Mastering the Multiple Mini Interview: Essential Strategies for Success
Preparing for your multiple mini interview (MMI) and eager to understand its nuances and master it? The MMI isn't just an academic hurdle—it's a comprehensive skills assessment that delves into your communication abilities, empathy, and ethical judgment, all crucial for a future in medicine. You'll encounter a variety of scenarios, each designed to tease out a different aspect of your professional potential.
This guide is here to offer you targeted tips and advice, ensuring you walk into your MMI poised to impress the admissions committee with the qualities that mark a promising healthcare professional.
What is the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)?
As a medical student on the cusp of securing your place in the world of healthcare, you'll find the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) to be a pivotal step in the journey. These interviews are a series of concise, yet intensive, interactions that serve as a modern method to gauge a range of competencies including:
- A deeper evaluation of your practical abilities
- Reducing biases to ensure a fair selection process
- A progressive alternative to traditional interview techniques, aimed at more accurately predicting your success in medical school and beyond
- Assessing your interpersonal skills, ethical decision-making, and professional demeanor
The MMI is meticulously designed to evaluate key skills such as:
- Your ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally
- Your empathetic approach towards patients and colleagues
- Your situational awareness
- These traits are indispensable in the medical field
Unlike the old-style interviews at medical schools, which mostly just listen to what you say, MMIs let the people decide to see how you deal with real-life situations. This way, you get different chances to show them what you can do during the interview.
Unveiling the MMI Format and Structure
The MMI format consists of multiple brief, specialized interview stations where different examiners assess distinct qualities or abilities. The setup can differ among medical schools as applicants proceed from one station to another. In an MMI, there are 5 to 12 such stations and the overall interview process typically spans about two hours.
Candidates have just 1 to 2 minutes to get ready for each part of the interview after they see a situation or a question. Then they go into the interview room and talk or act for 5 to 8 minutes. A big thing about the MMI is that each part is separate. How you do in one part doesn't change how you do in the others that come after.
Types of MMI questions—and how to answer each type
In MMI interviews, each station encompasses a diverse array of topics including critical thinking, current events, role-playing activities, and open discussions.
At these stations, you need to show that you understand and respect different cultures. You also have to solve problems well. It's really important to make a good impression on the person interviewing you. Being calm and sure of yourself is just as important as giving clear and smart answers.
To do well in each part of the MMI, candidates should treat every station as a new start. They should forget about what happened before and show their skills again. This way, they can make a good impression many times during the interview.
Roleplay
Whilst a rarer type of UCAT station, it is definitely one of the more difficult. The format of the station is often completely different to all others, requiring you to act as a doctor/medical student. In all other questions, students have to answer “what they would do” in a scenario, whereas in roleplay, you actually have to “do”. For example, a lot of students will discuss how they will treat a patient with empathy, whereas in roleplay, you have to show that you can directly demonstrate empathy.
Professional Judgement
Here you are assessed on making a good decision, in a potentially stressful environment. Sometimes you may be given too much information, or sometimes too little. The important thing is to work through what information you have, or from inference, and make a defined decision based on your assumptions.
Communication questions
Another question type that requires direct acting, you will have to give a set of instructions or a description to your interviewer to complete a task. Usually this involves something simple like tying shoelaces, or giving directions.
Prioritisation Questions
This is another quesiton type that requires you to create solutions out of a difficult, stressed scenario, much like professional judgement. This requires a slightly different answer overall, but still needs calm, thorough processing and describing all the decisions that you would make.
PBL Stations
Only for USYD. This is a group interviewing style that will demonstrate how you work in a team.
What are the hardest MMI questions?
The hardest MMI questions can vary depending on who you are as a student. Some students struggle with shorter questions “e.g. describe your leadership, tell us why you want to be a doctor”, as the student will have to add lots of accesory information to get close to a potential 10 minute time limit. Otherwise, some students struggle with long, scenario questions that require a clear answer, as the analytical skills may not have been practiced and developed with a tutor.
MMI character development question examples
MMI questions about personal growth ask how you handle mistakes and improve yourself. They look at your values, ambition, and ability to think about your actions and learn from them.
MMI questions are designed to show if you know yourself well, can think like a grown-up, and learn from things that happen in life. When you talk about how you handled a big problem, how you stay calm under stress, or how you get along with people at work, it gives a peek into how you've grown as a person.
How hard is an MMI interview?
The MMI interview presents a significant challenge because its purpose is to evaluate and choose candidates who perform at a high level for a restricted quantity of available spots, making it by nature competitive.
What to expect at the MMI
In the MMI interview setting, candidates navigate through different stations that might feature a range of MMI interview questions or require engaging in role-play exercises with actors under the observation of an interviewer. It's important to explain your thoughts well and show how you solve problems when you're in these situations. You should be okay with asking questions if you're confused and you need to be nice and understand how other people feel. Don't just give answers you've memorized ahead of time.
The best way to prepare for the MMI
The only way to prepare is to practice. Whilst practicing to make sure you can reach the time limit is important, that is a skill that the vast majority of interviewees have reached. The important skill is filling your time with quality insights about your candidacy. This is why it is important to be graded and analysed on your scores prior to your interview, either by your tutor or from an interview course.
Delving into Medical Ethics
Medical ethics is a big part of MMIs. It's about understanding important ideas like doing good, not causing harm, being fair, and letting people make their own choices. When you're in an MMI, you might face tough situations that deal with things like abortion, helping someone to die when they're very sick, or using medical marijuana. You have to figure out what the main problem is in these situations.
Current Affairs and Healthcare Issues
Staying in tune with current affairs and healthcare issues is another significant aspect of MMI preparation. As part of their MMI preparation, candidates should familiarize themselves with the issues confronting current medical students and ongoing healthcare debates.
Reflecting on Personal Experiences
Using stories from your own life can help in an MMI interview. When you talk about your own experiences, it shows who you are. If you can talk about a time when you had trouble talking to someone and how you got better, it shows you can learn and change.
Where is the MMI held?
Before, when you had to do a multiple mini interview (MMI), you would go to the university to do it. Now, a lot of medical schools do MMIs on the internet. They use video calls on Zoom or Microsoft Teams to do these interviews. [1]
For effective participation in remote MMIs, applicants are required to:
- Learn how to use the video call software they will use for the interview
- Make sure their camera and microphone work well
- Keep their internet connection strong and stable.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in MMIs
MMIs can be quite daunting, and the high-stress environment often leads to slip-ups. Some typical errors that arise include:
- Over-elaborating in responses which might result in disengaged interviewers
- Shifting attention away from the current station by dwelling on past or future ones
- Reciting lengthy, memorized answers that come off as insincere
- Bombarding interviewers with an excess of information all at once
Recognizing these common mistakes is crucial for avoiding them during your MMI.
One common mistake is not hearing the question. This can make you give answers that don't fit what they asked. Applicants are advised to follow up questions and infuse their responses with personal insight rather than merely narrating incidents or cataloguing accomplishments – this strategy effectively conveys their aptitude for pursuing a medical career.
Which universities use the MMI?
The MMI way of interviewing is getting more popular with universities all around the world for picking students to go to medical school. For example, at the Australian National University, they don't just do MMIs, they also have a group activity that lasts an hour to see how well students work together. Bond University and Charles Sturt University, which runs a program with two schools together, also use the MMI to find out who gets in.
Additional Australian institutions that have adopted the MMI for their medical school admissions include:
- Curtin University
- Deakin University
- Griffith University
- Macquarie University
- Monash University
- University of Melbourne
- University of Newcastle and University of New England (Joint Medical Program)
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Queensland
- University of Sydney
- University of Western Australia
These universities recognize the MMI's value in assessing applicants' suitability for the medical profession.
What is the purpose of the MMI Medicine Interviews?
The MMI format is a key part of choosing students during the medical admissions process. It tests how well students can make good choices when they know a lot about a topic. This interview style strives to capture a broader evaluation of applicants compared to traditional interviews by emphasizing interpersonal abilities, ethical reasoning, and professional demeanour.
MMIs are like practice runs for real doctor stuff. You get a little bit of time to think, then you have to act or talk about something important. They're not just looking at how much you know from books, but also how you use what you know in real situations. The ultimate aim of MMIs is to pinpoint individuals who are academically adept while simultaneously exhibiting the essential communication skills and ethical acumen required for excelling in the medical profession. [2]
References
[1] Poole, D. (2023, September 8). Monash University. Medicine MMI Interview. https://www.nie.edu.au/monash-university
[2] What it’s like to participate in multiple mini interviews (MMIs) | Students & residents. (n.d.). Students & Residents. https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/what-it-s-participate-multiple-mini-interviews-mmis#:\~:text=The MMI is designed to,and colleagues as a physician.
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The UCAT
The UCAT, or the University Clinical Aptitude Test is the medical school admission test required for many universities in Australia and New Zealand. The UCAT is designed to assess applicants for the aptitude, attitudes and beliefs required of a doctor. In order to defeat the UCAT - we should understand what it is. First off, it’s a two hour computer based exam. There are 5 separately timed subtests - Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Situational Judgement. In this blog we break down each of the sections and offer guidance on how to prepare for this important exam.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning is meant to assess your ability to read something and draw appropriate conclusions. You can see why this would be important to a doctor - you’re part of a multidisciplinary team and will have to communicate effectively. In addition, doctors have to keep current with new research and draw reasonable conclusions from published findings. Decision making involves 11 text excerpts with 4 questions each, meaning this section has 44 questions in 21 minutes - that means an average of 29 seconds per question. That doesn’t even take reading the stem into account!
Decision Making
Decision Making is essentially data interpretation from graphs, tables, text and charts. You don’t need to have background knowledge on any subject, because part of what they’re testing is your ability to understand new information. Can you think of a time a doctor might have to do the same? This section has 29 questions in 31 minutes - an average of 64 seconds per question. Compare the timing of section to verbal reasoning, it’s more than double. Consider the length of time per question as an indication of how much the test writers want you to analyse.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning is a straightforward mathematics section - there are nine scenarios each with four questions. You’ll have access to an on screen calculator - which is functional but pretty clunky! You’ll have to strike a balance between using mental maths to be quick, and keeping your wits about you, and staying accurate. This section has 36 questions in 24 minutes - an average of 40 seconds per question. It’s not a lot of time to question your maths abilities!
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning is used to evaluate your ability to locate patterns and understand logic, separate from your language abilities. If you’ve seen the guides online with pictures asking you to find a pattern - that’s abstract reasoning. This section is sometimes hard for students to grasp, because it’s such a different set of skills. It’s also probably the biggest struggle with time management. This section has 55 questions in 13 minutes - that’s only 14 seconds per question. Don’t even think about going into this section unprepared!
Situational Judgement
Situational Judgement assesses your judgement and character in different situations - the situations are usually clinical or education based. Either situations you’ve likely been in, or a situation you could be involved in future. Then you’ll have to evaluate the appropriateness, importance or consequences of the situation. It’s one way for universities to evaluate the characteristics that are important for future doctors! Situational Judgement has 69 questions in 26 minutes - an average of 25 seconds per question.
With so much to do - how can I set myself up for success?
Prepare
This sounds like a no brainer, but preparation is the most important thing you can do if you want to succeed on the UCAT. Going over questions is one thing but the most effective thing you can do is to practice under exam conditions. That means doing computer based exams - so when you get to test day, you know what to expect. Luckily MedView has a bank of questions.
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Time is a precious resource when you’re preparing for medical school admissions - you have to continue doing well in your studies, prepare yourself for an interview, and master a new exam. There’s not infinite time - so you have to learn how to study smarter, not just harder. So many students waste their time by continuing to drill skills that they’ve already mastered. It’s important to identify the weak points that need more TLC.
Learn Skills
Each type of question requires a specific psychometric approach to understand and answer so quickly. Skills and strategies to identify the problem and solve the challenging question are essential for success. MedView has a range of 1:1 tutoring, group workshops, practice exams and questions alongside our spiral learning curriculum to help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in time conditions. Our UCAT students are 5x more likely to receive an interview offer.
Sitting full-length practice exams under simulated conditions is the most effective preparation for developing UCAT skills. As this will familiarise yourself with the extreme time pressures, as well as allowing you to practise concentrating on psychometric skills for two hours. It is also important to practice using the computer-based platform that will be used when you sit UCAT as well.
Seek Help
Find friends that have taken the test before and ask for their experience. Better yet, schedule a free Academic Assessment with MedView today! When you start your journey as a MedView student, you are allocated an Education Coordinator who has experience helping hundreds of students get into med school. They’ll help you stay on track with your goals, offer you support, and help you succeed on your path to medical school.
Next Steps
The UCAT is an important exam that is key to medical school admission for undergraduates. We recommend starting your UCAT preparation early and integrating it into your study load to give yourself the best opportunity to succeed. If you’d like to learn more about the UCAT or how to get into Medical School, check out our free eBooks and blogs!
- What is the UCAT?
- How Universities use your UCAT Results
- A Quick Guide to Australia Medicine eBook
- A Quick Guide to New Zealand Medicine eBook
- How to Prepare for the UCAT
- What UCAT scores will get me into med?
MedView offers a range of UCAT preparation courses as well as personalised 1:1 tutoring with our expert team. If you would like to know more about the UCAT and how MedView can help, get in touch today.
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What can you do before the year starts?
Before the year starts, it is vital that you understand that the journey to becoming a doctor is a long and arduous process. Medicine is a life-long commitment whose pathway extends beyond the 6 years of study. It includes a progression from a house officer to a registrar, and application onto training schemes if you opt for the surgical pathway.
The vast majority of people who apply for medicine, do not have a clear picture of what they want to do in the future. This uncertainty is not something to worry about now – you have plenty of time to figure out exactly what you want to do. There is something in medicine for everyone. If you are still uncertain about the medical pathway beyond the 6 years of study, I would recommend doing further research.
Another thing you can do over the summer break is to identify your motivation to become a doctor. If it’s for the money, you may not be in the correct profession - it will be at least 10-12 years until you start earning the big bucks that all doctors are known for! If you have an inherent nature to help people and seek to make our society healthier, then you are on the right track.
Once your head is in the right place, enjoy your summer! The year will belong, and you will have to make social sacrifices to make your studies a priority. Make the most of the time you have by seeing friends and family, as you will inevitably see less of them throughout the year. You are likely to experience burnout sometime during the year, so optimising your rest now is important.
The single most effective way to distance yourself from your competitors is to start early and hard. After you have rested throughout December and into the new year, it is time to get started and get ahead. The Flying Start Course offered by MedView was my ticket to success. It is a highly intensive programme starting in late January that covers the first 6 weeks of content for the three core papers in the first semester. The advantages of this course are numerous:
- The most valuable aspect of Flying Start is the content covered. As the first semester contains 3 out of the 4 core papers, it is so important to get a good start. An early lapse within the first few weeks can completely derail your entire year. Being exposed to similar content ahead of time builds your confidence and gives you the opportunity to begin learning before others.
- There is a radically different teaching style from high school to university. Flying Start emulates the style you are accustomed to, while simultaneously teaching university material. This eases your transition and places students into a more comfortable and familiar environment.
- You can meet other motivated people. You may have heard the horror stories of people sabotaging each other, taking their notes and hiding their bags. While these are mostly exaggerated, there will still be those who resort to other measures to gain an advantage. The people doing Flying Start will be motivated just like you, and eager to get ahead. Working together and building these strong relationships before the year starts means that you have a better support group in place. I have met several bright individuals who were passionate and together, we were able to navigate the difficult year and succeed as a group!
MedView believes in a holistic approach to medical school admissions, meaning we surround the student with a team of experts to help develop their candidacy and skills in all three major pillars in their journey to medical school, and now it’s even more accessible with the MedView Hub App!
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Find out more and begin your journey to medical school by speaking with a MedView Academic Advisor for free today!
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