Interviews

How to get started with your MMI Interview Prep

What are MMIs?

Multiple Mini Interviews (or MMI interviews) are the interview style most commonly used by medical and dental schools. They are said to be more objective and give you a better chance of success as you essentially get to start over on each new station giving you more opportunities to impress your interviewers. They differ from the more traditional panel interviews in a few ways which will change the way you prepare and it is essential to get used to this style of interview prior to your interview date. 

What is the structure of an MMI?

In an MMI your interview will be split into different stations – this can be anywhere from 4 to 10 stations – which will be between 5 – 8 minutes long. Some MMIs will give you time to prepare before each station although not all do. Each station will ask you a different question, or sometimes multiple questions, which each relate to a different skill or experience. Commonly these are tested through roleplays, ethical dilemmas, data interpretation as well as the more straightforward question format you may know from a traditional interview. 

Online vs in-person MMIs

Some universities have continued to interview online. Online MMIs are very similar to in person MMIs so there is nothing special that you need to prepare for in an online MMI vs in-person, although it is good to consider factors such as stable Wi-Fi connections before your interview.

Why are MMIs challenging?

There are multiple different answers to this but especially when starting out you may find it very difficult to talk for 5-8 minutes about one or even multiple questions. As there are not usually any follow up questions in an MMI you are expected to fill the time with a comprehensive and structured answer addressing all parts of the question which can be very tricky. However, this is something you can address through practice and thorough feedback. 

The other common difficulty students face when preparing for an MMI is the number of topics they can be questioned on. It can be difficult trying to prepare for every eventuality which is why it is important to start your preparation as early as possible and keep good notes you can review the night before your interview. 

What do I do first in my MMI preparation? 

There are a few different things you can do: 

1. The easiest place to start is with your own experiences and skills as you are guaranteed to be asked about these. It is good practice to keep notes on these as you go along but if you do not have these yet then it is never too late to start. Ensure you focus on reflection in your notes and answers. This means to consider what you learnt from your experience as well as any take-away points for the future and skills and qualities you can link your experiences to. 

2. Attend courses and lectures to give you background knowledge. Medical and NHS Hot Topics get increasingly complex every year and it is important to be thoroughly prepared. Courses and lectures can give you an opportunity to cover this content in a shorter amount of time but will also help you consider points you may not have thought of and provide you with ideas for different approaches to questions. 

3. Expand your wider reading. Beyond the knowledge you gain from courses it is good to have your own area of interest within medicine. A common question in an MMI is “Tell me about something medical you have read recently” and it is good to have a thorough answer that shows both passion and insight. The easiest way to do this is to pick a topic you are interested in, such as a specific public health campaign, an issue in medical ethics, a new medical development or a subspeciality within medicine, and try and find a few different lectures, talks, articles or books to give you a good background in your subject area. Having multiple sources will give your answer more depth and allow you to talk for longer. Make sure you practice speaking about this and include reflective points in any questions you answer about your topic(s). 

4. Practice speaking out loud. There are a few ways to practice this but to start off it is good to take any list of interview questions and just choose one or two questions a day for you to think about and then practice speaking an answer out loud to yourself. You can even choose a question from the list in the morning, think through it and do research throughout the day as needed and then speak your answer out loud in the evening in the mirror or to a parent or sibling. Once you become a bit more comfortable with this you can start timing yourself to replicate the MMI format.

5. Practice with others. It is important to get feedback on your answers from someone who is experienced with medical school interviews, this can be a tutor, medical student or a teacher. This will help you add to your answers to ensure you address all points but can also help with content and fluidity in more tricky topics. If you have friends or classmates who are also applying to medical school it can also be useful to practice with each other to hear other people’s answers as they may be bringing up points you hadn’t previously considered. 

So what are the common stations in MMIs?

Personality and Attribute questions – such as questions about your communication skills and empathy

Wider reading – these may ask you questions about your own interests within medicine or books and articles you have read

Work experience and role of a doctor – you will likely be asked about your knowledge about what the work of a doctor involves, commonly but not always as part of a work experience question

Hot topics and Current Issues in Medicine and the NHS – these can be a wide variety of questions from very open to very specific, it is therefore good to have good background knowledge in this area

Ethical scenarios or Situational Judgement Scenarios – these will require you to use ethical reasoning and follow GMC guidance

Questions about the structure and function of the NHS as well as associated professional bodies – this includes the GMC and BMA

Roleplay stations – including breaking bad news and conflict resolution

Data Interpretation and Maths – you may be asked to interpret a graph or other data or perform a dosage calculation for a drug (you are not required to know drug calculation formulae)

Questions about the medical school and medical degree – you may be asked why you want to attend this specific medical school

Anything else I need to keep in mind when starting practice? 

How you do in your interview is the main and often only factor that will determine whether the medical school decides to make you an offer. That is why it is so important to make time for interview preparation early in the year and be consistent in your practice all the way until your interviews. This will guarantee you are able to go into your interviews with confidence and ensure you can remain calm throughout, setting you up for success on your interview day.

MyUCAT can help with interview preparation. To keep up to date with information you can join our WhatsApp group here: www.ucat.me

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