We have completed two of our 40 station mammoth MMI circuits. The examiners have given us feedback which is consistent across candidates. We are sharing this with all our subscribers so that you can all improve your interview performance.

In general, all our students performed very well. You all had a decent attempt at all the MMI stations you came across and we advise you continue this excellent effort. We would like to give some specific advice in order for you to continue to improve as you learn and challenge yourself over the next few weeks.

• Some students had a lack of structure in answers. Candidates need to develop a robust strategy so that answers display clarity, depth and comprehensiveness. Refer to Blue Peanuts Reflect, Nub, Hook and Hang model.

• Be aware of non-verbal communication. An example of this is maintaining appropriate eye contact and watch what you are doing with your hands. You can critique this by videoing yourself practising MMI stations.

• Be confident in your use of English. Be professional in your language speaking in a clear and articulate manner. Avoid medical jargon as much as possible. We would not advise you attempt inappropriate humour in your MMI examination.

• Practice your debating technique. You school may have a debating society and possibly a medical society. Do get involved and set one up if need be. Debating can be done at home, pick a hot news issue and debate the pros and cons with a family member!

• Parents must be providing positive and reinforcing feedback to students and not cast any doubt in the students mind that may damage confidence or morale. Several of our students come from a medical, dental, nursing or pharmaceutical background. Use your parents to help you.

• First impressions will count. The examiner is likely to be assessing multiple students throughout the day. Dress smart for your interview. The examiners report that students still come to interview with ripped jeans and chains around the neck. Although there should be no mark scheme for how you are dressed, the examiner may not relate well with you if you are not dressed appropriately.

• Candidates did not focus on some questions and often went on a tangent. For example with a questions relating to motivation, do not start about talking about the pros and cons of being a GP.

• In other questions, candidates simply did not have the background knowledge to answer the question, invest time in learning about key concepts and principles that are covered in our day course.

• The examiners in your stage of the career should guide you if your answer is becoming irrelevant. Contrast this to postgraduate examinations where the examiner is actively looking to fail you.

Good luck to everyone in your upcoming interviews

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