Does the early MMI replace Casper or the medical school interview?
By Videoath · Updated
For Fall 2027 entry, Ottawa's early-phase MMI replaces Casper, while Queen's requires both Casper and the early MMI for its mainstream MD process. At both schools, the early MMI does not replace the later interview stage. TMU uses a separate Kira assessment and does not require Casper. Check the requirements for each school and admissions pathway you applied to.
Official sources checked October 18, 2026, for the 2026 to 2027 application cycle.
What changes at each school?
| School | Early assessment | Casper | Later stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Ottawa | Recorded early-phase MMI | Replaced by the early MMI for this cycle | Selected applicants attend a virtual panel interview |
| Queen's University | Recorded early-phase MMI | Required for mainstream MD applicants | Further internal evaluation and a later panel, with a possible secondary MMI |
| Toronto Metropolitan University | Six timed written and video questions through Kira | Not required | Selected applicants attend an MMI or, through the Indigenous Admissions Pathway, a Talking Circle |
Ottawa's replacement of Casper is stated in its entry in the AFMC 2027 admissions guide, and its application process keeps the later panel. Queen's requirements and pathway exceptions appear in the current OMSAS Queen's guide. TMU describes its stages in its selection process and confirms that Casper isn't required in its admissions FAQs.
Requirements can differ between pathways at the same school. Queen's Indigenous Student Admissions Pathway, for example, includes a Casper exemption when its identity requirements are met.
Does everyone take the early MMI, or only selected applicants?
At Ottawa, every applicant who successfully submits an MD application must complete the early MMI. At Queen's, mainstream MD applicants must complete it. Being asked to book it is not a shortlist decision. Ottawa then uses CGPA, early-MMI performance and the autobiographical sketch to decide who is invited to its later panel. See Ottawa's application process and the OMSAS Queen's guide.
Booking emails are an administrative step, not a decision. If yours seems late compared with a friend's, contact the school or provider using the details in your instructions. Don't treat the delay as a decision about your application.
Is it one sitting for Queen's and Ottawa, or two?
If you applied to both schools in English, one sitting can serve both. Queen's requires English. Ottawa uses the language stream you chose in your application. If you applied to Ottawa's French stream and also to Queen's, check whether two sittings apply to you. Acuity's video interview guidance.
Sharing a sitting doesn't mean both schools use the result in the same way. Booking and payment steps come from your own instructions.
Does the early MMI replace the later interview?
No. Ottawa keeps a virtual panel interview for selected applicants. Queen's describes an internal evaluation of the early MMI for selected applicants and a later live panel. It also says it will tell applicants in December 2026 whether a secondary virtual MMI will take place. Follow your own invitations for the stages that apply to you.
Practice for the early MMI still helps later, because you learn to explain your reasoning aloud. A panel adds live follow-up questions, so practise those separately if you're invited. The guide to recorded and live interviews explains the difference.
Is Kira another name for Casper?
No. Kira is an assessment platform, and each school decides what it delivers there. TMU's stage includes written and video answers, and TMU says Casper isn't required. If you applied to TMU, practise both typed and spoken answers. If you're wondering whether Casper practice carries over to an MMI, see this guide.
Sort your requirements in five minutes
For each school, write one line with these details, taken from your own emails and the school's page.
- The exact name of the assessment
- Who sent the instruction, the school or the provider
- The language
- The deadline to book, register or complete it, converted to your local time
- What comes after it, if the school says
If two lines name the same assessment in the same language, check whether one sitting covers both schools. If any detail is blank, look it up before you plan your practice.
What should I prepare for next?
Once your requirements are sorted, choose one unfamiliar practice question and answer it in the format your invitation describes. Keep the school-specific details handy in the Ottawa guide, the Queen's guide or the TMU guide. For a first spoken attempt, choose a public MMI practice question.