First of all, I cleared the AKU interview but chose not to go to AKU for several reasons which are not important to mention. What matters is the reasoning behind my acceptance to this prestigious university that many people around the world dream to make it to. To make it to the interview, you must have a percentage above the threshold value in the AKU Test that changes almost every year. In 2012, it was 68% for Sciences (combined) and 55% for English, the former one changed to 66% in 2013. You should remember that once you make it to the interview, it doesn't matter if you have an overall percentage just above the threshold, for example 66.3%, or way above it at 80% as the final decision now rests on your interview performance and your co-curricular activities that you mention in the form you get once you pass the test. But I have seen people with above 85% marks finding it much easier to get the final acceptance than others but even then there is no assurity. Now lets move on to the actual information:
General Information
You'll have to basically give two, one on one, interviews. Each of the interviews will last from 25-45 minutes with a gap of 5 to 30 minutes in b/w. The interviews are quite general. They'll ask you about your family, your interests, your aspiration to become a doctor and so on. For such general questions you should have some answers in the back of your mind beforehand. They'll try to get you tangled in your own answers but you should follow one rule: DON'T LIE! They always catch you. One of their favourite questions is: "Have you ever cheated" Try to get a good answer to this. If they ask you something that you don't know, just tell them that you don't know. Don't hesitate. And don't start an argument that you can't properly defend. As the interview goes on, you feel really relaxed. The interviewers will actually laugh and try to make you more comfortable, but you should always keep your composure and show them that you are a professional. Another important question is that why do you want to come to AKU? This is also quite important. And if you have done community service, don't stop babbling about it. It really impresses them if you have utilized your time helping out the poor, or working in a hospital or any internship for that matter.
General questions:
Did you ever cheat in your life?
Why do you want to do Medicine?
Why do you want to come to AKU?
What books do you read? Which book are you reading currently?
Any query regarding AKU you may have?
What are you interests? Co-curricular activities? What do you do in your free time.
Do you play any sports?
My Own Experience + Advice
Its true that one of the interviews is the hard one and the other is the easy one. Usually, one will be in English and another in Urdu but it depends on the interviewers. But for me that is what the case was. This part of the guide will be in a question and answer type just as I was asked last year. I had an overall percentage of 75.85 so you can well imagine that getting accepted in AKU doesn't require a very high percentage but I did have a lot of co-curricular activities. I wore a black dress shirt and grey cotton pants without a tie.
My first interview was with a woman and this was all in English. She got me confused at one time but I made it out unscorched. At the start I was a bit hesitant and tensed but as the interview continued I got pretty relaxed. The first thing she asked me was my name and about what my father's profession and the current status of my siblings and so on. After we were done with the personal information she came to the most important question of the interview:
"Why do you want to choose medicine as a career?" My answer was pretty blunt at this as I had allready thought of the answer and I knew how she would be impressed. I'm not going to tell you my answer as everyone should have a unique thought behind this and cliched answers like "I want to help people" are just over used now. What I talked about was inspirations and so on.
Next she asked me about my interests and my co-curricular activities. As AKU has people from all over the country, she was particularly interested in activities where I had interacted with people from all over Pakistan and with those from out of the country. My answers included my internships with Shaukat Khanum and SOS along with other volunteer work. As for the national interaction I talked about my experience at competitions like NMO and NBTC. I also told her about my trip to India and other stuff. I kept talking about the stuff for at least 20 minutes. It's the habit of the interviewer to stop you midway at times and ask another question before you complete the answer.
To check my independency, she asked if I had a personal room and if I used to clean it myself. I spoke the truth and told her that I didn't and I had a maid. For the next part let me tell you that a senior advised me about how telling them that you drive a car can be representative of my independent stature but doing so was my biggest mistake. So make sure you just use this whole guide as a help and this is not a compulsory action to follow. Continuing, she asked me if I contributed in any way to the household chores. And I replied that I get the grocery and stuff by driving to the market (my biggest mistake in the two interviews). At this she caught me off guarded and replied that you are not even 18 yet according to the application form in her hand. I tried to recover to this with explanation that I have been driving with parents and just recently got the car. But she asked how I came to the hotel where the interview was being held. And speaking the truth again, I said by driving. She got all judgmental and asked if I don't respect the Pakistani law of underage driving and if it was not important to me. But somehow she managed to stop the inquisition and moved on.
This was all about the first interview, which went pretty well except the last part. This interview lasted about 35 minutes and ended with the interviewer asking me if I had some query for her. And I replied no and thanked her.
