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We use Multiple Mini Interviews, or MMIs, as part of our admissions process at UCL Medical School.
- Why are we using Multiple Mini Interviews?
- What will the MMI at UCL be like?
- Who are the interviewers?
- What sorts of things will be tested?
- How can I prepare?
- On the day
- When we will get results?
Why are we using Multiple Mini Interviews?
UCL has used the panel interview format for many years, however across the world, there is growing evidence in the literature surrounding the validity, reliability and acceptability of the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format (Rees, 2016; Kelly, 2018).
We recognise that this is a high-stakes assessment and that candidates will wish to demonstrate their breadth of knowledge, skills and behaviours, and all the preparation they have made for their application to medical school to the best of their ability. We believe that the MMI format allows students to be interviewed by multiple interviewers, over a range of different tasks, to demonstrate many of the attributes that we are looking for in our future doctors.
What will the MMI at UCL be like?
We will be inviting candidates to interviews on a rolling basis from December through to the end of March. There is no advantage to being selected to attend at a particular time in the cycle, as we meet excellent candidates all the way through our interview period. We encourage our applicants to let us know of any dates they may be unable to attend – please do let us know in advance as it is often not possible for us to rearrange interview dates.
The MMI will consist of up to 8 ‘stations’ that candidates will rotate around, and each station will be 5 minutes in length. You will have one minute before the station begins to read some basic instructions relating to the content of the station, and you will then be instructed to enter the station and begin. The interviewer will ask you 2-3 questions during the 5 minutes. For some stations, you may finish early and for some stations you may have more that you wish to say – this is ok! The interviewers are aware that you are nervous and that some stations will suit you better than others, and so just try your best, put each station behind you once you have finished and move onwards!
For 2022-23 cycle, we will be running our MMIs in-person on our Bloomsbury Campus in central London. For our overseas candidates, we will be running the interviews online – further details of the online platform will be provided to candidates on invitation.
Who are the interviewers?
Our interviewers come from a wide range of backgrounds. Many are clinical staff who work in our local hospital and community sites, and teach our medical students; others are professional services staff working in the medical school, academic members of staff, medical students currently on the programme and teachers from local schools. All interviewers will introduce themselves to you at the start of the station.
What sorts of things will be tested?
Just as in a panel interview, we want to find out more about you as a person. This is your opportunity to tell us more about why you want to study medicine, what you understand about the career, and what preparation you have made for your application.
We adopt an NHS values-based approach to our interviews, asking you about your knowledge and understanding of core themes of working in a healthcare setting such as:
- Putting patients first
- Respect and dignity
- A commitment to quality of care
- Compassion
- Improving health and wellbeing
- Everyone counts
The interviewers will be asked to mark your answers on an iPad, in areas such as:
- Academic curiosity and interest in healthcare
- Motivation and understanding of the career
- Problem solving and reasoning ability
- Professional attitudes and values
- Team work, leadership and individual strengths
- Communication skills
How can I prepare?
There are lots of freely available resources to help you prepare for your interview. We recommend looking at Medical Schools Council website for example MMI stations and information about core values and attributes needed to study medicine. They also have a dedicated online interview preparation website.
Try not to over-prepare, or memorise lots of information. An important part of the interview is demonstrating that you are able to think on your feet, and to use examples from your own experiences.
We encourage you to reflect on your own skills, attributes and behaviours and how you have developed these both in and outside of school. Talk about your experiences and preparation with friends or family members, keep up to date with healthcare-related news, and think carefully about what the career in medicine really entails. Your passion and enthusiasm for a career in medicine will come across to us!
On the day
You will be asked to attend half an hour before the start of your interview, to sign in and have a short briefing. All in-person interviews will take place in the Rockefeller Building, 21, University Street, London, WC1E 6DE.
Please make sure to bring a form of photographic ID on the day (e.g. a passport or driving licence). We recommend that you bring a water bottle with you (and you can take this around the circuit) but you won’t need anything else for the MMI.
Unfortunately, we do not have space for friends or family members to wait, but there are plenty of coffee shops nearby and you are welcome to take a tour around the UCL campus or sit in the Quad in front of the main Portico Building.
Your interview will last approximately 50 minutes. After your interview, you will have an opportunity to go on a short tour of the campus with one of our medical students. We anticipate that this will take approximately 45-50 minutes, but this is not compulsory and understand if you need to leave straight after your interview. Please do bear in mind the weather and bring appropriate clothing!
When we will get results?
Collecting scores from all MMIs will take the team some time. We hope to make some initial offers in February, but the bulk of our offers will be made towards the end of March, when interviews are complete and we can see the range of scores.
We look forward to meeting you. Good luck!
References:
- Kelly, M. E., Patterson, F., O’Flynn, S., Mulligan, J., & Murphy, A. W. (2018). A systematic review of stakeholder views of selection methods for medical schools admission. BMC medical education, 18(1), 139.
- Rees, E. L., Hawarden, A. W., Dent, G., Hays, R., Bates, J., & Hassell, A. B. (2016). Evidence regarding the utility of multiple mini-interview (MMI) for selection to undergraduate health programs: A BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 37. Medical Teacher, 38(5), 443-455.