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UoA MMI Interview Question Bank

Continuing the trend of listing what the mini interviews were about, here's mine.
I'm a graduate applicant, and these questions aren't in any particular order.

1. Role-play: Same as lucyg. A friend (law student) wants access to the Hospital library which is restricted to doctors and medical students. She has an exam soon and all the other libraries are full and/or noisy. She wants access to the hospital library because it's quiet and it's not full. What do you do?
2. Children are coming to schools hungry in the morning. You are in charge of finding a solution to this.
3. What are you looking forward to the most about being a medical professional?
4. Recall a time you were incorrectly judged or wrongly accused of something. Discuss this with the interviewer.
5. You are a pharmacist with access to prescription drugs. A friend (with some medical condition) wants a prescription drug, because she knows the drug works, and she's too busy to see a doctor. What do you do?
6. (unsure of the exact wording) What is something that you are not happy about yourself? How can you improve/change yourself?
7. Universities are giving preferential entry to medical students whom are willing to work in rural areas for two years after they graduate. This is to try and get more people to work in the rural areas. Do you think this is a good idea? Discuss with interviewer.
8. (can't remember)


In my interview though, the interviewers got me worried a bit.
My first two interviewers showed a lot of emotion and were really friendly to me. They talked back to me quite a lot, and it was a nice discussion. I walked out of those thinking I'd done a good job because they seemed really engaged with what I said.
Then the next few interviewers showed no emotion at all... they simply said "yep, sure" to EVERYTHING I said. After I had said what I had to say, they read a question off their clipboard, and then it was me talking again whilst they said "yep, sure". I thought I was saying the wrong things because they seemed so bored. It got me a bit worried that I'd made a bad impression on these few interviewers. I tried talking about something that may strike and interest in the interviewer, but nope.
The rest were like proper interviewers - they asked questions at the right time, responded like an interviewer would, smiled at the right times, etc.

Also, I wore a suit, tie, dress shirt/pants and I was way too overdressed. Everyone just wore a simply dress shirt (the guys that is). The girls didn't wear anything fancy either, just something that looked tidy.

Can I ask you what you said to the law student trying to access the library question, please if you could remember? I dunno I would just say that it's reserved for the med students and doctors for a reason and can't allow them to access it.
 
Just finished my interview today!

Here are the questions I had from what I can remember:

1) What does it mean to be a team member?
2) Maori language week - pros and cons?
3) Transgender women take something to reduce their testosterone levels when competing in the Olympics. Thoughts? Follow ups included: Should trans people be allowed to compete in the gender category in which they identify? should a seperate category be made for trans people? Thoughts on the testosterone regulations for M to F trans people, and lack of regulations for F to M trans people?
4) List of NZ's ranking in a number of factors for the Social Progress Index, e.g. housing, suicide, greenhouse emissions, obesity. Thoughts on our ranking? Should we be satisfied?
5) What do you want to achieve in your career as a health professional?
6) Describe a time where you witnessed someone do something unethical/unmoral. What did you do and what would you do differently?
7) Decision making for water fluoridation has recently shifted from the local board to the DHB. There is some opposition from the public. Thoughts?
8) Acting: Your cousin has epilepsy and wants to stop the medication that he's been taking and wants to stop going to the doctor. In the station, he brought up wanting to try alternative medicine and that he felt that the doctor was only there to prescribe medicine/ wasn't listening to him.
May I ask you what kind of answers you gave to the interviewers, please? I'm interested in going to Auckland in 2018 or so.
 

smallgondola

Auckland MBChB II
May I ask you what kind of answers you gave to the interviewers, please? I'm interested in going to Auckland in 2018 or so.

That's awesome to hear!

Well, that would make for quite a lengthy post hehe, are there any specific questions you want to know?
 

Cogswell

Regular Member
Can I ask you what you said to the law student trying to access the library question, please if you could remember? I dunno I would just say that it's reserved for the med students and doctors for a reason and can't allow them to access it.

It's quite easy, especially if you go to the MMI help sessions. The scenarios are pretty much the same every year.

It was just a few minutes of saying no you can't use my library access, then moved on to helping them find alternative study locations (like home, a friend's house, etc.), but they still keep asking if they can use your library access.
Then the last few minutes I told her to look at things from my perspective, and that got them to change their mind and they said 'ok I understand' or something.
 
