MMI

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Teamwork Activities

Medicine is a team sport. To gauge your collaboration skills, some schools will assess you in teamwork activities that you complete with another applicant. The pair of you might be asked to create an action plan together or one of you may act as an instructor and the other as a doer. (And then that gets flipped in a second exercise.)

An interviewer might ask you to build something with Lego blocks or do a puzzle together within a short timeframe. Only one of you can see a picture of the finished product, and the other person must listen to verbal instructions to assemble it. Medicine is intensely collaborative, so as silly as it seems to build a primary-colored train together, this activity will show some important communication skills. (And because more medical schools are shifting towards small group learning experiences—they want to see how you'd behave in them.)

Other schools may ask you and a larger team to find a solution to a problem or create a plan for a future program together. Things can get a little more heated here because opinions play more of a role. The most important thing to remember is that your teammates are not your competition, they are your colleagues. Listening to and empowering your teammates is a big deal. If you notice someone being left out of the conversation, be the person who asks, "What do you think, Tony?” If you're blocking out what a teammate is saying because you're waiting for your turn to speak, you will not do well in this team activity.

What if I don't finish?

That's okay! This isn't really about building the Lego train. You might be paired with a complete dud of a partner, someone who is so nervous that they can't focus. If you're the instructor in this activity, keep your cool and show patience with your partner. Search for new ways of explaining the same concept. If you are the doer, ask thoughtful questions. This is going to reflect well on you, finished project or not.

Related:

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Moral & Ethical Situations

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Healthcare Policy Questions

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Role Playing Scenarios

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Writing and Picture Stations

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Final Thoughts

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Role Playing Scenarios

"Enter the room and…" Not every school that utilizes the MMI will use role-play. But if they do, you could be presented with scenarios—in an in-person interview, it is sometimes taped to the door of a room—in which you must enter the room and speak to the actor inside as if they were your patient, a patient's family member, your colleague, or a close friend. An interviewer might be in the room watching, or there might be a camera in the room catching your big debut. (Since more schools have moved to doing interviews remotely, the “room” might be on Zoom or Kira.) Time yourself doing these practice prompts. In addition to other MMI prep, if you’re working with Apply Point, your AP advisor can act as a patient and give you notes at the end of the session.

You're not always going to "win" these scenarios. Your fake patient could continue to push back against your advice, etc. The point here is to show your empathy, thought process, and—this is the part people mess up—your ability to listen. Ask your partner questions about their thoughts, fears, or concerns. Don't give a soliloquy. Yes, this is your interview but in real life, these interactions would be conversations. Encourage an exchange. And don't be afraid to be quiet sometimes.

Think about how you'd handle these scenarios:

  • A patient is refusing a treatment that would prolong his life because of its side effects. The patient's family passionately wants him to submit to treatment. Speak to this family.

  • A physician’s assistant in your gynecology practice has repeatedly misgendered a trans patient. Your patient is upset. Talk to this PA.

  • Your patient is terminally ill. Tell them.

  • A hostile patient is demanding an opioid prescription for a supposed back injury—his X-ray does not show such an injury. Talk to this patient.

  • Your best friend has been struggling with depression and is self-medicating with alcohol. Talk to her.

  • You overhear a colleague using a racial stereotype when talking about a patient. Enter the room and talk to him.

  • Your patient wants to hold off on starting a cancer treatment plan until after a family vacation in three months. Her condition is advanced, and you don’t think she should do this. Talk to this patient.

“Teach Me How to Tie a Shoe.”

Another potential task you might do with an actor or interviewer is walk them through a process step-by-step. One example is telling someone how to tie a shoe. Now that you’ve thought about that for a sec, you see how this might be difficult, right? Be patient with the other person and

yourself. Choose your words carefully and if you make a mistake, backtrack without panic. The point of a task like this is to test your communication skills. Are you being clear? Are you being comprehensive? Are you asking your partner what they want to know more about? Are you keeping a calm tone the way we’d want a doctor to when they’re explaining a complex treatment plan?

Related:

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Moral & Ethical Situations

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Healthcare Policy Questions

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Teamwork Activities

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Writing and Picture Stations

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Final Thoughts


The Med School’s MMI Interview: Moral & Ethical Situations

In an MMI interview, the Moral & Ethical Situation prompts are the ones that terrify applicants. They feel so high stakes. For example: Decide which of these two patients gets an organ transplant. Geez Louise.

Many MMI questions—especially the ones about morals and ethics—may omit details you might've considered when contemplating your answer. Fill in those blanks and consider them still because your answer could be conditional from an ethical or legal standpoint. "Conditional" does not mean wishy-washy but rather "If X factor is present, then my answer is Y."

