Updated · 6 min read
Preparing for the University of Laval interview
Key facts (2026-27)
Laval and UdeM hold a joint in-person MEM on April 17 and 18, 2027, in French, with day and site assigned at random. Some categories go to Sherbrooke's virtual MEM-V.
- Format
- In-person MMI (MEM) in French, 7-minute stations
- Where
- In person, at a Québec City or Montréal site
- Length
- 7 minutes per station, with a 2-minute pause between stations
- Also required
- Casper in French (Canada Casper 2, Français), which pre-selects who is invited to the MEM; the academic file only breaks ties between equal Casper results
- Interview dates
- April 17 and 18, 2027 (joint with Université de Montréal)
Checked October 2026 against Université Laval: Doctorat en médecine admission. Confirm details in your invitation.
Prepare for Université Laval's medical interview by practicing conversation in French, including listening and responding when another person changes the situation. The published 2027 instructions describe French mini-entrevues multiples, with different arrangements for some applicant categories.
Checked October 1, 2026. The dialogue below is a fictional practice exercise, not a past Laval station, a confidential question, or the university's scoring rubric.
The current Laval MEM instructions
The official admissions page lists joint Laval-Université de Montréal in-person MEM on April 17 to 18, 2027, with random day/site allocation in Québec or Montréal. Some applicant categories instead attend Sherbrooke's virtual MEM-V; check your category and invitation.
Stations and timing
Stations are exclusively in French, involve interaction, and require no specific medical knowledge. Published timing is seven minutes with a two-minute pause; no current station count is given here.
The page also says final selection rests on the MEM result, with the Casper result used to break ties.
Guides and preparation
The 2027 guide is due in winter 2027; the 2026 guide is an earlier-cycle reference.
The committee does not affiliate with preparation companies or validate their materials, and discourages paying for preparation sessions.
Start with free official guidance and a French-speaking partner.
Actual interview content is confidential.
Université Laval MEM practice questions (written by us, in English)
Laval doesn't publish its MEM stations, and the real stations run only in French. We wrote these in English so you can plan an answer, then say it aloud in French with a partner.
- An actor plays your coworker at a summer camp near Québec City, who is angry that you changed the schedule without telling them. Speak with them. What do you say first?Practice this question now
- You and another candidate must pick one project for a student health fund: a mobile clinic for older adults in rural Québec or a mental health line for students. How do you decide together?Practice this question now
- An older patient in Québec City lives alone, has fallen twice this winter, and refuses to move to a seniors' residence. How would you approach the situation?Practice this question now
- A patient who recently arrived in Québec City speaks little French, and her teenage son interprets at her appointments. What concerns would you raise?Practice this question now
- A regional hospital in eastern Québec may close its maternity unit at night because of staff shortages. What should decision makers weigh?Practice this question now
- Should Québec require new doctors to practice in underserved regions for their first years? Defend a view.Practice this question now
- A friend offers to share stations they remember from last year's MEM. What do you do?Practice this question now
- Your volunteer team made a mistake that a client noticed before you did. How would you explain it to the client?Practice this question now
- A teammate is doing far less than their share on a group project, and it's due tomorrow. How do you handle it?Practice this question now
- Tell us about a time you explained something complicated to someone with a very different background. What worked?Practice this question now
Practice a conversation, not a prepared speech
Give your partner a situation and a role. Ask them to respond in their own words rather than feeding you the next question.
Your task is to understand what they mean before deciding what you would do.
An example
For example, if someone says a plan excludes them, avoid immediately explaining why the plan is fair. Ask which part creates the problem.
Their answer may change what you thought the issue was. A useful practice note records the exact point at which you revised your approach, not just whether you sounded confident.
Speaking in French
Speak in French throughout this exercise if you are preparing for the MEM. If you need a word, use a plain explanation you understand.
Ask your partner which sentence was hard to follow. They do not need to predict an admissions score to tell you that your request was unclear or that you interrupted them.
A fictional museum visit role-play
The roles
Your role: You are helping a student group arrange a museum visit. During the planning meeting, a participant says the discussion moved too quickly and the proposed route may exclude them.
You have not checked the museum's access information. Speak with the participant before announcing a final plan.
Partner's role: You want to attend, but you felt pressured to agree in the meeting. Explain what was difficult.
Do not give the organizer permission to share personal information with the whole group.
Weak and repaired responses
A weak fictional response: « Je vais dire au groupe que vous avez des besoins particuliers et je vais garantir que tout sera accessible. »
The organizer has promised something they have not checked and has decided to disclose information without asking. The sentence may sound helpful, but its proposed action creates two new problems.
A repaired fictional opening: « J'ai entendu que la discussion allait trop vite. Quelle partie du plan vous empêche de participer ? Je n'ai pas encore vérifié le parcours avec le musée. Avant de parler au groupe, qu'est-ce que vous souhaitez que je partage ? »
In English, the speaker acknowledges the fast discussion, asks what prevents participation, states that the route is unverified, and asks what may be shared. These are proposed conversation moves for this exercise, not official assessment criteria.
Let your partner answer. A question about preferences only helps if you use the response.
If they want to discuss the route privately, describe a next step that respects that preference. Do not announce a diagnosis or assume what assistance they want.
Add a constraint halfway through
Your partner now tells you the route advertised as accessible is closed on the proposed day. You still have not spoken with museum staff.
Change your plan rather than repeating your promise.
A repaired fictional follow-up: « Je ne peux pas vous promettre ce parcours pour cette date. Je vais demander au musée quelles options sont réellement disponibles. Ensuite, nous pourrons regarder une autre date ou une autre activité, sans partager vos informations personnelles avec le groupe. »
This response withdraws the unsupported guarantee. It proposes checking the available options before deciding with the participant.
If your partner rejects another date, ask which alternatives they would consider. Do not treat the first suggestion as the only acceptable resolution.
A nine-minute partner exercise
- Seven minutes: Have the conversation in French. Introduce the closed-route constraint after roughly three minutes. Leave room for your partner to disagree.
- Two minutes: Each person writes one sentence that helped the conversation and one that made an assumption. Compare notes.
The exercise totals nine minutes, excluding setup. Its two-minute note period is our review activity, not a description of what you may do during the official pause.
The fictional scenario and mid-conversation change are our own.
Repeat with one adjustment: your partner wants you to share only the route question, without identifying who raised it. Your next explanation to the group must respect that boundary.
Write that explanation in French and ask your partner whether it says more than they agreed to share.
For the next session, switch roles. Notice whether you felt heard before the organizer offered a solution.
Keep a short practice record of the question you asked, the answer you received, and the action it changed. A long list of prepared phrases is less useful for this exercise than one repaired assumption.
Start with the university's guidance
Use the official instructions and a French-speaking partner before considering paid practice. Our MMI practice questions guide provides additional fictional situations you can discuss together.
If you want to explore broader AI practice, the Confetto medical school page explains spoken interview practice and feedback after processing. We have not verified French-specific assessment or a Laval-format simulation.
AI feedback is not the university's evaluation. You can start with a free trial.