Associations between the big five personality factors and multiple mini-interviews

Given the accumulating evidence that performance in medical school and beyond is related to personality, it is important for research to consider how personality assessment can be included as part of the process of selecting medical students. Interviews are one way of measuring personality and this study extends prior research investigating whether the multiple mini interview (MMI) is related to the five factor model of personality. In contrast to prior results (Kulasegaram et al. in Adv Health Sci Edu 15:415-423, 2010), examination of MMI scores for 868 applicants to an Australian medical school over 3 years showed significant uncorrected correlations every year with extraversion (.19, .19, .30) and conscientiousness (.20, .22, .25) and with agreeableness in 2 years (.17, .19). Investigation of personality at a facet-level revealed differing relationships with the MMI within the five factors of personality. MMI scores were also correlated in 2 years (.17, .22) with a situational judgment test of interpersonal understanding (UMAT Section 2) but were unrelated to tests of logical reasoning ability (UMAT Section 1), non-verbal reasoning (Section 3), or past academic performance (Higher School Certificate results).