There are many good ways and many bad ways to answer this question, although most of the bad ways just need more explanation than is usually given. It’s often an interview question that throws off students as most of their interview is spent trying to show off how amazing they are, and that they’re good at everything and deserve a place a medical school. However, this is an important question as it shows that applicants understand their weaknesses, how to improve them and how to explain them to an interviewer without sounding incompetent and that you don’t deserve a place.
A common answer is “I’m a perfectionist” and many medicine applicants use this as they are very high achievers. There are a few issues with this. To begin with, over half of the interviewees will give this answer so it’s not unique at all and the answer doesn’t tell the interviewers anything about you except that you try hard (like every other applicant). Also, being a perfectionist is brilliant! It means you strive for the best and you won’t give up until you have achieved the absolute best so how is this a weakness? If you are going down this route (which is completely valid), don’t use the phrase “I’m a perfectionist” and explain how this is a weakness (for example, it means that I sometimes push away friends or don’t prioritise my mental health). This is important as being a doctor is extremely stressful and many doctors suffer from mental health issues for years.)
In conclusion, think deeply about what you think your biggest weakness is, where the weakness stems from, how it impacts your life (is there an example where it was a real issue and what you learn from it?), and how it could impact your medical career and what are you going to do to change it. Here, avoid mentioning generic ideas like I will write a timetable to be more organised or I will not be upset with a low mark because realistically, the issue will be much deeper than that. Instead, say “ I may still be upset with a low mark but I focus more on where I went wrong but also all the things I got right to try and turn it into a positive experience.
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