AAMC VITA:
Everything You Need To Know
The 2020 application cycle has thrown us yet another curveball. The AAMC has created a standardized virtual interview platform, AAMC VITA (Video Interview Tool for Admissions), to help facilitate medical school interviews during the pandemic.
The AAMC has put out several guides explaining this new platform, but they’re long, redundant, and you don’t have time for that as pre-meds. So I did the work for you!
I consolidated all the information from the AAMC website concerning AAMC VITA into a quick article so that you can get all the information you need and get back to focusing on your applications.
Table of Contents:
How to Respond to AAMC VITA Questions
Preparing for AAMC VITA Questions
What is AAMC VITA?
AAMC VITA is a video interview platform that asks you general questions about your experiences and your intentions for pursuing medicine.
Your answers will then be recorded and sent to all the schools that have invited you to interview.
This platform is meant to be a resource for medical schools during the pandemic. Not a replacement for formal interviews.
I think it’ll probably be used as a filter. Similar to how a secondary essay is used to decide whether or not they’ll bring you in for a more detailed virtual interview. ( But that’s just what I would do if I was on the admission committee).
Unlike a normal virtual interview, AAMC VITA does not have another person on the other end. These interviews will be a one-way recorded interview.
What is AAMC VITA’s Interview Format?
The AAMC VITA format consists of six interview questions belonging to 3 different topic categories: medical school journey questions, past behavior questions, and situational questions.
You’ll be given 60 seconds to read each question. Then 3 minutes to respond.
The awesome part of AAMC VITA is that there isn’t a total time limit. This means you can take breaks for as long as you want and do as many practice attempts as you like. A luxury you wouldn’t have in an in-person interview!
If you choose to take it all in one sitting, the whole process is expected to take 34-40 minutes.
I recommend taking lots of breaks and doing as many practices as you can. Use this new platform to your advantage!
IMPORTANT: Once you select “Done answering” on every question your answer will be uploaded and will not be able to access it again.
What Questions Will Be Asked?
All of the questions asked during your AAMC VITA Interview will fit into three broad categories:
Medical School Journey Questions
These questions provide the opportunity to talk about what influenced your motivation to go into medicine and the experiences that have contributed to this motivation.
A great way to prepare for these questions is to look over your personal statement. Look over your essay and identify the theme of your application. Ask yourself: What is the theme or story that my entire application is telling? Incorporate this theme in your answers while bringing up experiences you haven’t already talked about in your essay.
Sample Question from AAMC: “Why did you decide to pursue a career in medicine?”
Past Behavior Questions
These questions will ask you to bring up past experiences and analyze your actions in that scenario. Use this time to bring up your leadership ability, communication skills, cultural competence, etc.
AAMC’s purpose for asking these questions is to see if you meet the “core competencies” they believe incoming medical schools should have. You can find the AAMC core competencies here.
Sample Question from AAMC: “Describe a time when you experienced a conflict with a classmate or a coworker. What did you do? What was the outcome?”
Situational Questions
Situational questions are hypothetical questions aimed to analyze your logic, emotional intelligence, and ability to problem-solve. (These questions will also test if you meet the “core competencies.”)
Sample Question from AAMC: “Imagine you are working in a group project and one of your teammates is not doing their share of the work. What would you do?”
How to Respond to AAMC VITA Questions
The way you respond to the questions during your AAMC VITA interview will be starkly different than a normal video interview.
Unlike a normal interview, you won’t have another person on the other side of the camera leading the conversation. Your answer needs to be complete because there won’t anyone there to ask to follow up questions.
In this way, this type of interview will be closer to an MMI in contrast to a classic interview. Check out my article on medical school interviews to learn more about MMI’s and other tips to help you during this interview cycle.
That bring said, the best way to ensure you talk about everything you need to for each question is the Start Method.
The S.T.A.R. method helped both during my interviews and as a starting point when writing my personal statement.
What is the S.T.A.R. Method?
S.T.A.R stands for: Situation, Task, Action, Result
Situation:
Start your answer by talking about a specific situation you were in. What were the circumstances that led you to be there?
Example: You interned for the Alzheimers Association.
Task:
Next, talk about the task you or your team needed to complete.
Example: You were in charge of coordinating volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Walk.
Action:
After you describe the situation and task, talk about the specific actions you took to address this situation, and complete this task.
Example: You created a system for assigning volunteers for tasks and expediting event set up.
Result:
End by addressing the result of the situation. How did your actions impact this result? What did you learn?
Example: The event ran smoothly and you helped raise X amount of money for Alzheimer’s research.
For more information on the Start Method click here.
Preparing for AAMC VITA Questions
Record Yourself On Your Computer or Phone
The best way to improve your ability to be successful on interview day is to record yourself. This will allow you to get used to talking to just a screen. Then when you watch it back, you can learn how you can improve your answers.
Practice Using the S.T.A.R. Method
When recording yourself, start by using the S.T.A.R. method to answer the sample questions listed above. The S.T.A.R. method will allow you to have an organized answer that hits all the criteria that schools are looking for. As you practice, the format will become more natural and your delivery will improve.
Sign up for a Practice Interview!
Because AAMC VITA is a brand new platform, the AAMC is offering the opportunity to practice using the platform. You can register to do a practice interview here!
Read My Article on Virtual Interviews
Check out my article on virtual interviews to learn about what to wear, lighting, and best practices that will ensure success on your interview day!
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
Remember: You can manifest your own path. There’s no right way to get achieve your dream. But there is always a way!
For a more detailed description of how to prepare for your medical school interviews check out my article: “Medical School Interviews: How to Make the Right Impression” and “5 Steps To The Perfect Virtual Medical School Interview!”
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AAMC VITA: Everything You Need To Know
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