Medical Traditional interviews vs MMI

[inGenius Prep]

Throughout the United States, medical schools use different types of interviews to evaluate their candidates. Below is a description of the different types of medical school interviews:

1. Traditional Interview: The traditional interview involves is typically one-on-one, and lasts for about 30 to 45 minutes. Depending on the school, you may be scheduled for one or two traditional interviews. In this type of interview, the interactions between you and the interviewer are typically conversational. Some schools may have set goals for each interview; for example, each interview is given a certain set of character traits to evaluate and comment on, or may have a structured interview format where interviewers are given standardized questions with sample answers. It may also be extremely informal with each individual interviewer determining the mood and structure of the interview. You may be interviewed by a faculty member, community member, current student or a practicing clinician. Each interviewer will have variable experience interviewing and their own personal interview style. You may or may not be specifically assigned certain interviewers depending on interests you expressed in your application.

• Open interview: In an open interview the interviewer has already seen your application documents and has a good sense about you and your academic background. In this type of situation you should be prepared to address anything that you have written on your AMCAS or secondary applications. When it becomes clear it is an open interview, make sure that you don’t just repeat what you have already written in your application, but rather, elaborate on your experiences or use the opportunity to update your interviewers on activities since your application.

• Closed interview: In a closed interview, your interviewer has not seen your application and knows nothing about you, except your name and the college you attended. Because of this, all your responses and the things you are going to say are new to the interviewer. It’s important to show them who you are in a clear, concise, and interesting manner.

2. Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Multiple mini interviews involve a series of 2 to 15 short interviews or scenarios where you will be given a description of the scenario to review and then a 5 to 7 minutes interaction where you discuss a topic, interact with a patient/family member or react to an issue. The interviewer will observe your responses and evaluate the way you interact with him or her. The MMI is essentially a closed-file interview, you are typically being evaluated by a standardized patient who does not know anything about you. You are assessed with an established evaluation form after the encounter. The MMI evaluates your verbal and nonverbal communication skills, critical thinking, ethical decision-making skills, and knowledge of the health care system. The rationale behind the MMI is that the more examiners/interviewers and the more samples of behavior, the more reliable the interview information. It is meant to dilute the chance of interviewer or situational biases. A candidate is not expected to have any specialized knowledge to participate effectively in the MMI. Some medical schools that have incorporated the MMI interview include NYU School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Stanford Medical School, UCLA Prime, University of California Davis School of Medicine, and University of Massachusetts Medical School among others.

When you receive an invitation for med school interview, it is important to prepare extensively as this will have a big impact in the admissions decision. If you want help from someone who used to work in a med school admissions office, contact one of the InGenius Prep admissions experts for a strategy session or mock interview.

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