What is a Multi Mini Interview?

Medical Schools are looking for those with the greatest potential and although academic grades can indicate potential, there is more to it. Multi Mini Interviews, known as MMIs, can help us to establish whether an applicant has the potential to become a doctor. MMIs are a new and innovative way of assessing applicants through a series of different, short interviews and activities rather than a single long interview. MMIs are short focused interactions from which we are able to gain invaluable insights into applicants potential. MMIs combine traditional style questions with task-based questions . With seven stations and eight tasks to complete, applicants will spend five minutes in each station before moving on to the next. There is a range of different activities that could involve: role play with an actor, answering questions, explaining your thinking and practical tasks. Some example MMI tasks As well as traditional questions, some stations will involve task-based scenarios. Here is an example of the sorts of tasks you could be set:

Pack a suitcase for a trip, where the case can only contain half of the items available Travelling on the London Underground, one of your friends has become separated from the group its their first time in London describe your plan of action You have a list of 15 individuals, giving their sex, age and occupation you can save five of them from nuclear attack which five and why? As captain of a football team, inform a member of your team that they have not been selected to play in the final Inform your neighbour that you have just (accidentally) run over and killed their cat

Key competencies Although some of these examples may not strike you as directly relevant to medicine, they are assessing one or more of the following eight competencies, which we have developed from the General Medical Councils publication, Tomorrows doctors

Academic ability and intellect Empathy Initiative and resilience Communication skills and problem solving Team work Insight and integrity Effective learning style

Why MMIs?

Research has shown MMIs to be a better predictor of academic performance and professional behaviour. We piloted MMIs in the 2008/9 academic year and interviewers felt that MMIs were just as fair and accurate as traditional interviews. Interviewees felt that MMIs were more fair and more accurate than traditional interviews. MMIs allow the Admissions team to assess more candidates in a shorter period of time, which means you will find out the outcome of your interview sooner. What happens on the day? On your interview day you will spend half a day at St Georges (either morning or afternoon). When youre not in your MMI, you will be able to spend valuable time with our student ambassadors who will talk to you about what its like to study at Georges and you will have the opportunity to ask them questions. You will also be asked to complete a form detailing your work experience. The interview will consist of eight activities each lasting five minutes (40 minutes in total). You will be guided between activities by student ambassadors. Each activity could be assessing one or more of the key competencies. You wont be told which one is being assessed at each station but we will do our best to help you feel at ease!