Multiple mini-interviews predict clerkship and licensing examination performance

OBJECTIVE The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) has previously been shown to have a positive correlation with early medical school performance. Data have matured to allow comparison with clerkship evalua-tions and national licensing examinations. METHODSOf 117 applicants to theMichael G DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University who had scores on theMMI, traditional non-cognitive measures, and undergraduate grade point average (uGPA), 45 were admitted and followed through clerkship evaluations and Part I of theMedical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE). Clerkship evaluations consisted of clerkship summary ratings, a clerkship objective structured clinical exam-ination (OSCE), and progress test score (a 180-item, multiple-choice test). TheMCCQE includes subsec-tions relevant to medical specialties and relevant to broaderlegalandethical issues(PopulationHealthand the Considerations of the Legal, Ethical and Organi-sational Aspects of Medicine [CLEO ⁄PHELO]). RESULTS In-programme, MMI was the best predictor of OSCE performance, clerkship encounter cards, and clerkship performance ratings. On the MCCQE Part I, MMI significantly predictedCLEO ⁄PHELOscores and clinical decision-making (CDM) scores. None of these assessments were predicted by other non-cognitive admissions measures or uGPA. Only uGPA predicted progress test scores and the MCQ-based specialty-specific subsections of the MCCQE Part I. DISCUSSION The MMI complements pre-admission cognitive measures to predict performance outcomes during clerkship and on the Canadian national licensing examination. KEYWORDS clinical clerkship ⁄ *standards; clinical competence ⁄ *standards; *licensure, medical; Ontario; school admission criteria; schools, medical