Biomedical Admissions Practice Test

Answer: b - STAR stands for situation, task, action, result.

S - Explain the situation.
T - Describe the task that needed to be completed.
A - What action did you take?
R - Describe the result.

For example: “I was brought in to lead a $1.5 million project that was failing and management didn’t understand why. My task was to bring the project back on schedule. To do this, I analyzed why the project had fallen behind schedule and discovered the team was in a matrixed organization and the operational processes were taking precedence over this project. To solve the problem, I worked with functional managers to free up time for key resources. The result was that we got the project turned around and delivered on schedule. Furthermore, we won an additional $500,000 contract because the client went from being dissatisfied to very happy.”

Key Takeaway: STAR is an effective technique to deliver a cohesive narrative of what you are doing or have done Master it and you will win points in interviews and with senior managers.

Have at least 10 of these scenarios prepared. Try not to re-use any in one given day, no matter how many interviews you have. At the end, people get together and compare notes. Plus, in many cases, that perfect example you have won’t fit the question that is asked. If someone asks you about a time you managed a team through adversity, you can’t use your story about how you singlehandedly increased earnings 20 percent while saving the CEO’s grandmother from a burning house.