Hey Maryam, let's practice. 💪
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Describe your personality.
What are the best and worst things that have ever happened to you?
Which family member has influenced your life the most and why?
What is your relationship with your family like?
Who has been the most influential person in your life?
What experiences have helped shape you as a person?
What is the biggest misconception people have about you?
What is something interesting about yourself that I wouldn't know from reading your application?
What is a fun fact about you?
What was the best experience of your life?
What was your lowest moment?
What is your proudest moment?
What makes you angry?
What would be the most hurtful thing someone could ever say to you?
Who is your support system?
What is one principle you learned in a non-science class that completely changed how you think?
What is your favorite class and why?
What are the last three books you read?
What was your favorite trip you've ever taken?
If you could be any fictional character — from any book, movie, or show — who would you be and why?
What would you bring to a potluck?
Tell a joke.
If you get in your car after a stressful day, what song would you want to play on the radio?
What do your parents do?
Are your parents supportive of your pursuit to be a PA?
What are the 3 worst things about you?
What is one thing you would change about yourself, and why?
Pick 3 adjectives that describe you and explain why — one must be negative.
What is your preferred way of learning?
How do you think your role as a PA fits in with your role as a member of the community?
What aspect of diversity can you bring to the entering class?
What motivates you?
What is your ultimate life goal?
What is your greatest disappointment, and what have you learned from it?
What experiences have you had that lead you to believe you would be a good clinician? What insights did you gain from them?
Robert Collier stated: "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." What does this quote mean to you and how does it shape your approach to life?
What is your favorite quote, and what does it mean to you?
What do you do for hobbies and in your spare time?
Tell me about yourself.
Suppose you are given the chance to write your past self a letter. What would you tell yourself?
Tell me about your greatest regret. What was it, and what would you do differently?
If you could instantly learn any skill to have proficiency as if you've had 5,000 hours of practice, what would it be and why?
What does 'integrity' mean to you?
Tell me about a time you demonstrated adaptability.
What specialty or patient population would you most like to work with as a PA?
Describe how you maintain a healthy work-life balance, especially during stressful periods.
How do you envision impacting the healthcare system as a PA?
If you could do anything differently in your preparation for PA school, what would it be?
Where do you plan to practice after graduating?
Describe an experience where you felt misjudged. How did you respond?
Would you stop to help a stranger after witnessing an accident? Walk me through your thinking.
What causes your greatest frustrations in life?
Describe the most unusual event in your life.
Who is your role model, and why?
What do you believe your greatest challenge will be if accepted into this program?
How would your professors describe you?
When was the last time you showed sensitivity to someone else's needs?
How would your closest friends describe you?
Your 5-year-old niece asks why the sky is blue. How would you explain it using a simple experiment?
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." — Socrates. What does this quote mean to you?
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Lord Byron stated, "Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine." How does this philosophy connect to the kind of clinician you want to be?
Hippocrates stated, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." What does this mean to you in the context of modern healthcare?
If you had to either fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck, which would you choose and why?
What is your favorite movie, and what does your choice say about you?
What is the best state of matter — solid, liquid, or gas — and why?
What genre of music is the best, and how do you make that argument?
If you could make one change as president, what would it be?
What is the difference between sympathy and empathy? Which is more important in clinical practice?
A genie grants you three wishes. What would they be?
"The first task of the doctor is political: the struggle against disease must begin with a war against bad government." — Michel Foucault. What are your thoughts on this?
Why don't you want to be a physician or a nurse? What specifically drew you to the PA role?
When did your interest in becoming a PA first arise?
What experiences have confirmed your decision to pursue PA?
Why are you drawn to medicine and patient care?
What qualities make for an excellent PA?
What qualities do you possess that will make you a strong PA?
What have you done to test and affirm your choice to become a PA?
Describe your shadowing experience. What did you observe and take away from it?
What aspects of practicing as a PA do you think you will like least?
If a patient said, "You're really good — you should be a doctor," how would you respond?
Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years?
Where do you see yourself professionally in 10 years?
What are your short and long-term goals as a PA?
What are you most afraid of encountering in medicine?
Why does the healthcare system need PAs?
Why do you think so many people are drawn to careers in healthcare?
What activities in your life demonstrate a commitment to service?
What types of volunteer or community work have you participated in?
Have you been involved in research? If so, what did that experience teach you?
What do you think is the number one challenge facing PAs today?
How would you explain the PA profession to someone who has never heard of it?
Can you describe the history of the PA profession and why it was created?
What is the difference between a PA and an NP? Between a PA and an MD?
Why do you want to be a PA?
How familiar are you with national or state regulations governing PA practice?
