Prepping for MMI

[Kelilah]

Hello, all.

I have an MMI interview next week, and I am having a tough time motivating myself to prepare for it. I know others have recommended reading about medical ethics or watching videos on Youtube. My question is this - is it necessary to spend time researching the school's curriculum and coming up with specific reasons I'd like to attend? Do questions of that nature ever come up during interview days for schools that have MMI?

Thanks in advance, guys!

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[AspiringERMD]

Hello, all.

I have an MMI interview next week, and I am having a tough time motivating myself to prepare for it. I know others have recommended reading about medical ethics or watching videos on Youtube. My question is this - is it necessary to spend time researching the school's curriculum and coming up with specific reasons I'd like to attend? Do questions of that nature ever come up during interview days for schools that have MMI?

Thanks in advance, guys!

I'm not totally sure, but it's probably something that would be advantageous to know regardless of whether or not you're explicitly asked about it.

 

[TheLionheart]

Depends on the school. Some schools will have 'traditional' questions like you mentioned as stations, others won't. Otherwise, if you're quick on your feet, coherent, and reasonably social you'll be able to handle any MMI station.

 

[Itisneverlupus]

I agree with both AspiringERMD and TheLionheart.

My additional $.02: in one MMI, I was explicitly asked "Why this school?" MMIs have a variety of scenarios and questions, sometimes big ethical topics, sometimes small.

Sometimes they'll ask you to perform a task, or talk to someone, or create a video game or movie.

I'm being vague, of course, but these are very similar to the MMI questions I've had at various schools.

Overall, very hard to prepare for them. The basics include having an understanding of how to look at a topic comprehensively, or how to really listen to other sides or opinions.

Often, they just want to see how you handle stress, how you reason, and how comfortably you interact with someone you've just met after two minutes of reading a prompt.

It's somewhat analogous to reading a patient's chart in the ED or clinic and digesting the whole "why are they presenting here" in 30 seconds, with limited info, before going in and getting a history/exam.

 

[hoihaie]

Read this site extensively:
http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/toc.html

 

[deleted641469]

I was asked "why this school" directly at multiple MMIs. You should at least have 3 or 4 go-to "talking points" about what you like about the school anytime you're walking into any type of interview day. Researching will also help you come up with good questions to ask, which is important in not only making you look interested but in actually helping you learn about the school.

 

[Louis C.K.]

I agree with all of this above statements. Unfortunately, I don't really think there is much you can do to prepare for an MMI. Many of the prompts I personally had were ethical in nature, and often not even related to medicine. You're either going to be good at it or not, a lot of it has to do with the way you naturally interact with people and "think on your feet." Just be yourself and be able to back up your arguments with conviction. I don't believe they are looking for a "right answer," I think they just want you to clearly communicate your answer and be able to support it. Also, be prepared for the interviewer to challenge your answers. I had one guy who was pretty aggressive with me, but I think they are also trying to assess how you react to certain situations. At my MMI, many of the other applicants I spoke with felt like they didn't do well or were uncomfortable in at least one or two of the stations. There were also several applicants I spoke with that felt they "bombed it" - they looked very disheartened after the MMI and you could see it in their face. I felt it was more intense than standard medical school interviews, especially when you first start, but after you "settle in" and get going I felt like it was actually kind of fun! Good luck, and try not to stress about it too much.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Agree with the other posts. Read up on bioethics and medical ethics as much as you can. Also, try to end answering ethical questions by tying it back to the qualities a doctor should have; you want to make sure you show your interviewer you understand the basic code of morals for a physician. A good way to practice would be have a friend ask you random scenarios that you then respond to. In the MMI, you have 2 minutes of prep time (which goes awfully fast) followed by 8 minutes with the interviewer. The MMI really comes down to seeing what kind of person you are and how you respond to new situations and challenges. In the end relax, and it can actually be kind of fun.

 

[AliciaAccepted]

For those of you still preparing for an MMI, there are a few ways you can approach it to ensure that you have a successful experience!

1. Practice using your active listening skills

• Repeating info back to the person you are listening to can help you confirm that you understand what they're saying
• Ask questions to collect more information

2. Play games

• Play games with friends and family before your interview date--draw, build, and create
• Evaluate the success of each project and how you could improve your strategy the next time

3. Review your AMCAS application and the school website

• The best way to prepare for traditional interview questions is to be able to answer any questions about your background or why you want to attend the school where you are interviewing

For more information about the MMI, please see this blog post. Or you are welcome to participate in a free live webinar on how to ace the MMI, link to registration attached here.

I wish you all the best of luck!