My second interview was with a guy in his fifties. I heard before the interview that this guy was the head of the interview delegation and is usually the hardest one to clear. But as the interview ended I thought it was better than my first one and probably the reason behind my acceptance. Half of this interview was in English and then suddenly he started talking in Urdu which was a break in momentum for me but to keep pace with him I also answered in Urdu. This interview was more about my knowledge and how I perceive the world. It also started with my personal information.
Now the first out of the blue question this old man asked me was "What is the difference b/w a mill and a factory?". He derived this question when I told him that my brother works in a mill. I wasn't sure about this so I told him that I don't know. Next he asked me about the health issues of our country, to which I replied the lack of proper medical institutions and hospitals and so on. He asked me about the major diseases prevalent in our country and I replied to that too. He also asked me about my interests and I talked to him about debating, dramatics and my other co-curricular activities. Then I also talked about sports etc. He asked me if I like to read and what book am I reading. And keep my pace with the truths I told him that I was reading Game of Thrones which he had no clue about. Btw, this question was asked in both interviews. They also asked me what type of music I listen too and which movies do I enjoy.
Now one part where I got a little tensed in the 2nd interview was as such:
Interviewer: Do you read the newspaper?
I: Yes sir, but only occasionally for example on Sundays.
Interviewer: Do you go through the international situations page?
I: Not much sir. I mostly read the sports section.
Interviewer: So you are saying you have no clue about the world's situation.
I: Sir, I do have a clue but not much information.
Interviewer: Tell me what is happening in Egypt these days?
I: There have been uprising in the middle eastern areas recently against the dictatorship rule.
Interviewer: But what is happening specifically in Egypt or Syria for that matter?
I: No idea, sir.
Interviewer: Okay, tell me what is KGB?
I: No idea, sir.
Interviewer: Mossad?
I: Sorry sir, I have no idea about that either.
Interviewer: You do know about CIA and ISS, right.
I: Obviously, sir. CIE and ISS are the intelligence services of USA and Pakistan, respectively. Oh wait sir, Mossad the intelligence service of Israel and KGB was the one in Russia (Thank God I remembered that).
Interviewer: Absolutely.
Then he asked me a question that I couldn't really conjure up a good answer to: "Apne 2 kaam batao jispe aap ko fakhar ho". I really didn't have an answer to that so I talked about how I helped the poor at SOS and hanged out with cancer patients in Shaukat Khanum Hospital during the internship and how I was really proud of it. But I really couldn't get a definitive answer so I just kept telling him about my internships and volunteer works. Against me expectations, this actually impressed him. He asked me if someone told me to this volunteer work. And I was like no, I just had free time and I decided to go for such stuff. Which proved that I use my time efficiently.
He then asked why I wanted to come to AKU: I told him that I want to stay away from my home and experience living independently. Then I talked about how awesome the university campus was. He asked if I visited it but I replied that this was coming only from the pictures (stupidity). Then I told him that the module and PBL system was pretty good. He asked if I knew what PBL was but I had no answer to that. So if you mention anything, make sure you have an answer to that. I talked about international university affiliations that AKU have will be of advantage to me and so on. In the end he asked what will I do if I don't make it to AKU. And I told him that I will be giving UHS MCAT and applying to other universities such as Shifa, CMH etc. He also ended the interview by asking me if I had any query or not. I replied no and he wished me luck and shook my hands and off I went. I was pretty confident after this.
This was all about my interviews in which I made several mistakes but I stuck to the truth and tried to find my way out of the problems they threw at me. As you can see I told them many times that I didn't know about something but I always had something to impress them. So you can do well if you remain calm and stick to the truth. :)
Frequently asked questions
How many interviewers are there?
There are two interviews, one after the other with the time of each interview varying from 25-45 minutes or even more. For each interview, there is only one interviewer that is one on one interview.
Should one just answer quickly to the questions or taking a few seconds to think of a response won't hurt?
The AKU interview is much like a casual one on one conversation with a stranger. The only difference is that you'll be the only one doing the talking. Think about the question and answer whatever comes in your mind. Speak the truth. If you don't know then say that you don't. Thinking a lot or too less will both be harmful. So just talk like you normally do.
Should one be all 'I want to help people when I become a doctor' or will that sound all clichéd?
Obviously it sounds cliched. But if you say this along with other stuff then it can work. What matters is the impression you make on the interviewer.
What should I wear to the interview?
Anything decent will go. You may wear a suit if you want to but as it was quite hot in June, when the interviews were held last year, I just wore a dress shirt and a cotton pant without a tie.
I will keep updating the FAQs section as the queries pour in. I hope this guide helps you as much as I intended it to. Your response will be valued and I'll try to make this better with time. :)
A guide on preparation of UHS MCAT specifically for UHS students will be coming soon.