· 6 min read
Medical Schools With Recorded Video Interviews (2026-27)
The US MD and DO schools with a one-way recorded video step this cycle: platform, prompts, timing, deadline and what follows, from each school's own page.
At least 14 US MD and DO schools ask for a recorded (one-way) video step in 2026-27. Kira Talent is the most common, UTMB uses Spark Hire, and Arizona Tucson uses its own portal. You see a prompt, get a short time to think, and record your answer with no interviewer. At most schools it comes before or next to a live interview, not instead of it.
What a recorded video interview is
A recorded, one-way or asynchronous interview is a set of prompts you answer on camera, alone, within a window the school sets. Trained raters score the recordings later. Washington State says its moderator only reads the prompts out: “They are not interviewers and will not be asking you follow-up questions, providing clarification, or assessing your responses.”
The platform changes the details. Our guides cover each one: Kira Talent, Spark Hire at UTMB and Acuity video interviews, plus Ontario's early-phase MMI.
US schools with a recorded step, 2026-27
Each row comes from the school's own admissions page, read October 21, 2026, in the order the step comes in the cycle. Under each name: degree and platform. Schools change formats between cycles, so your invitation wins.
| School | The recorded step |
|---|---|
| UTMBMD, Spark Hire | Two recorded answers in the secondary, due November 6, 2026. No interview invite until they are in. Source |
| RosemanMD, Kira | Timed video and written answers in the secondary. Selected applicants then get a live virtual interview. Source |
| Arizona TucsonMD, AMP portal | Two timed video prompts after the secondary, four minutes each to read, plan and record. Due within two weeks, before the virtual MMI. Source |
| UMass ChanMD, Kira | Brief recorded answers within seven days of notice. How you do decides whether you get live one-on-one interviews. Source |
| McGovern (UTHealth Houston)MD, Kira | A video assessment within 5 days of the interview invite, then the interview day on Zoom. Source |
| UC IrvineMD, Kira | A recorded assessment of six core competencies, done before your interview day with faculty and a student. Source |
| CUSMMD, Kira | Pre-recorded questions on a timer plus timed written ones, 30 to 60 minutes in your own time, in place of a one-on-one. Source |
| CincinnatiMD, Kira | Six recorded questions after a required webinar. You must finish them to move on to the 1:1 interviews. Source |
| UNLV KerkorianMD, Platform not named | A short recorded interview with standardized questions in your interview week, plus a 45-minute live 1:1. Source |
| VanderbiltMD, Platform not named | One asynchronous interview alongside one long live interview with a faculty member. Source |
| Washington StateMD, Recorded with a moderator | Four recorded prompts on interview day, three minutes each, rated later. Two live 10-minute interviews too. Source |
| MarianDO, Kira | After a live group session, timed recorded answers with one take each. Up to 45 minutes, three days to finish. Source |
| Northern ColoradoDO, Platform not named | An asynchronous MMI first. Based on it, some applicants get a live one-on-one on Kira. Source |
| LECOMDO, Platform not named | A recorded virtual interview after the supplemental, with one week to finish. Questions are randomized and timed. Source |
LECOM's row comes from its AACOM profiles, where it also says “The questions are randomized and students have a designated length of time to read and respond to the question.” Two more MD schools list a recorded step in the AAMC's MSAR interview report but not on their own pages. FAU says “SparkHire asynchronous interviews are used in addition to a live interview on Zoom.” Minnesota says “Asynchronous questions will be recorded and videos will be uploaded as part of our secondary supplemental.”
Does it replace the live interview?
Rarely. At UTMB and Roseman the video is part of the secondary. At UMass Chan, Cincinnati and Northern Colorado it comes first and decides who gets the live round. At Arizona Tucson, McGovern and UC Irvine it comes before the live interview. At UNLV, Vanderbilt, Washington State and Marian it sits next to one.
CUSM is the one school here where it stands in for a one-on-one. It describes a “multiple reviewer format” to the AAMC. Some schools also ask for Casper, which is a separate test. UTMB's FAQ lists “Have an MCAT and Casper score on file.”
How long you get to answer
Only a few schools publish the clock. Arizona Tucson says “For each question, applicants will have a total of four minutes to review the prompt, prepare their response and record their video.” Washington State gives “prompts for you to respond to within three minutes”. Marian allows “one chance per question to capture your authentic, unrehearsed answers”. Everywhere else, the numbers come with your invitation.
How to prepare for a recorded format
The skill is fitting a clear answer into a fixed clock with no one to rescue a weak start. Arizona Tucson's advice includes “Approaching each question thoughtfully rather than relying on memorized responses”. UNLV even sends “A small sample bank of questions will be provided to applicants to give a general idea of the format”.
Copy the numbers from your invitation
Write down the number of prompts, the think time, the answer time, the deadline and whether you get a second take. Schools set these themselves, and most do not publish them.
Practice on the same clock
Read the prompt only during the think time, then start talking when the recording starts. At Arizona Tucson the four minutes cover reading, planning and recording, so plan in under a minute.
Record one take, then stop
No pausing and no restarting. If you finish early, stop. Marian gives one chance per question, so your practice takes should feel the same.
Talk to the lens
Put the camera at eye level, light in front of you, face and shoulders in frame. Watch the playback once muted for eye contact and once without the picture for content.
Plan three notes, not a script
Your point, one specific example and what it changed. A memorized script sounds read, and the prompts change from applicant to applicant.
Follow the rules on help and sharing
Cincinnati bars help from others or AI tools and asks you not to share any interview content. Read your school's rules before you start.
Cincinnati spells out the rule most schools share: “Candidates must complete all interview components independently, without assistance from others or AI tools”. For the platform you got, read our Kira guide or the Spark Hire guide, then practice answers out loud on a timer.
Sources: the admissions pages of UTMB (FAQs), Roseman, Arizona Tucson, UMass Chan, McGovern, UC Irvine, CUSM, Cincinnati, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Marian and Northern Colorado, the AACOM profiles of LECOM Erie and LECOM Bradenton, and the AAMC MSAR Interview Procedures report. All checked October 21, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which medical schools use one-way video interviews?
For 2026-27, the schools' own pages name a recorded step at UTMB, Roseman, Arizona Tucson, UMass Chan, McGovern, UC Irvine, CUSM, Cincinnati, UNLV, Vanderbilt and Washington State (MD), and at Marian, Northern Colorado and LECOM (DO). FAU and Minnesota list one in the AAMC's MSAR.
Does a recorded video interview replace the live interview?
Usually not. At most of these schools it comes before or alongside a live interview, and at UMass Chan, Cincinnati and Northern Colorado it decides who moves on. CUSM is the exception: it tells the AAMC its timed video assessment, scored by several reviewers, takes the place of a one-on-one interview.
How long do you get to answer a recorded interview question?
It depends on the school, and your invitation has the exact numbers. Arizona Tucson gives four minutes per prompt to read, prepare and record. Washington State gives three minutes per prompt. How long interview answers run.
Can you re-record a one-way video interview answer?
Plan for one take. Marian gives one chance per question, and most schools do not publish a retake rule, so your invitation decides. Practice as if the first take is the one they see.
Is a recorded video interview the same as Casper?
No. Casper is a separate situational judgment test, and a school can ask for both. UTMB, for one, requires a Casper score on file and its two Spark Hire video responses. The UTMB Spark Hire video secondary.