How to prep for MMI interview?

[Strategy99]

Hello all,

I have an MMI interview coming up and am very unsure of how to prep. Can anyone point me in the direction of resources or tools to help me?

Also: how important is practicing with a partner? I'm looking for partners but its hard to come by.

Thanks

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[I Love Cats]

Hello all,

I have an MMI interview coming up and am very unsure of how to prep. Can anyone point me in the direction of resources or tools to help me?

Also: how important is practicing with a partner? I'm looking for partners but its hard to come by.

Thanks

I'll be the first to say that MMI's are a BS interviewing technique. If you're good at being fake and kissing butt quick you're golden. If you need time to develop perspective, a story and connect, then practice the former that you'll wish you were good at.

Prepare to be caught with awkward and controversial questions that you have 5-7 minutes to defend quickly, and to have to act with actors (the peak of the fakeness of an MMI).

Go into it knowing that the only thing you can do is be prepared to answer intense questions in short amounts of time which can lead to a lot of misunderstanding on your 9 interviewer's behalves, which can destroy your chances when they hastily report what they have a large chance of misinterpreting based on personal biases that predominate.

Ya, I'm jaded. 🙁 I've been accepted to all of my traditional interviews but rejected from my MMI's. :\

Tread lightly, be very clear so that they don't assume you're unethical or unintelligent because they couldn't keep up with your discussion and........ smile. This is a game of first impressions mixed with more luck than you realize.

Edit: Most people feel very positive about their experiences at MMI's. I definitely did, and so did the other interviewees. I wrote what I did so that you would be careful and aware of the not so obvious process dynamics.

 

[Strategy99]

I'll be the first to say that MMI's are a BS interviewing technique. If you're good at being fake and kissing butt quick you're golden. If you need time to develop perspective, a story and connect, then practice the former that you'll wish you were good at.

Prepare to be caught with awkward and controversial questions that you have 5-7 minutes to defend quickly, and to have to act with actors (the peak of the fakeness of an MMI).

Go into it knowing that the only thing you can do is be prepared to answer intense questions in short amounts of time which can lead to a lot of misunderstanding on your 9 interviewer's behalves, which can destroy your chances when they hastily report what they have a large chance of misinterpreting based on personal biases that predominate.

Ya, I'm jaded. 🙁 I've been accepted to all of my traditional interviews but rejected from my MMI's. :\

Tread lightly, be very clear so that they don't assume you're unethical or unintelligent because they couldn't keep up with your discussion and........ smile. This is a game of first impressions mixed with more luck than you realize.

Edit: Most people feel very positive about their experiences at MMI's. I definitely did, and so did the other interviewees. I wrote what I did so that you would be careful and aware of the not so obvious process dynamics.

Thanks 🙂 I do believe that was 8 minutes with an interviewer only, first impressions are going to account for a lot of my score. I know there will be biases within the interviewers, but I want to work at what I can control at this point.

How did you prepare though? I just googled some scenario's and practiced answering them out loud so far.

 

[I Love Cats]

Thanks 🙂 I do believe that was 8 minutes with an interviewer only, first impressions are going to account for a lot of my score. I know there will be biases within the interviewers, but I want to work at what I can control at this point.

How did you prepare though? I just googled some scenario's and practiced answering them out loud so far.

Prepping includes really just being aware that that you will encounter tough scenarios and knowing that first impressions are huge. You can find mock interview questions, for sure. Find ones that ask you to discuss your weaknesses and practice being humble without ruining your image. My least favorite part was the amount of self-deprication some of the MMI's wanted from me. Think about what you suck at now so that you aren't caught off guard. If you absolutely have to prep (which I did not formally do), I think being able to self-reflect on what you're less than awesome at is a good place to explore before interview day. Also, maybe think of some personal anecdotes from your life that could possibly serve a purpose on interview day so that you don't answer a question and then later realize you had an even better example to give. I'm not a fan of interview prep honestly other than knowing one's application very well. It feels insincere to me and waters down my passion upon interview day I think, but I guess we are all different.

 

[BillrothI]

Strategy -

The problem with preparing is that the MMI can be wildly different between one school and another. I prepared extensively for my first MMI by reviewing ethics questions and recording my responses. However, as soon as I started the actual MMI, I realized it was going to be nothing like I had expected.

