Updated · Published · 7 min read
Early-Phase MMI on Acuity: What Comes Next, Format, Scoring and Practice
Ontario's 2026 early-phase MMI ran Oct 16, 18 and 19. What comes next at Queen's (a possible Jan 10 MMI, March panels) and uOttawa (Feb-Mar panels), plus format, scoring and practice.
The 2026 early-phase MMI sitting was October 16, 18 and 19. What comes next depends on the school: a possible January MMI and a March panel at Queen's, and a February or March panel at uOttawa. The dates below are from each school's own admissions page, checked October 25, 2026. Go by your invitation for exact times.
What comes next, by school
| School | Next step and when |
|---|---|
| Queen's MD | In December, Queen's tells all applicants whether it will run a secondary virtual MMI for applicants picked in QARS, tentatively Sunday, January 10, 2027. Status emails go out December to January. A select few are invited to a virtual panel interview, tentatively March 6 and 7, 2027 for the MD stream (February 5 or 6 for some other streams). Most offers come in May. Source |
| uOttawa MD | Status emails go out in the last week of January 2027. Invited applicants have a virtual panel interview of about 40 minutes in February or March 2027, with two Admissions Committee members and a fourth-year medical student. uOttawa hasn't published exact days yet. Source |
How to prepare: the next step at both schools is a live virtual panel, so practice talking about your own experiences out loud and answering follow-up questions. Our panel interview guide covers handling several interviewers at once. If Queen's runs its January MMI, the prep steps further down still apply.
The rest of this page explains the early-phase MMI itself, for reference and for next year's applicants. It is a recorded multiple mini interview that every Queen's and uOttawa MD applicant takes online, on Acuity Insights. You read each prompt and record your answer, with no live interviewer: 8 stations and a rest station in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Several Ontario medical schools developed it together.
What the early-phase MMI is
It is an MMI you take early in the cycle, before any live interview. Both schools' OMSAS guides say this “asynchronous assessment is collaboratively developed by several Ontario medical schools” and that it looks at critical thinking, decision making, communication, interpersonal skills, compassion and teamwork.
It runs on Acuity's Video Interviews platform, which is separate from Casper. In the schools' words, “Applicants will respond to prompts by recording video responses directly on the platform.” Our Acuity video interview guide covers the platform itself.
Format and timing
Acuity describes it as “8 interview stations and a rest station in the middle” lasting “approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes”. Checked October 19, 2026:
| Part | What Acuity and the schools say |
|---|---|
| Stations | 8 recorded stations, with a rest station in the middle Source |
| Length | About 1 hour and 15 minutes in all Source |
| How you answer | You read each prompt and record a video answer. No live interviewer. Source |
| Before it starts | A system check, then 2 practice questions Source |
| Time per station | Not published. You see the timers when you begin. Source |
| Where | Anywhere quiet and private, on a computer with a webcam, audio and reliable internet Source |
| Status | Acuity calls the format tentative and subject to change Source |
Acuity does not publish the think time, the answer time or the length of the rest. It says “Some programs may choose not to share interview format details ahead of time.” On each question, a “Thinking Time counter” shows how long you have left to think. Don't refresh or leave the page, since that ends your answer to the current question.
Which schools require it
Two schools: Queen's and the University of Ottawa. As of October 19, 2026, theirs are the only OMSAS school guides that mention the early-phase MMI, and Acuity's early-phase MMI page names only these two. Each name opens our guide to that school.
| School | Who takes it, language and fee |
|---|---|
| Queen's MD | Every applicant, on top of Casper. English only. Fee $14 CAD. Source |
| uOttawa MD | Every applicant, in the language stream you applied in. Fee $18 CAD. Source |
Applying to both in the same language? Acuity says you “only need to complete one Video Interview if they are applying in the same language”.
