Medical school interviews come in more formats than most applicants expect: one-on-one conversations, panels, MMI circuits, recorded video answers, and group sessions, many of them on Zoom this cycle. Here is what the AAMC and named MD and DO schools say about their 2026-27 interviews, the question types the AAMC describes, and how to prepare.
From the AAMC, AACOM, and schools’ own pages2026-27 cycleChecked October 28, 2026
Practice with a mock interviewOne-on-one on Zoom with Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP.
Jump to:FormatsFormats by schoolWhat they look forQuestionsVirtual interviewsCanceling and offersHow to prepareFAQ
Interview formats
The AAMC describes these formats (AAMC):
- “Live In-Person Interviews are conducted at the medical school and typically last between 30 and 60 minutes.”
- “Live Virtual Interviews use video conference technology to connect you with an interviewer, or interviewers, in real time.”
- “Hybrid Interviews give you the opportunity to select either in-person or virtual interviews.”
- “Asynchronous (or recorded or on-demand) Virtual Interviews will not have an interviewer present.” The AAMC adds: “Note that this is the least common interview format used by medical schools.”
- “Panel interviews consist of multiple interviewers interviewing a single applicant at one time.”
- “Group interviews consist of multiple applicants participating in one interview at the same time.”
- The MMI “typically consists of 6 to 10 interview stations.” See our page on the MMI interview.
Formats at named MD and DO schools (2026-27)
Most rows come from the AAMC’s 2027 MSAR interview format report, which the AAMC says is “Information provided directly by individual medical schools” (AAMC MSAR). The rest come from each school’s own page.
| School | Format | What their page says |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard Medical School | One-on-one, virtual | “One-on-one; scheduled selectively.” “Interviews will be conducted virtually for the 2027 cycle.” Source |
| Johns Hopkins | Two interviews, virtual | “Each MD or MD/MBA applicant receives two interviews.” “Interviews will be conducted virtually and scheduled from September through March.” Source |
| UCSF | Two double-blind interviews, Zoom | “Consists of two double-blind interviews, each lasting 45 minutes to one hour.” Source |
| Mayo Clinic Alix | Two one-on-ones, virtual | “two, virtual, one-on-one, partially blinded, 30-minute interviews.” Source |
| University of Rochester | Two one-on-ones, virtual, closed file | “Two one-on-one interviews,” about 45 minutes each. “The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry conducts application blind interviews.” Also a small-group ethics discussion. Source |
| Vanderbilt | Live plus recorded, Zoom | “one long interview with a faculty member and one asynchronous interview.” Source |
| UNLV Kerkorian | One-on-one plus recorded, virtual | “A 45-minute 1:1 virtual live interview with a member of our interview board.” “The school does not do MMI format.” Source |
| Stanford | Hybrid MMI, virtual | “Hybrid MMI (Multiple Mini Interview and Traditional Interview).” Source |
| Duke | MMI, virtual | “Virtual Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).” Source |
| University of Mississippi | MMI, in person | “Multiple Mini Interviews.” “Interviews are conducted in-person only.” Source |
| Oklahoma State (DO) | Three interviews, in person | “a blinded two-on-one faculty interview, a group interview, and a one-on-one interview.” In-person interviews only. Source |
| LECOM Bradenton (DO) | Recorded video | “The questions are randomized and students have a designated length of time to read and respond to the question.” Source |
Notice the closed-file schools. At UCSF and Rochester the interviewer hasn’t read your application, and UNLV says “All interviewers do not receive quantitative information about the applicant.” You have to bring your own stories.
What interviewers are looking for
“Interviewers often seek to assess applicants on the AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students.”AAMC
Those competencies include empathy and compassion, ethical responsibility, interpersonal skills, oral communication, reliability, resilience and adaptability, service orientation, and teamwork. Motivation matters too. Sunny Nakae, assistant dean for admissions at Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine, wrote for the AAMC: “If I cannot recall why the applicant is interested in a medical career, I usually score them lower” (AAMC).
For DO schools, the AACOM says osteopathic colleges seek future physicians “who have developed listening skills, communication skills, a high level of ethics, and a strong sense of social responsibility” (AACOM).
Medical school interview questions
The AAMC describes three kinds of questions, with an example of each (AAMC):
- General: “Tell me why you are interested in this program.”
- Behavioral: “Please describe a time when you observed a member of the medical team you were working with behave in a manner that was inconsistent with an established protocol. Explain what the situation was, what actions you took, and the outcome.”
- Situational: “Imagine you are on your morning rounds. The chief resident describes a difficult case you and a colleague worked on earlier in the week and compliments your handling of the situation. She gives you sole credit and fails to mention that your colleague played a major role. What would you do?”