How have you specifically prepared yourself to be a competitive PA school applicant?
Why this PA program specifically? What drew you to it?
What kinds of stress do you anticipate in the PA profession, and how will you manage them?
If you could pass one law to improve the PA profession, what would it be?
What parts of becoming a PA do you most look forward to?
Describe the day of a surgical PA compared with a primary care PA.
Who do you believe is the most important person on the healthcare team, and why?
If someone asked you why you didn't just go to medical school, how would you respond?
What are three characteristics you believe every great clinician must have?
If you were rejected from every PA program you applied to, what would your next steps be?
What do you believe is the most important responsibility of a PA?
What do you think will be the most difficult or discouraging aspect of practicing medicine?
How do you envision balancing clinical work and research in your future career?
This program uses a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. Describe how you have set and achieved independent learning goals in the past.
What is the single most important quality a PA must cultivate, and why?
If you discovered you could not pursue medicine, what career would you choose instead?
Convince me that you can handle the workload of PA school.
Where do you see the future of medicine heading?
How does a PA fit into the modern healthcare model?
What is managed care, and how has it affected physicians and PAs?
What is the most important factor in the PA–physician supervisory relationship?
What does it mean to be a dependent practitioner?
What are your thoughts on improving healthcare access for disadvantaged or underserved populations?
Would you be willing to practice in a rural or inner-city community? What challenges would that present?
What changes would you make to the current healthcare system?
There is ongoing discussion about the PA profession moving to a doctoral degree. How do you feel about this, and what effect might it have?
How do you expect PAs' roles and responsibilities to evolve over the next decade?
Are there current laws or regulations that you believe negatively impact the PA profession?
Is healthcare a right or a privilege? Defend your position.
Suppose a treatment you learned in school is now outdated, but a patient insists on it. How do you handle that?
Pediatric associations have recommended against routine circumcision, yet many physicians still perform them for cultural or religious reasons. What ethical problems does this create?
A biotech firm hired by the military develops a treatment for Ebola. Discuss the global health implications of this.
Is it ethical for healthcare workers to strike? Under what conditions, if any?
What are your views on stem cell research using fetal tissue?
How would you counsel a patient interested in acupuncture or chiropractic care?
Under what circumstances, if any, is it appropriate to participate in assisted dying?
A town's health collective advises parents not to vaccinate their children. What are the positive and negative implications of this stance?
As a healthcare policy maker, what factors would you weigh when deciding whether to approve a novel, controversial therapy?
Nursing workload is a growing crisis. How does it impact patient care, and what policy changes might help?
Research suggests patients trust health advice more from clinicians who model healthy behaviors. Do healthcare professionals have a duty to be role models?
You are the director of a financially struggling hospital. A tobacco company offers full funding in exchange for advertising rights. What do you do?
Some PA and medical programs prefer applicants from certain geographic regions. What are your views on this as a selection policy?
What are the pros and cons of pharmaceutical companies having a financial role in medical education?
What issues would you consider when evaluating a policy requiring all employers to offer paid parental leave?
Should a physician be able to overrule a family's wishes if continued treatment is medically futile? Discuss.
Physicians are encouraged to report elderly patients with unsafe driving. How do you balance this with patient confidentiality?
What is your stance on universal basic income and its relationship to population health?
Should there be an age at which drivers are required to stop driving? Who should make that call?
Do clinicians have an obligation to report patients with active, highly contagious infectious diseases to public health agencies?
During a pandemic, the government wants to implement mass tracking of citizens for public safety. How would you advise them to approach this?
Which country do you believe has the strongest healthcare system, and what can the U.S. learn from it?
What would a comprehensive strategy for reducing chronic homelessness look like from a public health perspective?
What are the key strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. healthcare system compared to others?
What role do social determinants of health play in clinical practice?
What strategies would you recommend to meaningfully reduce healthcare costs without reducing quality of care?
Do physicians and PAs have the right to deny care to patients on Medicaid?
What are your views on alternative and complementary medicine as a whole?
What is your position on mandatory vaccination in public schools?
What are the top three issues currently facing the U.S. healthcare system?
What is the difference between an HMO and a PPO? How does each affect patient care?
A viral online message claims aspartame causes multiple sclerosis and lupus. Critique this claim — what would you investigate before accepting or rejecting it?
As hospital director, what policies would you implement to reduce the hospital's environmental footprint without compromising patient care?
Some argue that PA programs should preferentially admit students who commit to serving rural communities post-graduation. Would this be effective? Is it ethical?
Should medicine focus more on prevention and behavior change, or on treating existing disease? Can it do both effectively?
Discuss the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana, including its impact on clinical practice and prescription policy.
