You are presented with a difficult puzzle to complete in eight minutes with a fellow applicant. Your role in this teamwork station is to be the leader.
In veterinary medicine, working as part of a high-functioning team is vital to the overall success of a practice. As a veterinary student, you will be expected to be a great team player. Teamwork stations are utilized during an MMI interview to assess a candidate's ability to lead and follow in team-related situations.
In many team-based exercises during an MMI interview, the task given to complete as a team is often very difficult (even impossible). There will often be two interviewers evaluating each candidate separately, and they will be keying in on the candidate's ability to maintain their composure in a team-based setting.
"Alright, Jane, it looks like we have to build a castle structure out of the blocks in the box in front of us. The best way would be to lay out the entire foundation and build it from there. Alright, I think that looks great! What thoughts do you have from here? Yes, I think that sounds great; I'll get to work on the two towers, and you can build the main structure. We have about two minutes left, and you're doing great; let's make sure we can finish the structure first, and then we can team up on the towers to finish quickly. Jane, you did awesome! The task had me a bit worried at first, but we powered through it with hard work and communication."
As the leader in this scenario, the interviewer will focus on a few things that show your ability to lead in the given task. First, they'll want to see that you can follow the directions and give clear and immediate instructions to your interviewing teammate. Your ability to be encouraging, complimentary, and open to questions will also be evaluated. From there, work through the puzzle while working as a solid team. Focus on working through things one by one or piece by piece and not getting frustrated along the way. Remember that communication is key, so you want to be continually communicating and helping to lead your fellow applicant.
