TMU Kira prep comes down to three things: knowing Toronto Metropolitan University’s mission well enough to apply it, telling real experiences clearly, and practising unfamiliar questions in both video and written form. For fall 2027 entry, every applicant to the TMU MD program is invited to an online Kira assessment of six timed questions, both video and written, completed on the Kira Talent platform between 19 and 22 November 2026. TMU uses it to assess commitment to its mission and values, communication, reasoning and problem-solving, and it decides who moves on to file review.
Arvin Ardakani, a final-year medical student who founded ExperienceMED, coaches applicants for Kira assessments, from TMU’s recorded assessment to Western dentistry’s ABS and live Kira interviews, through Arvin’s Kira Assessment Masterclass. He teaches every student himself. To see where you stand first, try the free Kira assessment, two stations in about 8 minutes. For the full format, dates and eligibility in one place, read the TMU Kira assessment guide.
What does TMU’s Kira assessment measure?
TMU’s mission centres on the primary care needs of diverse and medically underserved populations, community-engaged education and service, and holistic care, with commitments to equity, Truth and Reconciliation, anti-racism and justice. Its seven values are health equity; community engagement; reconciliation and Indigenous resurgence; equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and mutual respect; well-being; leadership; and integrity.
Knowing those words is the starting point. Preparing means being able to show what they ask of you when people have different needs, resources are limited, or your first assumption turns out to be wrong.
| TMU value | Practice question | Look for this in your own experience |
|---|---|---|
| Health equity | What barrier stopped someone from taking part? | A specific adjustment you made, and its limits |
| Community engagement | How did the people affected shape the decision? | A time listening changed your plan |
| Reconciliation and Indigenous resurgence | What have you learned, and from whom, that changed how you act? | Learning you sought out and what you now do differently |
| Equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and mutual respect | How did you handle a view you did not understand at first? | Curiosity without stereotyping |
| Well-being | How do you look after yourself and others under pressure? | A habit you kept, or support you asked for |
| Leadership | What changed because of your contribution? | Action, shared responsibility and follow-through |
| Integrity | What did you do when honesty was uncomfortable? | Owning an error or having a hard conversation |
Use each row as a prompt to find a real example from your own life.
Kira is the first selection stage, not the interview. A shortlist from it goes to file review, a further shortlist is invited to a virtual MMI of six short, timed, synchronous stations (a virtual Talking Circle for the Indigenous Admissions Pathway), and interview invitations go out the week of 16 February 2027. For what that later stage looks like, see what an MMI is.
How do I start TMU Kira prep before the invitation arrives?
TMU sends the registration email on 12 November 2026, but you do not need it to start. Choose one personal question and one situational question. Record the personal answer once and type the situational answer under a timer, before you read any model answers. Save both, then pick one concrete problem to fix: too much background, an unclear decision, an unexplained assumption or no reflection. Work on that one problem in your next answer instead of repairing everything at once.
Kira’s own guidance backs this up: if you have not been invited yet, record yourself on your computer’s camera, and aim for your authentic perspective rather than a rehearsed script.
Build a story bank, not a script bank
Collect six to eight genuine experiences: teamwork, receiving feedback, a disagreement, a mistake, supporting someone, adapting a plan, carrying responsibility, changing your mind. Ordinary work, study, volunteering and caregiving give you plenty to reflect on. Do not manufacture a healthcare story because you think it will sound more impressive.
For each story, know what you personally did and what you would do differently now. When Arvin reads first attempts, the same gap shows up again and again: plenty of background, very little about the applicant’s own choices, and a lesson so general it could belong to anyone. ExperienceMED teaches a five-part personal story structure instead of templates; read why ExperienceMED teaches personal stories over templates.
Practise reasoning, not reciting
The most common mistake on an unfamiliar scenario is jumping straight to a verdict. The second is never reaching one. When Arvin Ardakani marks practice answers, the strong ones show the thinking behind the decision, treat every person in the scenario fairly, and still commit to something the applicant could actually do in their role.
For mission-related questions, avoid treating a community as one group with one preference. Ask who has been consulted, whose perspective may be missing and how you would know whether an action worked. For more practice material, see Kira interview questions and answers.
How should I practise both video and written answers?
TMU confirms the assessment mixes video and written answers but does not publish the split or the timers, so practise both and follow the instructions in your invitation. Two prompts to start with:
- “Describe a time feedback challenged an assumption you held. What did you change?” Record it in one take.
- “A volunteer proposes collecting sensitive personal information to prove a program is helping. What concerns would you raise, and what would you do?” Type it under a timer.
Make one attempt at each and do not rerecord. The real Kira assessment gives you one attempt per question with no replay, and your first attempt shows what happens under pressure.
Review what you actually said
Play back each answer and ask two questions: did I answer the exact question, including its last part, and could a listener tell what I would actually do? For personal answers, check whether the action belongs to you or only to “we”. Then try a new question to see whether the improvement carries over. Arvin Ardakani marks every answer on six skills, explained in what he looks for when marking an answer.
To follow the full plan lesson by lesson, with a TMU track and up to three mock assessments, join the Kira Assessment Masterclass.
How do I set up my computer for the TMU Kira assessment?
Kira recommends installing operating system and browser updates, closing apps and tabs you do not need, turning off browser extensions such as ad blockers and grammar checkers, silencing every nearby device, plugging in, and sitting in a quiet, bright room with a simple background and your face and shoulders in frame. A laptop or desktop is recommended, with Chrome as the recommended browser, though mobile devices and tablets are supported.
If your Check-In page includes a Practice step, use it to test your setup. Not every school includes one, practice questions may not match the real ones, and preparation and response times may differ. In the real assessment you get one attempt per question and cannot replay your responses. For how the platform works across schools, read the Kira Talent guide, and for camera framing and presence, see virtual interview tips.
Common TMU Kira prep mistakes
- Memorizing the mission as an answer. Explain a relevant decision or experience instead of reciting TMU’s language back.
- Forcing one story onto every question. Pick the experience that answers the task, even if it is less impressive.
- Practising only video. TMU confirms both video and written answers, so include timed writing.
- Watching answers without attempting any. Make your own first attempt before reading commentary, so you find your own gap.
- Repeating the same prompt until it is fluent. Test whether your skill survives a different question and a different time limit.
Your next step
Record one personal answer and type one written scenario today, then practise a new prompt with one improvement in mind. To have your answers marked before the 19 to 22 November window, try the free Kira assessment, Chat with Arvin on WhatsApp using the button on this page, or see the Kira Assessment Masterclass, through which he coaches Kira prep.
ExperienceMED is independent of TMU and Kira Talent.
Related: TMU Kira assessment format and dates and how to handle an interview question you cannot answer.