Ho Pak-leung reveals interview questions for medicine program

As six of the eight top scorers eye medicine programs in Hong Kong, microbiologist Ho Pak-leung, one of the examiners, revealed the types of questions they would be asked in the interview.  

This year, eight students from different schools around Hong Kong have achieved top marks in the HKDSE, including four “super top scorers,” which means they achieved an additional 5** in the Maths Extended (M1/M2) exam.   

Six of them said they wanted to stay in Hong Kong to study medicine after experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping to contribute to the community with their efforts.   

Ho said he was delighted that many of the students were determined to study medicine. He revealed on a radio program on Wednesday morning that he would conduct interviews with medical applicants.  

He said he would not ask too many questions of an informative nature. Instead, he hoped that students could analyze some controversial medical incidents or policies, including those widely reported and mandatory vaccination laws in various countries, to show their abilities in analyzing events from multiple perspectives.  

He also said he believed that most of the students who choose to study medicine will be able to cope with the course and graduate successfully, so they do not need to be too nervous and worried.  

Kristy Chow Hoi-tung from Heep Yunn School said she was overjoyed when receiving her results, adding that she wants to study at the Medical School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She felt that Hong Kong’s medical system was under immense pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic and hoped to do her part and contribute to society.   

Like Chow, super top scorer Calvin Tse Shing-chun from Queen Elizabeth School and top scorer Mak Ho-pong from Queen’s College also said they would like to study medicine at CUHK, hoping to get themselves into the university’s Global Physician-Leadership Stream medicine program.   

Mak said it was the serious shortage of medical staff in Hong Kong during the pandemic that drove him determined to study medicine.  

The medicine program at the University of Hong Kong attracted Pui Ching Middle School’s super top scorer Jerone Chiu, who said she was attracted to human biology after attending her biology classes at school.  

Meanwhile, top scorers Kam Chung-hin from King’s College and Cheung Yan-shek from La Salle College would also like to study medicine but are yet to decide which university they would apply to.