A regular MMI is live: an assessor sits at each station, you speak, they react and sometimes follow up. The early-phase MMI is asynchronous: you record video responses on the Acuity Insights platform and raters watch them later. The qualities tested overlap, but a recorded format removes the assessor, so structure and delivery to the camera decide the result.
Where do the two formats match?
Both use short, separate stations, so one weak station does not decide everything. Both reward the same habits: answer the question asked, show reasoning, name the people affected and finish cleanly. If you know what an MMI is, you already hold most of the content skills.
Where do they differ?
- No assessor. You cannot read a nod or recover from a puzzled look. Arvin Ardakani coaches applicants to build their own pacing because no one will help them do it.
- No follow-up. A live assessor can draw out a thin answer. A recording cannot, so the first answer has to be complete.
- Camera delivery. Eye line, audio and lighting become part of how you come across.
- Stakes at the start. Ottawa states the score feeds the rank-order list for invitations, so it sits before any live interview.
What should you change in practice?
Practise out loud, to a webcam, against a clock, and replay yourself. See How to prepare for the early-phase MMI in one week for a plan and Early-phase MMI common mistakes for the errors that cost the most. For the Ottawa context, see Ottawa medicine interview format.
Related: Ottawa medicine interview format, What is the early-phase MMI?, Early-phase MMI common mistakes. Arvin Ardakani marks recorded answers personally and mentors applicants at every step through ExperienceMED, with direct WhatsApp access: book an interview session.
Last reviewed 10 October 2026. Written by the ExperienceMED team. Reviewed by Arvin Ardakani, final-year medical student, 4th quartile on CASPer four times.