questions to ask md phd

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MD-PhD Mock Interview Questions

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MD-PhD Interview

• Describe your research.
• Why are you interested in a combined program, versus one or the other?
• How do you feel you are prepared to enter an MD-PhD program?
• If you had to choose between the MD and the PhD, which one and why?
• What aspects of our MD-Phd Program are you interested in?
• What sort of career do you envision yourself having in the future?
• Is there a faculty member and/or research center on campus you’re particularly interested in?
• Tell me about your research?
• Have you had any leadership positions? Please describe your experience.
• Why did you use this technique?
• What would you do next if you were to continue this project?
• What kind of medicine do you want to do in the future?
• How do you hope to combine your research interests with your clinical interests?
• Why did you choose to work on this project/lab?
• How did you choose your major?
• Please tell me about 2 articles in the past year that were most exciting to you.
• What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
• If there were no MD/PhD programs, would you go to graduate school or medical school?
• How do you feel about healthcare, managed care, and the impact it may have on doctor’s salaries?
• How do you feel about the length and commitment required of an MD-PhD candidate?
• What kind of patient care do you want to do?
• Who have been some of your mentors?

MD Interview

• Tell me a little bit about yourself.
• Tell me about a significant experience you have had in your life?
• What are your positive qualities and what are your shortcomings?
• Who/what influenced you the most in becoming a doctor?
• What do you think are the most important qualities a physician should have?
• What are your thoughts about working with “sick” people everyday?
• What are some current topics in the world of medicine that interest you?
• Medicine has made several advances throughout the centuries. In thinking about the changes over the last 200 years, what do you consider to be the biggest advance? (Think broadly on this one)
• What do you think about the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) and the changes taking place in medicine?
• Do you feel your academic transcript adequately reflects your ability to be successful in medical school? If not, why?
• Do you think you could live in this city?/Why are you interested in X school?
• Discuss a book that you have recently read for pleasure. Why does this book interest you?
• Why would you convince someone not to pursue medicine? Despite these reasons, why are you pursuing medicine?
• What will you do if you don’t get into medical school?
• Why should we choose you over other applicants?

Find other interview resources here .

Community Blog

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Questions to Ask During Your PhD Interview

• By Zebastian D.
• August 22, 2020

As someone applying for PhD positions, you’ll no doubt be thinking of and preparing for the interview with your potential supervisor(s). You’re absolutely right to be doing this and planning your answers to some of the PhD interview questions that they’ll probably ask you; make sure you’ve read our guide on this to help you prepare.

Remember though that the PhD student-supervisor relationship works both ways; as much as the potential supervisor is interviewing you for a PhD position within their lab, you should also have the mindset that you’re also interviewing the professor for the role of supervisor, and be ready to ask questions! Ultimately the key thing you want to know after your PhD interview is you are both a good fit for each other.

With that in mind, I’ve prepared a common list of questions that you should consider asking to help you decide if the supervisor and the research lab is the right fit for you. You don’t need to ask all these questions but instead use this list as a guide for picking what feels most important to you.

I should also note that some of the answers to these questions can usually be found through a quick Google search of the potential supervisor or looking at their university profile. So do think about which questions in particular you want to bring up in person at the PhD interview.

Now on to the questions….

How many PhD students have you supervised previously, and did they all gain their PhDs?

You’re asking this to firstly work out how experienced the professor is at supervising students, based purely on the numbers previously supervised. The reason to ask the second question of how many students gained PhDs is to get an idea of the supervisor’s track record of successful supervision. The lower the percentage of students that went onto complete their PhD under his or her supervision (and not leave the program early ), the more alarm bells that should be ringing for you. This of course shouldn’t be your only data point in the decision-making process, and you should try and find out more about why those that left their PhD program before completion, did so. Equally it’s also a possibility that some students have been successful in their PhD research in spite of a supervisor’s lack of support. A good way to get a truer sense of this is by speaking to the supervisor’s current and past students.

Whilst a supervisor’s successful track record can be reassuring, don’t be put off if they haven’t supervised many (or even any) students before, particularly if they’re still fairly new in the job. There are many other ways in which you can get a sense of the supervisor-student fit.

