inferiority as they feel they aren't "smart enough" for medicine and this is really just a misconception and one that shouldn't exist.
While it would be unreasonable to select medical students without an interview I do believe that people change over time. Those who may display the "appropriate" characteristics at the time of the interview may grow out of them and vice versa. With that in mind, I would say it is a very good idea to prepare for the interview and present yourself in the best possible light. There are plenty of exercises that can help you practice for the interview and you would be foolish not to do the work there, however, I’d say that a positive attitude will also go a long way in giving you success in an interview. My biggest pointer going into any interview is always confidence: even if you don't know the answer to the question if you don't know it confidently then you're on top!
At the end of the day, it is a given that without the marks you aren't going to get that interview and without that interview you aren't going to get in. However, bear in mind that you can’t neglect any aspect of your medical school preparation- whether it is
UCAT Exam preparations, HSC® Exam preparation or interview preparation. So work hard and happy studying!
