Validating MMI scores: are we measuring multiple attributes?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychometrics
• Health Professions Admissions

Background:

• The multiple mini-interview (MMI) is widely used to evaluate non-cognitive skills in health professional school admissions.
• Existing validation studies primarily focus on total MMI scores, with limited research on construct differentiation and predictive validity.
• Understanding MMI construct validity is crucial for refining station design, rater training, and score interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the validity of MMI construct scores for oral communication and problem evaluation.
• To examine the relationship between MMI scores and personality traits (emotionality, extraversion).
• To assess the correlation between MMI scores and performance on standardized clinical communication interviews.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the MMI's underlying factor structure.
• Correlational analyses examined the relationships between MMI construct scores, personality measures, and clinical communication interview scores.

Main Results:

• Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor MMI model, though factors were highly correlated (r = .87).
• MMI oral communication scores correlated significantly with extraversion (r = .25) but not emotionality.
• MMI scores demonstrated significant relationships with specific clinical communication skills: oral communication with building rapport (r = .46) and problem evaluation with explaining/planning (r = .36).

Conclusions:

• The findings provide validity evidence for the MMI's ability to assess distinct non-cognitive attributes.
• The results highlight the importance of targeted MMI station development and scoring rubrics for key attributes.
• MMI scores offer valuable insights into candidates' suitability for health professions training and practice.