How many years does a PhD project usually take in your lab?

If you’re in the UK, a full time PhD should normally take you 3-4 years to complete , as reflected by most funding grants for PhD research being for this time frame. You want to know and have some reassurance that most students in this lab do finish within this time frame. Asking this question will also help you better understand the supervisor’s attitude towards completion time frames; is this someone that would have no issue with a student that’s been working on their PhD for 6 years or are they driven to help students complete ‘on time’.

What are the key milestones for progression that you expect from students?

This is a good follow on from the previous question. Some supervisors can be very ‘hands off’ and set no expectations on their students about deliverables and if this is the type of student-supervisor relationship you’re after (which some are), then perfect!

However, whilst a PhD project is an independent body of work, that doesn’t mean you have to do it in isolation. Having a supervisor that also acts as a mentor is important; a key aspect of this is to help keep you on track to complete your project ‘in time’, which is most effectively done using regular milestones.

The actual milestones will vary between supervisors but what you’re looking for in their response is some indication that they’ve actually thought about them. Examples of milestones may be the completion of the literature review within the first 6 weeks of starting, first experimental data captured by month 3 and first paper published by the time you end year 1.

How many other students do you supervise?

You ideally don’t want your supervisor to have too many (>5) other PhD students under his or her supervision at any one time, simply because of the dilution of their time that will naturally occur. Being part of an active research lab is a big advantage however, so you don’t necessarily want to be the only student under their supervision either. Remember that the professor may also be responsible for several Master’s and undergraduate students too so you just need to know what to realistically expect from him in terms of available time to meet with you regularly.

How often do you meet with your PhD students?

You don’t want a supervisor that’s too prescriptive in how you run your project, but you do want someone who you know you can rely on to meet with regularly. Some professors set weekly one-on-one or group research meetings that occur at the same time, day and venue; you know exactly what you’re getting here. Others tend to meet less frequently but still at regular intervals. A good balance would be to have catch up meetings every 2 weeks but it’s important to know upfront what the expectations are from both sides about how often to meet.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

How flexible is the direction of the PhD project?

At the PhD level of higher education, the supervisor is there to provide mentorship and guidance to help you avoid going in a completely wrong direction with your research. You should however expect to have the freedom to take your project in any direction you want to (within reason). This should be the case even if it means deviating from the original research questions that were proposed at the start; you and your supervisor should be in agreement before you start about how much flexibility there can be. Remember too that sometimes the project may have to stay closely aligned to the original plan if it’s required by the industry funder, so this decision may be out of the supervisor’s hands to some extent.

What funding is available for this project?

You should know by the time you come to interview if the project is to be self-funded or if there is specific funding associated with it. It may feel like an awkward question to ask but you need to be very clear on how much of a living stipend you should expect and if there is any additional funding for things such as conference travel, paying for journal publication fees or other bench fees; you don’t want any unpleasant surprises about finances when you’ve already started the PhD.

Do you expect there to be any changes in funding during the course of the project?

Specifically, you want to find out if there’s any risk that the funding associated with the project could be removed. Most often, funding bodies don’t transfer the entire monetary amount of the agreed funding up front in one lumpsum (which can be in excess of £75,000 for a 3-year studentship). Instead, payments are made in instalments and may be done so on the basis that certain milestones are met. For industry funded projects, for example, there may be a service work element (such as specialist analysis using university-based equipment) associated with the funding which will need to be delivered on time for the university to continue to receive money. In reality a complete loss of funding is unlikely to happen, but you should find out if this is at all a possibility of happening.

What is the source of the funding?

It’s important for you to understand how your project will be funded. As discussed in the previous question, the specific funder may place certain requirements on the university that need to be fulfilled to receive the funds. Don’t let this put you off applying or even impact your decision to take on the specific project, but it’s an important factor to be aware of.

Are there any opportunities to earn additional money as a PhD student?

