Two Full Mock MMI Medical School Interview Circuits
The interview is one of the final stages of your medical school application process, and all UK medical schools will interview. Of nearly 40 UK medical schools with an undergraduate medicine course, about 75% of them use the multiple mini interviews, or MMI for short, format. MMI interviews are a type of assessment known as an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). You will come across them again in exams during medical school as well as exams after you have become a doctor.
If you are successful in your interview, the medical school will make you an offer, usually in terms of three A-level subjects and the minimum grades required for each. Postgraduate entry students may also have to reach a minimum level of class in their degree, usually a 2:1.
Most medical schools have now adopted the MMI approach, as it can be used to assess candidates for multiple essential skills and attributes needed to be a doctor. It is said to be more reliable and valid than earlier interview forms. This means it should be able to differentiate which students are most suitable to become future doctors and complete the five-year medical school course.
Multiple mini interviews normally consist of 7 to 10 different interview stations, each lasting around 3 to 10 minutes, during which an applicant rotates through in a timed circuit. The examiners stay in the same place, and the student walks between stations. There may also be rest stations for longer interviews.
There is a break (also of variable lengths, depending on the university, but usually, this is short, around 1 to 2 minutes) between each station to allow the applicant to read the instructions for the next station or to reflect and take a breather before continuing. Each station aims to test a different personal quality or skill needed to be a doctor, from empathy to communication to motivation to study medicine. There may also be practical and role-play stations, although the number of these appears to be reducing over the years.
A mock MMI session can be important in preparing a student for an interview. The simulation of the MMI, with multiple appropriately trained examiners and accurate time restrictions, will provide an environment in which a student can make mistakes in a manner that allows for reflection and improvement and reduces stress at the prospect of the ‘real’ interviews. Examiners have also been trained to give feedback, which can be given at the end of the interview or time allocated after each station for feedback, although this will reduce the realism of the mock interview.
Each examiner will give you a mark for each station. This is now standardised and the same for each candidate so that the outcomes are fair. There is usually a checklist of marking criteria, global judgement, and space for specific feedback. The marks are added from all stations to give you a final mark. This allows a student to do less well at one station and compensate for the loss by doing well at another station. Usually, the medical school will not give you the score, examiner's mark sheet or any detailed feedback.
Some medical schools are still using remote MMI interviews. These are usually conducted using remote video conferencing software such as Zoom or Teams; in this case, the examiners rotate around virtually.
Your interviewers will likely be unfamiliar to you and, depending on their personality, may smile at you, scowl and grimace when you are not doing well, or appear monotonous and disinterested as if they have just failed an exam. If there are role-play stations, these usually have professional actors, complete with makeup, and can be sourced from local amateur theatre groups.
We have included two mock MMI interview circuits below. These are designed for each station to last seven minutes, with one minute between each station for a break. Pair up with a friend and see how you get on.
MMI Mock Medical School Interview Stations A
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most consultations with a doctor became virtual by default. Should this be continued now that most of the population is vaccinated?
Artificial intelligence will be increasingly used in medicine over the coming years. What are the potential risks of such technology?
The waiting list for a hip replacement on the NHS can be over two years. What challenges does this cause for the doctor treating such patients?
In your area, not many patients are coming for the COVID-19 vaccine, even though they are entitled to this free on the NHS. Can you think of reasons why this may be the case?
Your local GP surgery wants all patients to use an app on a smartphone to make an appointment with a GP and plans to close the telephone line. Do you support this proposal?
As a doctor, you will work with others as part of a healthcare team. Who will you be working with on a hospital ward, and what are their roles in looking after patients?
The NHS has staff from multiple cultures and backgrounds. Do you have any experience of working or interacting with people from a different heritage to your own?
Doctors and medical students are expected to show resilience. Please share your understanding of resilience and where you have demonstrated this.
One of your fellow students often arrives late to lectures or does not attend them. Does this mean that student would not make a good doctor?
You will work in groups and discuss complex patient cases during your medical degree. How do you decide which student should chair the group and what qualities are important for the role?
Come to our Medical School Interview course and gain the knowledge and skills you need to get offers.
You are taught in person by Dr Abdul Mannan, a Medical School Tutor at three UK medical schools. Historical 95-98% success rate.
Practice four full medical school interviews on our 40 Station MMI Circuit days.
This is as real to your interview as you can get. The difference is that you get expert, detailed personal feedback after each station and as a group. Learn where your weakness is and where you need to focus your revision.
MMI Mock Medical School Interview Stations B
The NHS has limited funding in which to provide healthcare for the population. What areas do you think should be prioritised for funding and why?
Our medical school uses problem-based learning and follows a spiral curriculum. What problems can you foresee using this approach to learning?
What are junior doctors' main challenges while working in the NHS?
How has what you have experienced during work, volunteering, or personal experience of healthcare affected your decision to study medicine?
You may have had to deliver bad news or seen it delivered during your career. Reflect on what has happened and how you would do things differently next time.
Retention of doctors in the NHS is currently facing challenges. The government proposes that all students who study medicine in the UK work for the NHS for ten years to address this issue. Do you think this is a realistic proposal?
You are part of the music orchestra in your school and are due to play in front of some very important people. Your music teacher wants you to attend every evening after school for practice. However, you also have your final exams approaching. How do you respond to your music teacher?
Doctors must have the ability to show empathy with patients. What challenges would a doctor who lacked this skill face with his patients?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government implemented a ‘Track and Trace’ system. With the benefit of hindsight, do you feel it could be considered a success?
Do you think it is right that doctors prescribe drugs to help patients end their lives?
