Interview preparation guide
Asking yourself about confidence in the program: residency interview preparation guide
AAMC's questions to ask yourself include whether you are confident in the program and the sponsoring institution. Confidence here is not a mood; it is the sum of the evidence you gathered on stability, outcomes and how the program treats its residents.
How to prepare
- 1
Test the evidence behind your confidence
The AAMC list asks whether you are confident in the program and the sponsoring institution. List what supports your answer: accreditation status, board pass rates, completion rates, financial stability and what residents said.
- 2
Notice unanswered doubts
If confidence is thin, name why. A vague unease usually traces to a question you did not get answered, so ask it now, by email after interview day if needed.
- 3
Compare confidence across programs
When several programs look similar on paper, relative confidence is a real ranking signal. Note which programs you could defend to a sceptical friend and which you could not.
A practical exercise
Evidence for confidence: [..]. Open doubts: [..]. Relative confidence vs other programs: [..].
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 to ask yourself include whether you are confident in the program and the sponsoring institution. Confidence here is not a mood; it is the sum of the evidence you gathered on stability, outcomes and how the program treats its residents.
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
- Confusing a good interview day with confidence in the institution; one pleasant day is not evidence of stability.
- Ignoring a specific doubt because the program is prestigious.
- Letting one bad data point erase an otherwise strong picture without checking it.
Check your preparation
- Can I list the evidence behind my confidence in this program?
- Have I named and answered my remaining doubts?
- Could I defend this program's stability to a sceptical friend?
Questions for your practice review
- What evidence do I actually have for this program's stability and quality?
- Which of my questions about this program are still unanswered?
- Would I trust this institution with three to seven years of my training?
Common questions
Is this an official list of required questions?
No. AAMC describes its list as questions 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?
This one is yours to answer, using what program leadership and residents told you. Your school's advisor is a sound second reader if confidence and evidence disagree.
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.