Abstract
We compare the performance of professional school applicants assessed by different interview formats. We compared the admission interview data of two classes of professional school students, one, admitted using standardized multiple mini interviews (MMIs), and the second, admitted using a free style interview conversation. All interview scores were presented on a 10-point scale. For the MMIs cohort, an average of the scores of the 6 independent interviewers’ scores was calculated. We compared the scores of the top 20%, and the bottom 20% admitted with the two different interview format respectively. The data was analyzed using t-test assuming unequal variance. The majority of students performed extremely well on both the standardized MMIs and the free style conversation interview. The mean interview scores on the free style interview and the MMIs were 8.73 ± 0.15 and 8.91 ± 0.1 for the top 20% and 8.69 ± 0.2 and 8.44 ± 0.12 for the bottom 20% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the performance scores on the MMIs vs the free style interview, neither for the top 20% group (p<0.3) nor for the bottom 20% (p<0.2) of the applicants. The free style conversation interview and the MMIs were equally adequate and similarly evaluated the overall communication skills, knowledge, and dedication to the profession of applicants. Both interview formats comparably allowed the applicants to demonstrate their abilities and passion for the profession regardless of the interview style, duration of interviews, or number of interviewers.
Presenters
Denise HileetoAssociate Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Admission interviews, Selection criteria, Interview formats, Applicant performance evaluation