As promised on the Auckland OLY1 thread, this is a writeup of my experience with the new MMI format. I hope it helps future students get an idea of what it's like.


Before the interview

My interview session was held at Grafton campus on 10:15, 27th of November. I left my house at 9 to make sure there's plenty of time to spare. I arrived about 10 minutes before 10, and I was neither the first nor the last one to get to the waiting room.

The room was filled with my fellow interviewees and student helpers; according to my helper, 2 cycles of interviews were being conducted simultaneously, for a total of 16 students at once. Most of the girls were dressed the way I was: a blouse, business skirt and tights. One or two girls were wearing a jacket over a dress, while the guys were pretty much all dressed in suits with the jacket off.

I made small talk with a med student, but I was nervous and I'm not exactly chatty at the best of times, so we fell to an awkward silence a few times. :p Just when I was starting to worry that the same would happen with my interviewers, another student came to escort me to my interview.


During the interview

The interviews were conducted in small office-type rooms along a corridor not far from the medsci lab. Scenarios were written on laminated cards placed on chairs placed outside each room. At each station, I had 2 minutes to read the question and plan my answer. During this time, my student helper provided me with water if I needed some. When the 2 minutes were up, a chime went off to signal the end of reading time and I was led into the room.

The stationed all started the same way: the interviewer and I exchanged brief introductions, the interviewer confirmed that I have read the scenario, and they asked me what I thought about it. It was very conversational; I wasn't expected to give a speech. Generally, I opened the conversation by stating my initial thoughts, and they asked me follow-up questions so that I could elaborate on my answer or explain my reasoning. Often, the topic gradually drifted away from the scenario; I think I had the "why medicine?" conversation about 3 times, haha.

Another chime rang after 6 minutes. I finished up my answer if I was in the middle of speaking, thanked the interviewer and was escorted to the next room (which was usually just next door) by my student helper. As it turned out, I didn't need to worry about running out of things to say; 6 minutes came pretty quickly.

I was given the following scenarios (possibly paraphrased):
1. Think about a problem where the old solution didn't work and you came up with a new one.
2. Your patient, who has cancer, wants to try traditional Maori medicine. How do you respond?
3. You are the owner of a pharmacy. You notice that one of your customers, a young woman, keeps coming to your pharmacy for anti-constipation pills. You know that these pills can cause harmful effects if abused as 'slimming aids'. What would you say to her?
4. Discuss a health issue you would prioritise if you were the Minister of Health, and what strategies you would use.
5. What changes would you make to the MBChB/BOptom/BPharm entry criteria?
6. Discuss how you would make a change affecting your career.
7. One of your patients looked you up online and sent you an email of social nature. How do you respond?
8. (Roleplay) Your team gave the wrong medication to your 5 year old patient. Although you know it was not your fault, you must explain the situation to his parent and assure them that your team is doing the best to ensure this does not happen again.

The roleplay was definitely a hard one. I didn't know the details of the scenario nor the official, 'proper' protocol that real health professionals would follow. Luckily, the roleplay was only 4 minutes, instead of 6 like other stations. For the remaining 2 minutes, I talked with the interviewer. She didn't get much further than "it's okay to be nervous, it will get easier with practice" before it was time for the next station, though.

There was a variety of age, ethnicity and gender represented in the interviewer panel - anything from an elderly white gentleman to a young Polynesian lady. None of them were hostile or tried to intimidate me, but some were more reserved compared to others and even the friendliest of them didn't give away what they thought of me. I still have no idea whether I did well or not!
Hey can I ask you some questions and give you my thoughts on how I would answer the questions you were given?
 
Just finished my interview today!

