How is the early MMI assessed, and will you receive a score?
By Videoath · Updated
Acuity says each program chooses whether to rate video interviews itself or have Acuity's raters do it, and raters use the rubric the program chooses. Interview scores aren't returned through Acuity's platform, so whether you hear anything depends on the school. For Queen's, the early MMI is assessed in two steps. First comes an initial external assessment before Qualified Applicant Randomization Selection. Applicants selected through that process then receive an internal evaluation by the MD program. The linked sources don't establish either school's detailed station rubric, station weights or a numeric MMI cutoff.
Official sources checked October 18, 2026.
What Acuity publishes
- A program may rate its video interview submissions itself, or have the Acuity team rate them and provide a score to the program. See How are Video Interviews assessed?
- Raters use the program's chosen rubric. Each applicant's responses are generally scored by more than one rater, following structured guidelines.
- You won't receive interview scores through the Acuity platform. Depending on the program, you may or may not receive results, and the way they're shared varies. See Where can I find my Video Interviews results?
- Video interviews are separate from the built-in video response section of Casper, and programs choose what applicants respond to. See the difference between Video Interviews and Casper video responses.
These statements are Acuity's general guidance on video interviews. They don't tell you how Queen's or Ottawa set up rating for their own assessment.
What the schools publish
Ottawa uses CGPA, early-MMI performance and the autobiographical sketch to decide who is invited to its later panel interview. Its published material doesn't give the weight of each part. See Ottawa's application process.
Queen's requires mainstream MD applicants to complete both Casper and the early MMI. Its guide describes two uses of the early MMI. First, an initial external assessment takes place before Qualified Applicant Randomization Selection, or QARS. The guide's list for mainstream QARS includes GPA, MCAT and Casper thresholds, a completed application and a completed early MMI. Queen's says no weighting is applied to those threshold criteria for QARS selection. Second, applicants selected through QARS receive an independent internal evaluation of their MMI by the Queen's MD program. Later steps include a panel and a possible secondary MMI, which Queen's says it will confirm in December 2026.
Queen's describes the abilities it assesses in broad terms, including critical thinking, decision-making, communication, interpersonal skills, compassion and teamwork. That list isn't a detailed station rubric. See the OMSAS Queen's guide.
What the linked sources establish
| Question | What we found |
|---|---|
| Who rates the early MMI | Queen's describes an initial external assessment, then an internal evaluation by its MD program for applicants selected through QARS. Named raters and the exact external rating arrangement aren't established. Ottawa's rating arrangement isn't stated in the sources checked |
| The criteria | Queen's publishes broad abilities, such as critical thinking, communication and teamwork. A detailed station rubric isn't established for either school |
| How much it counts | Queen's says no weighting is applied to its QARS threshold criteria. Station weights and how the later internal evaluation is weighted aren't established. Ottawa doesn't give the weight of each part |
| Whether there's a numeric MMI cutoff | Not established for either school |
| Whether you'll see a result | Depends on the school, and not available through Acuity |
| Whether delivery, such as pauses or stutters, is rated | Not established |
If a forum reply or prep service answers one of these with certainty, ask where the information comes from.
Is it a checklist?
The linked sources don't show how either school instructs its raters. Answering as if you're ticking boxes can produce answers that list ideas without connecting them to a decision. Practising complete, clearly reasoned answers is useful whatever the rubric looks like.
Is it a screening step or part of my score?
For Ottawa, the published process says early-MMI performance is one of the factors used to invite applicants to the panel. For Queen's, a completed early MMI is on the mainstream list for QARS, and the internal evaluation of the MMI comes after selection through QARS. Read the guide for your own pathway. The linked sources don't establish a numeric MMI cutoff or station weights for either school.
What to do with the uncertainty
The unknowns change very little about how to practise. Answer what's asked, explain why, address what makes the decision hard, and follow the instructions. The relevance guide gives you a way to check the first of those. For a later stage, watch each school's communications for what comes next.
Use a public MMI practice question to practise one complete answer while you wait.