I actually ended up enjoying it, but all the prep was no help at all. In fact, the prep kind of threw me off and made me more nervous than I might have been otherwise. Also, the one study I found related to MMI practice (courtesy of Wikipedia) indicated that training or preparation is not helpful:

Does practice make perfect? The effect of coaching and retesting on selection tests used for admission to an Australian medical school.

"Coaching made no difference to the total MMI score, even after controlling for UAI, sex and age. However, on one of the nine stations (Station 2, which assessed communication skills), the coached group had significantly lower scores than the non-coached group (P = 0.044)."

Anyway, my advice would be to try to relax and be genuine (as trite and cliched as that might sound). It may help to remember that the MMI is just one data point and it's highly unlikely that it will make or break your application.

Good luck!

-Bill

 

[I Love Cats]

Strategy -

It may help to remember that the MMI is just one data point and it's highly unlikely that it will make or break your application.
-Bill

No, it can break your application. Big time. One of my schools said that NOTHING matters once it is interview time -basically we are all at 0, and that the interview determines our fates.

I agree though, the less prep the better. I hinted at it myself. MMI's are too unpredictable. Brainstorming positive and negative anecdotes is as for as I would go for prep.

 

[pyrrion89]

One of my schools said that NOTHING matters once it is interview time -basically we are all at 0, and that the interview determines our fates.

One school is not representative of all schools

 

[I Love Cats]

One school is not representative of all schools

Hence why I said "it can." You didn't quote that part.

 

[Youknowgo]

catch up on some ethics: you can find websites with common issues and how to approach them. I found this EXTREMELY helpful

 

[BillrothI]

No, it can break your application. Big time. One of my schools said that NOTHING matters once it is interview time -basically we are all at 0, and that the interview determines our fates.

Yikes - no pressure or anything! I certainly hope that's not the norm.

My hunch is that there are a few outliers with every MMI: a handful that are preternaturally sociable and eloquent, and another small handful that are extremely shy and introverted. The former group might be able to make up some ground if they have lower stats while the latter could effectively 'torpedo' themselves. Everyone else probably falls somewhere in the middle and their fate will largely be determined by their GPA, MCAT scores, essays, etc.

Or at least that's what I would like to believe...

-Bill

 

[nemo123]

Yikes - no pressure or anything! I certainly hope that's not the norm.

My hunch is that there are a few outliers with every MMI: a handful that are preternaturally sociable and eloquent, and another small handful that are extremely shy and introverted. The former group might be able to make up some ground if they have lower stats while the latter could effectively 'torpedo' themselves. Everyone else probably falls somewhere in the middle and their fate will largely be determined by their GPA, MCAT scores, essays, etc.

Or at least that's what I would like to believe...

-Bill

From what I've read that's generally about right. Generally, at an interview, everyone is on a staircase and with the tippy top GPA and MCAT and unique EC interviewees at the top and everyone else behind them. The interview is just another piece of that puzzle. Someone who is at the top of that staircase, but gets a very unfavorable rating by most of his/her MMI stations (or interviewers if it's a schools with a traditional approach to interviewing) will move down many notches on that staircase, while someone who does the best of all the the interviewees that day will move up a few notches on the staircase. Most interviewees will stay where they are, with a couple moving up or down a notch. But I think those people who catapult themselves and beast the interview are probably a dime in a dozen.

To the OP, there have been some threads about MMI practice. I know there's a link to a good website from UW or Wash U (lol I don't remember) or something about it. Someone else might know it better than me.

 

[funknewbious]

Thanks 🙂 I do believe that was 8 minutes with an interviewer only, first impressions are going to account for a lot of my score. I know there will be biases within the interviewers, but I want to work at what I can control at this point.

How did you prepare though? I just googled some scenario's and practiced answering them out loud so far.

I've posted this website on a few MMI threads, but it really helped me prepare: http://mmiqd.wordpress.com/

I would practice a couple of scenarios every morning using the same format that schools conduct the interview (2-3 minutes reviewing the question/formulating a response and 6-8 minutes responding). It does not really matter whether or not the questions are representative to the actual interview day--the point was practicing this unique skill that I had never experienced before.

