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Family Medicine Residency Mock Interview

38 Family Medicine Residency Interview Questions and Answer Examples to Help You Prepare for Your Residency Interviews.

Family Medicine Residency was updated by on November 7th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 2 of 38

Tell me about a time during medical school where you had a setback or failure? How did you respond to that setback?

"One time I did poorly on an anatomy exam. As someone who has always achieved excellent grades this was very surprising. That bad grade motivated me to study harder and I improved on every test during the remainder of the anatomy class."

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How to Answer: Tell me about a time during medical school where you had a setback or failure? How did you respond to that setback?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Family Medicine Residency job interview.

  • 2. Tell me about a time during medical school where you had a setback or failure? How did you respond to that setback?

      Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

      Your interviewers are trying to understand and predict how you will deal in the face of adversity that will most certainly happen at some point during your residency. They want to know that they are going to choose a candidate that when the going gets tough, you will rise to the occasion.

      Written by Dr. Griswold on November 7th, 2022

      How to Answer

      It is important that you are able to give a concrete example of a failure and then show how you were able to improve your circumstances. You should be able to show that you learned from the failure and that you won't make the same mistake again.

      Written by Dr. Griswold on November 7th, 2022

      1st Answer Example

      "One time I did poorly on an anatomy exam. As someone who has always achieved excellent grades this was very surprising. That bad grade motivated me to study harder and I improved on every test during the remainder of the anatomy class."

      Written by Dr. Griswold on November 7th, 2022

      2nd Answer Example

      "My first board exam score was not as high as I had hoped. After reflecting, I realized that reading many textbooks was not the most effective way to study for me. I adapted my study plan for my next board exam to focus instead on doing practice questions instead. I was able to dramatically improve my step 2 score by doing this."

      Written by Dr. Griswold on November 7th, 2022

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I remember that I was about to fail biochemistry in med school. I set myself down and thought about what brought me to this point and how I can improve myself in this subject. I always remind myself of my goals and what motivates me whenever I face any hard situation, whether in my career life or my social life. I tell myself that this is temporary, I can handle it, and I usually do."

      Marcie's Feedback

      This is an excellent example of a setback and near failure. I suggest adding what you did to keep from failing biochemistry and what you learned from that experience.
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