Guide · 6 min read
Common MMI Questions and How to Approach Them
MMI questions fall into a handful of recurring station types. You can't predict the exact prompt, but you can learn to recognise the type and bring the right approach.
Ethical scenarios
You're given a situation with competing interests — a patient's autonomy versus their safety, confidentiality versus a duty to warn — and asked how you'd respond. Assessors want to see you identify the tension, weigh both sides honestly, and reach a defensible position rather than a 'right answer'. Name the principles at stake, but always apply them to this specific scenario.
Example: 'A close friend asks you to prescribe them antibiotics for a cold. What do you do?'
Role-play stations
An actor plays a patient, colleague, or friend, and you have to navigate a difficult conversation — breaking bad news, calming an upset person, or addressing a teammate who isn't pulling their weight. The content matters less than how you make the other person feel. Lead with empathy: acknowledge their feelings explicitly before you move to solutions.
Motivation and personal insight
'Why medicine?' and 'Tell us about a time you failed' sound simple and trip up the unprepared. Generic, polished answers score poorly. Assessors want genuine, specific reflection — a real experience, what you learned, and how it connects to the kind of doctor you want to be.
Teamwork and conflict
These probe self-awareness and how you handle friction: a group project that went wrong, a disagreement you resolved, a time you had to follow rather than lead. Show that you can take responsibility, see others' perspectives, and prioritise the outcome over being right.
Communication and explanation
You might have to explain something complex to a layperson, or give instructions clearly. This tests plain language and checking for understanding — not how much you know. Avoid jargon, structure it simply, and pause to check the other person is following.
The one rule across every type: don't memorise
The categories are predictable; the prompts are not. Practising memorised answers to specific questions is the single most common way strong candidates underperform. Instead, practise recognising the station type and applying a flexible structure, out loud, under time — so that whatever prompt appears, you already know how to begin.