· 5 min read
Can You Take Notes During the MMI? Kira and School Rules
Often yes, on blank paper during the reading time, never prepared notes. What Kira, Acuity and eight med schools say, and what to jot in the 2-minute read.
Often yes, but only on blank paper during the reading time, and only if your school allows it. Prepared notes are never allowed. OHSU says you can take notes before each station of its virtual MMI, and Western COMP tells you to have a pen and notepad ready. Most schools publish no rule at all, so plan to do the thinking in your head and treat paper as a bonus.
The short answer
An MMI station gives you a short reading time with the prompt, then a few minutes with a rater. The reading time is when notes can help. OHSU puts it plainly: “Before the 8-minute interviews, you will have time to read over the prompt, prepare and take notes.” Western COMP's interview tips say “Have a pen and notepad ready in case you need to take notes.”
Two schools saying it is not a rule for every school. Of the eight school pages in the table below, only these two mention notes. The rest describe how the prompt reaches you and how long you get with it. When a page is silent, the instructions in your interview email are the rule. If they are silent too, ask the admissions office before the day, not during a station.
What Kira, Acuity and eight schools say
Each platform's help center and each school's own admissions page, read October 19, 2026. Under each name: degree or platform, and the format.
| Platform or school | Its own page says |
|---|---|
| Kira TalentPlatform, live and recorded | In live stations the question can stay on screen while you talk. Some stations show none and the interviewer asks it. Kira monitors your activity and reports it to the school. Source |
| Acuity InsightsPlatform, Casper and Video Interview | Casper allows blank paper and a pen or pencil, but no pre-written notes. For Video Interviews, each program sets its own format. Source |
| OHSUMD, virtual MMI | Before each 8-minute interview you get time to read the prompt, prepare and take notes. Source |
| Western COMPDO, Zoom interview and MMI | Its interview tips say to have a pen and notepad ready in case you need to take notes. Source |
| Texas Tech (Lubbock)MD, one-on-one on Zoom | No AI tools or third-party resources during the interview, and no copies or screenshots of it. Source |
| Georgia (UGA)MD, MMI on Zoom | Two minutes to review the prompt, then six minutes answering the interviewer. Source |
| UC San DiegoMD, virtual MMI | A written vignette at each station, with 2 minutes to read and think before you go in. Source |
| UTMBMD, virtual MMI | 3 minutes to read a scenario before each of seven 7-minute interviews. Source |
| NYU GrossmanMD, online MMI | Nothing to read first. The interviewer gives the prompt out loud when you enter the room. Source |
| UC RiversideMD, MMI | Two minutes with the question or scenario, then six minutes with the interviewer. Source |
Acuity's Casper is a test rather than an interview, but its rule is the clearest one published: “You can use blank sheets of paper, pen/pencil, and a hardcopy dictionary.” “Pre-written notes or grammar/translation tools are not allowed.” For its recorded Video Interviews, Acuity says “Each program sets up its Video Interviews differently.” Our Acuity video interview guide covers that format, and our list of medical schools that use the MMI shows which platform each school runs on.
Notes on your screen or desk
A virtual interview tempts you to keep notes next to the camera. Do not. Texas Tech says “we strictly prohibit any use of AI technologies or third-party resources while you are participating in your interview”. Kira says “the Kira platform monitors for suspicious and potentially fraudulent behavior during your assessment and reports this information to the school”. Casper bans pre-written notes outright.
You also need less than you think. Kira's help center says this about live stations: “You can refer back to the question text on the right side of your screen while speaking with your interviewer.” At other Kira stations, “your interviewer will ask you the question directly once your live time begins”. NYU Grossman works the same way: “your interviewer will verbally present an open-ended question as your prompt”. And in a recorded Kira assessment, written questions come with “no preparation time” at all.
What to do in the 2-minute read
Two minutes is short. UGA, UC Riverside and UC San Diego give 2, UTMB gives 3. Instead of writing, run the prompt through four words. If you have paper, those four words are all you write.
Ask
What does the prompt want from you: a decision, advice, an explanation or a story? Say it to yourself in one line.
People
Who is affected, and what does each of them need or fear? Most stations turn on someone other than you.
Gaps
What would you want to find out before acting? Naming it shows you will not jump to a verdict.
Plan
Two or three options, the one you would choose and why, and what you would do next.
Then open your answer with the ask in one sentence, so the rater hears early that you understood the station. Kira says reviewers want your own perspective, “not a rehearsed or scripted answer”. Our guide to how the MMI is scored shows what they look for. Kira's own tip fits every station: “Take your time, pause to collect your thoughts when you need to, and aim to be clear and concise.”
How to practice the timing
Time the read and the answer separately
Set the MMI timer to your school's reading time, then to its answer time. In the table that is 2 or 3 minutes to read and 6 to 8 minutes to answer.
Practice with no paper first
Some stations give you nothing to read, such as NYU's spoken prompts and Kira stations with no question shown. If the frame works in your head, paper is a bonus.
Then practice with three words on paper
If your school allows paper, write one word per part of the frame and nothing else. A full sentence takes reading time you need for thinking.
Answer to the camera, not the page
Glance down once if you need to, then look back up. The rater is watching your face, so most of the answer should go to the camera.
Record yourself and review
Kira suggests recording your answers on your computer's camera, reviewing them and trying again. Watch where you pause and whether your opening line names the issue.
The MMI timer runs the read and the answer back to back. On recorded platforms, watch the countdown the way Acuity tells you to: “keep an eye on the Thinking Time counter, which indicates how much time you have to think about your answer”. For the rest of the setup, see our virtual MMI tips.
Sources: Kira Talent Applicant Help Center, live interview questions, asynchronous questions, activity tracking and preparation tips. Acuity Insights, Casper test rules, Video Interview format and Video Interview practice. The admissions pages of OHSU, Western COMP, Texas Tech, UGA, UC San Diego, UTMB, NYU Grossman and UC Riverside. All checked October 19, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take notes during an MMI?
Often yes, during the reading time and on blank paper, if your school allows it. OHSU says you can take notes before each station of its virtual MMI, and Western COMP tells interviewees to have a pen and notepad ready. Most schools publish no rule, so follow the instructions in your interview email.
Can I use paper during a Kira interview?
Kira's applicant help center does not list a paper rule, so your school's instructions decide. In live Kira stations the question can stay on screen while you talk, and Kira monitors your activity and reports it to the school, so keep anything on your desk blank and your eyes on the camera. How Kira interviews work.
Can I keep notes on my screen during a virtual medical school interview?
No prepared notes. Acuity's Casper rules ban pre-written notes, Texas Tech prohibits third-party resources during its Zoom interviews, and Kira tracks activity in the browser. Close other windows and keep only blank paper, if the school allows it.
What should I write during the 2-minute MMI read?
At most one word for each part of a simple frame: the ask, the people, the gaps in what you know, and your plan. Anything longer eats the time you need to think.
What if the MMI prompt is spoken instead of shown?
Then there is nothing to read or copy. NYU Grossman's interviewers give the prompt out loud, and some Kira stations show no question in advance. Practice the same four-part frame in your head so it works without paper.