Demographic Characteristics and Multiple Mini Interview Performance of Applicants to Medical School

This study evaluates associations between sociodemographic characteristics of medical school applicants and performance on Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Applicants who participated in MMI as part of their application to the University of Illinois College of Medicine had their scores collected and averaged. The scores were recorded on an electronic platform which also contained sociodemographic information. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate data trends for each subgroup and across subgroups of subjects. Differences in MMI scores based on age, sociodemographic status, and gender were compared by each racial and ethnic group. Analysis of variance was used to compare the MMI scores across the various groups. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze how independent demographic variables affected the MMI score. The cohort of subjects in this study was large and diverse, which allowed for a detailed analysis of the effects sociodemographic characteristics have on MMI performance. Using data from five years (admissions cycles from 2020-2024, n = 3,447), this study shows that male gender and disadvantaged statuses are associated with lower MMI performance, and there is no difference in MMI performance based on age. When evaluating MMI performance based on racial and ethnic status, Asian and Black or African American applicants scored higher on MMI, while white applicants performed lower. There was no difference in performance based on ethnicity. For Asian applicants, male and disadvantaged statuses were associated with lower MMI performance. For Black or African American applicants, younger age and male gender were associated with lower performance, but disadvantaged status was not. For Native American and Alaskan Native applicants, younger age was associated with higher MMI performance, while lower MMI performance was associated with male Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander applicants. There was an association with lower MMI scores for white applicants who were male or disadvantaged. Hispanic or Latino subjects showed an association with lower MMI performance for those who identify as male. In conclusion, this study shows that there are differences in MMI performance among various sociodemographic groups. These results provide insight that can inform the use of MMI as an evaluation tool for medical school admissions.