This is part 5 of our 5-part series on medical school 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 Altus, AAMC PREview™, a traditional interview, and/or multiple mini interviews (MMI). Some schools require you to first submit either an Altus or a PREview score, then potentially invite you for a traditional interview or an MMI. Other schools don’t use the Altus Suite or the AAMC PREview at all, and only invite select candidates for on-campus interviews. Still other schools rely solely on Altus or AAMC and have abandoned conducting interviews at a later stage of the application process.

Ask about our Med School Candidacy Evaluation Package: Find out if you’re ready to apply!

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.)

In an analysis of 36 top-tier med schools’ interview requirements, Collegiate Gateway found the following; note that this is a sampling and not a definitive distribution of interview requirements across medical schools:

  • 6 request or require the Casper test (part of the Altus Suite)
  • 3 request or require the AAMC PREview test
  • 30 require traditional interviews for select candidates
  • 8 require MMI interviews for select candidates

Keep in mind that an individual school can request or require two or more interview formats. 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 (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: BU’s School of Medicine requires that applicants take the Casper component of the Altus Suite of assessments but does not require the other two parts of the Altus Suite, Duet and Snapshot. Select candidates are then invited for a traditional interview. These one-on-one conversations with BUSM-affiliated faculty and/or clinicians take place between mid-September and mid-January. Interviewed applicants also attend info sessions with faculty members and current students (which may or may not be held on interview day). Interviews are currently being conducted virtually due to COVID-19.

Duke University School of Medicine

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • MMI (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: Duke’s School of Medicine does not require that the Altus Suite 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 MMI. The interview season, which is currently virtual, takes place between early September and early February. Duke’s MMI consists of five ethical stations, two traditional interviews, one team station (visited twice), and a video station. Applicants also meet and talk with current students about their experiences in 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 ‘fit’ day—a day to determine whether you and Duke make a good match. From Duke’s perspective, it’s a chance for us to probe more deeply the information in your application, to learn more about the depth of your intellectual curiosity, commitment to a career of service, and ethical values.

George Washington School of Health and Medical Sciences

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • AAMC PREview (recommended, not required)
  • Traditional interview (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 800 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 August through March and are currently being held virtually.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Interview requirements, in brief:

  • MMI (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: Like Duke, NYU does not ask med school applicants to complete the Altus Suite 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 14 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 (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 (for select candidates)

Interview requirements, in more detail: UCLA requires that all MD candidates take the AAMC PREview exam. (This is, at present time, unusual: few med schools require the PREview exam, though some—like GW, above—request or consider it.) Select candidates are then invited to participate in a traditional interview. These one-on-one interviews with faculty members are held from August through January or until the class is filled; currently, they’re 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!

   

www.collegiategateway.com