Internal Medicine CaRMS Interview: Questions and Formats
How each Canadian internal medicine program runs its CaRMS interview, what it scores and how to prepare.
Most Canadian internal medicine programs send 2027 interview offers on January 8, 2027 and book through a shared website. Interviews are virtual. Most use one or two 20 to 30 minute interviews with a faculty member and a resident, and Alberta and Montréal use MMIs. Several programs say they do not test medical knowledge.
Internal medicine interview formats, 2027 CaRMS program descriptions
- UBC (Vancouver)
- Three separate 20 minute Zoom interviews, two with faculty members and one with a resident or fellow, for one hour in total.
- Calgary
- Two Zoom interviews, one with a faculty member and one with a resident, each worth 25% of the final score. File review is the other 50%.
- Alberta
- Virtual MMI of about 90 minutes, assessing mainly the CanMEDS roles.
- Saskatchewan
- Two virtual interviews: one with the program director or assistant director, one with a faculty member and senior resident using scenarios tied to CanMEDS roles.
- Manitoba
- About 30 minutes with one faculty member and a senior resident, using standardized questions.
- Toronto
- About 30 minutes with two members of the admissions committee.
- McMaster
- 25 minutes with a faculty and resident pair, guided by standardized questions, on January 23 or 30, 2027.
- Ottawa
- One semi-structured interview of about 30 minutes with a faculty member and a resident, January 25 to 29, 2027.
- Queen's
- Two interviews with separate pairs, each a faculty member and an internal medicine resident.
- Western
- 30 minutes online with a faculty member and a resident, between January 21 and February 4, 2027.
- NOSM
- Two-part panel interview with two teams, about 20 minutes each.
- McGill
- 20 to 45 minutes by video with a faculty member, sometimes with a resident. Interviewers may not have read your file.
- Montréal
- Multiple mini interviews of about 45 to 50 minutes on Zoom, with patient partners taking part.
- Sherbrooke
- About 15 minutes on Teams with two interviewers, in French.
How internal medicine interview offers work
Most core internal medicine programs agree to send offers on the same day and book interviews through one shared website.
- January 8, 2027. Offer statuses update in CaRMS at 12:00 noon ET, and invited applicants get login details by email that afternoon.
- January 11, 2027. The shared booking site opens for booking at 12:00 noon ET.
- Check junk mail. Sherbrooke warns that the booking email will very likely land in your junk folder.
- Not every program uses it. NOSM uses its own system to notify and schedule applicants.
Plan your grid first. Before January 8, list your programs' interview dates so you can book quickly once the site opens.
What internal medicine programs assess
The Royal College's CanMEDS framework groups the abilities physicians need into seven roles. Alberta's MMI and Saskatchewan's scenario interview both assess these roles directly.
The seven CanMEDS roles in plain words
- Medical Expert. The central role. It brings the other roles together with knowledge and clinical skill to give safe, patient-centred care.
- Communicator. Builds relationships with patients and families to share the information care depends on.
- Collaborator. Works well with other health professionals.
- Leader. Helps build a better health system and takes responsibility for excellent care.
- Health Advocate. Works with communities and patient groups to improve health.
- Scholar. Keeps learning, teaches others, weighs evidence and adds to scholarship.
- Professional. Commits to ethical practice, high standards, accountability and personal health.
What the score sheets say
Internal medicine program descriptions score interviews on collaboration, collegiality, communication, health advocacy, interest in the discipline and the program, leadership, professionalism and scholarly activities.
- No knowledge test. McMaster, Queen's and TMU say they do not test medical knowledge in the interview.
- Reflection. Calgary explores how honestly you reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement.
- Hard cases. McGill's interviews include personal and clinical experiences that challenged you.
How each program interviews
Pairs of one faculty member and one resident are the most common setup. A few programs use MMIs or panels.
Western Canada and the Prairies
- UBC. Interviews run across the interview period, with morning, afternoon and evening times in Pacific time.
- Calgary. Interview days are January 20, 21, 27 and 28, 2027.
- Saskatchewan. The program director interview covers your career goals, training priorities and questions from your file.
- Manitoba. Interviews run January 27 to February 2, 2027, and you can meet the program director in a small group.
Ontario
- Ottawa. Interviewers only see a standard summary of your file, and the interview is scored question by question.
- Queen's. Both interviews fall in one morning or afternoon slot, with a small-group information session the same day.
