Interview preparation guide
Asking residents about camaraderie and cohesion: residency interview preparation guide
AAMC's questions for other residents ask whether the residents get along with one another. Cohesion shapes your daily life for years, and residents will usually answer it honestly when asked away from leadership.
How to prepare
- 1
Ask residents directly
The AAMC list asks whether the residents get along with one another. Ask it when you are with residents only, since AAMC says some questions are best answered by residents rather than program leaders.
- 2
Ask for examples of how they spend time
A claim that everyone gets along is easy. Examples are harder to fake: ask whether residents help each other on hard weeks, socialize outside work and how new interns were welcomed this year.
- 3
Watch the group in front of you
The resident social or lunch is itself evidence. Notice whether residents seem relaxed together, include each other and speak about absent colleagues with respect.
A practical exercise
Get along: [yes or no, with example]. Mutual support example: [..]. Observed at social: [..].
This is an editorial exercise to adapt to your own interview, not a script or a program requirement.
What the source guidance supports
AAMC's questions for other residents ask whether the residents get along with one another. Cohesion shapes your daily life for years, and residents will usually answer it honestly when asked away from leadership.
The exercises and checklists are editorial applications of the cited guidance, not required program procedures or predictions of interview outcomes. Costs and formats vary by program, so follow your actual invitation and school guidance.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking only program leaders about resident relationships.
- Accepting a general claim without an example.
- Ignoring what you can see at the resident social.
Check your preparation
- Did I ask residents, not leaders?
- Did I get a concrete example of mutual support?
- Did I watch how the group interacts?
Questions for your practice review
- Do the residents get along with one another?
- Can you give an example of residents helping each other recently?
- How were new interns welcomed this year?
Common questions
Is this an official list of required questions?
No. AAMC describes it as a list created by residents and students to help you assess fit, and says to build your own more specific questions from it.
Who should I ask?
Residents themselves are the right source, asked away from program leadership. The resident social and any informal time with the group are the natural settings.
Is this current for the 2027 ERAS season?
AAMC publishes this question list as current guidance for applicants interviewing in the 2027 ERAS season. Program answers change year to year, so ask each program for its own current answer.
Related guides
Sources
This page is general editorial guidance based on the sources above. It is not a prediction of any program's questions or a statement of its current policies.