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Many schools these days are switching from traditional to multiple mini interviews (MMIs). We do this, of course, to torture you, and also so we can make more jokes at your expense on Facebook.
No, actually, that's what we use your secondary essays for. The MMI is intended to do several other things:
So without further ado, let's dive into the MMI!
Format of the MMI
Upon arriving at the medical school, interviewers convene in a conference room for briefing and to receive our prompts for the day. We familiarize ourselves with our prompts and the suggested follow-up questions; we can also write follow-up questions of our own as long as they conform to certain guidelines.
When we're ready, medical school office staff direct us to the sim center rooms where we’ll conduct interviews. One interviewer is assigned to each room. In some schools, one of the rooms may have two interviewers as two applicants will be given an exercise to perform together.
At a predetermined time, applicants are brought to the sim center. They're placed outside the rooms, one applicant per interviewer. Office staff give the applicants their instructions and allow a moment for questions, then the interviews begin.
Each door has a folder containing a prompt, and at the sound of a chime the applicants are instructed to read it and prepare. After a couple minutes, another chime sounds and the applicants are instructed to enter the room. Applicants then have several minutes to strut their stuff in front of the interviewer, and we have several minutes to torment them. (It's the same several minutes. You have to multitask.) At the end of the time, a chime rings, and the applicants are instructed to leave the room and rotate. Rinse and repeat.
Interviewers are instructed to score applicants based on several criteria. The criteria are less "Was the answer right?" and more "Did the applicant recognize both sides of this issue? Did they express themselves clearly? Did they show depth of cognition and reasoning?" and so forth. We're trained for our scores to form a bell curve – we give lots of midrange scores, while scores at the extremes are rare. Scores at either extreme require us to provide justifying comments; midrange scores don't require any comment unless we believe something is particularly important for the admissions committee to consider. Each interviewee's final score is the average of the individual scores.
Preparing for the MMI
While the MMI is intended to keep you on your toes, there are some things you can do to prepare.
Tips for Interview Day
I'll wrap up with some tips and observations.
I'll update this from time to time if I think of additional tips or tricks. Happy interviewing!
Love,
HomeSkool
No, actually, that's what we use your secondary essays for. The MMI is intended to do several other things:
- Force you to think on your feet
- Limit the utility of pre-prepared, canned answers
- Decrease interview variability by asking all interviewees the same questions
- Mitigate bias by pooling impressions from multiple interviewers
- Allow interviewers to see a broader range of your academic and non-academic qualities
So without further ado, let's dive into the MMI!
Format of the MMI
Upon arriving at the medical school, interviewers convene in a conference room for briefing and to receive our prompts for the day. We familiarize ourselves with our prompts and the suggested follow-up questions; we can also write follow-up questions of our own as long as they conform to certain guidelines.
When we're ready, medical school office staff direct us to the sim center rooms where we’ll conduct interviews. One interviewer is assigned to each room. In some schools, one of the rooms may have two interviewers as two applicants will be given an exercise to perform together.
At a predetermined time, applicants are brought to the sim center. They're placed outside the rooms, one applicant per interviewer. Office staff give the applicants their instructions and allow a moment for questions, then the interviews begin.
Each door has a folder containing a prompt, and at the sound of a chime the applicants are instructed to read it and prepare. After a couple minutes, another chime sounds and the applicants are instructed to enter the room. Applicants then have several minutes to strut their stuff in front of the interviewer, and we have several minutes to torment them. (It's the same several minutes. You have to multitask.) At the end of the time, a chime rings, and the applicants are instructed to leave the room and rotate. Rinse and repeat.
Interviewers are instructed to score applicants based on several criteria. The criteria are less "Was the answer right?" and more "Did the applicant recognize both sides of this issue? Did they express themselves clearly? Did they show depth of cognition and reasoning?" and so forth. We're trained for our scores to form a bell curve – we give lots of midrange scores, while scores at the extremes are rare. Scores at either extreme require us to provide justifying comments; midrange scores don't require any comment unless we believe something is particularly important for the admissions committee to consider. Each interviewee's final score is the average of the individual scores.
Preparing for the MMI
While the MMI is intended to keep you on your toes, there are some things you can do to prepare.
- Find and review practice questions. You can find many sample MMI questions on the interwebs (LMGTFY). Familiarize yourself with many of them and start to notice the question trends. In general, questions fall into one of four categories: current issues in healthcare and society, critical thinking, communication, and ethics. Chances are good that the questions you receive are variations of the ones you can find online.
- Practice, simulating test conditions. In preparing for my anesthesiology oral board exam, one of the most useful things I did was Skype/FaceTime with friends and administer practice exams to one another. Doing so helped us become familiar with the format and develop confidence in our skills. We began to think more quickly, apply our knowledge more rationally, and express ourselves more clearly. Practicing with a friend will help you do the same.
- Improve your vocabulary. Impressive interviewees express mature, reasonable thoughts eloquently and succinctly.
- Research the school's format. Schools vary in the duration of preparation and interview time, as well as whether they allow the use of note cards. Use the SDN boards to familiarize yourself with the practices of the school at which you'll interview.
Tips for Interview Day
I'll wrap up with some tips and observations.
- Shaking hands with your interviewer is your choice. If you want to, do it. If you don’t, don’t. We're not judging you on that (seriously). At my school, we're instructed to shake hands only if the applicant offers his/her hand first. Men: it's OK to offer your hand to a female interviewer for a handshake. These are well-educated, high-functioning, powerful women. They won't be intimidated.
- Use your words well. Your answers should be succinct while still answering the question clearly.
- There's usually no "right" answer, even for ethical scenarios. Think about it: would a black-and-white scenario be of any use in a medical school admissions interview? And yet, applicants often think these scenarios have just one answer. If it were that easy, there would be no debate and no point in us asking the question. Think deeply about these questions. Try to see the gray areas and the legitimacy of differing viewpoints.
- There most certainly are wrong answers. If I ask you what outdoor activity you most enjoy, you better not say "I don’t like outdoorsy stuff" and sit there staring at me. Think more deeply about it and say, "I don't have much experience with outdoorsy things, but I've always enjoyed watching competitive cow tipping" or something. You've only got a few minutes to impress me. Use them well.
- Don't be judgmental. If you get a prompt about how you’d handle a patient who's non-adherent to their medication regimen, don't lead off with "Man, patients can be so stupid sometimes!" Is stupidity the only reason someone might be non-adherent? If you come off as judgmental, you'll get judged right off our candidate list.
- A little silence is OK. If you need a couple seconds to think after a follow-up question, that's fine. Collect your thoughts, then hit me with your answer. But remember that the clock is still ticking, so think quickly. This is where practice can help you.
- Don't BS me. I'm a smart guy. I can tell when you're feeding me an answer because you think it's what I want to hear.
- Turn off your dang phone! I don't want your Taylor Swift ringtone to distract me right when I'm coming up with a loaded follow-up question.
- Relax. We know it's a stressful day. Just take a deep breath and talk like the normal, intelligent person that you are.
I'll update this from time to time if I think of additional tips or tricks. Happy interviewing!
Love,
HomeSkool
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