A fellow medical student is showing clear signs of burnout but is afraid to seek help due to the stigma surrounding mental health in medicine. How would you support your peer?

Where answers to this question lose points

Our scorer marks every answer on three parts. For each of the 62 applicants who finished this question on Confetto, we took their first scored answer and counted the part that scored lowest.

• Structure: a clear order and a clear point27 of 62

Confetto data as of November 8, 2026. A part is shown only when 20 or more applicants share it. Answers where two parts tied are not counted toward either. We never show anyone's answers or details.

What this question tests

• Communication
• Professionalism
• Empathy

How to structure your answer

1. Ask questions (25 seconds). The answer opens with concern grounded in the demands of medical school, then proposes asking the classmate privately about observed stress. It does not explicitly ask what support they need or what they fear about seeking help, which would make the opening more exploratory.
2. Who is affected (20 seconds). The answer does not explicitly address patients first or discuss how burnout might affect patient care. It focuses on the classmate's wellbeing and isolation, then recognizes the emotional impact on the student offering support and the need to protect their own mental health.
3. The conflict (20 seconds). The conflict is between encouraging a struggling classmate to seek support and respecting their autonomy when stigma makes them reluctant. The answer also identifies a tension within medical culture, where expectations of strength can discourage students from caring for themselves.
4. Options (40 seconds). The answer offers private, nonjudgmental listening, encouragement to use counseling resources, and practical help researching services or attending an appointment. Listening alone may leave professional needs unmet, while encouraging counseling requires sensitivity to their reluctance. Continued availability also takes emotional energy from the supporting student.
5. Choose (30 seconds). The answer chooses a gentle, direct conversation followed by listening, validation, and encouragement toward professional support. Its main reason is to help the classmate feel less alone and recognize that seeking help reflects humanity and professional responsibility, not weakness or unsuitability for medicine.
6. What next (20 seconds). The proposed next steps are to help research support options, offer company at an initial appointment, and check in regularly without forcing the classmate's timeline. The answer also commits to protecting the supporting student's mental health, but does not specify when senior involvement might become necessary.

Example answer from Confetto

Example answer from Confetto. Not a real applicant's answer.

My immediate thought would be genuine concern for my classmate's wellbeing, because I know how demanding medical school can be and how easy it is to feel like you're drowning while everyone else seems to be managing perfectly. I've seen this pattern before - we're taught to be strong for our patients, but that same mentality can prevent us from taking care of ourselves.

I would start by creating a safe, private space for conversation. I'd approach my classmate directly but gently, perhaps saying something like "I've noticed you seem really stressed lately, and I'm worried about you. Can we talk?" I think it's important to be specific about what I've observed rather than making general statements, so they know someone is actually paying attention and cares.

My primary goal would be listening without judgment and validating their feelings. I'd share that struggling doesn't make someone weak or unsuitable for medicine - it makes them human. I'd probably mention that many successful physicians have dealt with similar challenges, because normalizing these experiences helps reduce that internal stigma they're carrying.

I would gently encourage them to consider speaking with a counselor or using our school's mental health resources, emphasizing that seeking help is actually a professional skill we need to develop. I'd offer to help research options or even accompany them to an initial appointment if they'd find that supportive.

However, I'd also respect their autonomy and timeline. I can't force someone to seek help, but I can be consistently available and check in regularly. I'd also take care of my own mental health throughout this process, because supporting someone through burnout can be emotionally taxing.

What matters most to me is that my classmate knows they're not alone and that their wellbeing is more important than maintaining any facade of having everything together.

Use it for its structure. Interviewers can tell a memorized script, so tell your own story.

Keep going

• You are a specialist at a local hospital. You have just finished your shift and are rushing to your daughter's high school graduation. On your way out, Erica, a patient who knows you well, calls to you from the waiting room: "Doctor! I have bad chest pain. Please stay for a bit. I'll feel much better if you're here." Enter the room and talk to Erica.
• You witness two girls hitting a homeless woman and taking items that belong to her. The victim’s nose is bleeding. You approach her after the incident. She tells you that she is fine and that the same girls have done this before. She promises it is no big deal and not to worry about her. What do you do?
• You are a 3rd year medical student doing hospital rotations. A fellow medical student who is doing rounds with you often shows up to these sessions tired, messy, hungover, or even drunk. One day you found him in the lunchroom unaccompanied, so you decided to talk to him. Please enter the lunchroom.
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