Medical School Interviews

Medical School Interviews and the Birth of the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)

The medical school interview is the final hurdle that you must clear prior to gaining acceptance into the school of your choice and commencing on your future career aspirations as a doctor. Yet, many individuals perform poorly at this very crucial juncture, as they are not well prepared for the challenges they face on the day of their interview. The purpose of the medical school interview is to demonstrate to the admissions committee that, (1) you are who claim to be on your application, (2) you are well prepared to meet the challenges of medical school, and (3) whether you possess the Soft Skills that make an individual an excellent physician. Soft skills refer to an individual’s Emotional Intelligence Quotient, or “EQ”. These include such characteristics as, being friendly and open-minded, being articulate, being empathetic, being compassionate, having great communication skills, being ethical and moral etc. These soft skills are different from Hard Skills that one learns during medical school training, such as performing a physical or taking a comprehensive patient history.

Traditionally, medical schools have either utilized the standard one-on-one format, or the more familiar panel format, where a group of individuals (e.g. senior medical student, medial doctor, committee member, department head, member of the public, etc.) direct questions at the candidate. However, as research has shown, the traditional interview only has a moderate predictive capacity when it comes to predicting the future performance of physicians. Thus, in 2001, McMaster’s Michael DeGroote School of Medicine began experimenting with a brand new format known as the Multiple Mini Interview or the MMI Interview, which is purported to be a much more effective tool in the admissions process (follow that link to learn more). You can also check out our medical school interview preparation program to see how we can help you prepare for your medical school interview and get into medical school.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting