More medical schools are using the MMI model vs traditional interviewing for various reasons: they test how you operate in a (relatively) stressful environment, how you think overall, and how well you work with others.

The MMI can be set up in many different ways, but they typically involve you having a limited amount of time reading a prompt, entering a room with your interviewer, and discussing the prompt in a more detailed fashion. The questions here can range from “Tell me more about yourself,” to complex ethical questions. Regardless of the question-type, be sure to keep calm, appear confident in your answers, and understand that it’s okay to make a mistake, but to also learn from it as you move to the next prompt. Expect 7-10 prompts, depending on the medical institution.

Some MMI’s may also want to see how well you work with others. On one of my MMI’s, the interviewees were divided into a few groups, were given an assigned project/discussion, and had to present the topic to our entire interviewing group and faculty. The purpose is to see how well you think in time-sensitive situations in addition to how well you work with others. An example of a group prompt would:

“You’re given five million dollars to create a health initiative of your choice, what would you use the money for, how would allocate the finances, and what would be the expected outcomes?”

The key to doing well in an MMI is to PRACTICE beforehand! You can Google practice MMI questions and try to time yourself. While the questions you find may be different from that on interview day, you will be well prepared in dealing with timed situations. If you have a MAPS Chapter, you can easily set up practice MMI’s, or even reach out to your local SNMA chapter to help out as well!

RESTING the night before is also essential, as MMI’s can be exhausting, as they require a lot of energy overall.

DON’T FRET if you make a mistake on a single prompt. Many MMI’s are scored, and will drop your lowest 1-2 scores, so don’t worry too much, jut be yourself!

While this blogpost was more general regarding MMI’s, my next post will be much more specific on how to do well on traditional interviews.

Stay tuned!

Aaron D. Dotson

M4 | Class of 2020

Saint Louis University School of Medicine  

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