Even if you will receive a stipend during the course of your research project, it comparatively won’t be a lot of money to live on. If you want it, the opportunity to earn extra money can make a big difference in managing your finances. This may in the form of one day/week working as a research technician or paid work preparing and delivering lectures to undergraduate students. It’s useful to know if these opportunities will exist to help you manage your expectations about your finances. Make sure you don’t let yourself feel obligated to take on this additional work however, even if it is paid; the priority will be ensuring your research progresses on schedule.

Will I have the opportunity and be expected to publish papers?

In the UK there is no requirement for you to have published any journal papers before you are awarded a PhD. Doing so however can go some way towards making your final viva that much easier, and also giving you a ‘head-start’ on your publication track record if you continue on into academia after your PhD.

You should get a sense of if your potential supervisor sees an opportunity for you to publish your research, if this is something that you want to do. Equally you should be aware of the supervisor’s expectations about publishing to avoid any potential conflict between your supervisor wanting you to publish work during your PhD and you wanting to wait until you’re in the post-doc stage before writing papers.

How many papers have previous PhD students published with you?

Knowing the answer to this should give you a good idea about the expectations and opportunities of publishing papers during your PhD. It’s certainly a positive sign to know that previous students have successfully published their research and is often a sign of a good supervisory system being in place.

How often does your research group present at academic conferences?

Having the opportunity to present your research at an academic conference is a key experience to have obtained during your time as a PhD student. Some supervisors actively encourage this and ensure that all funding applications include allocations for paying for conference related fees. Others are less convinced about the value of students going to conferences, particularly due to the additional expense of doing so, and may therefore not be as supportive of conference participation.

It’s useful to know what the norm is within the supervisor’s research group so that there are no surprises further down the line.

Is there funding support available for attending conferences?

Again, to be clear on expectations of funding and support for conference attendance, you should find out if there are funds specifically allocated for this purpose. If there aren’t, does the supervisor actively provide support to their students in applying for additional funding for this?

Are there courses and training sessions available for PhD students?

Find out if there are extra resources available to you should you want to use them. For example, do the supervisors students go on paper writing courses, or workshops on how to perform literature reviews? There are lots of new things that you’ll be doing during your PhD, especially at the beginning so it’s good to know that there’s external help available if and when you need it.

What are your past PhD graduates doing now?

This is an interesting one to find out from the supervisor. Are most of their graduates continuing their career development within academia or have many moved into industry work or even to a field completely different to their area of research? Ideally, you’d want this to align with your own career options. If most PhD holders have gone into industry whereas you want to pursue an academic career, you should try and find out why they ended up leaving academia. For example, did these graduates initially have aspirations of becoming professors themselves but were not able to do so or does your particular field normally open up more opportunities within industry?

What kind of support do you or the university provide for helping with jobs after?

In particular, what role does the supervisor play in helping their recent PhD graduates find their next job role? Do they have any connections within industry that they’d be able to help you network with? Or have any of their past PhD students stayed on in the lab as post-docs and are there resources in place for you to potentially do the same?

Will there be opportunities to teach undergraduate students?

The opportunity to give lectures to undergraduate students or lead tutorials with them can be a good way to earn some extra money during your PhD (note though that not all universities/departments formally pay PhD students to do this). Getting teaching experience is also important if you’re planning on continuing on down an academic career path at a university so it’s useful if you can gain some of this during your PhD.

Do you as a lab do any team activities together?

This will help you get a sense of the environment you’ll be working in for at least the next three years. Is this a lab with several PhD students and post-docs that make up an active ‘research family’? Does the team ever go out for lunch together or day trips away together to unwind? This can be a great way to build a sense of comradery in a research job that can often feel like you’re working alone in. Some supervisors actively encourage and get involved in nurturing a team environment whilst others are more hands-off, leaving the students to do their own thing.

What is the work environment like? Do students work in a shared office space?

Be clear on what your daily workspace will be like at the lab and university. Do all PhD students sit together in an open space or are there smaller office spaces for one or two students to work in? Some people prefer the buzz of an open space whilst others like the quiet of lone working. Either way, you should know what your work environment will look like for the next three years and plan accordingly (e.g. buy some noise cancelling headphones if you need some quite time in the open plan office).

