150+ Free Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Interview Practice Questions

Practice with a curated mix of questions specifically built for the VP&S interview

Why practice here?

Comprehensive and proportionate coverage of all major question types (personal, situational, policy, etc.)
Policy and ethical questions based on New York and USA healthcare topics
Questions aligned to AAMC premed competencies
Program-specific questions based on the VP&S curriculum, mission, and values
StudentStudentStudentStudentStudent

Join thousands of pre-health students

No credit card required

Sample Questions

The following examples are taken from the VP&S question bank.

Personal (Fit)

Tell me about yourself.

AAMC Premed Competencies
Oral CommunicationService Orientation
Personal (Fit)

Why medicine?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Oral CommunicationService Orientation
Personal (Program)

Why Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Oral CommunicationService Orientation
Personal (Program)

What aspects of Columbia's mission to advance knowledge and serve humanity through patient care, research, and education most appeal to you?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Service OrientationCapacity for Improvement
Opinion (Ethics)

Should New York medical schools be required to prioritize admission of students who commit to practicing in underserved areas of the state, even if it means accepting candidates with lower test scores?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Ethical Responsibility and IntegrityService Orientation
Opinion (Policy)

Should medical school be tuition-free in the US?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Critical ThinkingService OrientationSocial Competence
Situational (Non-acting)

What would you do if a patient refuses a blood transfusion due to religious beliefs?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Cultural CompetenceEthical Responsibility and IntegrityEmpathy and Compassion
Personal (Fit)

What challenges do you anticipate in medical school?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Resilience and AdaptabilityCapacity for Improvement
Personal (Behavioral)

Tell me about a time you failed.

AAMC Premed Competencies
Resilience and AdaptabilityCapacity for Improvement
Personal (Program)

How does Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons curriculum structure with its emphasis on early clinical exposure align with your learning preferences?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Capacity for ImprovementLiving Systems
Opinion (Ethics)

How should New York address the ethical implications of AI integration in medical practice when physicians increasingly rely on diagnostic algorithms that may not be trained on diverse patient populations?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Critical ThinkingEthical Responsibility and Integrity
Opinion (Policy)

Should foreign-trained medical faculty who completed clinical rotations in the US but never took NAVLE exams be granted pathway exceptions to practice in New York given the state's physician shortage?

AAMC Premed Competencies
Critical ThinkingEthical Responsibility and Integrity

Continue for free

Sign up to unlock all 150+ practice questions

or

Free forever • No credit card required

VP&S Interview Prep Guide

Not ready to start practicing yet? Start by learning more about the VP&S interview. Learn about the interview format, common question types, what the admissions committee is looking for, and how to stand out.

Read the Full Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about VP&S practice questions

How many questions are in the question bank?
VP&S contains 150+ curated interview questions specifically selected to help you prepare. Questions cover all major types including fit, behavioral situational, ethical, policy, and quirky questions.
How do you come up with the questions?
Our questions are created by reviewing a wide range of information on real interview practices and identifying the themes emphasized across different formats and programs. We combine common recurring ideas into representative prompts and generate realistic scenarios based on common patterns. All questions are therefore either representative of commonly asked questions or original questions inspired by common themes. For school-specific banks, we develop original questions using publicly available information - such as curriculum focus, school values, and local policy considerations - to ensure each set is relevant. All questions are uniquely generated and are not copied or reproduced from any external source.
Can I practice with the AI interviewer?
Free accounts get one complimentary AI interview session with personalized feedback. Premium members get unlimited AI interviews with adaptive follow-up questions and detailed performance analysis.
How do I track my progress?
Once you create a free account, you can track which questions you've practiced, review your recordings, and monitor your preparation progress over time. You'll see visual indicators on question cards showing what you've already practiced.

Ready to Start Practicing?

Signup now for free to access all VP&S questions and get one complimentary AI interview with personalized feedback.