How to Prepare for the MMI (Multiple Mini Interview): Expert Strategies for Premedical Students

If you’re applying to medical school in the United States and Canada, you've no doubt heard of the MMI, the multiple mini interview. This is a newer interview format, and judging from discussion forums and our conversations with premedical students, it inspires a great deal of anxiety. The Multiple Mini Interview is many short, structured interview stations allowing interviewers to evaluate soft skills. It was developed by McMaster’s School of Medicine in 2001 to address the concern that traditional interviews did not predict performance in medical school or ability with patient interaction.

The Format of the MMI Circuit

The typical format of the MMI is that you rotate through a series of different “stations.“ At each station, you meet with a different interviewer who evaluates your performance. Each station is centered around a different prompt, and your goal is to respond to that prompt. The full MMI Interview may compromise of 8 to 12 “MMI Stations.” Although formats differ from school to school, one typical format is that you have 2 minutes to read the prompt and prepare, and then about 5 to 8 minutes with the interviewer. During your time with the interviewer, you'll either be responding to a question, completing a task, or role playing in a scenario. You may also get 1 or 2 “rest stations” where instead of answering a question you simply sit and relax.

MMI vs. Traditional Interview Approach

The MMI addresses several issues common in traditional interviews. In a traditional one-interviewer setting, you have one opportunity to make a good impression; if you “fumble” in one of your answers, there is no opportunity for a real “fresh start.” The MMI eliminates this, since each question you answer will be with a different interviewer. There is more than one chance to make a first impression—in fact, there are multiple. If you felt you did badly early on in the MMI with a particular question, that interviewer’s impression won’t carry on to later questions because you have different evaluators!

Major Types of Stations and Prompts

It’s really important to become familiar with the types of prompts that you might encounter on the MMI so that you won’t be surprised, shocked, or paralyzed. In general, you will encounter three main types of prompts:

• The task station: At the task station, you're basically asked to complete a task. These stations are used to help evaluate your communication skills, your teamwork abilities, and your problem-solving skills. One example is the origami challenge, where two applicants work together to create a paper crane.
• The scenario station: At this type of station, you'll begin interacting with either the interviewer directly or with an actor. Common scenarios include situations involving an angry customer or a distraught patient. This tests your interpersonal skills, poise under pressure, and your sense of empathy.
• The question station: This station might ask you to respond to ethical issues, current events, or behavioral interview questions. Interviewers are really interested in hearing your thought processes, more so than your particular stand on an issue.

Expert Strategies for Preparation

If you read the websites of multiple medical schools, some will tell you that there is no way to prepare for an MMI. We disagree. Can you prepare for the MMI? Of course. Although you won’t know the prompts in advance, and therefore won’t be able to memorize your response, you can definitely prepare using these strategies:

1. Learn the different types of prompts: Recognizing the categories ahead of time can make a big difference in your poise.
2. Practice thinking on your feet: With the MMI, its nearly impossible to predict what questions will happen, thus the answers given should be spontaneous and natural.
3. Prepare for confrontational scenarios: Mentally preparing for uncomfortable and challenging role-plays is very important so you don't become paralyzed on the actual day.
4. Review ethical issues and current events: You should become familiar with ethical issues in medicine to provide insight into your values and professionalism.
5. Focus on non-cognitive skills: Remember that the MMI is not a test of your scientific or clinical knowledge; instead, it evaluates soft skills and character.

Virtual MMI Interviews

With the onset of the pandemic, many programs have turned to conducting virtual MMI interviews. The premise is the same (read a prompt, then discuss your response), however, instead of doing this in front of an interviewer, you are in the comfort of your own home, and recording your responses with your webcam. The program conducting the interview may use a special platform to handle the timing of the MMI stations.