I’ve given you a number of different questions to think about and ask your potential supervisor at your PhD interview. Not all of them may be relevant, or even appropriate to ask, so do think carefully about which ones you do want to bring up at the interview and which answers you could find out independently by either speaking to other students or looking online. Your research project and your experiences at the university will be so much more enjoyable if you can make sure you and your supervisor are a good fit for each other. The best way to do this is to ask questions!

If you’re about to sit your PhD viva, make sure you don’t miss out on these 5 great tips to help you prepare.

There are various types of research that are classified by objective, depth of study, analysed data and the time required to study the phenomenon etc.

The Thurstone Scale is used to quantify the attitudes of people being surveyed, using a format of ‘agree-disagree’ statements.

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The term rationale of research means the reason for performing the research study in question.

Is it really possible to do a PhD while working? The answer is ‘yes’, but it comes with several ‘buts’. Read our post to find out if it’s for you.

Dr Karki gained his PhD in the field of Nuclear and Particle Physics from Ohio University in March 2020. He is currently working as a postdoctoral associate in Prof. Haiyan Gao’s research group in Duke University.

Bethany is a 1st year PhD student at the University of Bath, researching the adaptation of a self-help smartphone app (BlueIce) to prevent self-harm and improve the mood of University students.

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The Best Questions to Ask During a PhD Interview

A PhD interview is not only a chance for the department to determine if you’re a good fit for their program, it’s also an opportunity for you to decide if their program is right for you. Coming to the interview prepared with some questions shows the selection committee you’re serious about their program. Stuck on what to ask? Give these questions a go!

1. Are there opportunities for summer funding or travel grants?

Not all programs pay students during the summer months. If this is the case, you should ask if the program provides financial support for students to do research-related activities in the summer like take language classes or do fieldwork. Are there grants available from the department or university for research-related travel? In a similar vein, does the department or graduate school provide travel grants to reimburse PhD students for conference expenses?

2. What are recent alumni doing now?

Getting a PhD is a big investment of time and money so potential students want reassurance that it will pay off in the future. Before you commit to a program, find out where its recent alumni are now working. Do most alumni go on to positions in academia or are most of them working in industry or alt-ac?           

3. What sort of special resources does the university have for research in this field?

Some universities have resources above and beyond the norm, such as their own collection of papyri or a world-renowned affiliated hospital, which graduate students can access for their research. This can give one program an edge over another.

4. How long does it take on average for students to earn their degree?

The length of a PhD depends on which country you are studying in, however if one program has a longer-than-average time to degree it’s worth finding out why. Does the program require more coursework or have more exams than other similar programs? It’s also work asking what percentage of students don’t complete the program as a high percentage could be a red flag.

5. Will I have the opportunity to teach during my PhD?

If you want to be a professor, teaching will be an essential part of your job. It is extremely beneficial to gain teaching experience during your PhD and many North American PhD programs actually require at least one year of teaching.

6. Will I have the opportunity to publish during my PhD?

Publishing is an important part of academic life, but the publishing expectations of graduate students will depend on the field. If you are interviewing in STEM and social sciences, it is more relevant to ask how many first author papers most students publish by the time they graduate. In the humanities, where graduate publications are rarer, the better question will be if most students publish while they are in the program. In both cases, you should also ask how the faculty helps students learn to navigate publishing process.           

7. What is the funding level of this PhD position?

If the job posting or department website doesn’t go into detail about PhD funding, you can take this opportunity to clarify the funding level and total cost of the program. Depending on your circumstances, you might also want to ask whether the department offers any paid assistantship positions or supports external fellowship/grant applications.

8. What makes this program unique?

The core elements of all PhD programs are the same, so try to ask a question that gets at the differences. What does this program do to differentiate itself from the competition? It can be interesting to hear how multiple faculty members in the same department answer this question.

9. Are there any planned absences in the department in the coming years?

Do any key faculty members (including your supervisor) have sabbaticals planned while you would be doing your PhD?

10. How does the dissertation process work in this program?

It’s helpful to ask questions such as can students choose their own committee members, does the university offer finishing fellowships, and how long on average does it take students in this program to complete their dissertations?

