How to prepare your students for Medicine Interviews (MMIs)

What are MMIs?

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) are a key part of the admissions process for Medicine and Dentistry courses, usually taking place between November and March after students have submitted their UCAS applications. MMIs give prospective students the opportunity to engage with a range of interviewers, allowing them to showcase the breadth of their skills and knowledge across several essential areas.

To picture MMIs, think of them as similar to "speed dating" (a strange way to look at it, I know!) Typically, there are around 7-10 "stations" that students rotate through, with each station acting as a mini-interview lasting up to 10 minutes. Each station focuses on a different skill or topic relevant to the field of medicine. Examples of the types of stations students might encounter include: 

• Professional judgement – often a role play, where the student will act out a scenario with a colleague or patient. Assesses empathy, communication and ability to remain professional in a pressured situation. 
• Observational – involves giving comments or observations on an image, video or pre-recorded consultation. 
• Data – the student is asked to make calculations, analyse or interpret data. 
• Instructional – the student gives instructions or explains how to do something – this won’t necessarily be related to medicine! A typical example is “explain how to tie shoelaces without using your hands”.
• Role play – acting out a particular scenario, with an actor. 
• Discover more on The Medic Portal’s website.

What can you do to help your students prepare?

One of the first things we need prospective medics to consider, is if Medicine is really the route they want to take. The whole application process, including the interview stage, will really focus on students who can show a clear interest and desire to study Medicine. Making sure they’ve looked at all their options is the best way to kick all the preparation off. If Medicine is for them, then here are some ideas on how you can help your students to prepare for MMIs:

• Practice, practice, practice – The best way to support your students is to help them in becoming familiar with the interview structure. You can do this by setting up mock MMIs and giving your students the space to practice answering questions or completing tasks, with multiple examiners and under time restrictions. This allows them to see how they feel about the process and can give an indication of what they may need to work on. Find out more about setting up mock MMIs at your school or college here. 
• Time management – MMIs are a bit unusual in that they are very fixed for time. Get your students to sit with a stopwatch or their phone, and time themselves giving answers. The more they do this, the easier they will find sticking to time and the more comfortable they will feel about speaking for longer periods. 
• Work experience – encourage your students to reflect on their work experience and make any notes they can on what they did, the skills they used and how it’s relevant to a career in Medicine. They will be expected to be able to speak about this in interview.
• Stay in the know – ensure that your students keep up to date with current medical issues in the news. Medical magazines and podcasts can also be a great way to do this. 
• Learn key concepts – Students should have some knowledge about key medical concepts, such as Medical Ethics - the four pillars will most likely be part of their interview. 
• Speak to universities - Some universities will come into schools to help with mock interviews, so it’s worth contacting them to ask about this. Many universities also run outreach programmes for students in Year 12, which offer support with Medicine applications and interview techniques, so it’s a good idea to signpost these to your prospective Medicine students early on! You can find contact details for the Russell Group Universities here.

Concluding thoughts

To conclude, MMIs are a chance for students to demonstrate that they have the right attitude and soft skills to become a medical practitioner, not just the grades. Medical Schools use MMIs as they are a fair and accurate method of interviewing students. These interviews typically focus less on finding “right” or “wrong” answers and more on evaluating how well students can explain and justify their answers. With the right preparation and a solid understanding of the MMI format, students can approach their Medicine interviews with confidence.