How it's scored
Each school uses the score its own way, and neither says how much it weighs. What they do publish:
| School | How the score is used |
|---|---|
| Queen's MD | Every early-phase MMI gets an outside assessment first. Applicants who clear the thresholds (GPA 3.0, MCAT 500 with 125 in each section, Casper, and a finished early-phase MMI) enter a random draw, QARS. Those drawn have their MMI scored again by Queen's. Source |
| uOttawa MD | Interview invitations come from a rank-order list built on three parts: CGPA, the early-phase MMI score and the ABS score. Source |
On Acuity's side, the program picks who rates the videos, its own raters or Acuity's, and “Raters will use the program's chosen rubric”. Acuity adds that “each applicant's responses will generally be scored by multiple raters”. You won't see your score: Acuity says “you will not receive your interview scores through Acuity Insights platform”. For how MMI raters work in general, see how the MMI is scored.
2026 dates, fees and rules
The 2026 sittings were Friday, October 16 at 6:00 PM EDT, Sunday, October 18 at 1:00 PM EDT and Monday, October 19 at 6:00 PM EDT (Acuity, checked October 19, 2026). Applicants heard in early October, shortly after the OMSAS deadline. For a later cycle, check Acuity's early-phase MMI page.
Fees, paid to Acuity: $18 CAD for uOttawa and $14 CAD for Queen's (Acuity). The rules that trip people up:
- Register at least 3 days before your sitting, so ID checks and payment can clear. Source
- Applying in English and French? Each language is its own interview, on a different date. Source
- uOttawa: take it in the language stream you chose. The wrong language disqualifies your application. Source
- No exceptions if none of the dates work for you. Source
Refunds, accommodations and retakes
- Refunds: request one up to 24 hours before your start time. Source
- Accommodations: send Acuity's request form at least 2 weeks before your interview, or 4 weeks before Casper if you need both. Source
- Queen's applicants: its OMSAS guide asks for the accommodations form by September 1, 2026. Source
- Scores count for one cycle. Applying again next year means taking it again. Source
How to prepare
You can't study for the prompts, but you can train the skills and the format. Acuity's own tip: “Consider practicing providing answers out loud and be familiar with the program(s) you are applying for.”
1. Take Acuity's practice test first
It runs on the real platform, so you check your camera, microphone and connection and learn the buttons before the day.
2. Answer out loud, on camera
Acuity's own advice is to practice your answers out loud. Thinking an answer through is not the same as saying it in one take.
3. Practice the six skills, not a list of questions
Both schools name what it evaluates: critical thinking, decision making, communication, interpersonal skills, compassion and teamwork. Mix prompts so each one comes up.
4. Use a timer you can't pause
Acuity doesn't publish the station timers, so pick a short think time and a firm answer limit. Swap in the real times if your invitation gives them.
5. Rehearse all 8 stations in one sitting
About 1 hour and 15 minutes with a rest in the middle. Your eighth answer should sound as clear as your first.
6. Watch two or three recordings back
Did you answer the question asked, give one clear reason and finish before the timer? Fix one habit at a time.
Practice prompts in the MMI style
These are Confetto's own practice prompts, written in the MMI style. They are not Acuity's questions and not from any real early-phase MMI. Each one leans on a skill the schools name. Open a prompt to see what a strong answer covers, then answer it out loud on a timer before you read on.
Station 1 · TeamworkA teammate repeatedly misses a shared deadline, while the rest of the group is becoming frustrated. How would you address the situation without deciding you already know the cause?
A strong answer covers: Talk to the teammate privately first and ask what is going on. Then agree on a plan the whole group can live with.
Station 2 · CommunicationA family member asks you to explain their parent's new diagnosis, which you only half understand from what the doctor said. How do you handle it?
A strong answer covers: Be honest about what you don't know, share only what you are sure of, and help them get the answer from the care team.
Station 3 · Decision makingA clinic can fund either evening hours or a French-language interpreter service, not both. Make the case for one.
A strong answer covers: Name who each option helps and what each costs them, pick one with a clear reason, and say how you would lessen the harm to the other group.
Station 4 · CompassionA classmate on a regional clerkship placement far from family tells you they are struggling. How would you support them?
