What Is The MMI?
The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) is an interview format that consists of a series of six to 10 interview stations, each focused on a different question or scenario. Each station usually lasts five to 10 minutes. The MMI is designed to assess various competencies and soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, reasoning, moral judgement, as well as social and nonverbal skills. These indicators give the assessors a holistic profile of the candidate.
Which Medical Schools Use The MMI?
In Singapore, both NUS and NTU Medicine use some version of the MMI format.
NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
At NUS Medicine, the interview component is the Focused Skills Assessment (FSA), which is essentially just the MMI under the guise of a unique name.
Summary of the NUS Medicine FSA
- Aim: to assess the candidate’s aptitude for Medicine and if the candidate’s values align with NUS Medicine (does not test on academic or medical knowledge)
- Duration: 90-120 minutes
- Format: 5-7 stations, comprising a mixture of:
- Role Play Station: Engage with the trained actor while being assessed by the interviewer
- Task Based Station: Complete as many tasks as possible within the given timeframe
- Group Station: Complete the task/activity within the given rules and timeframe in a group of 4-6 candidates
- Interview Station: Discuss your motivation and aptitude to study medicine with the interviewer in an interview format or with a given scenario
NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
NTU Medicine uses the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).
Summary of the NTU Medicine MMI
- Aim: to assess the candidate’s aptitude and suitability for the MBBS programme, specifically their understanding of medicine as a career, ethical considerations in medicine, interest in science, and empathy towards people who might be ill
- Duration: 2 hours (including introductory briefing)
- Format: 8 one-to-one interviews, each lasting 5 minutes
UK Medical Schools Using The MMI
Below is a list of the UK medical schools that will use the MMI in 2021. Note that only six out of the 23 schools on the list are recognised by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC). You can find the full list of UK medical schools recognised in Singapore here.
What Types of MMI Stations Are There?
While the MMI stations will vary by school, you can acquaint yourself with some common MMI stations. (Note: We are not allowed to disclose any NUS or NTU medicine interview questions due to a confidentiality agreement. All examples below are credited to The Medic Portal. For a full compilation of 400+ sample MMI questions—including ones with sample responses, you may download the free MMI Question Bank PDF.)
MMI Role-Play Station
The MMI Role-Play Station usually involves engaging with an actor in a given scenario. You will be assessed on your response to that scenario. Often, communication, listening skills, and empathy are involved.
Examples for MMI Role-Play Station
- You’ve been looking after your neighbour’s cat whilst they have been away for a week but yesterday you found the cat dead on your driveway. Break this news to them.
- You were playing football in the garden and kicked the ball over the fence breaking the neighbour’s garden ornament, which you know had great sentimental value.
- You are captain of the Olympic hockey team and have to inform one of your squad members they haven’t made the team to travel to the Olympics this year.
- You’ve double-booked yourself and promised a friend you will go on holiday with them but realised later you have work commitments which cannot be changed. They have just got over a difficult breakup and were really looking forward to the holiday. Tell them.
MMI Professional Judgement Station
The MMI Professional Judgement Station may be in the form of a role-play or a scenario prompt. You will be assessed on your ability to make sound judgements predicated on professionalism.
Example for MMI Professional Judgement Station
- You’re told that you are entering a hospital staff room 10 minutes prior to performing surgery with Dr ‘X’. As you enter, you see Dr ‘X’ take a swig of a clear drink from a bottle and quickly close their locker, which you suspect is alcohol. Over the course of the conversation, the doctor beings to forget things and slur their words. You have five minutes to speak to Dr ‘X’.
MMI Medical Ethics Station
The MMI Medical Ethics Station will present you with an ethical scenario. It may or may not in fact be clinically related; it could also be any other scenario that tests your ethical judgement. You may be asked to discuss the ethical issues involved, for your response in the situation, or any number of follow-up questions.
Examples for MMI Medical Ethics Station
- A 14-year-old patient goes to the GP and asks for the oral contraceptive pill. Discuss the ethical issues involved.
- A patient diagnosed with HIV reveals to their GP they have not disclosed this information to their partner. Discuss the ethical issues involved.
- You are a medical student at school. One day in the teaching hospital, you see one of your fellow students putting medical equipment from the stock room into their bag. When you ask them about it, they say they only want to practise their clinical skills and not to tell anyone. What would you do?
- A 13-year-old patient reveals to you that they are sexually active and that their parents do not know. What would you do as a doctor in this the situation?
- A depressed patient who has refused treatment has mentioned having suicidal thoughts and you are concerned about his well-being. Discuss the ethical issues involved.
- You are a GP, and your patient confides in you that they are regularly using illicit drugs. What should you do?