As far as anything else to prepare in advance, I agree that memorizing specific questions is futile. Ultimately, you will probably never guess even one of the scenarios that you will encounter. That said, READ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. It doesn't hurt to be constantly learning anything you can get your hands on (ethics, research, healthcare, personal interests, etc). The more material you have at your disposal, the easier it will be to make a sound judgement at each station.

Smile, introduce yourself, shake hands and thank them at every station! You'll do great 🙂

 

[Ruskithin]

Hi! I had a successful MMI experience but I was very uncertain of how to prepare for it beforehand. If I had to do it all over again, this is what I'd do....

I didn't practice any acting scenarios. But I would think the important thing would be to verbally assure the person that you hear them, you empathize with their situation, ask them what they would like/need and be observant of your surroundings etc...

If you're like me, your nervousness primarily stems from the fear that they'll ask you the one question that you don't have a good answer to. For me, that question was the " what is your biggest strength/weakness" scenario. For you, it might be a different question/questions. Attack these questions first in your prep. Make the conscious effort of writing out your responses and practice saying them out loud.

Next, I felt like I was weak on my answers for ethics-type questions. I found a fantastic website (recommended on SDN) that has many case scenarios with different topics AND how to answer these questions. This is the link: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html
I read all the cases and managed to discern specific patterns in how such questions should be answered.

Of course, it's a good idea to be familiar with the Affordable Care Act (i.e Obamacare). I found a little silly Youtube video that helped me get a basic idea of it:
Then, do some research as to how the ACA is being implemented in the State of the school you are interviewing (i.e the Supreme Court ruled that the expansion of Medicare will be decided individually by each State etc...) This will expose you to the pros and cons of ACA as it applies specifically to your State-of-interest. This will help you answer ACA-type questions. For instance, if you're asked how expanding Medicare will affect healthcare in the long-term, you'll give a more informed, personalized answer if you know whether your State even plans to expand Medicare etc.

Keep in mind that these interviewers will probably have never seen your file/ they don't know anything about you. Interject personal details in your response when appropriate. For instance, if they ask you a question about end-of-life care and you've worked as a Hospice volunteer, work that into your response. You want to be memorable.

Finally, keep in mind that some interviewers may be less engaging/responsive than others. Assume that they are doing this on purpose and are trying to see how you react under stress etc. Don't let them mess with your head.

Some people above stated that "prepping" for MMI's is pointless. But for me, the very practice of reading ethics cases/studying up on ACA/purposefully addressing my weaknesses got me into the "zone" and my confidence increased dramatically. I still had some nervous jitters but I kept reminding myself that I had prepared well and I could at least speak a little on any major topic.

Good luck!! 🙂

 

[Kinch]

I personally believe you can prep very little for MMI, even regarding ethics, I don't think they're looking for a correct answer as much as they are looking for a well reasoned, thoughtful response. I have done MMI and traditional interviews this cycle and think they both offer advantages that the other can't quite match and think a little of both would be ideal. I enjoyed MMI.

 

[cs24]

I'll be the first to say that MMI's are a BS interviewing technique. If you're good at being fake and kissing butt quick you're golden. If you need time to develop perspective, a story and connect, then practice the former that you'll wish you were good at.

Strongly disagree. First of all there is some literature supporting the use of MMI and its relevance to an applicants success in the clinical years of medical school.

In addition, I think it is harder to be fake in an MMI scenario, when you can't prep for all the typical questions that come at you in a traditional interview (tell me about yourself, biggest weakness, why medicine, why this school, etc, etc). Instead, it really shows who you are when the pressure is on and you have to think on your feet instead of focusing on putting up pretenses. Are some people worse at this? Yes, but communication skills are what is being tested for on the MMI, so that just makes it an effective test.

As an MMI interviewer, I will tell you that it is much easier to get a handle on whether or not someone is being fake in 8 long minutes than you might initially think.

That said, I am guessing your post is a little tongue in cheek and I'm sorry your MMIs didn't work out as well as you wanted them too, but I wanted to post this up as a dissenting opinion for others who may read the thread.

 

[Body Habitus]

Strongly disagree. First of all there is some literature supporting the use of MMI and its relevance to an applicants success in the clinical years of medical school.