Think about how you would answer this ethical question: A minor teenage patient asks you for a prescription for birth control pills—and doesn't want their parents to know about it. How would you handle this request?

You might reflexively have an answer to this—but pause and consider potential conditional factors, even if you ultimately dismiss them. Beyond answering your patient's request, what else might you discuss with your patient? You might ponder these questions:

  • Are there legal matters to consider?

  • Are there health risks to consider?

  • Is your patient sexually active already or considering becoming sexually active?

  • Is your patient 13 or 17?

  • Will your patient be using a second form of protection to prevent STIs?

  • Are they being pressured into a sexual relationship?

  • Is there anything you should know about their partner/partners—like how old they are?

  • If those things were not factors in your decision-making, why not?

Here's an example of a response to this question:

"If there are neither state laws limiting my ability nor significant health risks present, I would give my teenage patient a prescription for birth control without their parents’ knowledge. I would not tell their parents because the teen is my patient and deserves doctor-patient confidentiality. But there are things I would want to discuss before providing this prescription.

I would first provide my patient with information on all their birth control options. I'd advise my patient to use condoms as a secondary form of contraception to prevent STIs and ask them what they know about STIs.

Next, I'd want to establish that they want to have sex and that this isn't a case of a partner pressuring them to have sex. If the latter is true, it wouldn't determine whether I'd prescribe birth control, but it would influence our conversation, as I'd want to take care of my patient's mental health as well as their physical health. I'd also ask about their partner's (or partners’) age. Many age of consent laws have a close-in-age exemption, but some do not. I’d inform my patient if that was the case in our state, just so they’re aware of certain risks. If my patient revealed that they were already sexually active with a partner who was older than 18, I'd refer to my state's age of consent. I am required by law to report any suspected child abuse. I would also direct my patient to information on predatory behaviors.

If their partner was their same age, I likely would not weigh in on a 16- or 17-year-old’s choices beyond asking the aforementioned questions and providing helpful resources. But I might respectfully discourage a younger patient from having sex in the same way that I'd encourage a young patient to take care of their still maturing body and mind in other ways. (I know I'd advise my 14-year-old cousin or niece to consider waiting to have sex.) But again, I would still give a prescription to any patient that I legally can prescribe to, whether I was a family doctor or practicing at a sexual health center."

This is not a gut reaction—it's thoughtful, it's careful. This response considers legality—that's important. It involves a thorough conversation between doctor and patient. Wanting to connect shows empathy and asking the patient questions and providing answers to questions that they have or haven’t asked shows strong communication skills. The answer also expresses the respondent's personal beliefs; they would advise a 14-year-old relative to think more before having sex at such a young age. You might think this info has no place in the answer, but the interviewer wants to hear your internal monologue, not only what you'd say aloud to the patient. What matters most is that your resulting action is based on facts and that you showed your patient respect, not harsh judgment. You may not agree with this sample answer—but you should understand why it's a strong one.

Related:

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Healthcare Policy Questions

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Role Playing Scenarios

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Teamwork Activities

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Writing and Picture Stations

The Medical School Interview: Preparing for the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)

More medical schools, including those at Duke, NYU, University of Massachusetts, and Rutgers, are using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) to evaluate applicants. This is because it is an effective way to evaluate an applicant’s ability to process a complex scenario or issue under pressure and use critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills to provide a response. It also reduces interviewer bias by allowing prospective students the opportunity for numerous interactions, which decreases the relative importance of any one interviewer’s opinion. 

Multiple Mini Interviews typically consist of between six and ten interview stations, with some schools including rest stations in between. Interviewees are provided with a question prompt or scenario and are given a short period of time to think, before they are asked to engage with the interviewer for a five- to eight-minute response. The questions may ask the applicant to collaborate with other interviewees, act out a scenario, respond to an ethical dilemma, write an essay, or elaborate on a past clinical experience. Whatever the format, interviewers are looking for applicants to showcase a strong sense of ethics and the ability to see multiple viewpoints. 

To prepare for an MMI, you should review dozens of practice prompts. While there is no way to predict the exact questions you will be asked, if you practice, you will gain comfort processing a prompt, assessing a situation quickly, applying one of our many frameworks in your response, and you will come into your MMI interview day feeling confident and prepared.  

We also recommend that you...

Stay informed. Read newspapers and health journals every single day to ensure that you’re up to date on key topics in medical ethics and healthcare policy. Write down the topic areas that you encounter frequently and take an informed position. Practice speaking on your position(s), out loud, with an eight-minute time limit.

