Admissions prep · Health sciences
Interview and MMI skills
How multiple mini interviews work, core ethical principles, a clear structure for answers, common station types and how to practise effectively.
About this deck
Many health science and professional programs in Canada, and some other competitive programs, interview applicants using the multiple mini interview (MMI) format: a circuit of short stations, each with its own prompt and interviewer. Others use a traditional panel interview. This deck explains how these formats work, introduces the four classic principles of health ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice) along with consent, capacity and confidentiality, gives a simple structure for organizing answers, and describes common station types such as ethical dilemmas, role-plays, collaborative tasks and personal questions.
The content is original and general; it is not tied to any particular school's interview, and formats, timing and scoring differ between programs, so read each program's own instructions. Use the cards to build a vocabulary for reasoning aloud. After reviewing a principle, invent a short scenario and talk through it for a few minutes using the structure cards, ideally with a friend acting as interviewer. Common weaknesses include rushing to a verdict without gathering facts, ignoring one party's perspective, giving rehearsed answers that miss the actual prompt, and finishing far too early. Preparation helps you communicate clearly; it cannot guarantee any outcome.
Before you start: None; useful for applicants to health, education and professional programs.
All 37 cards
Cover the definitions with a sheet of paper and test yourself, or use the study modes above.
Format
- Multiple mini interview (MMI)
- A circuit of short timed stations, each with a different interviewer and prompt, designed to sample many qualities rather than rely on one conversation.
- Station prompt
- The scenario or question posted at each station, read during a short preparation period before you begin.
- Station rotation
- Moving to the next station on a signal; each station is scored separately by its own interviewer.
- Fresh start mindset
- Treating every station as a new interview so a weak one does not affect the next.
- Panel interview
- A traditional format with several interviewers asking questions in a single sitting.
- Virtual interview etiquette
- Test your equipment, use a quiet well-lit space, look at the camera, and have a backup plan for connection problems.
Ethics
- Autonomy
- Respecting a capable person's right to make informed decisions about their own life and care, even ones you disagree with.
- Beneficence
- Acting in the best interest of the person you serve and promoting their well-being.
- Non-maleficence
- Avoiding harm, and weighing likely risks against likely benefits before acting.
- Justice (ethics)
- Fair distribution of resources, risks and benefits, and treating similar cases alike.
- Informed consent
- Agreement given freely by a capable person who understands the risks, benefits and alternatives.
- Capacity
- The ability to understand information relevant to a decision and to appreciate its consequences.
- Confidentiality
- The duty to protect personal information, with narrow exceptions such as a serious risk of harm.
- Conflict of interest
- A situation where personal gain or relationships could improperly sway professional judgement.
- Truth-telling
- Being honest with people about their situation, delivered with compassion and at a pace they can manage.
- Ethical tension
- A situation where two principles point in different directions, such as respecting a choice versus preventing harm.
Answer structure
- Identify the issue
- Open by naming the central problem and who is affected, which shows you understood the scenario.
- Acknowledge perspectives
- Describe how each party might see the situation before you judge it.
- Information you would seek
- List the facts you would need before acting, showing that you avoid assumptions.
- Options and consequences
- Lay out two or three possible actions and their likely effects on each person involved.
- Justified decision
- Choose an action and explain why it best balances the principles in play.
- STAR method
- Situation, Task, Action, Result: a way to organize answers about your past experiences.
- Reflection in answers
- Ending with what you learned or would do differently, which shows growth.
- Avoiding extreme answers
- Not jumping to firing, reporting or confronting before gathering facts; interviewers look for balanced judgement.
- Using the full time
- Aim to speak for most of the allotted time without rushing; if you finish early, add perspectives or next steps.
Station types
- Ethical dilemma station
- A scenario with competing values, judged on the quality of your reasoning rather than on one correct answer.
- Role-play station
- You interact with an actor, for example to deliver bad news or calm an upset person; judged on communication and empathy.
- Collaborative task station
- You and a partner complete a task, such as describing a drawing for the other to reproduce; judged on teamwork and clarity.
- Policy or current issue station
- Discussion of a social or health policy topic; show balanced arguments and awareness of different groups affected.
- Personal experience station
- Questions about your past, such as a failure or a conflict; answer with specific, honest examples.
- Motivation station
- Explaining why you want this field, using concrete experiences rather than general statements.
- Breaking bad news
- Prepare the setting, learn what the person already knows, share clearly and kindly, allow emotion, and plan next steps together.
Preparation
- Practising out loud
- Speaking timed answers to a friend or a recording, which exposes rambling and filler words.
- Reading on health and social issues
- Following reputable news and public reports so you can discuss current topics thoughtfully.
- Knowing the program
- Reviewing the school's mission and curriculum so your answers about fit are specific.
- Self-care before interview day
- Sleep, meals, travel planning and arriving early reduce stress that can hurt performance.
- Honesty over rehearsed scripts
- Interviewers value genuine thinking; memorized answers often sound flat and miss the actual prompt.