Formats
Interview formats, and which school uses which.
An MMI and a panel interview are prepared for differently, so the first thing worth knowing is which one you are walking into.
The formats
MMI, the multiple mini interviewA circuit of short stations, each with its own interviewer and its own scenario. You read the prompt outside the room, then go in and answer. Stations are scored separately, which is the part worth knowing: a station that goes badly does not follow you into the next one. Most of my students are preparing for this format.
PanelOne longer conversation with two or more interviewers, who take turns through a list of areas. Because it runs as a single conversation rather than a circuit, how you are with people in the room counts for more, and a weak answer early can colour what follows. Recovering in the moment is a skill you can practise.
Structured and semi-structuredA single interview in which every candidate is asked the same questions in the same order, scored against a fixed rubric. It can feel flat compared with a panel, because there is less follow-up and almost no small talk. Semi-structured sits between the two: set questions, with room for the interviewer to probe an answer.
Situational judgement testA written test rather than an interview. You are given scenarios and asked to rank or rate the responses. It is usually sat before or alongside the interview rather than inside it, so it is prepared for differently: read the school’s own guidance and practise the format, not the content.
By university
Undergraduate-entry programs only. Graduate-entry and other pathways are a different process and I do not coach for them.
| University | Format |
|---|---|
| Western Sydney University | Not yet confirmed |
| WSU – Charles Sturt Joint Program in Medicine | Not yet confirmed |
| University of New South Wales | Not yet confirmed |
| University of Newcastle – UNE Joint Medical Program | Not yet confirmed |
| Monash University | Not yet confirmed |
| University of Queensland | Not yet confirmed |
| University of Adelaide | Not yet confirmed |
| University of Western Australia | Not yet confirmed |
| Curtin University | Not yet confirmed |
| Griffith University | Not yet confirmed |
| Bond University | Not yet confirmed |
| James Cook University | Not yet confirmed |
How to find out, in three steps
- The school's own admissions page for this year. Not a forum post, not last year's page, and not a coaching company's summary. The school is the only source that counts.
- Your invitation email. It usually names the format and the length, and sometimes the number of stations. Read it twice. Students skim it and miss the detail that would have changed how they prepared.
- Ask the admissions office. If it is still unclear, email or ring them. They answer, and asking counts against you in no way at all.