If the President asked you to name one change that would most improve the U.S. healthcare system, what would you say?
Health misinformation on social media has contributed significantly to vaccine hesitancy. What policy-level strategies would you recommend to address this?
What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, and which populations do they serve?
How does the U.S. healthcare system compare to those of Canada and the UK?
Pick one of the following and discuss it in depth: the human genome project, AIDS policy, abortion access, the right to die, or genetic engineering.
What is the most pressing healthcare issue to you personally right now, and why?
Should physicians or PAs play a formal role in regulating high-contact or combat sports?
What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, and how does each affect access to PA services?
Do you prefer working collaboratively or independently? Give an example of each.
If you witnessed a colleague stealing medications, what would you do?
How do you approach working with difficult people?
Describe a time you disagreed with someone and how you handled it.
Describe a situation where you disagreed with someone in a position of authority over you. What did you do?
Give an example of a time you acted with integrity in a team setting.
How do you want to be perceived by your colleagues and coworkers?
Tell me about a time you had to work closely with someone very different from you.
Describe a time you experienced conflict with a coworker and how you resolved it.
Tell me about a time you made a promise and struggled to keep it.
Is respect something that is earned or inherently given? Defend your view.
Tell me about a time you took on a leadership role and it didn't go as planned.
Have you ever cheated — on an exam, a relationship, or in any other context? How did you handle it?
If a team member made a prejudiced comment in your presence, what would you do?
Has there been a time you wanted to break a rule in a work or clinical environment? What did you do?
Describe a time you were placed in a genuine ethical dilemma. What was it and how did you navigate it?
A patient expected to see a physician but is now seeing you — and the physician is away. How do you handle that conversation?
You are a student and a surgeon asks you to close an incision while they step out. What do you do?
As an extern, you believe your supervising physician has chosen the wrong treatment approach. What do you do?
How would you handle a persistently noncompliant patient?
Walk me through how you would deliver very bad news to a patient.
How have you supported and helped classmates or teammates in a high-stakes academic environment?
Tell me about a time you had a plan but were overruled by the group or a supervisor. How did you respond?
You are in a study group and one member is rushing through material in a way that's impeding your learning. How do you handle this?
Describe a time you had to make a difficult judgment call under pressure.
Describe a complex project you were part of. What was your role, and what would you do differently?
What role do you typically play in group settings? How do you handle group conflict?
Tell me about a time you had to think critically under pressure.
A student is deciding between two universities. Walk me through how you would help them think through that decision.
A 14-year-old requests birth control and asks you not to tell her parents. What do you do?
A family member decides to rely solely on alternative medicine for a serious illness. How do you respond?
You must choose who receives a transplant: a successful elderly community leader or a 20-year-old with a substance use disorder. How do you decide?
An 18-year-old woman arrives in a coma from blood loss. A nurse finds a signed card refusing transfusions on religious grounds. What do you do?
Your grandfather wants a risky surgery that could save his life; your mother is against it. As a grandchild and future clinician, how do you navigate this?
As a genetic counselor, testing reveals the child's biological father is not the man the mother is married to. How do you handle disclosing these results?
A woman refused surgery for a life-threatening condition over cosmetic concerns. Surgeons operated without consent. She survived but is suing. Was the physician's action justified?
A child is brought in with bruises from a traditional cultural healing practice. When, if ever, should a clinician intervene to stop a cultural practice?
A woman with Down syndrome is pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Her family wants her to have an abortion. What is the clinician's role?
A 12-year-old with terminal illness asks about his prognosis. His parents have asked you not to tell him. What do you do?
A couple requests sex selection of their embryo through IVF. What do you advise?
A physician enters a sexual relationship with a patient who initiated contact. Is this ever ethically acceptable?
A physician went on vacation without arranging coverage. A patient collapsed while waiting for his return. Is the physician responsible?
A 40-year-old patient with schizophrenia needs surgery and says they understand the risks. The surgeon believes they can give consent. Can they?
A physician bypassed an ambulance and transported an accident victim in his car. The patient is now quadriplegic. Is the physician liable?
A man with alcohol dependency is repeatedly drinking the hand sanitizer in your hospital. How do you respond?
An 18-year-old with suspected bacterial meningitis refuses treatment and returns to his university dormitory. What should the physician do?
You are a senior health official during a pandemic. When the vaccine becomes available, you have first access. Do you take it, or give it to someone else?
You are a researcher close to a vaccine breakthrough. The government orders you to stop all work and destroy your materials. What do you do?
A patient requests syringes at a pharmacy without a prescription and has no documented medical need. Do you sell them?
