Interview prep

Interviews are the opportunity for a medical school to assess a candidate's fit for their school and the profession. Interviews are also an opportunity for applicants to impress the medical schools with their passion and commitment. Schools begin conducting interviews in August or September, wrapping them up about 6 months later. The majority of interview invitations are sent out by the end of the fall semester. Candidates who have not had any interviews by this point are encouraged to schedule an advising appointment to discuss strategies for reapplication. 

Interviews can be held in a variety of formats: traditional or structured, in person or virtual, long-form or multiple mini interview (MMI), and more. The Career Services Center is an excellent resource for preparing for a traditional interview. The Big Interview is a particularly helpful tool for practicing questions and reviewing responses.  

Additional Required Assessments for Michigan Medical Schools  

Structured interviews are used to reduce interviewer bias, assess candidates' fitness, and evaluate the core competencies. Two versions of situational judgement tests are the PREview exam from the AAMC and the CASPer exam from Acuity Insights. The list below outlines the policies at the seven medical schools in the state of Michigan. A report detailing policies at all allopathic medical schools in the United States is available here.  

Central Michigan University College of Medicine 

  • Recommend CASPer test for the 2023-2024 cycle. 

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MD) 

  • Will require either PREview or CASPer, not both, to be considered for interview. 

Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) 

  • Discontinued use of the CASPer test in 2023 for both the DO and PA programs. 

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine  

  • Highly recommend PREview exam for the 2023-24 cycle. 

University of Michigan Medical School 

  • Will not be requiring either PREview or CASPer for the 2023-24 cycle. 

Wayne State University School of Medicine   

  • Will not be using CASPer for the 2023-2024 cycle. May consider adding AAMC PREview in future cycles.  

Western Michigan University School of Medicine 

  • Does not require or recommend PREview or CASPer. WMed uses a proprietary telephone screening interview for selected candidates to determine if the candidates should be invited to interview with the admissions team. 

Updated on 1/31/23