How Does an MMI Question Bank Help In MMI Preparation?
An MMI question bank can add extra depth and focus to your MMI preparation. Medical interview questions are easy to find, but finding a range of questions appropriate to the schools that you are interviewing at, divided by station type, and with model answers, is much more difficult. Here we will consider exactly how an MMI question bank is of use, and how you should deploy it in your preparation.
How is an MMI question bank of use in MMI preparation?
An MMI question bank offers numerous benefits for your preparation. In particular, consider the following elements:
An MMI question bank allows you to cover material efficiently. It’s likely that you will spend a significant amount of time preparing for your MMIs, and some of this time will invariably go to waste. You will become distracted, go off on tangents, or simply not utilise time as efficiently as you otherwise might.
A question bank ensures that your preparation remains focused, and that you work through core components of the MMI quickly. A good question bank should focus on the main stations that you are likely to encounter in an MMI – like team working and communication skills, motivation for Medicine, role plays, etc.
A great example is the BlackStone Tutors offering, which you can find here. It offers more than 500 questions focusing on core stations, so you know that your time is being used well.
An MMI question bank reduces revision fatigue. Preparation fatigue is a very real thing – you will be getting ready for your interviews for an extended period of time, and after a while it’s only natural that boredom will set in, and that you therefore won’t work as effectively as you did before.
Equally, you may begin to feel (likely unwisely) that you largely know everything you need to know, and that further preparation therefore won’t be of benefit. In these instances, using a question bank will allow you to switch up your revision and keep it fresh.
Many students are used to fast-paced learning and quizzing, so a question bank plays into this – it’s gamified to an extent, and the challenge of pitting yourself against a range of different questions can ensure that you get a second wind in terms of your preparation.
An MMI question bank can also act as the foundation of your preparation – you can use it a little at the start to familiarise yourself with the types of questions that come up often, and then use this information to go away and build up your knowledge across these sections, with reference to the model answers in the question bank.
Ensure that your question bank has model answers, like the Blackstone Tutors example above.
An MMI question bank goes hand-in-hand with other revision material. It should not be used to replace other methods of revision – instead, it should be used as an adjunct, to sharpen your preparation and allow you to reach the next level.
Of course, you must not lose track of the fact that an MMI is an interview, so you must practise as much as possible with others, or through recording yourself giving answers. It’s not enough to merely write down what you would say, or think through an answer but not present it.
How should you best use an MMI question bank during MMI preparation?
To best make use of an MMI question bank, you should consider how it fits your revision and preparation style. Ensure that you balance different materials: try to find the best mmi prep course, and sign up for this, to ensure that your ability to approach different types of questions and answer them out loud is also developed and iterated.
You should begin your preparation with a period of reflection on your own achievements and experiences, and how you can best convey your attributes. You should then build and develop your knowledge of Medicine and healthcare – and ethics – and ensure that you are strong across each area.
Then add in the MMI question bank and ensure that you combine it with preparation with others, and then finally combine the MMI question bank with an MMI prep course to ensure that you are as polished as is possible.