Participate in Mock Interviews. Mock MMI interviews will give you a realistic interview experience after which you can gather candid feedback. Record these meetings and critique your responses, focusing on how well you verbalized your thought process and supported your viewpoint. You should also take note of how adequately you made use of the available time. 

And on Interview Day…

  • Use your time carefully. Do not rush. During the two minutes of preparatory time, outline your response and the general timing you’d like to abide by to make each of your key points. 

  • If the question allows you to make a counter-argument, do so, and share why you opted for the conclusion you did. If it is an ethical or values-based question, be sure to point out areas of nuance.

  • Start fresh. Regardless of how well or poorly you did at the last station, leave it behind and focus entirely on current prompt. 

Related:

The Medical School Interview

Your medical school interview will be the most influential component of your application. It is your chance to showcase your personality, drive, and commitment to a medical career as well as those characteristics that will benefit your medical school class and future patients.

Scheduling the Interview

Most medical schools have rolling admissions so we recommend scheduling your interview as early as possible in the interview season, which runs from the fall to the spring. Before solidifying your travel plans, you should also contact nearby schools to which you’ve applied and let them know you have an interview in the area in case they have availability. This serves the dual purpose of letting the other school know that you are “in demand,” while also showcasing your strong interest in their program.

What are the Interviewers Looking for?

Most medical schools will offer prospective students one or two 30-minute interviews with faculty members or students. The interviewers are looking to assess your interpersonal traits, commitment to and aptitude for medicine, potential contributions to the school/community, and to discuss and resolve any red flags in your academic and/or professional record. They will also want to ensure that your interview is consistent with your application.

Interview Types

The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) 

The MMI is growing in popularity within the United States and consists of multiple “stations” through which each applicant rotates. At each station, you are given a scenario, asked to role-play, or asked to do a team exercise. You are provided a couple of minutes to read each exercise and prepare, then you must have a discussion with the interviewers and/or perform the team task. 

The scenarios are designed to evaluate your ability to critically assess a situation under pressure by presenting a dilemma to which you must respond. Be sure to carefully consider the various sides of the issue and address them all. Role playing exercises specifically evaluate your communication skills, while team tasks assess your leadership and collaboration potential. Some stations may be clinically based while others are not. 

The Traditional One-on-One Interview 

This interview type is the most common and focuses on behavioral-style interview questions such as: 

  • Tell me about yourself.

  • Why School X?

  • Talk to me about a time that you challenged the group consensus. 

  • What has been your most meaningful clinical experience to date?  Why? 

  • What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

  • Tell me about your biggest failure.

In an “Open File” interview, the interviewer will have access to your submission materials, but don’t assume that your interviewer knows anything about you as he/she may not have had time to review your file. In a “Closed File” interview, the interviewer will have limited access to your application. 

The Group Interview 

This situation involves several interviewers and interviewees. The objective is to see how you interact with and respond to others. Be sure to listen attentively to everyone’s answers and showcase your ability to be a team player. 

The Panel Interview 

Typically, the panel includes multiple interviewers with just one interviewee. Their questions will likely be a mix of MMI-style and behavioral-style.

Apply Point’s Tips for Success

  • Outline the key points and experiences you would like to discuss within the behavioral interview and take responsibility for bringing up these points. It is most helpful to review all of your application materials again, and highlight those stories that will showcase your abilities and strengths in the areas of leadership, problem solving, teamwork, and empathy, as well as those experiences that reinforced your commitment to the study of medicine. 

  • Nearly every response to a behavioral interview question should have a story, even those that don’t ask you to recall a specific situation—Questions such as: What is your greatest strength?  Or what is your leadership style? Give one or two strengths, and then tell a story that will SHOW the interviewer that strength in action on a group project. A good story woven into every response will make your interview more compelling and memorable to the interviewer. 

  • Speak about any recent accomplishments or events not included in your application. Continue to improve your candidacy even after you’ve submitted your application.

  • Be proactive about bringing up red flags or weaknesses in your application. Address these head-on during the interview because they will inevitably come up within the admissions committee’s discussions. Rather than make excuses, talk about what you’ve learned and how you will continue to improve moving forward.

  • Practice delivering your responses to interview questions aloud, and be sure to limit most responses (to behavioral interview questions) to between two and three minutes. Ask us for a list of MMI and behavioral interview questions so you can practice and prepare for both types. 

  • At the end of the interview, thank your interviewer, reiterate to them if their program is your first choice, and send a hand-written thank you note.

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