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How to prepare for MD-PhD interviews: tips and strategies

The students I work with often ask me how to prepare for MDPhD interviews. Having gone through the interviewing process and worked with countless students on preparing for interviews, here are my tips and strategies to ace them.

What to Expect on Interview Day

I remember how nerve-racking the weeks were leading up to my first MD-PhD interview. Frankly, I didn’t know anyone who went through the MD-PhD process so I had very little idea of what to expect. I went into my interviews with a vague sense of what to expect based on my internet search and how to prepare for MDPhD interviews.

MD-PhDs are typically 2-3 days long and there is a mix of informational sessions, student and faculty interviews, and breakfast/lunches/dinners. Here’s a sample itinerary that is representative of some places that I interviewed at:

Medical School Interviews

Notice in the itinerary that there are medical school interviews and MSTP interviews. At this particular institution (as with most of the programs that I interviewed for), you interview with someone who is representing the medical school admission committee. In this interview, your answers should be more focused on your interest in seeing patients and clinical medicine. Remember that you are getting BOTH an MD and Ph.D. – you wouldn’t want to come off with the MD being an afterthought. The interviewer will be assessing whether or not you have potential as a future clinician.

Research Interviews

Research interviews are often with the faculty members that you indicated on your secondaries as ones that you are interested in talking with. The program will do its best to pair you with the people you indicated an interest in. You will also interview with an MD-PhD program director and likely a current MD-PhD student.

At this particular program, I had six interviews. I remember the four MSTP interviews feeling like a marathon and I definitely felt exhausted. However, even if you feel exhausted it’s important to be just as enthusiastic and engaged as your first interview.

All of the programs provided meals. One of my favorite parts was the opportunity to go to new cities, eat at restaurants, and try the local food with the current students. I ate so much delicious food during those interviews. The most memorable dinner spot during interviews was a Spanish tapas place. We shared everything family-style and there seemed to be an endless stream of dishes! 

It’s important to make a good impression during your dinners. It’s also a great opportunity to interact with the current students to see if they fit into the program.

Transportation, Housing, and Food:

Some programs may provide some financial support for your transportation to the interview. Additionally, they may offer housing with current students which are free. If you get a chance to stay with current students, I recommend doing this. It’s a great way to connect with the current students and gain additional insights about the program and student life that you may not otherwise gain. After staying with a student host at my current institution, I knew that this MD-PhD program would be my top choice! 

Interview Questions

When I was interviewing, I came across the following four most common questions that I recommend preparing for MD-PhD interviews:

Tell me about yourself

• Tell me about your research
• Questions specific to your application, including work/activities and research
• Why MD/PhD?

“Tell me about yourself” is the most common way that interviewers lead into the interview. It is one of the most common interview questions, not just for MD and MD-PhD programs. The very general invitation to talk about yourself is challenging given how broad and open-ended it is. After all, what detail and how much do you delve into your entire life story?

Here is a great resource on how to tackle this particular question. It is worth investing time to prepare your response beforehand as, in my personal experience, this was the most common interview question that I got during interviews.

Questions about research:

Know your research like the back of your hand.

Questions about your specific research topic can be quite random, depending on whatever catches your interviewer’s eyes. However, everything on your application is fair game. Even if it’s the one you don’t want them to ask because you barely remember it since it was so long ago. Based on my experience when I was on the interview trail, I found that the types of questions will vary by interviewer.

If it’s someone without much expertise in your field of research, they may ask general questions such as “big picture” ideas and a general overview of what you did . If your interviewer is an expert in your research area then they may delve into granular aspects of your research . I’ve had researchers ask me about a specific protein and its function. I’ve also been asked by interviewers how I test something. 

Given the variety of questions asked regarding the research experiences that you’ve written down, it’s a good idea to do some literature review to be up to date with what’s going on . Also know the research like the back of your hand and understand not just what you did but why you did it . While knowing the details is important, it is also crucial to be able to communicate the “big picture” idea .

Review previous works on your project

To prepare to talk about my research, I not only reviewed what I wrote in my primary and secondary applications but also the posters and papers I wrote for the particular project. I also took a look at relevant papers from the laboratory that I conducted research to better contextualize the research topic.

