The Emory PA program interview format

Emory's Physician Assistant Program, in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the School of Medicine, interviews with a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) on Zoom. Its interview day page says the MMI assesses communication, understanding of medical ethical issues or health policy, problem-solving, maturity, attitudes and interpersonal skills, and that it is not used to assess medical knowledge. That is the most specific list Emory publishes for its stations.

Item	What Emory says
Format	Multiple Mini Interview, online via Zoom
Length of the day	A half-day, virtual
Who sees your file	Interviewers are blinded to your CASPA application information
Writing sample	You answer and submit a timed written question as part of the interview; it is assessed on content, mechanics and organization
Q&A	Time with the Director of Admissions and current PA students
Campus tour	Optional, with the Director of Admissions, usually Sunday afternoons during the interview months
Number and length of stations	Not published
Scheduling	Rolling, first come first served; once slots fill, candidates go on an interview waitlist and are not guaranteed an interview

Emory's pages give slightly different interview months. The interview page names August and September with decisions in October; the application page says July and August with decisions after all interviews are done. Both agree that decisions come only after every interview is finished, so go by your invitation email.

What Emory looks for

The application page lists what the program evaluates: patient care hours and the level of responsibility, community service and level of involvement, GPAs, the personal statement and supplemental narrative, leadership, honors or publications, two letters of recommendation, and fit with the program mission. At the interview, the published areas are the six above. Notice what is missing: no clinical knowledge. Ethics and health policy sit in the same list as communication and maturity, so it is reasonable to prepare for scenarios about a patient or system dilemma.

The cycle and requirements

Deadline: the page shows a final deadline of June 15 (including the supplemental application and CASPA verification) for the cycle it describes. It also says CASPA opens in April 2027 for the next class. Emory says it is best to apply early, because interview slots are scheduled in order of application completion.
GPA: a cumulative and science GPA of at least 3.0.
Patient care experience: a minimum of 2,000 hours of paid or volunteer hands-on patient care, completed by the time you submit your application. Emory also highly recommends community volunteer hours and PA shadowing, which do not count toward the 2,000.
Prerequisites: eight courses with at least 23 semester credits of natural sciences, finished by December of the application year, each with a C or better.
Letters: two, with at least one from a health care professional you worked with. The supplemental application fee is $75.
Deposit: $1,000 within two weeks of an offer, applied to first-semester tuition.
Deferment: Emory says accepted students may request a one-year deferment, decided case by case.

What the program is like

The curriculum page describes a 29-month Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant degree with a fully integrated curriculum that stresses evidence-based medicine, decision making and care that is sensitive to the social determinants of health. Students learn in learning societies with early patient contact, and the program reinforces team-based care and patient advocacy. Emory also lists PA/MPH and PA/MBA dual degrees on its site. The program's emphasis on social determinants and teamwork lines up with the MMI themes, so use it when you answer "why Emory."

How to prepare for Emory's MMI

Practice ethics and policy scenarios aloud. Emory names them. Use a simple structure: restate the dilemma, name the competing values, say what you would do first, and say what you would want to know.
Do not show off medical knowledge. The MMI is not testing it. A station about a patient refusing treatment is about how you listen and respect autonomy, not the pharmacology.
Practice the written question. Time yourself writing a clear, organized answer to an unfamiliar prompt in a set number of minutes. Emory grades mechanics and organization, so a clean first paragraph and a closing sentence matter.
Reset between stations. Each station is independent. A poor one does not carry over.
Use a timer. Our free MMI timer runs reading time and response time the way you will experience them.

Emory PA practice questions (written by us, not Emory)

Emory does not publish its station questions. These are ours, built from the six assessed areas and the PA role. Practice each aloud for about five minutes.

A patient asks you to keep a diagnosis from their family. The family is asking you directly. What do you do?
A clinic runs short of an important medication, and you have to decide who gets it first. How do you think about fairness?
You are a PA student and you see a supervising clinician skip hand hygiene. What do you do?
A patient with limited English is being discharged with instructions in English. What would you do?
Policy: should PAs be allowed to practice with less physician supervision? Argue both sides, then give your view.
You promised a patient you would find out an answer and then forgot. You see them again tomorrow. Walk me through it.
Two team members disagree about a plan and both look to you. How do you respond?
Tell me about a time you changed your mind after hearing someone else's argument.
A patient is frustrated by a long wait and takes it out on you. How do you respond in the moment, and afterward?
Written question: describe a time a patient taught you something about care that you did not expect. You have a short time to write.

For a wider set, see our PA program interview questions guide and the scored PA school mock interview, which covers an MMI and a one-on-one.

A drill for a PA MMI

Pick five scenarios from the list above. Give yourself two minutes to read and think, then five minutes to answer on camera.
Watch the recording for rambling. Every answer should state your view in the first 30 seconds.
Do the written question on a computer, not paper, with a visible timer and no help from AI.
Swap with a partner. Have them play the interviewer and ask one follow-up on each answer.
Repeat the full set two days later with new scenarios.

If you do not have partners, Confetto's PA school interview prep uses AI mock interviews that ask follow-up questions based on what you actually said and give rubric-based feedback afterward. The question bank has over 500 questions, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.

Emory PA interview FAQ

Is the Emory PA interview an MMI?

Yes. Emory says its interviews use the Multiple Mini Interview format, online on Zoom.

Is there a writing sample?

Yes. As part of the interview, applicants answer and submit a timed question in writing. It is assessed on content, mechanics and organization.

Will my interviewers see my application?

No. Emory says interviewers are blinded to your CASPA application information.

What if interview slots are full?

Emory places candidates on an interview waitlist, without a guarantee of an interview, so applying early matters.

When do I hear back?

After all interviews are completed. Emory emails the admissions committee's decision: an offer, a place on the waiting list, or release from consideration.

Applying to other programs? See our guides to the Duke PA program and George Washington University PA program interviews, or our PA school interview prep page.

Sources: Emory PA Program interview day, application, admissions requirements and curriculum pages.

Confetto isn't affiliated with Emory University. Everything here about the program comes from its public admissions pages, checked in October 2026. Formats and dates can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.