Here are the questions I had from what I can remember:

1) What does it mean to be a team member?
2) Maori language week - pros and cons?
3) Transgender women take something to reduce their testosterone levels when competing in the Olympics. Thoughts? Follow ups included: Should trans people be allowed to compete in the gender category in which they identify? should a seperate category be made for trans people? Thoughts on the testosterone regulations for M to F trans people, and lack of regulations for F to M trans people?
4) List of NZ's ranking in a number of factors for the Social Progress Index, e.g. housing, suicide, greenhouse emissions, obesity. Thoughts on our ranking? Should we be satisfied?
5) What do you want to achieve in your career as a health professional?
6) Describe a time where you witnessed someone do something unethical/unmoral. What did you do and what would you do differently?
7) Decision making for water fluoridation has recently shifted from the local board to the DHB. There is some opposition from the public. Thoughts?
8) Acting: Your cousin has epilepsy and wants to stop the medication that he's been taking and wants to stop going to the doctor. In the station, he brought up wanting to try alternative medicine and that he felt that the doctor was only there to prescribe medicine/ wasn't listening to him.
What would you say to question number 6? I haven't really witnessed anything unethical/unmoral.
Question number 2? I would say a pro is that it pays respect to the Maori population. (Would that be considered outrageous to say or something?)
 
As promised on the Auckland OLY1 thread, this is a writeup of my experience with the new MMI format. I hope it helps future students get an idea of what it's like.


Before the interview

My interview session was held at Grafton campus on 10:15, 27th of November. I left my house at 9 to make sure there's plenty of time to spare. I arrived about 10 minutes before 10, and I was neither the first nor the last one to get to the waiting room.

The room was filled with my fellow interviewees and student helpers; according to my helper, 2 cycles of interviews were being conducted simultaneously, for a total of 16 students at once. Most of the girls were dressed the way I was: a blouse, business skirt and tights. One or two girls were wearing a jacket over a dress, while the guys were pretty much all dressed in suits with the jacket off.

I made small talk with a med student, but I was nervous and I'm not exactly chatty at the best of times, so we fell to an awkward silence a few times. :p Just when I was starting to worry that the same would happen with my interviewers, another student came to escort me to my interview.


During the interview

The interviews were conducted in small office-type rooms along a corridor not far from the medsci lab. Scenarios were written on laminated cards placed on chairs placed outside each room. At each station, I had 2 minutes to read the question and plan my answer. During this time, my student helper provided me with water if I needed some. When the 2 minutes were up, a chime went off to signal the end of reading time and I was led into the room.

The stationed all started the same way: the interviewer and I exchanged brief introductions, the interviewer confirmed that I have read the scenario, and they asked me what I thought about it. It was very conversational; I wasn't expected to give a speech. Generally, I opened the conversation by stating my initial thoughts, and they asked me follow-up questions so that I could elaborate on my answer or explain my reasoning. Often, the topic gradually drifted away from the scenario; I think I had the "why medicine?" conversation about 3 times, haha.

Another chime rang after 6 minutes. I finished up my answer if I was in the middle of speaking, thanked the interviewer and was escorted to the next room (which was usually just next door) by my student helper. As it turned out, I didn't need to worry about running out of things to say; 6 minutes came pretty quickly.

I was given the following scenarios (possibly paraphrased):
1. Think about a problem where the old solution didn't work and you came up with a new one.
2. Your patient, who has cancer, wants to try traditional Maori medicine. How do you respond?
3. You are the owner of a pharmacy. You notice that one of your customers, a young woman, keeps coming to your pharmacy for anti-constipation pills. You know that these pills can cause harmful effects if abused as 'slimming aids'. What would you say to her?
4. Discuss a health issue you would prioritise if you were the Minister of Health, and what strategies you would use.
5. What changes would you make to the MBChB/BOptom/BPharm entry criteria?
6. Discuss how you would make a change affecting your career.
7. One of your patients looked you up online and sent you an email of social nature. How do you respond?
8. (Roleplay) Your team gave the wrong medication to your 5 year old patient. Although you know it was not your fault, you must explain the situation to his parent and assure them that your team is doing the best to ensure this does not happen again.

The roleplay was definitely a hard one. I didn't know the details of the scenario nor the official, 'proper' protocol that real health professionals would follow. Luckily, the roleplay was only 4 minutes, instead of 6 like other stations. For the remaining 2 minutes, I talked with the interviewer. She didn't get much further than "it's okay to be nervous, it will get easier with practice" before it was time for the next station, though.