Research your interviewer if possible

In some cases, you may receive your interview itinerary beforehand with the name of the interviewers. Sometimes, I would do a quick google search on the interviewer, their research topic, and skim some of their recent articles. This would give me some sense of their level of expertise in my area of research. It also helped me prepare questions to ask them about their research.

If you don’t know the question, just admit it

It is inevitable that there will be some questions that you’ll be asked that you can’t answer. Do not make up an answer. Rather, share that you do not know and that it’d be something that you will look into.

Question about work/activities

Just as the research experience that you wrote down is fair game, so are the experiences you detailed in the work/activities section. The specificity and variety of questions will vary by the interviewer. 

Also, keep in mind that some interviewers may have reviewed your application in-depth while others did not even look at it. This may be reflected in the types of questions that they ask you during the interview. Some you may feel like you are just restating your application while others you may be getting down to the nitty-gritty details or expanding on what you already indicated in your written application.

Why MD-PhD?

The MD-PhD is a huge commitment from not only your end but also the institution. After all, most programs provide full tuition waivers, stipends, and basic health insurance. The admission committee wants to know that you are aware of what the MD-PhD training will entail and demonstrate that you have thought about this decision thoroughly.

AAMC Questions:

The following is a list of questions provided by the AAMC.

• What academic or non-academic experience shaped your decision to pursue an MD/PhD dual degree?
• When did you initially discover that you wanted to pursue a career in medicine and research? 
• What are some obstacles that you have overcome to arrive at this point? 
• If you could improve any aspect of your application, what would it be? 
• What elements of your previous research training would you like to build upon during your training as an MD/PhD student? 
• Share some qualities/attributes that you possess that will allow you to balance life as a physician scientist? 
• What are some qualities in our program that you feel will prepare you for a career as a physician scientist?
• Describe the most exciting moment in your research experience thus far? 
• What experiences do you believe will aid in your development as a well-rounded physician scientist? Do you feel that this program will offer you these opportunities? 
• What is the one thing you want me to convey to the admission committee? 
• How do you see the field of medicine changing in the next ten years? 
• How do you see yourself fitting into those changes? 
• What do you think you will find most difficulty about medical school?
• Describe a past stressful experience? How did you handle the pressure? Would you have done anything differently? 
• Share aspect(s) of research excited you the most? 
• What is a valuable lesson you learned while working under your research mentor(s)?

AAMC General Interview Tips:

The following are tips provided by the AAMC .

• Smile and make eye contact. Don’t underestimate the power of positive body language!
• Maintain a positive attitude throughout the day. 
• Actively engage with interviewers and other interviewees. 
• Active engagement reflects your enthusiasm and desire to join the program.
• Be prepared for certain questions but do not over-rehearse. You want your responses to sound like normal conversation and not like a memorized script.
• Be prepared to discuss your research. Be able to answer questions and demonstrate your critical thinking ability. And potential for and interest in research. 
• Be able talk about any experience listed in your AMCAS application, even if it occurred a number of years ago. 
• Anticipate questions about things in your record that may concern the interviewer. 
• Be prepared to talk about an interviewer’s research. This is particularly important if you requested to meet with a specific person. It is important that you have some knowledge about the interviewer’s current research interests, especially if you requested to meet with him/her. Do your homework.
• Show motivation for dual degree. Interviewers want to weed out those looking for a “Free MD”. 
• Have questions of your own about the program. 
• Engage in conversation with your fellow applicants in between interviews and during the breaks. This will help reduce some of the interview day stress. Also, you can start to become acquainted with potential future classmates. Do they seem happy and positive about their experience in the Program?

Virtual Interview Tips:

It is important to prepare for your virtual interview such as you would for an in-person interview.

• Practice, practice, practice
• Prepare questions to ask your interviewer beforehand
• Pick out your interviewing spot
• Pick out your professional outfit
• Do research on the school
• Check the audio and visual quality of your audio on the day of
• Be engaged and enthusiastic
• Send thank you notes or emails to interviewers if possible

I go more in-depth on how to prepare for virtual interviews in this article:

How to Ace Your Virtual Interview – 13 Tips

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