Mock Multi Mini Interviews (MMIs)
Pocklington School hosted MMIs for Upper Sixth Formers hoping to study Medicine, Dentistry and Physiotherapy at university. Students from Pocklington School, Woldgate School and Sixth Form College and York College practised their interview skills during several sessions with volunteers from medical and professional backgrounds to help with their university application process.
Aims
The aim of the event was to give students the opportunity to experience a mock interview that would realistically represent the ones they would be undertaking at various universities in their quest to gain admittance on to a demanding and competitive university degree course in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary or other allied health courses who use the MMI process.
Background
The purpose of the event was to replicate the interview process used by Medical, Dental and Veterinary schools and other allied health courses.
The students visited six individual interview stations where they were presented with a question on six different topics (personal attributes, motivation, ethics, communication skills, teamwork and NHS issues). Each candidate was given a short amount of time to prepare an answer to a set question before being interviewed for a set time, after which a whistle was bown and they moved on to the next station.
One of the stations was role play, which is very common in this kind of interview. An A level Drama student played the role of a patient with a set scenario.
Each candidate was asked the same questions so that interviewers could use a template to score the candidates against a matrix.
Resources
The event lasted 2.5 hours in total.
Six professionals came forward to volunteer as interviewers. The interviewers consisted of two GPs, one retired Dentist a former Chemistry teacher who sits on a University Ethics Committee, a School Governor and the school's Development Officer.
An A level Drama student played the role of a patient for the role play station.
A school reception room was transformed into an MMI interview station, using hired-in poster boards and exam desks and chairs. Questions were set along with a scoring matrix and key points sheet for the interviewers to mark against.
Impact
This event gave students the opportunity to experience an MMI style interview in order to reflect on feedback given and be 100% ready for the real thing.
Feedback from both students and interviewers was positive. One interviewer commented on how much a privilege it had been to be part of the event and to be able to help students in their career journey.
Pupil Involvement
Five Year 13 students from state schools attended the event and four students from Pocklington School.
Frequency
This was the first time the event has been run and it is envisaged it will take place again next year with hopefully more schools involved.