If you are looking for UofT MPI questions you have come to the right place!
Did you know that UofT receives over 4000 applications for only around 250 seats? After screening for initial score cutoffs (like GPA and MCAT scores), files are then reviewed to see who gets an interview. The standard range is just over 2:1 which means over 600 students are interviewing for one of those 250 spots!
So, if you have already received an MPI interview at UofT, congratulations!!
The University of Toronto uses a special type of interview technique since 2014 called the MPI.
It’s not a traditional /panel interview where you are asked questions about yourself by one or two people, and it’s not an MMI where you have a bunch of stations with actors/evaluators. Instead, you can think of the MPI like a mix of both the MMI and a traditional interview.
Let’s dig in to the theory and psychology behind the MPI so that you best know how to prepare! You will also find sample MPI interview questions below.
If you take a look at UofT’s website you will see that the MPI “consists of four independent interviews assessed by four different, independent interviewers. Interviewers are closely connected to U of T’s medical community. Each interview is approximately 12 minutes in length.”
Because you have four different people interviewing you, you now have 4 chances to impress. Whereas with a panel interview, you only have that one shot. And if it doesn’t go as planned, you don’t really have a chance to redeem yourself…With the MPI, remember that if one interview does not go the way you planned, you need to let it go and move on. The next person you meet will have no idea what just happened in the last interview. Clean slate, fresh start, new chance to impress!
What are they looking for?
MPI reviewers are often closely linked to the medical profession (medical students, physicians, and other healthcare professionals). There are some main skills that UofT calls “clusters” which reviewers are trained to look for.
These are:
- Professional
- Communicator/Collaborator/Manager
- Advocate
- Scholar
While an MMI might test your “communicator” skill by placing you in a room with an actor and seeing how you actually communicate, an MPI style question would be something like:
“What makes you a good communicator? Speak about a personal example that demonstrates your ability to communicate.”
Sample MPI Prompt
Where do these clusters come from?
They actually come directly from the CANMEDS Roles so if you are not familiar with CANMEDS – this is one of the first things you should look at in order to understand what an evaluator might look for in your answer. Explore the website and read about the different skills. This will give you insight into how to talk about your experiences!
We asked some of our top coaches to comment on their MPI experiences and here is the summary:
- There is a mix of standard questions, as well as some that are more applicant specific. Be prepared to answer questions about your application (resume, extra-curricular activities)
- The interviews are quite conversational, the questions can shift slightly, but are all within a “theme” of the interview station.
- It really is important to be yourself! The point of the interview is to get to know you.
- Know about the school! It’s values, culture, etc.
- It’s important how you present your answers, not just what you say. Make sure you practice delivering well organized answers.
- Make sure you can talk about yourself in relation to the 4 clusters!
- Remember, you are in a room with someone who has been interviewing candidates all day, so it is important to have a story that is memorable!
- Get some sample questions and practice! Not just your answers but also how you say it, body language, etc.
UofT MPI Questions
When answering these questions, try to make sure that your answer fits somewhere within the 4 clusters.
- From your file, I can see that you have a lot of experience doing “x experience”. Please describe your strategy with “x”. What is the most important lesson you learned?
- Why do you like our school over other schools?
- What about our school appeals to you in terms of your medical education?
- What career would you choose other than medicine, and why?
- Describe a time when you did something wrong
- Describe a difficult decision that you had to make
- Describe a time when you did something you were not proud of
- Describe a time when you had to be a leader
- Describe a time when you learned something new
- Describe a time when you felt you were treated unfairly. What did you do about it?
- Describe a time when you had to be a follower
- Describe a time when you felt ashamed
- Describe a time when you helped someone in need
- Describe a time when you stood up for someone
- Describe a time when you were scared
- Describe a time when you doubted yourself
- Have you ever doubted whether medicine is right for you?
- Describe a time when you improved on a weakness
- Describe a time when you asked for help
- Describe a time when you stood up to an authority figure
- Describe a time when you found that you had “too much on your plate”
- Describe a time when you had to say “no”
- Describe a time when you many have lost your temper
- Describe a time when you felt excited. What happened?
- Describe a time when you had to deliver bad news
- Describe a time when you were wrong about something very important
- Describe a time when you disappointed your parents/grandparents
- Have you ever almost quit something but then changed your mind? Why? What did you learn?
- Who is your mentor?
- You say you enjoy helping others. There are many other careers other than medicine where you can do that. Why medicine?
What is different with the video Uof T MPI Questions (vMPI)?
During the COVID-19 outbreak, UofT changed their MPI format to a virtual format.
You will still have 4 independent raters but the main difference is that you will now be recording your answers without anyone on the other end. You submit your recording and that’s it…then you wait. It is a little strange when you record yourself without anyone on the other end for the first time, so we highly encourage you to practice recording yourself over and over.
Want to practice for your Uof T MPI questions one-on-one with a MedCoach?
Book a session with a coach with MPI experience! You can explore all of our coaches by selecting find a coach on our main menu. When you are ready, head over to the “Book A Session” page and schedule your coaching session!
Wishing everyone a tremendous amount of luck this application cycle!