[MMI prompt] Acting stations

A special type of MMI stations is acting. I personally like this type of stations because I think they are fun and creatively challenging. However, these are also the hardest to practice; you really do need actors to act out the scenarios, otherwise you can only imagine what happens and how you will respond.

A very important thing to note is that the prompt may not give you all the information on the scenario. Here's an example:

Your friend Jason hasn't come to class for a few days. Being a hardworking premed student, he very seldom skips classes. You know that he is applying to medical school in the past several weeks. You called his house and he said you can visit him. You decided to pay him a visit after your classes.

Enter the room and talk to Jason.

And in the room, you may find Jason all depressed, drunk, and if you ask the right questions, he may tell you that he is suicidal.

Unlike the "dilemma-type" questions, which is designed to reveal your problem solving and reasoning skills, the acting stations are here to test your ability to respond to physical and verbal queues, to communicate under stressful situations, etc. Namely, your empathy skills.

And the best way to practice, is to find a few friends or family, and try out a few different scenarios. Or better yet, watch out for real situations in which your friends or family need a listening ear. For those of you who volunteer at a counselling service, or stay up late into the night with a friend who just broke up, grab your chance to shine. :)