In addition, I think it is harder to be fake in an MMI scenario, when you can't prep for all the typical questions that come at you in a traditional interview (tell me about yourself, biggest weakness, why medicine, why this school, etc, etc). Instead, it really shows who you are when the pressure is on and you have to think on your feet instead of focusing on putting up pretenses. Are some people worse at this? Yes, but communication skills are what is being tested for on the MMI, so that just makes it an effective test.

As an MMI interviewer, I will tell you that it is much easier to get a handle on whether or not someone is being fake in 8 long minutes than you might initially think.

That said, I am guessing your post is a little tongue in cheek and I'm sorry your MMIs didn't work out as well as you wanted them too, but I wanted to post this up as a dissenting opinion for others who may read the thread.

I'd consider that a toupee fallacy - you may think you're great at spotting people that are being fake because the ones that are bad at it are easy to spot. You don't know how many people are being fake and are just really good at it. What is being fake anyway? I've known people that naturally seem sort of "fake" by the way they tone their voice, but that's just how they talk. There are also probably some people that are genuinely considerate who come across as kissing butt in an interview for seeming fake.

Secondly, is it really surprising that a interview strategy which seems tuned to accept people who can make good impressions in a short amount of time selects for applicants that do well in the clinical years - which has a lot to do with making good impressions on residents and attendings?

 

[repititionition]

Secondly, is it really surprising that a interview strategy which seems tuned to accept people who can make good impressions in a short amount of time selects for applicants that do well in the clinical years - which has a lot to do with making good impressions on residents and attendings?

Or less cynically interpreted, an interview strategy that measures one's ability to create genuine rapport with people in high-stakes situations with little time to "practice" or rehearse the scenarios? (e.g. the human element of practicing medicine)

I liked MMI's because I enjoy talking about issues of consequence.

I liked traditional interviews because it gave me an opportunity to highlight what I believe to be the positive elements of my application, background, and personality.

That said, though; I very much prefer having 8 data points in the interview portion of my admissions rubric than two (or in some cases one!).

Schools that are implementing this methodology carefully are analyzing scores in a well-controlled statistical fashion (Cincinnati, specifically, is very upfront about how they crunch these numbers) and not just taking raw scores, adding them up, and using that as a "go/no-go".

 

[Hippokr8is]

This may also seem cliche but the best advice I can give from my experience with MMI is as Socrates once said "know thyself."

Know your application, your values, and experiences that have shaped who you are today. Many of my questions drew on previous experiences I had. You must use examples from your past and situations you've dealt with in order to compare and contrast it with the scenario you are given. Most of mine were ethical, but not your traditional abortion/euthanasia etc.

Think of times you were in a conflict and how you dealt with it. Being able to have these times in my head added to my arsenal when quickly answering questions.

 

[whatever5]

I think MMIs are actually a really great tool for assessing clinical skills. If you are very shy and introverted, cannot communicate clearly and effectively, and think 10 minutes is too short a time to be properly assessed, then I have very bad news for you - being a physician will be a very difficult job for you, regardless of whether or not you are the smartest person in the world. In many specialties, the doctor does not see their patient for a huge chunk of time so I can definitely see why the MMI is being favored over the traditional interview. I just had my first MMI this past friday, and while I don't think I was stellar by any means, I definitely feel as if I knew more about my own strengths and weaknesses much better than I did following a traditional interview.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I'm not a fan of MMI and the surveys afterwards that ask if you like MMI seem to be constructed in such a way that MMI will always get a favorable rating. If they straightforwardly ask "would you prefer MMI, a panel or 1 on 1 interview," I would place MMI at the bottom, but what I like and prefer does not matter 😛

 

[cs24]

I'd consider that a toupee fallacy - you may think you're great at spotting people that are being fake because the ones that are bad at it are easy to spot. You don't know how many people are being fake and are just really good at it. What is being fake anyway? I've known people that naturally seem sort of "fake" by the way they tone their voice, but that's just how they talk. There are also probably some people that are genuinely considerate who come across as kissing butt in an interview for seeming fake.

Secondly, is it really surprising that a interview strategy which seems tuned to accept people who can make good impressions in a short amount of time selects for applicants that do well in the clinical years - which has a lot to do with making good impressions on residents and attendings?