MMI Prioritisation Station
The MMI Prioritisation Station asks you to rank items or actions in terms of priority. It assesses your reasoning as well as critical and rational thinking.
Examples for MMI Prioritisation Station
- You’re told you’re going on a camping trip. Before you is a table of random objects. You have 20 seconds to pick five objects you deem to be of the most importance and value, and explain your choice.
- You are given details of 15 individuals, including their age, sex and occupation. A nuclear attack is imminent and you are only allowed to save five of them from destruction. Which ones and why?
- You are given details of six people, including their occupation and skills. You are asked which of them you would take with you on a trip to the jungle.
MMI Giving Instructions Station
The MMI Giving Instructions Station will require you to give specific instructions in relation to a task and a stipulated set of rules. This tests your critical thinking, clarity of thought, and articulation.
Examples for MMI Giving Instructions Station
- You need to instruct somebody to pick up a small number of blocks and place them onto a particular point on an A4 card, using a clamp. The card has other blocks on it surrounding the point – and knocking them over would lose you points. Explain how to lift the blocks onto the card.
- Explain how to tie shoelaces without using hand gestures.
- You are given a map and told to give directions from Door A to Door B.
MMI Data Interpretation Station
The MMI Data Interpretation Station will involve data (e.g. in the form of a graph) to discuss, and may or may not require you to make certain calculations. You will be assessed on simple data analysis and logical reasoning skills.
Examples for MMI Data Interpretation Station
- A graph showing plasma insulin levels of different patients over one day, with the times that meals were eaten. You may then be asked to talk about a specific patient on the graph.
- A graph that represents the effect of different antibiotics and their effectiveness for combating a particular illness. You may then be asked to interpret which antibiotics should be selected for treatment.
MMI Group Station
The MMI Group Station will involve you working together on a given task with other candidates at the interview. You may be assessed on your teamwork, communication and collaboration skills, leadership, and facilitation skills.
(Note that the NTU Medicine MMI will not involve Group Stations; all 8 stations will be one-to-one interviews. The NUS Medicine FSA will likely have a Group Station.)
How Can I Prepare for the MMI?
Everything in the Medical School Interview Guide applies perfectly to MMI preparation. Here’s a concise summary of the key tips to prepare for the MMI:
Tip #1: Familiarise with your personal statement and portfolio
Be very well-versed about your own experiences, personal qualities, and motivation for doing medicine. This is particularly important in preparation for the Interview Station, and can help you give specific examples in your response.
Tip #2: Prepare responses to general interview questions
General interview questions will include those about your background, motivation, and experiences. Prepare answers to these in point form. Having this “raw material” in your mind will help you to craft your answers more eloquently under the stressful circumstances of the interview.
You will never be able to predict exactly which questions will come out in your own MMI interview. Besides, there are simply too many possibilities and scenarios to prepare for. Therefore, do not waste your time crafting or preparing answers to specific MMI questions. Instead, use the questions as “practice questions” to rehearse your speaking and interview skills.
Tip #3: Know the essential qualities of a good doctor
Knowing what constitutes good medical practice will help you make sound decisions. This will be particularly helpful in the event that you are given any scenario with a medical setting. While no medical knowledge is required, you need to have a good sense of professionalism. You can also weave these qualities into your response.
Tip #4: Read up on medical ethics
Know the four principles of medical ethics. It may also be helpful to read up on some medical ethics case studies, which will give you an idea of what course of action is appropriate in various challenging situations. (This primer on Medical Ethics might help.)
Tip #5: Read up on the local healthcare scene
Try to at least have a general sense of how the healthcare system functions, how it is financed, as well as the current and future challenges. You can also keep yourself up-to-date on current affairs or “hot topics” in the news. (This primer on the Singapore Healthcare System might help.)
Tip #6: Practise giving responses within a given time limit
While it wouldn’t be wise to prepare answers for specific MMI questions, you can use sample MMI questions effectively by practising responding to them. A helpful method is not to look at the question beforehand. Have a list of questions (you can download the MMI Questions Bank), then just select any question and try responding to it as if you were at the MMI.
This simulates an actual interview, where you will not know the questions beforehand. You can thus practise your improvisation skills and articulating your answer eloquently when forced to speak off the cuff.
As clearly explained in the comprehensive Medical School Interview Guide, always record yourself when practising. Additionally, most MMI stations will have a time limit. Therefore, check the time you take for each question after recording. Practise speaking concisely and conveying your key points compellingly within around 5 minutes.
(Note that at the NTU Medicine MMI, the time given at each station, excluding prep time, is 5 minutes exactly. There is no exception, and you will not be allowed to go over 5 minutes.)