What Are MMIs?
MMI stands for Multiple Mini Interviews. This type of interview requires you to complete a series of short assessments, in which you will answer a variety of questions and demonstrate different skills.
The interview is broken down into multiple different stations – usually somewhere between 4 and 10 stations, depending on the university. Each station typically lasts 10 minutes or less.
You will face a different interviewer at each station. They won’t know how you performed at previous stations, meaning you will have multiple chances to impress throughout the MMI.
Which Dental Schools Use MMIs?
- Aberdeen University
- Birmingham University
- Cardiff University
- Glasgow University
- King’s College London
- Leeds University
- Liverpool University
- Manchester University
- Plymouth University
- Queen’s University Belfast
- University of Central Lancashire
MMIs For 2024 Entry
Many Dental Schools switched to online interviews during the pandemic. Some will continue to hold MMIs online for 2024 entry.
Please check your chosen university’s website, or contact them, for the most up-to-date information.
Dentistry MMI Questions
Each Dental School will assess candidates through different criteria. You might find details about this on your chosen university’s website, or they might indicate what skills and attributes they are looking for once you’ve received your invitation to interview.
Some common Dentistry MMI interview questions include:
Motivation
- Why do you want to study Dentistry/be a dentist?
- Why Dentistry and not another healthcare profession?
- What have you done to explore Dentistry as a career?
- What will you do if you don’t get a place to study Dentistry this year?
Understanding of Dentistry
- What are you looking forward to about studying Dentistry?
- What qualities does a good dentist need to have?
- What are some of the challenges involved in being a dentist?
- What do you know about dental caries?
Work experience
- Tell me about your work experience.
- What did you learn during your work experience?
- Was there a particular patient case that interested you during work experience?
- What did you learn from work experience about the realities of working as a dentist?
Knowledge of the Dental School
- Why do you want to study at this Dental School?
- What appeals to you about our Dentistry course?
- How will you cope with the workload of studying Dentistry at this university?
Personal Qualities
- Why do you think you are a good candidate for Dental School?
- Describe your biggest strength/weakness.
- Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team.
- How do you deal with stress?
Dental Ethics
It’s very likely that you will be tested on your understanding of dental ethics during your MMI interview.
As such, it’s important that you understand the General Dental Council’s standards for dentists and the four pillars of ethics for healthcare professionals: beneficence, non-maleficence, patient autonomy and justice.
You could be presented with a hypothetical scenario where there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer. You just need to give a response that is clearly thought through, weighs up different sides and demonstrates your understanding of ethics.
Dentistry Hot Topics
As an aspiring dentist, you’re expected to have some knowledge of current issues in the world of Dentistry. In your interview, you might be asked if you’ve been reading anything about Dentistry recently (such as news or research), or you might be given a particular hot topic to discuss.
Example questions include:
- What could be done to encourage more people to visit their dentist/take better care of their teeth?
- Do you think that all dental treatment should be free on the NHS?
- What specific issues do the elderly face in terms of oral health care?
- What challenges could dentists have in the next few decades?
Roleplay
In a roleplay station, you will be given a scenario and asked to interact with an actor. You could be told that you are a dentist and the actor is playing the role of e.g. a reluctant/phobic patient, a child patient, a patient who is objecting to an aspect of their treatment, or a colleague who is doing something wrong.
The roleplay scenario isn’t always Dentistry-related. You might be told that you are talking to someone like a friend or neighbour, and you need to break bad news or tell them that you made a mistake.
The aim of this station is to test attributes such as your communication skills and capacity for empathy.
Manual Dexterity
Manual dexterity involves being able to use your hands/fingers to complete tasks with a high level of precision. If you don’t already have a hobby that requires manual dexterity, it might be worth starting one to practise this skill.
Examples could include: sewing or knitting, model making, playing a musical instrument, painting, or cake decorating.
In your MMI, you might face a practical station designed to assess your manual dexterity skills. Or you might be asked to tell interviewers about your manual dexterity skills and how you have made an effort to develop them.
How Can I Stand Out At MMI Interviews?
MMIs are about showing the interviewers what you’re capable of doing, rather than just telling them. It’s a chance for you to demonstrate that you don’t just have the academic achievements needed to study Dentistry, but also the right sort of attitude and way of thinking.
See our MMI guide for more tips.
How Can I Prepare For MMI Interviews?
- Practise common MMI questions and don’t forget to think about your time management when doing this
- Make sure you have some knowledge of the Dental School/the course and can explain why you particularly want to study there
- Get to know Dentistry/healthcare hot topics and practise discussing them
- Keep up to date with Dentistry and healthcare-related news
- Be able to talk confidently and concisely about yourself – your motivation to study Dentistry, your work experience, your strengths and weaknesses, etc
- Understand ethics in Dentistry and different ethical scenarios that could come up
- Familiarise yourself with General Dental Council (GDC) standards and guidelines
- Research some common dental conditions so that you have some basic knowledge of them
- If necessary, practise tasks that demonstrate your manual dexterity skills
- See a Dentistry tutor for personalised help and guidance
- Book your place on our Dentistry MMI Circuits to get some practice