There was a variety of age, ethnicity and gender represented in the interviewer panel - anything from an elderly white gentleman to a young Polynesian lady. None of them were hostile or tried to intimidate me, but some were more reserved compared to others and even the friendliest of them didn't give away what they thought of me. I still have no idea whether I did well or not!
Is there any way you could help me out with what kind of answers you gave to the questions? Specifically question number 5, and question number 8, 4, and 1.
For question number 2, would this be classified as an ok answer? If I say something like "i respect your decision to try traditional Maori medicine. But if it is agreeable, is it okay to continue the Western medicine alongside the Maori medicine?" or depending which stage the cancer is in "We will give you a certain time frame to do the traditional Maori medicine, but if it does not seem to have any effects on your health, we will go back to Western medicine. Or if it is agreeable, we will do Western medicine alongside the Maori medicine."
 

Aggie

Member
This thread helped me heaps, so thought I would post my questions from this year (2017) before I forget them :)

1. This was about sugary drinks and the introduction of sugar tax. Had to talk about pros and cons, opinions from both sides of the table, how you would enforce it (like what gets taxed etc)
2. Plastic surgery for aesthetic reasons rather than fixing disfigurements. Regulations in place, pros and cons of it.
3. What is professionalism? What traits do you have that align with this?
4. Tell me about a volunteer position you have held and how you will use what you have learnt as a health professional
5. Public health question about lung cancer in Maori. Question was along the lines of what public health measures would you take to reduce the prevalence of smoking and associated lung cancer rates.
6. What is something you would change about yourself?
7. Prisoners used to be allowed to vote if they were serving a sentence less than 3 years. In 2010 that changed to no one in prison was allowed to vote. Thoughts?
8. Role play: Your neighbor Sam invited you along to his 6 year old childs soccer match. Sam got very into it and began yelling and swearing at his child when he wasn't performing well, his child was getting visibly upset. Go in and talk to sam

Most of the interviewers were really nice! Follow up questions guided you through it WITH THE EXCEPTION of interviewer 7. I had answered with my POV and she said "You still have a few minutes. Keep talking." That definitely threw me!
The role play was super fun! My actor was really forceful about the fact that he wanted his kid to be a winner, so I just tried to put it in the perspective of his kid having his father yell at him, how he could instead be encouraging self motivation etc. Apparently the other actor started yelling at the student saying she shouldn't be telling her how to parent her child lol

Anyway hope this helps someone! Post up here if you got different questions in 2017, will be interesting to see :yes:
 

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meg96

Member
Posting my questions from 2017 MMI as I also found this thread super helpful!!

1. There is a housing crisis for Maori and some are sleeping in their cars. What do you think are the causes of this
2. What are some personal weaknesses of yours, how will these impact your career as a health professional and what will you do to combat these
3. Would you sign a petition to raise the driving age to 18 and why
4. Role play- you have a meeting with a drug rep and he is trying to get you to buy his drug and give it to your patients and he is offering you $500 travel voucher to do this. Go into the room and talk to the drug rep
5. Should there be restrictions on junk food advertising to children, why/why not and what would you implement
6. Should people be able to chose the sex of their baby via IVF, why/why not
7. Do you think non-health related hobbies can have a positive impact on your career as a health professional and say why using examples
8. Think of a time you were working with people who were very different from yourself and how did you deal with this

Overall the interviewers were really friends and made me feel at ease :) My first question I found the hardest, it was my first station, I felt the mot nervous and the interviewer was pretty staunch. Apart from that, it was all good! The drug rep actor in the role play was super pushy and kept throwing questions at me but I just tried to stand my ground. Hope this helps someone! I feel like my questions might have been easier than some of the others ones this year judging by the post above :) :)
 
My 2017 MMI for the graduate entry category
1. Universities are failing to graduate as maori compared to nonmaori students. Why do you think this inequity is occurring?
2. Reality TV shows have become increasingly popular. Do you think these do more good or harm to society?
3. Give an example of a time you have had conflict with somebody? How was it resolved?
4. Acting station: You are a GP and your elderly patients failing eyesight means she is having her lecense taken off her. She has come to see you. Discuss.
5. Euthanasia question - pretty much asking what you would vote for in a referendum
6. A program that pays women a couple hundred dollars for not smoking during each trimester of their pregnancy has been found to be cost-effective. If you were a politician would you support this? What are the implications?
7. What are your weaknesses? Which then lead into talking about self-care (what do you do for fun/to relax?/Goal outside of medicine) and career choice (Are you aware of the difficulties could face?).
8. What do you want to achieve/difference would you like to make in your career as a health professional?

