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Big Interview, an AI-powered video interview platform, is a new tool for med school interview prep and evaluation.

But can it truly enhance your application, or does it pose hidden risks?

Here’s a balanced look at the pros and cons of using Big Interview for your med school application.

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👍The Pros of Using Big Interview

1. Objective Feedback on Speaking Skills: Big Interview provides clear, measurable feedback on technical aspects like your pace of speech, vocabulary sophistication, and the presence of verbal tics. This objective data allows you to fine-tune your responses and improve key areas that might otherwise go unnoticed​.

2. Convenient and Flexible Practice: With Big Interview, you can practice answering common interview questions at your own pace and convenience. The ability to record and review your responses multiple times helps you build confidence and improve your delivery, making you better prepared for the real thing​.

3. Comprehensive Self-Evaluation Tools: The platform’s self-review feature allows you to track your progress over time. You can monitor how your responses improve across various metrics, providing a valuable way to gauge your readiness before facing a real interview​.

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👎The Cons of Using Big Interview

1. AI's Limited Nuance Detection: While Big Interview excels at measuring technical aspects, it struggles with more subjective elements like answer relevance and authenticity. The AI might not fully capture the context of your responses, potentially leading to misleading feedback​.

2. Overemphasis on Metrics: Focusing too much on optimizing AI scores could make your answers feel robotic or overly scripted. Admissions committees value genuine, relatable communication, so relying solely on AI feedback could detract from the authenticity of your responses​.

3. Generic Interview Tips: Big Interview’s advice is often geared towards general job interviews rather than the specific nuances of medical school interviews. This lack of tailored guidance could result in missed opportunities to craft responses that resonate specifically with medical school admissions panels​.

⚖️The Verdict 

Big Interview is a valuable tool for honing your technical interview skills, but it shouldn’t be your only resource. To make the most of it, complement your AI-based practice with human feedback and mock interviews tailored to the medical school context.

By striking this balance, you can enhance both the substance and style of your interview performance, giving you a competitive edge in the admissions process.

Next Steps:

• Practice regularly with Big Interview, but supplement with mock interviews conducted by a human coach.
• Focus on building your authentic voice and ensuring your responses are relevant and compelling.
• Don’t become overly reliant on AI metrics—use them as a guide, not as a definitive assessment.