Updated October 24, 2026

OHSU PA Program Interview (MMI): Format, Dates and Who Gets In

What happens at the OHSU PA program interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

OHSU combines multiple mini interview (MMI) stations of 10 minutes each, a 15-minute individual interview with program leaders and a 25-minute group activity in groups of five. Interviews run in the fall, online or in person. The committee picks 60 students through a blinded review and decides by the end of December.

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Key facts (2027 entry)

Format: MMI stations, one individual interview and one group activity. OHSU does not publish the number of MMI stations.
Stations and timing: Each MMI station is 10 minutes: 2 to read the prompt and 8 to respond. The individual interview is 15 minutes, and the group activity is 25 minutes.
Who interviews you: Program leadership or senior faculty run the individual interview. Some MMI stations use an actor.
Online or in person: Both. Online interviews use Kira and Webex. In-person interviews are at the simulation center on the South Waterfront campus.
When: In the fall. Invitations go out throughout the review, which runs on a rolling basis.
How offers are decided: A blinded review of application and interview materials picks 60 students. Final decisions come by the end of December.
Tests: No GRE and no supplemental application.

What happens on the interview day

The day has three kinds of interview, plus time with faculty, students and the program.

MMI stations. Short scenario stations of 10 minutes each: 2 minutes to read and 8 to respond. A station may be a role play with an actor, a task or a prompt.
Individual interview. 15 minutes one-on-one with program leadership or senior faculty, about your personal and professional preparation, your patient care and your path to the profession.
Group activity. A 25-minute activity in a group of five candidates.
Meeting the program. A Q&A with faculty and staff and lunch with current students. Online days also include a program overview and faculty and alumni panels.

Online interviews

Your full schedule arrives one week before. The MMI stations and individual interview are on Kira, and the group activity and other sessions are on Webex.

Test your setup. Kira lets you try practice questions and check your laptop, microphone and camera beforehand.
Lunch with students. A mix and mingle with current students from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

In-person interviews

In-person days are in the Mark Richardson Interprofessional Simulation Center, in the Robertson Life Sciences Building.

7:45 a.m. Arrival and check-in, then a welcome meeting from 8 to 9.
9:15 to 11:30 a.m. Your series of interviews.
11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Q&A with faculty and staff, then lunch with current students.
1:15 to 3:30 p.m. The group activity, a campus tour with a student, and a wrap-up.

Dress the same either way. OHSU asks for business attire for both online and in-person interviews.

How offers are decided

The committee selects 60 students through a blinded review of your application and interview materials.

What the interview assesses. Communication, self-reflection, empathy, teamwork, ethical responsibility, cultural awareness, resilience and adaptability, and personal and professional preparation.
A fairness observer. A trained OHSU search advocate watches the selection process to make sure it is fair.
Varied backgrounds. The committee prioritizes applicants whose backgrounds and experiences support the program's mission.
End of December. Final decisions are made by then.

How you get an interview

OHSU reviews applications on a rolling basis as CASPA verifies them, usually within four to six weeks. It scores eight equally weighted areas.

The eight areas. Academic preparation, quality of health care experience, fit with the mission, leadership and service, written communication, letters, resilience and perseverance, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
2,000 hours of health care. Done by the time you apply and within the last 10 years. Most should be direct patient care, and up to 1,000 can be health-care related. Shadowing and hours earned for credit don't count.
GPA of 3.0 or more. Both cumulative and BCP (biology, chemistry and physics). Students admitted last cycle averaged 3.5 overall and 3.4 BCP.
OHSU questions in CASPA. There is no supplemental application, but you answer OHSU-specific questions inside CASPA.

Who gets preference

OHSU gives preference to applicants who meet one or more of these criteria, which it reviews every year.

At least 400 volunteer hours serving underserved communities.
At least 500 hours of leadership in education, advocacy, health care or the community.
Veterans and active military.
Two or more lived experiences, such as a rural upbringing, economic adversity, being the first in your family to go to college, or a first language other than English.