Most of the interviewers were really nice and I tried to treat it more like a friendly professional chat and most of the interviewers seemed receptive to that. Upon speaking with the other students it appeared a few of the interviewers may have been told to play the 'bad cop' role as some seemed to really push questions (such as the person taking question 2 and 1)
 

kei

UoA BSc (Biomed), MBChB II
My memory's pretty hazy but my questions were:

1. Why do you think there are a shortage of health professionals in rural areas?

2. Think of a time when you disagreed with a rule/policy and broke it. What were the consequences? (Sorry I'm not really sure whether they asked for consequences, but I remember there were two parts to the question.)

3. If you could choose a referee that has never worked with you but knows you, who would you choose? And what are the 3 key qualities that they should be able to identify you with?

4. There was a page full of stats/info about vaping; and that vaping is less harmful than tobacco. What do you think about the rules on vaping being banned in work places and indoors (not sure about the exact places sorry)? Who do you think should decide these rules, individual employers or the government?

5. Something about a foreigner travelling overseas, and a friend warns him that injuries that come from riding his scooter(?) is not covered by his insurance, but the dude rides his scooter anyway and breaks his back. His hospital costs go up to 100,000 NZD. He sets up a givealittle page to help with his costs. What do you think of this and what do you think of resources like givealittle?

6. Something along the lines of what do you think affects participation of Maori in tertiary schools? (Can't remember the second part but it was something like) How do you think you could improve this?

7. Acting station: you were parking and accidentally damages someone's car. You have third party insurance. The man is walking up to his car; speak to him.

8. Page full of stats/info about students & mobile phones (Something about teens spending 4 more hours per day on mobile phones than before?). What do you think about schools banning mobile phones?

So I got to talk to quite a bunch of people from my stream before my MMI and found that there were a mix of people from first years to grads, and from people solely applying for optometry/etc to people who've applied to many programmes. (I remember asking a question at the beginning of the year in MSO whether grads have 'harder' questions than FYs and it seems like this answered my own question :).)
 

Mdku22

MBChB III
May as well add some more to the question bank, so here are mine from this year. I forget the exact wording for most of them, but they're close enough.

1: Something about whether downloading/online piracy should be illegal or not (separate from uploading etc)

2: Acting - your classmate's dog has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he is feeling down about it, and is considering dropping out of class. Talk to him

3: What are your thoughts about online video consultations for health professionals and patients

4: Something about free speech vs hate speech - what were my thoughts on Don Brash being denied from talking at Massey etc

5: What would other people criticize about you?

6: "Health professionals perpetuate inequalities among Maori people" agree or disagree?

7: Discuss a time you were a leader, and what makes a good leader?

8: Many people respect and look up to health professionals - why?
 
Too bad I had no idea about this thread before the interview, but hopefully I can help shed some light on the 2018 question pool. Bear in mind the questions/scenarios are extremely paraphrased.

1. Think about activities where you find yourself losing track of time (I forget the phrase they used to describe this feeling). Discuss.

2. Should people that download copyrighted material off the internet be prosecuted? (as opposed to uploaders and streamers)

3. (Roleplay) You are a senior professional at a teaching clinic where the first point of contact for patients is often a student or junior health professional. A patient has been waiting a long time for test results, and after finally being seen by a junior/student (who also happens to be foreign) they have started causing a commotion (Basically, the patient was stressed out and was taking it out on the junior. I found the actor wasn't intentionally trying to be racist, so if you get a scenario like this, trying not to get heated is key)

4. Something about how people with disabilities are treated in NZ (conversation followed along the lines of discrimination and what measures are in place to help disabled people with normal activities and in job seeking)

5. A patient of yours has found you on social media and has contacted you in a social manner: how do you respond? (interviewer also asked about my own social media profiles and how they could possibly affect employment and professionalism)

6. "Hardwork beats talent" - discuss this statement

7. Something about the positives of working as a health professional, and conversation also led onto what you think the negatives are and how you would deal with them

8. During a powhiri, women are not allowed to sit in the front row - what are your thoughts on this? (there was more to this question, but I can't recall it. Interview ended up being about both a cultural and gender issues, but is very easy to discuss as long as you don't put down a particular group)

