This is part 5 of our 5-part series on medical school interviews, and provides samples of the varied interview requirements of a selected group of medical schools.

The goal of these interviews is to give medical schools a holistic sense of who you are by rounding out the quantitative and written elements of your application—including your GPA, MCAT scores, essays, and recommendations —with a more personal sense of your potential to succeed in medical school and as a physician.

This series covers the four types of interviews and assessments for medical school: the Acuity Insights and AAMC PREview assessments, as well as traditional and MMI interviews. For information on the other posts in this series, see our overview post here.

For detailed information about each of the interview formats, in terms of content, structure, timing, cost, and tips, see the individual blog posts in the series:

Medical schools vary in terms of whether they require Acuity Insights, AAMC PREview™, a traditional interview, and/or multiple mini interviews (MMI). Some schools require you to first submit either an Acuity Insights or a PREview score, then potentially invite you for a traditional interview or an MMI. Other schools don’t use Acuity Insights or AAMC PREview at all, and only invite select candidates for on-campus interviews. Still other schools rely solely on Acuity or AAMC and have abandoned conducting interviews at a later stage of the application process.

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The best way to ensure that you meet each medical school’s requirements for interviews—and applications more broadly—is to check each program’s website and keep careful track via a spreadsheet or detailed Word doc. (An admissions consulting service will likely help you with this; at Collegiate Gateway, we keep carefully organized records of med schools’ application requirements for our clients.)

Keep in mind that an individual school can request or require between one and four different interview formats; the most common is the traditional interview. In the post below, we detail the interview requirements of six top medical schools, to show you how varied the interview experience can be.

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM)

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • Casper
  • Traditional interview, conducted virtually (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: BU’s School of Medicine requires that applicants take the Casper component of the Acuity Insights suite of assessments (BU does not require Duet). Select candidates are then invited for a traditional interview which is conducted virtually. These one-on-one conversations with BUSM-affiliated faculty and/or clinicians take place between mid-September and mid-January. Interviewed applicants also attend a virtual information session with faculty members and current students, as well as a virtual orientation with the Associate Dean of Admissions (these additional virtual activities may or may not be held on interview day).

Duke University School of Medicine

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • MMI, conducted virtually (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: Duke’s School of Medicine does not require that the Acuity Insights or AAMC’s PREview assessment be completed as part of the application. However, once primary and secondary applications are reviewed, select promising candidates are invited to interview via a virtual MMI. The interview season takes place between early September and early February. Duke’s MMI consists of five ethical stations, two traditional interviews, team stations (visited twice), and a video station. Applicants also meet and talk with current students about their experiences with the curriculum, living in Durham, and their involvement in the school and community.

As Duke Med’s website describes:

Interview day is, at heart, a day to determine whether you and Duke make a good match. From Duke’s perspective, our goal is to interact with you more extensively and help you learn more about the DukeMed community and all that it has to offer. We also want you to learn more about us, because only you can determine whether Duke’s curriculum and resources will best meet your personal educational needs and guide you in developing your talents to the fullest.

George Washington School of Health and Medical Sciences

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • AAMC PREview (recommended, not required)
  • Traditional interview, conducted virtually (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: GW will consider AAMC PREview™ scores if they are provided, but these scores aren’t mandatory. Still, GW recommends taking the exam, per its FAQ page:

We are committed to educating aspiring physicians and scientists to serve society using a community-based, patient-centered, interprofessional, and evidence-based model of education committed to inclusion, promoting discovery, and utilizing innovative techniques. Our students have a solid academic foundation, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and demonstrate empathy, ethics, and cultural humility. We believe the AAMC PREview exam provides an opportunity to assess these critical pre-professional competencies.

About 700 candidates will be invited to participate in a blind, 25-minute traditional interview with a faculty member. (“Blind” means that neither applicants nor interviewers know anything about each other in advance of the conversation.) Interviews are held from late August through March and are currently being held virtually.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • MMI, conducted virtually (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: Like Duke, NYU does not ask med school applicants to complete the Acuity Insights or AAMC PREview assessments; the school only requires MMI interviews (for invited candidates). NYU’s MMI comprises eight stations, each helmed by a trained member of the med school’s faculty, staff, or student body. There is one open station that mimics a traditional one-on-one interview and lasts 12 minutes. The others give applicants a scenario with an open-ended question; applicants have about two minutes to prepare, then five minutes to converse with an interviewer. These interviews run from September through December and are currently being conducted virtually.

Stanford Medicine

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • Hybrid MMI/traditional interview, conducted virtually (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: Stanford invites select applicants to participate in a hybrid interview process that includes both MMI and traditional elements. Candidates also can attend presentations on curriculum, academic programs, and community engagement opportunities, as well as speak with current students. Interviews are held between September and February and are currently being conducted virtually.

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • AAMC PREview
  • Traditional interview, conducted virtually (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: UCLA requires that all MD candidates take the AAMC PREview exam. Select candidates are then invited to participate in a traditional interview. These one-on-one interviews are conducted by DGSOM faculty members; per the school’s website, “You are not responsible for knowing who your interviewers are. The focus is on you!” Interviews are held from August through January or until the class is filled. Currently, all interviews are being conducted virtually.

Applying to medical school is a complicated process, and interviews are no exception. We encourage you to read through the rest of our blog posts on med school interviews. Feel free to contact Collegiate Gateway if you would like to receive mock interviews with feedback, or guidance on any aspect of the med school application and admissions process. As always, we’re happy to help!

   

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