The San Juan Bautista School of Medicine interview format

San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, in Caguas, Puerto Rico, combines an MMI with a one-on-one interview. Its MD admissions page says non-cognitive qualities "will be assessed through Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) interactions. The MMI consists of four (4) structured situational stations with standardized trained patients and one (1) one-on-one interview with an Admissions Committee member or trained interviewer." It lists the qualities as cultural sensitivity, problem-solving and decision-making skills, maturity, integrity, empathy, reliability and communication skills. A campus tour and a wrap-up session with an admissions officer follow.

The AAMC's MSAR report for the 2027 class lists the same format, in person, with invitations in October 2026 and interviews beginning in November 2026, regional interviews available, and a remote MMI "under specific circumstances."

Item	What San Juan Bautista and the AAMC say
Format	MMI with four structured situational stations with standardized trained patients, plus one one-on-one interview
Interviewer for the one-on-one	An Admissions Committee member or trained interviewer
Setting	In person (MSAR); remote MMI only under specific circumstances; regional interviews available
Interviews begin	November 14 per the timeline (the page lists no year); MSAR: invitations October 2026, interviews November 2026
End of day	Campus tour and a wrap-up session with an admissions officer
Casper or PREview	Not mentioned on the admissions page

Timeline

The admission timeline on the page lists: AMCAS opens June 1, Early Decision deadline August 1 with notification October 1, interviews begin November 14, AMCAS deadline December 15, offers on a rolling basis from January 17, Plan to Enroll February 19, Commit to Enroll April 30. The Committee reviews and selects applicants on a rolling basis from December to July. The dates are listed without a year, so confirm them with the admissions office.

What the school says it wants

Its stated mission is "to educate a culturally and linguistically diverse generation of physicians" with special interest in community health and underserved and medically vulnerable populations. It looks for "motivation, empathy, good communication skills in Spanish and English, cultural competence, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, integrity, resiliency, compassion, and altruism." Candidates must be able to read, write, speak and understand English and Spanish. Minimums: a 3.00 science and general GPA and a 492 MCAT; applicants also need two academic letters and one community letter.

How to prepare for the San Juan Bautista interview

Practice with standardized patients. Four stations use trained patients; practice active listening, empathy and clear explanations.
Prepare in both languages. Communication in Spanish and English is named as a criterion.
Prepare for the one-on-one. One interview is with a committee member or trained interviewer; know your story and your community focus.
Know the school's mission. Community health and underserved populations should show up in your answers.
Budget for the full day. The session includes a tour and a wrap-up with an admissions officer.

San Juan Bautista practice questions (written by us, not San Juan Bautista School of Medicine)

San Juan Bautista does not publish its stations. We wrote these around the qualities it lists. Keep each answer to about two minutes.

A patient in the clinic is anxious about a test and does not understand the instructions. How do you help?
You are asked to deliver difficult news to a patient who speaks mostly Spanish. How do you prepare?
A patient refuses a treatment because of cultural beliefs. How do you respond?
You discover a classmate copied a lab report. What do you do?
Why do you want to practice community medicine?
Tell me about a time you showed empathy that was hard.
Describe a time you solved a problem under pressure.
What does cultural competence mean to you, and where have you practiced it?
What would you do if a colleague made a mistake that could harm a patient?
Why San Juan Bautista?

For a wider set, see our practice questions with answers guide and our MMI practice and preparation guide.

A drill for four patient stations and one interview

Run four 7-minute patient role plays with a partner playing the patient and giving feedback on empathy and clarity.
Do at least one role play in Spanish and one in English.
Then run a 20-minute one-on-one covering your motivation and community focus.
Record a station and check whether you named the patient's feelings.
Practice the wrap-up: ask two questions about training and community sites.

If you don't have a practice partner, Confetto's AI mock interviews 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.

San Juan Bautista interview FAQ

Is the San Juan Bautista interview an MMI?

Yes, with a one-on-one added: four structured stations with standardized patients plus one one-to-one interview.

Is it in person?

Yes, according to MSAR, with a remote MMI offered under specific circumstances.

When do interviews begin?

The timeline lists November 14; MSAR says interviews begin in November 2026.

Do I need to speak Spanish?

Yes. Candidates must be able to read, write, speak and understand both English and Spanish.

What is the application deadline?

AMCAS by December 15 per the page.

Applying to other schools in Puerto Rico too? See our guides to the Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine and University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Sources: San Juan Bautista MD program admission, AAMC MSAR interview procedures (2027).

Confetto isn't affiliated with San Juan Bautista School of Medicine. Everything here about the school comes from its public admissions pages and the AAMC MSAR report, checked in October 2026. Formats can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.