I had a mix of friendly and awkward interviewers. More often than not, as soon as the bell went, the "bad cop" interviewers completely changed their behaviour and were all of a sudden really nice and reassuring, which was really odd to begin with. I don't feel as though my questions were particularly hard, but whether actually communicated my ideas effectively is another question lol
 

Verdigris

baby doctor
Silliest Member 2019
Sorry, I haven't read the ones above so I'm not sure if anyone else had these questions, but here's what I had:

Auckland MMI Questions 2018

1. At a powhiri at the marae, women are not allowed to sit in the front row. What are your thoughts on this?

2. Psychologists have described the state of ‘flow’ as being in a state of deep concentration when one loses track of time. This is said to contribute to happiness and satisfaction in one’s life. What do you do that puts you in a state of flow? What do you know about mindfulness?

3. It is illegal to download copyrighted materials from the internet, but it’s not really enforced. Should this remain illegal?

4. Acting station: You are a consultant at a busy clinic. The standard practice is for patients to see a junior doctor, who checks their actions by you, before you see the patient. You hear some noise from a nearby room, and find that one of the patients is very angry. They do not understand your colleague’s accent, and is demanding to see a doctor who “speaks English” and “did medicine in this country”. Go and speak to them.

5. There are many disabled people in our community. What can we do to help people with disabilities? What challenges do you think they face on a daily basis?

6. Working in a health profession can be an extremely rewarding position. Discuss which parts of the job you are most looking forward to personally.

7. A young patient of yours finds you on a social networking site and sends you messages of a social nature. How would you handle this situation?

8. “Hard work beats talent.” Discuss in relation to your own life and experiences.
 

Toasters

Member
Heres my Auckland MMI Questions for 2018 - they felt kind of easy compared to other peoples but I might be imagining it - let me know what you think. These are all paraphrased...

1. The mental health foundation promotes the 'five ways to wellbeing'. These are:
- Give: Your time, your words, your presence
- Be active: Do what you can. Enjoy what you do. Move your mood.
- Keep learning: Embrace new experiences. See opportunities. Surprise yourself.
- Take notice: Appreciate the little things. Savour the moment.
- Connect: Talk and listen. Be there. Feel connected/
Discuss your thoughts on these and how you have already incorporated some of them into your life.

2. What would you do if you didn't get into your programme of choice?

3. role play: your friends's dog has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She is feeling down about it and is struggling to keep up with her university work and her part time job to pay for vet bills. She is considering dropping out of class to spend more time with her dog. Talk to her.

4.
Should teaching of te reo in schools be compulsory?

5. A mother has come in with her 4 year old daughter who you have just diagnosed with a lazy eye, which is easily treated with glasses if detected early. The mother wishes to treat this with a combination of diet and exercise. Discuss how you would interact with the mother.

6. Something about the pros and cons of technology and automation and what this means for employment.

7. Alcohol usage/abuse in NZ is alarmingly high, discuss strategies to minimise this

8. I cannot remember for the life of me! Maybe someone who was in my stream can remember
 
Hey all! Here were my questions for this year's MMI categorised in the 8 stations specified in the document provided by the University:

1) Hauora Maori: There is a growing trend of using Maori place names in New Zealand. Comment on this trend and how you think the public perceives this.

2) Moral/Ethical Station: If you could introduce/abolish a law/regulation what would it be and why?

3) Personal Experience: It has been said that technology is making us 'grow apart' instead of bringing us closer together. Comment on this statement.

4) Role Play: You are a health science student and your friend (who has been getting low grades, has unsupportive parents who pressure them to getting good grades) asks to let them see your assignment. What do you say and how do you act?

5) Health Issue: It was a page of statistics on the harms of blue light and you were asked to give advice to a patient who works extensively with electronic devices.

6) Social Conscience: What is your opinion on the recent nursing strike in New Zealand?

7) Career Choice: Name your favourite teacher/mentor-type figure and why? Often, doctors go on to become mentors to younger junior doctors, what traits would be valuable if you were in such a position?

8) Personal Insight: Is failure a setback or a stepping stone?

