Do Interviews Really Play an Important Role in the Medical School Selection Decision?

Background: Despite the widespread use of the interview in the medical school admission process, many questions remain about its value and impact on the admissions decision. Are interviews merely a tradition and formality, or do they carry an important weight in the selection decision? The dynamics, potential bias associated with interviews, and their relative weight in the selection process are ongoing and important concerns of admissions committees. Purposes: To investigate the relative weight that the interview carries in the selection process and whether valid interviews can be conducted without the potential bias associated with prior knowledge of the applicants' academic record. Methods: Interrater agreement was calculated for interviewer pairs, one of whom had reviewed the applicant file and one of whom had not. Interview ratings and selection votes for 2 consecutive years were also analyzed using a multiple regression model. Results: Interrater agreement was found to be high, indicating that the trained raters were able to judge applicants' characteristics, independently of the quantitative data. Results of the regression analyses revealed that the interviewers' scores and the MCAT Verbal accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in the selection decision. Conclusions: Medical school selection interviews can carry a significant and important weight in the selection decision. Interviews should be structured and conducted independently of the applicants' academic records.