A physician recommends homeopathic remedies to patients for mild symptoms, even though he doesn't personally believe they work. What ethical issues does this raise?
An ER patient has hit his monthly painkiller limit. He threatens to use heroin if you don't prescribe more. What do you say?
A 16-year-old patient you've been treating for burn injuries discloses parental abuse but begs you to stay silent. What do you do?
A client begins searching for you on social media and attempts to connect personally. How do you handle this, and what if it continues?
An elderly client with neurodegenerative disease has a history of financial exploitation by her family, who now want decision-making authority. How do you approach this?
A neighbor's child has severely decayed teeth but the mother still hasn't found care despite your help. What do you do next?
You are working alone when an elderly, visibly intoxicated man comes in, stumbling and confused. What do you do?
An earthquake traps you in a building. You have a suspected fracture and can hear someone calling for help. How do you respond?
A terminal cancer patient asks about unvalidated alternative treatments available overseas. How do you approach that conversation?
You notice severe bruises on your neighbor's child while they're playing with your son. How do you approach the father?
Male colleagues make offensive comments about a female coworker in the break room. What do you do — both in the moment and if it happens again?
A classmate emails your study group copies of last year's papers for the same major assignment. What do you do?
Two patients need the same donor heart. One is a single parent of three; the other is an Olympic athlete. Who gets the transplant and why?
You discover a graduate student is sleeping in your research facility because she can't afford rent. Overnight stays violate safety policy. How do you address this?
An articling student accidentally destroyed key evidence that would have exonerated a wrongfully accused person. What do you do?
Your friend's cat needs emergency vet care costing $1,500 that she can't cover. She's asking you for help. What do you say?
A 15-year-old patient requests medical marijuana and asks you not to involve her parents. What do you do?
Your next surgery patient needs a heart transplant but has a past conviction for child abuse. What do you do?
A patient urgently needs expensive diagnostic scans but refuses them because she has no insurance. How do you proceed?
A patient on life-support has no written DNR, but her best friend insists her wish was not to be kept alive by machines. How do you handle this?
A patient's family complains to your supervisor about your bedside manner and requests a different provider. How do you respond?
An estranged cousin who has reportedly fallen into a bad crowd reaches out asking for money. What do you do?
A classmate posts on social media about feeling profoundly alone, and a recent post shows hunting gear with the caption 'Finally in control again.' What do you do?
A man in ragged clothing enters the ER claiming his pain medication has run out. He shows an empty bottle with the label scratched off. What do you do?
A surgeon you rotate with is verbally abusive to patients, nurses, and you. Your evaluation is in one week. What do you do?
An 80-year-old terminally ill patient calls to tell you he's about to take a lethal dose of pills, and thanks you for being a great provider. What do you do?
A patient in the emergency room insists on leaving against medical advice. How do you handle this?
A colleague asks you to help conceal a medical error they made from the patient. How do you respond?
Two patients arrive after a serious accident. Both will die without immediate attention and you can only treat one. One is 20, one is 60. What do you do?
A 14-year-old who identifies as gay and is sexually active presents with an STI and asks to be tested for HIV again. How do you approach this visit?
During a routine exam of a 10-year-old girl, you find clinical signs of ongoing physical and sexual abuse. Her parents are in the waiting room. What do you do?
How would you talk to a child who needs an amputation?
How would you tell a patient with a new cancer diagnosis that they have only weeks to live?
Your friend's 16-year-old daughter is determined to get a tattoo, causing serious conflict at home. What advice would you give?
As shift supervisor, three complaints come in about undercooked meat. The culprit turns out to be the franchise owner's daughter. How do you handle it?
A friend admits she hit her toddler during a tantrum and is distressed about it. How do you respond?
A surgeon refuses to see a patient again after suspecting ongoing drug abuse, leaving in the middle of treatment. What issues does this raise?
Your close friends undergoing IVF ask your advice on selecting embryo characteristics. How do you respond?
A patient with dementia clearly wants the flu vaccine like his peers. His wife, as his decision-maker, refuses on anti-vaccine grounds. What do you do?
You start working at a clinic where the staff double-books indigenous patients, reasoning they "never show up anyway." How do you handle this?
A close friend has been skipping classes and smells of alcohol. You run into him on campus. What do you do?
You recognize an upcoming tenant as someone with a history of relapse from a halfway house where you volunteer. He may have been dishonest on his rental application. Do you tell your landlord?
Junior high students verbally abused a bus monitor in a video that went viral. They received suspension and community service. Was the punishment appropriate?
What are your thoughts on the rising rates of obesity? What role can medicine and policy play?
Describe a time you went against the guidance of a superior — a parent, professor, or employer. What happened?
