Skip to main content

Information About Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)

mmi 2019 studentWhat is a Multiple Mini Interview or MMI?

  • The interview format involves multiple stations (“6-10 stations”) with each room focused on a different question or scenario
  • You have 2 minutes to read a scenario and 5-8 minutes to execute

Designed to assess your communication skills (both verbal and nonverbal), teamwork skills, and other competencies. This assessment is meant to incorporate aspects regarding how you will interact with patients and colleagues or respond to different scenarios as a physician or other practitioner depending on the school or program performing the interviews in this style.

What kinds of topics are covered in the MMI?

  • Topics have a wide range and may depend on the professional school’s end goal. Some schools may focus on critical thinking skills, ask questions about current events, or incorporate role-playing.
  • How you are evaluated might not be obvious:
    • How you answer the question
    • How you emotionally react to the interviewers’ questions
    • How you consider multiple or possible answers/perspectives
    • How you respond with opinions that you disagree

How to prepare for the MMI?

  • The MMI does not test specific knowledge. The interview format is designed for you to showcase your interpersonal (communicative or interactive skills), decision-making, and critical thinking skills.
  • The best way to prepare is to practice expressing yourself articulately, logically, and realistically in a timed environment.
  • Possible interview stations:
    • Scenarios involving interactions with an actor or a medical school’s standardized patient
    • An essay writing station
    • A standard interview station
    • A teamwork station where candidates must work together to complete a task
    • An ethical scenario involving questions about social and policy implications
    • A “rest” station to help students catch their breath and relax