General Malaysia Medical Interview Tips: NUMed Version

I had just passed my interview and I hope these tips do help. It's a general tips for all medical interviews, but more on NUMed. Btw, this is not a "pro" tips for those who want to pursue medicine in Cambridge or HKU or even NUS where I heard like 5 "professor-level" interviewers will have a debate with the you on certain medical topic. In contrast, it was only 2 easy-going interviewers for me which asked normal questions. Sorry, can't help.

Introduce yourself/ Tell me about yourself

The most common question ever.

First, tell them your name. Don't tell them your age, this is not a primary school interview. You may tell them where you come from and a simple description of your hometown, within 1 to 2 sentences. For me, I think you should stop here since you have already fulfilled the purpose of the question, you may or may not keep talking about yourself (why medicine?), up to you anyway.

Why do you choose medicine/ Why doctor/ Why should we choose you

If you didn't tell them any about these to the interviewers during your introduction phase, I think the coming question would be this. Never ever talk about fame or money even if it's your intention of pursuing doctors.

Fun fact: Doctors don't earn as much as those old days. If money matters, go other industry, lol. 

And why?

• Interested in science,especially medical-related subject like Biology and Chemistry
• Scored high marks in these subjects (need evidence sometimes)
• Some co-curriculum and early exposure to medicine (attachment???)
• Certain personalities (love challenges)
• Parental encouragement
• Any "real-life" story (death, illness)
• Dreamer (help the poor or old)

Why choose our school?

For this one, you will have to do some research to your school via their respective official websites. You may consider looking into the curriculum of the school because, in medical school, there are 2 systems. One is the traditional system which separates the pre-clinical and clinical into 2 phases where you will have to study before you are exposed to the patients. Another is where you get chance to learn in a hospital in Year 1. NUMed is the latter though, like most of the unis today. 

Some other advantageous student services may be discussed as well.

What you need to do is just compliment whatever they have. Traditional good. New system good. Oldest school good. Foreign school good. New school good. In KL good. In rural area good. Whatever is good will do. By the way, don't stay too long in this question, you will be out of ideas real quick. 

Your strengths/ weaknesses

For this section, I think I will help you guys by listing a few of them. Pick 2 or 3 of them of your own preference. And I really recommend you to use the one with the star.

 Strengths

• time management*
• intelligence* (no ego or arrogant please)
• responsibility*
• communication skills*
• good listener*
• multilingual*
• optimistic
• leadership
• politeness
• fairness

Weaknesses

• nervous around everyone*
• low physical performance*
• not good at certain area* (it's better to choose something not directly related to medicine, but somehow related)
• pessimistic
• not a leader
• emotional and stress out easily ( not recommended)

Anyway, you also need to work out on your own how to solve your choices of weaknesses. 

Malaysia healthcare system

If they ever ask you anything regarding the government or private hospitals. Answer them accordingly to your observations based on nowadays issue. It could be doctors prescribing wrong medication or even lack of communication between patients and physicians. BUT, don't try to touch about politics not matter what party you support. And also it's wise to compliment private hospitals in private university interview, on the other hand, government hospitals in public university. One more thing to clarify: "Don't talk about money". By the way, they may ask you how to improve it, just in case. So, the basic answer for the question will be rooted in our education (don't talk bad about it also). Kindly reminder, give it a thought before you go for interview. 

Do you understand the procedure to be a provisionally registered doctor in Malaysia?

Say "Yes".

5 years MBBS > 2 years housemanship > 2 years compulsory services > GP (soon GP will be a specialty also)

After that it will be so complicated that we can hardly understand it.

GP > bla bla bla > 4/ 5 years specialty > bla bla bla > 3/ 4 years subspecialty (neurology and cardiology, etc.)

Given ... , what will you do as a doctor?

All these questions are redundant actually, first, you should take a look at doctor-patient confidentiality. It is, basically, a legal concept which protects the patients' confidentiality from being used against them. Just keep anything secret, that's all. However, there is exception, for example, diagnosis of new transmissible diseases what could be a threat to humans, which should be reported by any means. In some countries, medical history can't be used against the patients in the court. 

Save your friend or your enemy? Depend on who injured more seriously and some other factors like your friend is most likely die anyway, but not your enemy if you ever help him first instead of your friend. Choose who?

Money issue. Never bribe, even if they compromise the amount of bribery. Don't be greedy. The rest will be some moral questions during your high school, got study moral or not? haha. There will be nor correct or wrong answers sometimes, what you do is just stand on your point no matter how the interviewers try to convince you. That's all from me.

Any inquiry please do comment.


GOOD LUCK and ALL THE BEST.