So because there is no perfect tool to be able to assess whether or not someone is being fake, how is the traditional interview better than the MMI at detecting this? No one is saying the MMI is a perfect tool, but I think it is one of the better ones. In my last post I discussed why I thought it was actually more difficult to avoid being fake in an MMI, but I am assuming you feel differently. Why?

I think repitionition addressed your second point as well as I could as far as patient-provider interactions. As far as provider-provider interactions between team members, which I think is what you were alluding to as being a crucial element to succeeding in the clinical years, the MMI is once again looking at how good you are at 1. communicating and 2. respecting and understanding other perspectives which are very important to being a good team member and are assessed more effectively in an MMI than a traditional interview, IMO. When I am doing an MMI, an unstated question in the back of my head is always going to be, would I want to work with you as a classmate and colleague? This has a lot less to do with what I would consider a first impression (walking in comfortably, good handshake/eye contact/introduction and opening discussion) and more to do with what I see later in an interview (how do you reason/apply logic, how do you respond to dissenting opinions or new information, are you condescending, etc).

 

[Kinch]

I think MMIs are actually a really great tool for assessing clinical skills. If you are very shy and introverted, cannot communicate clearly and effectively, and think 10 minutes is too short a time to be properly assessed, then I have very bad news for you - being a physician will be a very difficult job for you, regardless of whether or not you are the smartest person in the world. In many specialties, the doctor does not see their patient for a huge chunk of time so I can definitely see why the MMI is being favored over the traditional interview. I just had my first MMI this past friday, and while I don't think I was stellar by any means, I definitely feel as if I knew more about my own strengths and weaknesses much better than I did following a traditional interview.

agreed.

 

[midnight0il]

I hated my two MMIs. There's no real way to prepare for it. You just have to go in with an open mind and know how to take cues quickly enough because I found that my interviewers would sort of hint at the answer that they were looking for with leading questions.

Regarding its effectiveness, I won't argue one way or another, but I have to say that it really favors those who have a lot of speaking stamina and are able to change topics rapidly. This is where experience with speech and debate comes in handy. Whether that's a determinant of a good doctor is questionable. (I always thought the point of medical school was to teach you those softer skills.)

 

[Espadaleader]

You can "prepare" for MMI. Well kinda. Watch this video.



Rest assured they are like the video more or less.

Make up some questions.... A resident is bullying you what would you do, your boss calls you an ***hole what would you do. Answer them.

MMI is not a regular interview. It truly is conversational. Be dynamic and flexible. You can never truly prepare so you WILL not be polished and poised as a regular interview. Thats alright. Every question always comes down to respecting the other.

If you were on debate team, or if you're a good public speaker, or if you can just go to the bar and talk to people MMI is a cakewalk. If you're naturally introverted if will be more difficult.

 

[BillrothI]

When I am doing an MMI, an unstated question in the back of my head is always going to be, would I want to work with you as a classmate and colleague? This has a lot less to do with what I would consider a first impression (walking in comfortably, good handshake/eye contact/introduction and opening discussion) and more to do with what I see later in an interview (how do you reason/apply logic, how do you respond to dissenting opinions or new information, are you condescending, etc).

cs24 -

How would you rate the performance of the applicant in the video? I approached the MMI very differently; I certainly couldn't pontificate on any ethical scenario for more than a minute or two. Do you prefer someone who's more succinct or is it better to be thorough?

Thanks.

-Bill

 

[ZtetNb]

MMI is not a regular interview. It truly is conversational. Be dynamic and flexible. You can never truly prepare so you WILL not be polished and poised as a regular interview. Thats alright. Every question always comes down to respecting the other.

I strongly disagree. I've done MMIs in Canada (including Calgary, where that video is from), so can't comment on the US, but in my experience MMIs are just about as far from conversational as you could get.

The rules evaluators were given were some variation of the following:
-They cannot give you feedback (an extreme being once where they were told not to even show any facial expressions)
-They cannot deviate from the prescribed questions given to them
-They must go through the prescribed questions in order

The evaluator's behaviour in the video is generally accurate I'd say. In practice, it was the equivalent of me giving a series of monologues, like I was dealing with a computer, and not at all what I'd consider interactive.

