What are multiple mini interviews?

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) is the newest format used for interviewing professionals.  The format has evolved from the “classic interview”, in which an applicant is seated at a desk with all interviewers present.  In comparison, MMI’s involve a series of interview stations, each involving 1-2 interviewers unique to that station only. Prior to each individual station, applicants are provided a short period of time (2 minutes) to read a prompt specific to that station.   The prompt is usually a hypothetical scenario that is meant to challenge the critical thinking skills of the applicant.   The prompts are designed in such a way as to explore the applicant’s awareness of ethical dilemma’s, social inequities and work-related conflicts.  The prompts therefore explore the thoughts and critical thinking skills of the applicant when faced with a challenging situation.   

While most stations are discussion-based, certain stations may request you to “act out” your approach with a hired actor.  Duration of each station is approximately 6-10 minutes, with the option of follow-up questions if need be.  At the sound of a bell, you move on to the next station, repeating this process for all 6-15 stations.  

Importantly, each station is graded solely by an interviewer whom is assigned to that specific station.  The interviewer is unaware (coined “blinded”) to the opinions and grading of other interviewers at other stations, nor are they aware of your performances at the other stations. The top applicants are those whom score the highest cumulative scores from all stations.