Medical School Interview Day: What to Expect

Medical School Interview Day: What to Expect

A medical school interview day holds 30 minutes to just under two hours of actual interviewing, depending on the school, inside a day that can run from 7:45 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. The rest is welcomes, presentations, student sessions, lunch and, at some schools, a tour.

It is tempting to treat the interview as the event and everything else as filler. AACOM's interview guidance says otherwise: "admissions office staff and current students may be asked to comment on your personal conduct while on campus." This page lays out what eleven schools publish about the day, so you can block the right hours and know which parts are interviews.

Every school page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. Formats change between cycles, and UC San Diego and Rowan-Virtua both say the detailed instructions arrive by email after you are invited, so reread your own invitation before the day. For the full set of interview and letter guides, see the medical school essays hub.

How long a medical school interview day lasts, school by school

Nine of the eleven pages say the interview is virtual. KCOM describes an on-campus day, and Virginia Tech Carilion's page does not say either way.

What fills the hours that are not interviews

The non-interview parts of the day fall into three groups on these pages:

• Presentations. KCOM and Virginia Tech Carilion list curriculum presentations. Hofstra opens with "An introduction by the Associate Dean for Admission". Kaiser Permanente lists a "Welcome & Overview from our Senior Associate Dean for Admissions" and an admissions presentation. Wayne State lists a presentation "about the WSU SOM and its community".
• Time with students. At KCOM, "Lunch, a demonstration of osteopathic manipulation, and a tour of the campus will be with students." Hofstra runs "A meet-and-greet lunch session with current students". Rowan-Virtua's orientation lets you "speak with current DO students". Virginia Tech Carilion's night-before event lets interviewees "meet with admissions staff and current Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine students."
• Waiting. UC San Diego splits applicants into two groups, which leaves approximately 90 minutes of "down time" before or after your own interviews.

The student sessions are where you get answers no website gives you.

Are you evaluated at lunch and on the tour?

The published rule. AACOM tells osteopathic applicants: "Be polite and courteous to all members of the college community you are visiting. Not only will your interviewers provide feedback, but admissions office staff and current students may be asked to comment on your personal conduct while on campus." The formal evaluations are the interviews themselves. Wayne State: "Your interviewers will evaluate your answers for each interview, and the evaluations will be presented with your application to the entire Admission Committee for a final admissions decision."

Our view: treat every block with a student or staff member as part of the interview day. That means the same courtesy at lunch as in the panel room, and it does not mean rehearsed answers over a sandwich. The basis is AACOM's sentence: the people hosting you may be asked about you.

The countercase: Hofstra calls its mini skills session "non-evaluated", and a school that labels a segment that way is telling you your performance in it is not rated. Relax into that session. AACOM's line is about conduct, not performance, so how you treat the people running it still counts.

Unknown. None of the eleven school pages says how, or whether, student hosts report back. AACOM says they "may be asked". Nobody publishes more than that.

Who has your file on the day

What the interviewer can see changes what you should bring up, and it can change within one day. At Wayne State, the faculty interviewer "has access to all application materials except Academic Metrics", the student interviewer "has access to AMCAS personal statement and experiences only", and the MMI rater "has name of applicant."

In a blinded room, you are the one who introduces your numbers if they come up. Decide before the day whether you will. Our open-file vs closed-file interview guide covers how to prepare for each.

Two interview days compared

These two days come straight from the schools' pages, with nothing added.

ATSU-KCOM, morning group, on campus. The schedule "starts at 8:45 am and ends around 2:00 pm." Inside it: "three half hour long individual interviews with a basic science faculty member, a clinician, and a member of the Admissions team", lunch, an osteopathic manipulation demonstration, a campus tour with students, a curriculum presentation and a museum tour. Ninety minutes of interviews in a day of about five and a quarter hours (our arithmetic).

NYU Grossman, virtual MMI. "You will rotate through eight virtual stations" with "a brief conversation for about 7 minutes" at each, two of them rest stations, and one 14-minute open station. "The entire process takes about an hour and fifteen minutes."

The KCOM applicant needs energy for five hours, three interviewers with different jobs, and a lunch. The NYU applicant needs to reset at each of eight stations in about 75 minutes. If you are interviewing at MMI schools, our list of medical schools that use the MMI groups them by format.

