The Most Unpredictable Residency Interview Questions (And How to Nail Them)

The Funniest Residency Interview Questions

Residency interviews are supposed to be professional, serious, and a test of your medical knowledge and personality. You prepare for months, practice your answers, and walk in expecting questions about your clinical skills, research experience, and future career goals.

But then, out of nowhere, an attending looks you dead in the eye and asks:
"If you were a vegetable, which one would you be and why?"

Wait… what?

Residency interviews are a strange mix of academic grilling, personality assessments, and unexpected psychological experiments. Some programs like to test your ability to think on your feet—which results in some truly bizarre, hilarious, and downright confusing interview questions.

Here are some of the funniest, most ridiculous, and most unexpected residency interview questions ever asked (along with the best possible ways to answer them).

1. "If you were a drug, what would your mechanism of action be?"

• What they’re actually asking: They want to test your creativity and see how well you understand pharmacology.
• How to answer:
  • Safe answer: "I’d be an SSRI—reliable, effective, and making the world a little better one day at a time."
  • Funny answer: "I’d be ketamine—because I’m fast-acting, unpredictable, and people don’t really understand how I work."
  • Risky answer: "I’d be a beta-blocker—I prevent stress, but in high doses, I could make things worse."

2. "Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?"

• What they’re actually asking: They want to see your problem-solving skills and ability to think critically under pressure.
• How to answer:
  • Logical approach: "100 duck-sized horses. Small problems are easier to manage than one giant disaster."
  • Chaos answer: "One horse-sized duck. Ducks already scare me, so might as well go all in."
  • Medical twist: "Depends—what’s the horse-sized duck’s cardiac output?"

3. "Teach me something in 60 seconds."

• What they’re actually asking: Can you explain complex concepts in a concise, engaging way?
• How to answer:
  • Medical answer: "How to quickly recognize shock on an exam: if they’re hypotensive, tachycardic, and confused—start fluids first, ask questions later."
  • Random answer: "How to fold a fitted sheet. Just kidding—it’s impossible."
  • Funny answer: "How to survive residency: Caffeine, nap when you can, and never be the first person to answer 'any volunteers?'"

4. "If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?"

• What they’re actually asking: Do you have interesting taste in role models?
• How to answer:
  • Safe answer: "Hippocrates—I’d love to ask what he thinks about modern medicine."
  • Funny answer: "Florence Nightingale—I need to know how she actually survived night shifts without coffee."
  • Unexpected answer: "Dr. House—not a real person, but I have questions."

5. "What would you do if you found out your co-resident was stealing sandwiches from the break room fridge?"

• What they’re actually asking: Do you handle conflicts calmly, professionally, and with humor?
• How to answer:
  • Diplomatic: "I’d casually bring up the missing sandwiches and see if they admit it."
  • Funny: "I’d start leaving notes saying, ‘We know what you did.’"
  • Extreme: "I’d hide a fake spider in a sandwich and wait."

6. "Sell me this pen."

• What they’re actually asking: Can you think on your feet and make anything sound important?
• How to answer:
  • Straightforward: "This isn’t just a pen—it’s a tool for saving lives when signing medical orders."
  • Dramatic: "This pen has signed more prescriptions than you can count. It’s witnessed medical miracles and breakthroughs. It is legendary."
  • Sarcastic: "I can’t sell you this pen, but I can sell you the idea of never needing one—just use the EHR."

7. "If you had to pick one song as the soundtrack to your residency, what would it be?"

• What they’re actually asking: Are you self-aware about how difficult residency is going to be?
• How to answer:
  • Honest answer: "‘Eye of the Tiger’—because I’m about to enter survival mode."
  • Dark humor answer: "‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees."
  • Realistic answer: "‘Under Pressure’ by Queen."

8. "Describe yourself using only medical terminology."

• What they’re actually asking: Can you be creative under pressure?
• How to answer:
  • Safe answer: "I’m like a well-maintained homeostasis—adaptive, responsive, and always striving for balance."
  • Funny answer: "I’m a beta-agonist—fast-acting, high-energy, and sometimes causes side effects."
  • Brutally honest answer: "I’m like an undiagnosed arrhythmia—functioning, but sometimes unpredictable."

9. "If you could eliminate one disease forever, which one would it be?"

• What they’re actually asking: Do you understand global health priorities?
• How to answer:
  • Safe answer: "Cancer—it’s devastating, widespread, and affects millions."
  • Funny answer: "Resident burnout. It’s a real condition, and I’d like to find a cure."
  • Personal answer: "A disease I’ve seen impact my own family—because medicine is personal."

10. "Tell me a joke. Medical or non-medical."

• What they’re actually asking: Do you have a sense of humor under stress?
• How to answer:
  • Safe answer: "Why did the doctor bring a red pen? In case they needed to draw blood."
  • Dark humor answer: "The hospital cafeteria's ‘chicken’ is the greatest medical mystery of all time."
  • Sarcastic answer: "Residency work hours. That’s the joke."

Final Thoughts
Residency interviews can be stressful, intense, and unpredictable—but they also come with moments of unexpected comedy.

Programs want to see if you can think on your feet, handle weird situations, and keep your sense of humor.

What’s the funniest question YOU were asked in a residency interview? Drop it in the comments!