MMIs

MMIs, or Multiple Mini-Interviews, are a structured interview format commonly used in medical and some health-professional programs to evaluate applicants’ non-academic attributes such as communication, ethics, empathy, teamwork, and problem-solving. The acronym is also used for other concepts in technology, such as Man–Machine Interface, which studies interactions between humans and machines; this article focuses on the medical-admissions usage.

Origins and purpose: The MMI concept emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with early implementations at McMaster University’s medical school. The aim was to improve reliability and fairness in applicant selection by distributing evaluation across a series of brief, station-based tasks rather than relying on a single traditional interview. Each station presents a prompt or scenario and has its own scoring criteria.

Format and scoring: In a typical MMI, candidates rotate through 8–12 stations, each lasting about 8–10 minutes. Stations may involve ethical dilemmas, communication tasks, role-playing with standardized patients, or problem-solving exercises. Trained raters or actors assess performance using standardized rubrics, combining station-specific ratings with global judgments. The design emphasizes consistency across stations and raters to reduce bias and improve reliability.

Evaluation and impact: MMIs are associated with improved assessment of non-cognitive skills compared with traditional interviews, while recognizing they require substantial logistical resources and coordination. Limitations include high costs, scheduling complexity, potential coaching effects, and concerns about cultural fairness. They are widely used in medical schools and related programs worldwide, though implementations vary in structure and emphasis.