 

[funknewbious]

I strongly disagree. I'd done MMIs in Canada (including Calgary, where that video is from), so can't comment on the US, but in my experience MMIs are just about as far from conversational as you could get.

The rules evaluators were given were some variation of the following:
-They cannot give you feedback (an extreme being once where they were told not to even show any facial expressions)
-They cannot deviate from the prescribed questions given to them
-They must go through the prescribed questions in order

The evaluators behaviour in the video is generally accurate I'd say. In practice, it was the equivalent of me giving a series of monologues, like I was dealing with a computer, and not at all what I'd consider interactive.

My experience couldn't be more polarized from this. It was much more conversational and for the most part (6 out of the 8 interviewers) I was able to gauge the strength of my answer by their body language. There were standardized questions that are vetted for objective evaluation, but by no means were the interviewers reading off a script...at least as far as I could tell.

 

[ZtetNb]

My experience couldn't be more polarized from this. It was much more conversational and for the most part (6 out of the 8 interviewers) I was able to gauge the strength of my answer by their body language. There were standardized questions that are vetted for objective evaluation, but by no means were the interviewers reading off a script...at least as far as I could tell.

As with more traditional interviews, the style can likely differ greatly by school. At one school though, they actually told us beforehand that those were basically the instructions given to the interviewers, and to different degrees I found the interviewers to act that way at other MMIs as well.

 

[midnight0il]

I've had variation from school to school and from interviewer to interviewer. Some were more interactive than others, and then there were certainly some robots. Even the pacing of the stations differed between the two schools I've MMI at. At one school, there were generally about a 1-2 minute break for the interviews to finish their evaluations before the bell went off for the next prompt to begin, which made it all less hurried. At another school, when the bell went off to exit the interviewer room, the two-minute prompt reading time began immediately at the next station. Overall, I believe that MMI is significantly more stressful than a normal interview.

 

[funniful]

I strongly disagree. I've done MMIs in Canada (including Calgary, where that video is from), so can't comment on the US, but in my experience MMIs are just about as far from conversational as you could get.

The rules evaluators were given were some variation of the following:
-They cannot give you feedback (an extreme being once where they were told not to even show any facial expressions)
-They cannot deviate from the prescribed questions given to them
-They must go through the prescribed questions in order

The evaluator's behaviour in the video is generally accurate I'd say. In practice, it was the equivalent of me giving a series of monologues, like I was dealing with a computer, and not at all what I'd consider interactive.

My experiences have definitely been a lot closer to this where my raters are stone-faced and often look disinterested in what I'm saying which throw me off as I try to re-engage their interest.

Googling scenarios helped me a lot and becoming comfortable with current healthcare policies, reform and events. I tried to expand my general knowledge base about specific ethical questions and patient case scenarios by reading the Perspective section in the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of American Medical Association. Talking with practicing physicians helps a lot too to see their viewpoints and thoughts about various topics.

Making sure you're thoughtful and open-minded about a lot of these scenarios is important and try to consider all the various factors that may go into your decision-making process.

 

[Strategy99]

I am having trouble with formulating my responses under pressure :/ Is there any way to improve this other than simply practicing?

I am trying to devise a formula in approaching my answer:
1) Restating the problem
2) Discussing the issue from all perspectives
3) Coming to a conclusion / Solutions
4) Discussing the advantages/disadv of those solutions


Does this seem logical?

 

[Corningstone]

I am having trouble with formulating my responses under pressure :/ Is there any way to improve this other than simply practicing?

I am trying to devise a formula in approaching my answer:
1) Restating the problem
2) Discussing the issue from all perspectives
3) Coming to a conclusion / Solutions
4) Discussing the advantages/disadv of those solutions


Does this seem logical?

That sounds fine. I had my roommates ask me a bunch of random questions and I tried to answer them as concisely as possible. Practice with a timer. I got into a habit of forming my answers in points, so during that 1-2 minute of reading/thinking about the question, in my head I thought about 3 points and backed them up with examples. Sticking to talking points helped me organize my answers. Also remember that MMIs are also designed to be conversational, so the interviewers are ready with many follow up questions. I found myself expanding on my answers with these questions. Aside from preparing with my roommates, I reread my entire application (including my secondary) and reviewed the school's mission/specific programs the night before. Definitely prepare answers for traditional questions too (why medicine, why this school, etc), as they are likely questions in any type of interview. This sounds super cheesy but seriously BE YOURSELF.. you've made it so far and all you have to do is just nail the interview! Good luck!!