Dates and other details

OHSU's deadline is early and strict. CASPA must verify your application by then, with no exceptions.

Dates for 2027 entry

Late April 2026. Applications open.
August 1, 2026. Deadline, at 8:59 p.m. Pacific. OHSU suggests applying three to four weeks early.
Fall 2026. Interviews, online and in person.
End of December 2026. Final decisions.
June 2027. The program starts.

The program

The program is 26 months, full time: 12 months of classes and 14 months of clinical training, leading to a Master of Physician Associate Studies. Most rotations are outside metro Portland, in rural and medically underserved communities.

How to prepare

OHSU's own advice is to learn about the program, reflect on your experiences, practice out loud and practice scenario stations.

Use the full 8 minutes. Practice reading a prompt in 2 minutes, then speaking for up to 8. Plan what you will add if you finish early.
Rehearse role plays. Some stations use an actor. Practice talking to the person in front of you, not describing what you would say.
Know your path. The individual interview covers your patient care and how you came to the PA profession, so have two or three clear stories ready.
Practice cultural awareness. OHSU assesses cultural awareness and ethical responsibility. Practice scenarios where a patient's background or beliefs shape their care.

No right answers. OHSU says MMI stations have no right or wrong answers. Show how you think the situation through and explain your reasoning.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a MMI, individual and group station, written for applicants to Oregon Health & Science University, Physician Associate Program. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

In this group task, your group gets a list of five patients waiting in an emergency department, each with a different complaint. You have eight minutes to agree on the order in which to see them. How would you approach it?

Agree on how to decide before ranking anyone, and make sure every group member is heard.

Tell me about a time in your patient care experience when you felt a patient wasn't being completely honest with you or the team. How did you handle it?

Focus on finding out why the patient held back, not on catching them out.

Tell me about a time you witnessed or were part of an ethical dilemma during your healthcare experience. What made it difficult, and how was it resolved?

Pick a real dilemma with two good values in conflict, and say what you learned.

You are a PA student on a geriatrics rotation. An elderly patient says 'Thank you, doctor' every time you do something. You've corrected them twice, and they wave it off and say, 'Same thing.' What do you do now?

Respect the patient's view while making sure they know who is caring for them.

You are a PA in a busy urgent care. A father holding his crying toddler says, 'I brought my son in for a cut on his forehead, and I want a real doctor to do the stitches, not an assistant.' Respond to the father.

Speak to the father directly and calmly, respect his choice and keep the child's care moving.

You are a PA. After you introduce yourself, a new patient says, 'Oh, so you're the one who just takes the blood pressure and gets the doctor?' How would you explain what you actually do in a way that builds their confidence?

Explain your role warmly and accurately, without sounding defensive.

Frequently asked questions

Is the OHSU PA interview an MMI?

Partly. OHSU combines multiple mini interview stations with a 15-minute individual interview and a 25-minute group activity in groups of five.

Is the OHSU PA interview online?

It can be. Fall interviews take place both online and in person. Online interviews use Kira for the MMI and individual interview and Webex for the group activity.

How long are OHSU's MMI stations?

Each station lasts 10 minutes, with 2 minutes to review the scenario and 8 minutes to respond. OHSU does not publish how many stations there are.

How many students does OHSU PA admit?

60 each cycle, chosen through a blinded review of application and interview materials. Final decisions come by the end of December.

How many health care hours does OHSU PA require?

At least 2,000 hours by the time you apply, earned within the last 10 years. Most should be direct patient care. Shadowing and hours earned for credit do not count.

Sources

Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.

OHSU Physician Associate Program: PA Program Interviews · read October 24, 2026
OHSU Physician Associate Program: How to Apply · read October 24, 2026
OHSU Physician Associate Program: Admissions Requirements · read October 24, 2026
OHSU Physician Associate Program: About · read October 24, 2026
OHSU Physician Associate Program: Curriculum · read October 24, 2026
PAEA CASPA Program Directory: Oregon Health & Science University · read October 24, 2026