- McMaster. Interview day also includes a large group information session and small-group Q&A with the program director and residents.
- NOSM. The program looks for interest in northern and rural training and practice.
Québec and Atlantic Canada
- Montréal. Regular applicants interview on January 27, 2027 and international graduates on January 25.
- Sherbrooke. Expect to discuss your clerkship evaluations, research and interests outside medicine, on February 3, 2027.
- Memorial. Interviews are January 21 and 22, 2027, with two faculty members or a faculty member and a resident.
- Dalhousie. Interviews run on the Kira Talent platform.
How internal medicine training works in Canada
Knowing the structure helps you answer career questions. Core internal medicine is three years, and residents can then go on to subspecialty training.
- Competence by Design. Training runs in stages: Transition to Discipline and Foundations in PGY1, Core in PGY2 and PGY3, then Transition to Practice in PGY4 or the first subspecialty year.
- Royal College exam. At Toronto, the exam comes after the Core stage at the end of PGY3.
Practice questions we wrote
These are our practice questions, built around the CanMEDS roles. They are not any program's own questions.
- "Why internal medicine?" Use a patient with several problems at once and say what you liked about putting it together.
- "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a senior about a plan." Show how you raised it, kept the patient first and what happened.
- "Describe your weakest clerkship evaluation." Name it plainly, then what you changed. Programs value honest reflection.
- "A patient on the ward wants to leave against medical advice. What do you do?" Check capacity, understand the reason and involve the team.
- "How would you teach a clerk on a busy call night?" Keep it short, practical and tied to a real patient.
- "Where do you see yourself after core training?" General internal medicine or a subspecialty are both fine. Show you know the path.
How to prepare
Short virtual interviews reward a few strong stories and a clear reason for each program.
- One story per role. Prepare a story for each CanMEDS role, with communicator, collaborator and professional first.
- Practice timed answers. Most interviews are 15 to 30 minutes, so aim for one to two minutes per answer.
- Know your file. Some interviewers read your file and some do not. Be ready to tell your story either way.
- Practice an MMI. If you apply to Alberta or Montréal, practice short stations with a scenario.
Frequently asked questions
When do internal medicine CaRMS interview offers come out?
Most core internal medicine programs update offers in CaRMS on January 8, 2027 at 12:00 noon ET, and the shared booking site opens for booking on January 11.
Do internal medicine programs test medical knowledge at the interview?
Usually not. McMaster, Queen's and TMU say so directly. McGill adds verbal clinical scenarios for international graduates, judged at the level of a graduating medical student.
Are internal medicine CaRMS interviews virtual?
Yes. The 2027 program descriptions describe Zoom, Teams or Kira Talent interviews.
Which internal medicine programs use the MMI?
Alberta runs an MMI of about 90 minutes and Montréal one of about 45 to 50 minutes for 2027. Most others use faculty and resident interviews.
What CanMEDS roles do internal medicine interviews cover?
All seven can come up. Program score sheets focus on collaboration, communication, health advocacy, leadership, professionalism and scholarly activity.
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.
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: CanMEDS · read October 24, 2026
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: CanMEDS 2015 Physician Competency Framework · read October 24, 2026
- McGill University Department of Medicine: Core Internal Medicine Residency Training (PGY1-3) · read October 24, 2026
- University of Toronto Department of Medicine: Internal Medicine CBD · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of British Columbia, Internal Medicine, Vancouver · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of Calgary, Internal Medicine, Calgary · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of Alberta, Internal Medicine, Edmonton · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of Saskatchewan, Internal Medicine, Saskatoon · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of Manitoba, Internal Medicine, Winnipeg · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of Toronto, Internal Medicine, Toronto · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Toronto Metropolitan University, Internal Medicine, Peel · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: McMaster University, Internal Medicine, Hamilton · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: University of Ottawa, Internal Medicine, Ottawa · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Queen's University, Internal Medicine, Kingston · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Western University, Internal Medicine, London · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: NOSM University, Internal Medicine, Sudbury · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: McGill University, Internal Medicine, Montreal · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Université de Montréal, Médecine interne · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Université de Sherbrooke, Médecine interne · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Memorial University of Newfoundland, Internal Medicine, St. John's · read October 24, 2026
- CaRMS 2027 program description: Dalhousie University, Internal Medicine, Halifax · read October 24, 2026