A strong answer covers: Listen first, check whether they are safe, then point them to real support (the school's wellness services, a mentor) and follow up.
Station 5 · Critical thinkingA 45-year-old man with newly diagnosed epilepsy tells you he will keep driving his delivery van because he cannot afford to lose his job. What do you do?
A strong answer covers: Weigh his livelihood against the risk to the public, explain the rules with empathy, and help with the job problem rather than ignore it.
Station 6 · Interpersonal skillsA patient asks for antibiotics for what is almost certainly a viral cold, and says she will go to another clinic if you refuse.
A strong answer covers: Find out what she is worried about, explain why antibiotics won't help, and offer what will, so she leaves with a plan.
Station 7 · Ethical decision makingYou realize a patient on your team got the wrong dose of a medication yesterday. He is fine. Your resident says there is no need to mention it.
A strong answer covers: Patient safety and honesty come first. Say how you would raise it with the resident, then the team, and why disclosure matters.
Station 8 · ProfessionalismA colleague asks you to sign a form saying you witnessed a consent conversation you did not see.
A strong answer covers: Decline, explain why a false signature puts the patient and the colleague at risk, and offer a way to witness it properly.
Want more? Our MMI ethics questions have 40 more, and medical schools that use the MMI shows every other school's format.
Sources, all checked October 19, 2026
Acuity Insights, early-phase MMI dates and format. OUAC, OMSAS guide for Queen's. OUAC, OMSAS guide for the University of Ottawa. uOttawa MD, application process. Queen's MD, eligibility and application process. Queen's MD, methods of selection. Acuity help, what Video Interviews are. Acuity help, how Video Interviews are assessed. Acuity help, format and prep. Acuity help, results. Acuity help, practice test. Acuity help, starting the interview. Acuity help, booking and refunds. Acuity help, accommodations. Next steps checked October 25, 2026 on the same Queen's and uOttawa pages.Casper is a registered mark of Acuity Insights. Confetto is not affiliated with Acuity Insights, Queen's University or the University of Ottawa.
Frequently asked questions
What comes after the early-phase MMI?
The 2026 sitting was October 16, 18 and 19. At Queen's, applicants hear in December whether a secondary virtual MMI will run (tentatively January 10, 2027), and a select few get a virtual panel, tentatively March 6 and 7 for the MD stream. At uOttawa, status emails go out in the last week of January 2027 and panel interviews are virtual in February and March.
What is the early-phase MMI?
It is a recorded multiple mini interview that Queen's and uOttawa require of every MD applicant. You take it online on Acuity Insights' Video Interviews platform: 8 stations and a rest station, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, with no live interviewer. Several Ontario medical schools developed it together.
Which schools use the early-phase MMI?
Queen's and the University of Ottawa. As of October 19, 2026, theirs are the only OMSAS school guides that mention it, and Acuity's early-phase MMI page names only those two. Queen's also requires Casper.
How much time do you get per station?
Acuity doesn't publish the think time, answer time or rest length, and says some programs share format details only when you begin. Practice with a short think time and a firm answer limit, then follow the timers on screen on the day.
How is the early-phase MMI scored?
uOttawa ranks applicants for interview invitations on CGPA, the early-phase MMI score and the ABS score. Queen's gives every early-phase MMI an outside assessment first, then scores it again itself for the applicants picked in its random draw (QARS). Acuity says raters use the program's rubric and each applicant is generally scored by multiple raters.
Will I see my early-phase MMI score?
Not on Acuity's platform. Acuity says you will not receive Video Interview scores there, and uOttawa says it does not give feedback on the evaluation of applications.
Do I take the early-phase MMI twice if I apply to both schools?
No, if you apply to both in the same language. Acuity says one Video Interview covers both. If you apply in English and French, you take one in each language, on different dates. Queen's only accepts the English one.
How do I practice for the early-phase MMI?
Take Acuity's practice test to learn the platform, then rehearse out loud on camera with a timer you can't pause. Use MMI prompts that touch all six skills the schools name, run all eight in one sitting at least once, and watch a few recordings back.