 

[cs24]

cs24 -

How would you rate the performance of the applicant in the video? I approached the MMI very differently; I certainly couldn't pontificate on any ethical scenario for more than a minute or two. Do you prefer someone who's more succinct or is it better to be thorough?

Thanks.

-Bill

I watched about the first half, and I definitely prefer someone who is more succinct. She does a lot of repeating herself and takes several minutes to take a stand either way on the issue. However this is likely variable from rater to rater and school to school so I wouldn't stress about your personal approach to the questions and would focus more on the things I mentioned in previous posts in this thread.

 

[Pacna]

(I didn't read all the replies, so sorry if this is a repeat)

I've always been told not to practice for MMI's specifically, and I did just that with the best possible results. I loved the MMI.

Practice for the big ticket issues (why do you want to be a doctor, etc) that you practice for all interviews, but I would advise against practicing for an MMI.

Just one tip: if it's not expressly forbidden in your scenario, it's permitted. 😉

 

[Captain Sisko]

Personally i was not a fan. I did Cincinnati's mmi and was actually turned off to the school because of it. Why? Because I place a lot of weight on the people with whom I interact in making the decision of where I'd like to go.

At Cincinnati, maybe because of their instructions, my interviewers came off as cold, unfeeling people. One interviewer, presumably a student, was downright combative. I left with the distinct impression that this was not the place for me. Aside from that, there was no room for questions from the applicant, and I wasn't at all asked why medicine, or why Cincinnati. It didn't seem like a process that would build a cohesive class that wants to be there as a first choice.

I ended up getting accepted, though I'm in state with strong enough numbers and ec's to think i didn't need anything more than a qb sneak to punch into the endzone. I have been accepted elsewhere and will decline the offer.

 

[cs24]

Personally i was not a fan. I did Cincinnati's mmi and was actually turned off to the school because of it. Why? Because I place a lot of weight on the people with whom I interact in making the decision of where I'd like to go.

At Cincinnati, maybe because of their instructions, my interviewers came off as cold, unfeeling people. One interviewer, presumably a student, was downright combative. I left with the distinct impression that this was not the place for me. Aside from that, there was no room for questions from the applicant, and I wasn't at all asked why medicine, or why Cincinnati. It didn't seem like a process that would build a cohesive class that wants to be there as a first choice.

I ended up getting accepted, though I'm in state with strong enough numbers and ec's to think i didn't need anything more than a qb sneak to punch into the endzone. I have been accepted elsewhere and will decline the offer.

Sorry you had a bad experience with us. It is true that the MMI doesn't leave much room for you to ask questions as an applicant, and the interviewers are fairly random, sounds like you got a bad group (at least for you). Hopefully there were other opportunities on interview day for you to ask some questions, and should you decide to hold onto your acceptance there is always second look. Remember that not all interviewers are students, and that the ones you interact with are not necessarily representative of the whole class.

That said, if you really feel like you were a bad fit, I'm not trying to convince you to come. I'm sure you will enjoy and do well at whatever school you choose to attend. Go to the place that is best for you. This response is more for the thread as a whole. It might seem like the MMI lacks some elements to building a cohesive class, but I must say that I have been quite impressed with how happy our class is to be at Cincinnati and how well all of the students get along, despite not asking things like "why Cincinnati" in the interview process. I'm sure this applies to the other schools that use the MMI as well.

 

[Strategy99]

Another issue I had is how much to say: I have a hard time filling up 8 minutes without repeating myself / saying some BS. Any advice there?

 

[EMDO2018]

You can "prepare" for MMI. Well kinda. Watch this video.



Rest assured they are like the video more or less.

Make up some questions.... A resident is bullying you what would you do, your boss calls you an ***hole what would you do. Answer them.

MMI is not a regular interview. It truly is conversational. Be dynamic and flexible. You can never truly prepare so you WILL not be polished and poised as a regular interview. Thats alright. Every question always comes down to respecting the other.

If you were on debate team, or if you're a good public speaker, or if you can just go to the bar and talk to people MMI is a cakewalk. If you're naturally introverted if will be more difficult.