A survey found that nearly 75% of students admitted to some form of academic cheating. What structural changes would you recommend to address this?
A man is hospitalized after a head injury that could have been prevented if he'd worn a helmet. Should he bear any financial responsibility for his care?
Acting Station: You are a family physician. Your patient missed an important exam and wants a doctor's note claiming illness — but you find no symptoms. Enter the room and talk to him.
Acting Station: A fellow medical student frequently arrives to rounds hungover or smelling of alcohol. You see him alone in the lunchroom. What do you say?
Acting Station: A pre-med friend hasn't come to class in days. He says you can come over. Enter the room and talk to him.
Acting Station: You're a cardiologist finishing a shift when a patient in the waiting room grabs you claiming chest pain. You have your child's graduation in 20 minutes. Enter and talk to her.
Acting Station: Your best friend calls to tell you she drove home drunk from a party last night. You go to see her. Enter the room and talk to her.
Acting Station: Your colleague needs to attend a critical meeting with you but has severe fear of flying since a trauma. You're at her door. Enter and talk to Sara.
Acting Station: You backed into a colleague's car in the garage and damaged it. The garage attendant has called ahead. Enter Tim's office and address the situation.
Acting Station: Your best friend has been rejected from medical school for the third time. She asked you over to talk about her future. Enter and speak with her.
Acting Station: Two team members tell you they refuse to continue group sessions until a third member addresses his strong body odor. That member is waiting inside. Talk to him.
Acting Station: You are the Dean of Admissions. A mother is furious that her son — with a 4.0 GPA and 98th percentile MCAT — was rejected. She demands to see all applicant files. Talk to her.
Acting Station: A student cheated on the final exam. If they fail, they fail the course. You are their teacher. Go into the room and address the situation.
Acting Station: A person asks to use the bathroom key at your gas station and you suspect they may be using drugs. Enter and talk to them.
Acting Station: You're an attending and suspect a medical student lied about completing a physical exam they were assigned. Confront the student.
Acting Station: A customer attempts to return a clearly used item at your retail store — with no box and no receipt. Enter and talk to them.
Acting Station: You are a medical student and your patient — a heavy smoker — believes smoking is harmless. Your attending wants you to counsel them to cut back. Enter and talk to the patient.
How would you convince us you will finish the program if admitted?
If there is only one spot left, why should it go to you?
What questions do you have for us?
Walk me through how you got here — your path to applying to PA school.
What would make you a truly memorable member of your cohort?
Have you applied to other PA programs? How did you choose which ones?
What are the three most important things you look for when evaluating a PA program?
What were the names of the interviewers you met earlier today?
Did you take time off between undergrad and PA school? If so, why — and what did you do with that time?
What is the biggest adversity you have had to overcome?
To what extent have you challenged yourself academically? Give a specific example.
Why do you think this program is a good fit for you — and you for it?
How will you manage the stress of this profession?
Make the case for why this PA program should choose you.
If you could go back and completely change your study habits, what would you do differently?
How do you handle failure?
Describe a time you deliberately stepped outside your comfort zone.
Tell me about a significant rejection you experienced. What did you do with it?
Describe a moment in your life that required genuine resilience.
Tell me about a time you deeply disappointed yourself and what you did next.
If you are not admitted this cycle, what will you do?
Is there a low grade or academic weakness in your record? Walk me through what happened.
What do you consider the weakest part of your application?
Do you feel prepared for the step up in rigor from undergraduate to graduate-level study?
What specific contributions will you make to this program and your classmates?
What has been your most reliable support system during your hardest academic stretches?
How do you manage your time when juggling multiple high-priority responsibilities?
How do you plan to prevent or address burnout and compassion fatigue over the course of your career?
Describe how your study habits and learning approach have evolved since your first year of undergrad.
Describe a situation where you went well above and beyond what was expected of you.
What was the hardest course you ever took, and how did you handle it?
Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower? Give an example to support your answer.
Describe the most stressful academic or professional situation you have ever been in and how you managed it.
Your supervisor instructs you to do something you believe is wrong. What do you do?
Burnout is widespread in healthcare. What specific strategies do you use to protect your mental health and sustain your motivation?
It is often said that clinicians in training inevitably contribute to patient harm through mistakes. How would you process and move forward from that?
Tell me about a difficult decision you made and now regret. How did you deal with the consequences?
What is the most important way a healthcare professional should present themselves to patients?
What healthcare issue is particularly relevant to the region where this program is located, and how would you address it as a PA?
Writing Station: In a class of 78 students, 41 take French and 22 take German. Of those taking French or German, 9 take both. How many students take neither?