For behavioral questions the AAMC recommends the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Based on the competencies schools say they assess, practice these too. They are my practice prompts, not questions the AAMC or a school has published:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why medicine, and why not nursing, PA, or research?
- Why our school?
- Tell me about a patient who changed how you think about medicine.
- Describe a time you failed and what you did next.
- Tell me about a conflict on a team.
- What would you do if a classmate was cheating?
- What is a problem in health care you would like to work on?
Interviewers at open-file schools have your AMCAS or AACOMAS application, so reread your own personal statement and activities before each interview. If you haven’t submitted yet, see our medical school personal statement examples, or work with Lauren Hammond, PhD, our personal statement editor.
Virtual and recorded interviews
From the AAMC’s virtual interview guide (AAMC):
- “Although a mobile phone may be used, we recommend using a computer or tablet to improve stability.”
- “Identify a private, quiet, well-lit space where you can complete the interview by yourself.”
- Make sure “a light source is in front of you so the interviewer can see you clearly.”
- “Position the camera at eye level so it looks like you are looking directly at the interviewer.”
- “Shut down all programs on your device so that no alerts, notifications, or other electronic interruptions distract you.”
- “For an asynchronous interview, practice on your own so you can get used to responding without an interviewer present.”
PREview is a separate test, not an interview. The AAMC says it “is designed to assess professionalism skills,” and it was given “from April through October in 2026” (AAMC). Check whether your schools require or recommend it in our PREview guide.
Casper, from Acuity Insights, is a different situational judgment test with typed and video answers. Some medical schools require it, including Wake Forest for the 2026-27 cycle (Wake Forest). See our Casper test guide, and for recorded interviews, our Kira Talent interview guide.
Canceling, inappropriate questions, and offers
- Canceling: The AAMC says “Under no circumstances should you be a no-show” and to contact the school “preferably at least two weeks in advance” (AAMC).
- Inappropriate questions: “You have the right not to answer what you sense is an inappropriate question,” and “the responsibility to report being asked an inappropriate question” (AAMC).
- Acceptances: Under the AAMC protocols, MD schools “Notify all Regular MD program applicants of their acceptance on or after October 15 of each admission cycle, but no earlier” (AAMC).
- Thank-you notes: The AACOM suggests a handwritten thank-you after a DO interview that mentions what stood out to you (AACOM). For MD schools, follow each school’s instructions.
How to prepare
- Find each school’s format. Open file or closed file, one-on-one or MMI, live or recorded. Each needs different practice.
- Know your why in two minutes. Build it from specific patients and experiences, not a general wish to help people.
- Prepare six or seven stories that fit the competencies: a patient, a team conflict, a failure, a leadership moment, an ethical decision, service, and something you learned on your own.
- Use STAR for behavioral questions and practice reasoning out loud for situational ones.
- “Prepare, don’t rehearse.” That is the AAMC’s advice. Know your stories well, but don’t memorize scripts.
- Do a mock interview on video. Watch for filler words, rambling, and whether you look at the camera.
Practice with a real interviewer before the real one. My wife, Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist who runs mock interviews on Zoom for medical school applicants. She coaches every format: one-on-one, panel, MMI, and recorded video interviews such as Kira Talent. She works on how your answers come across: clear key words, pace, voice, filler words, organizing an answer so it has a point, staying steady when you're nervous, and how you look and sound on camera. It's $250 an hour.
Frequently asked questions
What questions are asked in medical school interviews?
The AAMC describes general, behavioral, and situational questions. Its examples include “Tell me why you are interested in this program” and a situational question about a chief resident giving you sole credit for shared work.
Are medical school interviews virtual in 2026-27?
Many are. Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UCSF, Mayo, Rochester, and Vanderbilt interview virtually this cycle. Some schools, such as Mississippi and Oklahoma State, interview in person only.
What is a closed-file interview?
The interviewer has not read your application. UCSF uses double-blind interviews, and Rochester says it conducts application blind interviews.
Do medical schools use the MMI?
Some do. Duke and Mississippi use MMIs, and Stanford uses a hybrid MMI with a traditional interview. Many others use one-on-one interviews.
How long is a medical school interview?
The AAMC says live in-person interviews typically last between 30 and 60 minutes. Rochester’s interviews average about 45 minutes, and UCSF’s last 45 minutes to an hour.
When do medical schools send acceptances?
Under the AAMC protocols, MD schools notify regular applicants of acceptance on or after October 15, but no earlier.
Every format and quotation on this page comes from the AAMC (including its MSAR interview format report), the AACOM, or the school’s own page, linked where it appears. Last checked October 28, 2026.