4/15/2019 Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) - The Michener Institute

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)

All full-time programs will have Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) as part of their admission process.
WHAT IS MULTIPLE MINI INTERVIEWS (MMI)?
In an MMI, applicants will complete a 1.5 hour circuit of eight, 7-10-minute mini-interview stations, rotating from
station to station. The Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) is similar to an Objective Structured Clinical Examination
(OSCE) used by medical schools and certifying bodies except that it is not ‘clinical’. At each station, candidates will
be presented with a ‘scenario’ or question. They will then respond to a series of questions before proceeding to the
next station.

WHAT MIGHT I SEE IN AN MMI SCENARIO?

As in any examination process, the actual scenarios will remain confidential. However, examples of scenarios can be
found in Eva KW, et al. (2004)

Here is one example.

Parking Garage (Communication Skills)

The parking garage at your place of work has assigned parking spots. On leaving your spot, you are observed by the
garage attendant as you back into a neighboring car, a BMW, knocking out its le front headlight and denting the le front
fender. The garage attendant gives you the name and o ice number of the owner of the neighboring car, telling you that he
is calling ahead to the car owner, Tim. The garage attendant tells you that Tim is expecting your visit. Enter Tim’s o ice.

WHAT WILL AN MMI STATION ASSESS? WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRADITIONAL
Considerable time and attention has been paid to INTERVIEW?
determining the non-cognitive characteristics of the We know from educational research conducted that the
students we believe will make good health care ‘score’ received by applicants on the traditional interview
practitioners. The stations will assess characteristics like
can be influenced by the biases, expectations and
 responsibility, teamwork, ethics, communication, self- perspectives of the interviewers. For example, Harasym et
reflection etc. that we have established are important. al. (1996) demonstrated that interviewer variability
accounted for 56% of the total variance in interview
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE MMI?
ratings. Similarly, we know from examination data, that
McMaster University has been using the MMI instead of our most reliable data on student performance is
the traditional interview for student candidate selection achieved through multiple assessments by multiple
since 2004. In 2003, they ran a parallel process in which assessors. In part, this is due to the fact that ‘good’
volunteers participated in both the MMI and a traditional performance in one domain (e.g., communication skills)
interview. This has given them a cohort of 45 students does not predict ‘good’ performance in another domain
who were admitted to medical school and have (e.g., knowledge of the human body). It is also due to the
completed the Medical Council of Canada, Part I fact that more examiners cause fewer idiosyncrasies in
examination. They have studied the MMI systematically the assessment process than are caused by the use of
and carefully during this period and found the MMI only one or two assessors. These types of studies have led
process to be reliable and valid. to the OSCE being adopted as the examination of choice
when measuring clinical competence.

ACCEPTABILITY OF MMI
Candidate and examiner feedback are generally positive. The new Northern Ontario school of Medicine used the
MMI in its selection process for its inaugural class(2005). MMI has been used in Jerusalem, Brunei, Michigan (Ann
Arbor), Australia, Northern Ontario, Calgary, and McMaster. It was used in parallel with the traditional interview at
the University of Manitoba in 2006.
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CAN I READ MORE ABOUT THE MULTIPLE MINI INTERVIEWS (MMI)
are happy with it. AND INTERVIEWING?

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4/15/2019 Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) - The Michener Institute

Eva KW, Reiter HI, Rosenfeld J, Norman GR. The ability of the multiple mini-interview to predict pre-clerkship
performance in medical school, Acad Med. 2004, Oct; 79(10 Suppl):S40-2
Eva KW, Reiter HI, Rosenfeld J, Norman GR, The relationship between interviewers’ characteristics and
ratings assigned during a multiple mini-interview, Acad Med 2004, 79(6): 602 – 9
Eva KW, Reiter HI, Where judgment fails: pitfalls in the selection process for medical personnel, Adv Health
Sci Educ Theory Pract 2004; 9(2): 161-174
Eva KW, Rosenfeld J, Reiter HI, Norman Gr, An admissions OSCE: The multiple mini interview, Med Educ 2004;
38(3): 314 – 326
Harasym PH, Woloschuk W, Mandin H, Brundin-Mather R, Reliability and validity of interviewers’ judgments
of medical school candidates, Acad Med 1996 71: 40S-42S.
Reiter HI, Eva KW, Reflecting the relative values of community, faculty, and students in the admissions tools
of medical school. Teach Learn Med. 2005 Winter; 17(1):4-8.
 

NON-COGNITIVE QUALITIES
Being a healthcare practitioner is a moral undertaking, our admission process aims to admit students:

Who will in their behaviors reflect the following We aim to admit students who will
attributes
Be self-directed learners
Responsibility Be an integral part of an interprofessional
Empathy healthcare team
Integrity Be willing to self-assess
Be willing to work hard
Communicate e ectively
Who will in their professional relationships
Demonstrate abiltity to manage time
Demonstrate ability to tolerate stress
Take responsibility for their actions
Demonstrate good judgement
Act ethically
Recognize and respect the roles of other heathcare
Act in a collegial and collaborative manner
disciplines
Be reflective
Be reliable
Be trustworthy and honest
Demonstrate respect for others
Maintain confidences

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