Why do people hate introverts so much! I interviewed at 3 Jobs and all of then wanted extroverts. Its like the world wants to make sure we are unemployed.

 

[funknewbious]

Another issue I had is how much to say: I have a hard time filling up 8 minutes without repeating myself / saying some BS. Any advice there?

During one of my stations, my interviewer and I ran out of things to talk about so I politely thanked her, shook her hand and left with extra time remaining. Even though I felt very strong about how I answered her questions, I found myself starting to reuse idioms and phrases. I figured the better choice was to leave on a good note--it just felt like the right thing to do.

FWIW, I got accepted so even if this was counted against me, it couldn't have hurt too much.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Why do people hate introverts so much! I interviewed at 3 Jobs and all of then wanted extroverts. Its like the world wants to make sure we are unemployed.

No one hates introverts. I'm introverted and have been accepted 8 times out of 9 post-interview decisions. Being introverted does not equate to being antisocial. The way it was explained to me is that introverts find working with others draining, and recharge by themselves. Extroverts the opposite. I'd say there's a need for both in medicine, and as much as mmi sucks it doesn't favor extroverts much more than a normal interview panel interview, or a group interview, is a different story.

 

[milkandcereal]

Just one tip: if it's not expressly forbidden in your scenario, it's permitted. 😉

👍This is actually really good advice. When confronted with potentially tricky scenarios, you can get out in front of them by making up certain details that can potentially simplify the problem at hand.

 

[cs24]

I am having trouble with formulating my responses under pressure :/ Is there any way to improve this other than simply practicing?

I am trying to devise a formula in approaching my answer:
1) Restating the problem
2) Discussing the issue from all perspectives
3) Coming to a conclusion / Solutions
4) Discussing the advantages/disadv of those solutions


Does this seem logical?

Probably depends on the school as usual, but at some schools we want you to pick a side and outline your reasoning as to why you picked said side, so waiting until step 3 to offer your opinion/solution would leave a negative impression.

 

[cs24]

Another issue I had is how much to say: I have a hard time filling up 8 minutes without repeating myself / saying some BS. Any advice there?

Stop talking when you have said your piece. Let the interviewer ask you follow up questions and have the conversation flow from there. It is part of my job as the interviewer to keep the conversation going and make sure we touch on areas that I want to see your response to. It is worse if you just start rambling and repeat yourself; I start to get bored and you don't add anything to what you said already. That definitely hurts your rating.

 

[nemo123]

Here's the link I've been talking about: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/

 

[DubZteR]

Hello all,

I have an MMI interview coming up and am very unsure of how to prep. Can anyone point me in the direction of resources or tools to help me?

Also: how important is practicing with a partner? I'm looking for partners but its hard to come by.

Thanks

I would suggest searching for sample scenarios on the internet but be wary of the answers provided as there are lots of good scenarios with "bad" answers floating around. Many people (even some school websites like Duke) will say that there isn't a "wrong" answer for the MMIs but keep in mind there are for every answer. Take for example a group work conflict scenario where you decide to confront the individual directly right away at first. That would be a "wrong" answer but no one is going to tell you that. It definitely helps to practice with people!

If you're looking for a book to help you develop a framework for the MMIs, google or search on Amazon, Multiple Mini Interview for the Mind by Dr. Kevyn To.

 

[DubZteR]

Here's the link I've been talking about: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/

this is a good resource for a review but keep in mind the MMIs don't test you on your knowledge about ethics.

 

[Pastamahn]

I would suggest searching for sample scenarios on the internet but be wary of the answers provided as there are lots of good scenarios with "bad" answers floating around. Many people (even some school websites like Duke) will say that there isn't a "wrong" answer for the MMIs but keep in mind there are for every answer. Take for example a group work conflict scenario where you decide to confront the individual directly right away at first. That would be a "wrong" answer but no one is going to tell you that. It definitely helps to practice with people!

If you're looking for a book to help you develop a framework for the MMIs, google or search on Amazon, Multiple Mini Interview for the Mind by Dr. Kevyn To.

Sorry for the necrobump, but I'm currently preparing a bit for an MMI coming up and was wondering why the bolded would be considered a "wrong answer"?

 

[Bleh!]

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