Effective Methods Of MMI Interview Preparation in 2023

Effective MMI interview preparation relies on a number of factors. Here, we’ll consider some of the most important, and then give some thought to how you can use these variables to your advantage.

Methods of Preparing

The first method of preparing for an MMI, and the most obvious, is working through previous questions until such a point that you are happy with your approach to all of them. In order to do this, you will need to consider the following:

Do you have a suitable range of preparation questions? If not, where can you find sample questions? It’s advisable to revise using questions that are specific to the universities that you are applying to - something like BlackStone Tutors’ range of questions found here, for example.

Do you have answers that you can use to iterate and evolve your own approaches to the questions? A long list of potential questions will be of little use if you don’t have the answers to go with it - or at least some answers that you can use to adapt your own answers from.

Is drilling questions alone sufficient to build up your knowledge and ability? In particular, you need someone to review your answers who can give you honest, constructive feedback - perhaps a medical interview tutor, a friendly local GP, etc. Simply practising without feedback will not result in you improving.

The second method is building your core knowledge

This involves reading around each area that might come up in the interview, in order to develop a strong foundation that you can then use to answer questions. This is perhaps a slower but more detail approach than the first method, but equally could result in answers that are less obviously learnt, and that seem more reflective.

The third method is signing up for an MMI prep course

This method of preparation must be combined with others - you can’t simply sign up for a course and expect to learn everything that you need to know in one day.

Instead, a course should be a chance to honestly appraise the level that you are at, and add a level of polish to your answers.

To make the most of it, you should enter relatively confident in your level of knowledge already - you can then put this knowledge to the test, and get feedback from tutors who have experience with numerous MMI students.n

The fourth method is reflection

This often is missed by students, who focus too much on knowledge, and not enough on their own experiences and how to best convey them. A significant part of the interview will focus on your own attributes and experiences - in particular, think of questions like:

Tell us about a time when you demonstrated your ability to lead others.Tell us about a time when you were part of a team that succeed against the odds.Tell us about a time when you had a falling out with a friend or colleague, and how it was resolved.What kind of challenging situations have you found yourself in, where communication was difficult? This may have been an emotional situation, or a stressful situation.What kind of patients might doctors find it harder to communicate with, and how can these barriers be overcome?How do you deal with difficult or stressful situations? Do you work well under intense pressure?

All these questions rely on you both having reflect on your own experiences, and developed a way of providing your experiences in a succinct and convincing manner.

Overall, you cannot succeed in an MMI without varying your preparation and ensuring that it balances a range of techniques and approaches.

MMI interview preparation is a marathon, rather than a sprint, and you must therefore try to slowly build up knowledge, reflect on your experiences, and then begin to drill questions in a sensible way.

0