Virtual interview now, campus visit later

Three of the virtual schools above publish a campus visit, and all three are for admitted students. Rocky Vista offers "an official campus visit day" to "accepted students". Hofstra: "Those admitted to the Zucker School of Medicine will have an opportunity to visit the school in person." Kaiser Permanente holds a "Second-Look Weekend in April 2027" for accepted students.

At those schools, the virtual day is your look at the school before an offer arrives. Use the student session and your interviewer questions on what you cannot read online. Our questions to ask at a medical school interview has a list built for that, and whether a second-look visit is worth it covers the later trip. For the camera, lighting and setup side, see virtual medical school interview tips.

Interview-day checklist

Run this when the invitation arrives:

If you still need to book or move your date, see how to reply to a medical school interview invite.

1. Read the format and time from the invitation, not from last year's forum posts. Note who interviews you and whether they see your file.
2. Block the whole day, not the slot. Virginia Tech Carilion asks you to reserve 7:45 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m., and KCOM's afternoon group runs to about 4:45 p.m.
3. Check for a night-before event. Virginia Tech Carilion holds one.
4. For a virtual day, test twice. Idaho COM says to "Log in 5–10 minutes early in case tech support is needed." Rowan-Virtua: "Test all the above again on the day of the interview".
5. Plan the down time. At UC San Diego it is about 90 minutes.
6. Dress for the camera and the room. Rowan-Virtua: "Dress as though you were in an in-person interview (cover all of you not just the top half)". Our what to wear guide has the rest.
7. If you must cancel, AACOM's instruction is to "contact the school promptly, courteously, and honestly."
8. Afterward, send a short thank-you email after the interview, then see how long it takes to hear back.

Questions about medical school interview day

How long is a medical school interview?

The interviews themselves run 30 minutes at Rocky Vista and Idaho COM, 30-45 minutes at Rowan-Virtua, about 75 minutes at NYU, about 90 at Hofstra, 90 at KCOM (our arithmetic), and 85 to 115 minutes across Wayne State's three interview types (our arithmetic). The full day is longer.

Do medical schools evaluate you outside the interview?

AACOM says "admissions office staff and current students may be asked to comment on your personal conduct while on campus." No school page we checked describes a formal rating outside the interviews, and Hofstra labels one session "non-evaluated".

Are 2026-2027 medical school interviews virtual?

At nine of the eleven schools above, yes. Rowan-Virtua, Idaho COM and Kaiser Permanente state it for this cycle, and NYU for its "2026 admissions season"; the others give no cycle year. KCOM describes an on-campus day.

When will I see the campus?

At Rocky Vista, Hofstra and Kaiser Permanente, the published visit is for accepted students. Kaiser Permanente's is in April 2027.

Review the writing you send next

After the interview, the next thing you write is an update letter or a letter of intent, and both get read against what you said on the day. Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent against GradPilot's medical school letter of intent and interest rubric, which checks whether the letter ties a stated feature of the school to your own reason for attending. For news since your application, use the update letter rubric, which checks that the letter names what changed and what it adds.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• AACOM, Admissions Interview (no year stated): conduct, courtesy and cancellation guidance.
• Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, DO Interview Process (2026/2027 cycle): virtual panel, 30-45 minutes, orientation, setup tips.
• Rocky Vista University, RVUCOM Admissions (no year stated): 30-minute two-person panel, blinded to grades and MCAT, campus visit for accepted students.
• Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Interview Day (2026-2027 cycles): virtual, open file, 30 minutes.
• A.T. Still University, KCOM Application Process (no year stated): group schedules and day contents.
• NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Multiple Mini Interview (2026 admissions season): stations and timing.
• Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Interview Day (no year stated): MMI format, day contents, admitted-student visit.
• University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, MD Admissions (no year stated): MMI length, Applicant Visit Day.
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Interview Day (no year stated): day hours and night-before event.
• Wayne State University School of Medicine, Interview offered (effective July 2025): three interview types, file access, session lengths.
• UC San Diego School of Medicine, Application Process (no year stated): MMI stations and down time.
• Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Application Process (2026-2027 cycle): virtual interviews, hybrid model, Second-Look Weekend.