Personally, I felt the questions I was faced with were reasonable compared to other years (praying that I was able to articulate myself well). All interviewers were positive and very reciprocative to what I was saying. (The first interviewer was a little intimidating but lightened up halfway through - in cases like this, don't let it startle you and face the question head strong and SMILE :) ) Conversations would stay more or less on the topic given for the station and there were a few laughs here and there! Wishing all the best to the cohort this year and very best of luck to next year's candidates! If there is one bit of advice it's that you should enjoy the process! People who get an MMI are academically competent in the first place, anyways, so just believe in yourself and you'll be set! The MMI may seem daunting but if you can talk to people you will be fine! It makes a huge difference if you SMILE throughout the interview process!
 

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Hello everyone! It's time where us pre-medders start to think about interviews and how to prepare for them. I think we would appreciate if our fellow med students could contribute further to this discussion about how their experiences went with the interview and possibly the questions they got asked? I think we would appreciate that soooo much!! Thanks! :)
 

bat123

Member
Here are my questions from the 2019 MMI. They are paraphrased a bit and in no particular order:

Maori have high rates of lung cancer. Lung cancer is strongly linked to smoking. What are some initiatives that you could implement to reduce this?

F to M trans people have no restrictions when competing in the olympics but M to F do. Do you think this is fair?

What do you think about 30km slow zones in the CBD?

Acting station: you’ve noticed a staff member has milk and work amenities in their bags that you suspect they have stolen go in and talk to them

You are alone in the bush and you can choose two people to be with you, who would you choose and why?

Think of a time when you had to help someone through something difficult, what did you do and how did it change you as a person?

What do you think about allowing pharmaceutical drugs to be advertised?

Health professions have to study full time, part time study is not allowed. What are the benefits and downsides to studying part time?


Overall my MMI experience was very positive, everyone was really lovely and the student helpers were great. I arrived quite early to calm my nerves and this definitely helped. I don’t believe I had any ‘bad cops’ some interviewers were very chatty/friendly and others were a bit more serious/reserved but this was fine. Overall my approach was to just be as relaxed and friendly as possible while remaining a level of professionalism (obviously). In my personal experience the MMI was a lot more fun that I thought it would be.
 
Here we go:

1. What is your approach to leadership? What challenges do you face when being a leader? How do you overcome these challenges?

2. Currently, only 100,000 people are fluent in te reo maori. We have a goal of making 1,000,000 people fluent by 2040. Is this goal realistic? Is it necessary? Is it relevant to healthcare?

3. Role play: you have noticed your colleague, Lee, taking toilet paper and milk home from the office. You are worried she will be fired if the boss finds out. You confront her.

4. Hate speech vs free speech - there were three examples of banning hate speech in the past and we were asked if we should ban hate speech in a democratic country like ours

5. Which is more important: creativity or knowledge?

6. A lot of people don't know it's illegal to make someone leave if they are breastfeeding in public places like malls or restaurants, yet we see on the news often that people breastfeeding are forced to leave. What are your thoughts on this?

7. Should the government regulate junk food marketing? Should targeted marketing to children be regulated? How would it be done?

8. There's only the option of full time study for healthcare professions. What are the pros and cons of this?

I felt pretty good/relieved walking out of my interview, but as time went by and I kept reliving my interview in my head, I realised there were things I could've explained better or more clearly so my confidence was slowly declining lol.

I think the only station where I had a "bad cop" was the creativity vs knowledge station because I chose creativity, and they kept pushing back about how they thought knowledge was more important so while I tried not to be swayed, I ended up changing my mind and I wasn't sure if that made me seem weak.

For role play, the actress got a bit defensive halfway when I brought up the issue of them taking the toilet rolls, and said I was accusing them of stealing etc but I tried to step back and not be so confrontational because I wanted them to be able to open up to me. Also, after the 4mins of role play the interviewer said they can't give me feedback so I was v confused since I thought the 2 mins was for giving feedback and talking about what I could improve on. So I was worried this would disadvantage me.

In the hate speech/free speech station, the interviewer talked probably as much as I did. Not complaining, though! He talked for a few solid minutes and as much as I appreciate that it's a conversation not a monologue (and I didn't want to be rude and interrupt him), I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to explain my points.

Overall, an interesting experience! Some unexpected things, like some interviewers said the follow up questions were dumb hahahah and the interviewers were a lot more friendly/casual than I expected, with some even saying "well done" and "good answer"!
 

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