MMI Role-Play Stations: Actor and Bad News Examples

MMI Role-Play Stations: Actor and Bad News Examples

In an MMI role-play station, a trained actor plays a character and you respond as yourself. The scene can start the moment you enter: the University of Minnesota's interview guide says "The role-play will begin immediately upon entering the breakout room." Rehearse your first 60 seconds, not a speech.

Our view: the opening decides whether the next six minutes are a conversation or a monologue. If you sit, introduce yourself, ask what the person already knows and then stop talking, the actor has something to respond to and the rater has something to watch. If you open with information, you spend the station talking at someone. This page explains what an actor station is, gives constructed scripts for three common scenes, and covers the virtual version.

Every school page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. All scenes and scripts on this page are constructed by us; none is taken from a school's station bank. For the other station types, see MMI questions and sample answers.

What an actor station is and is not

Two of the school pages we checked describe actors. NYU Grossman Long Island's interview process page (no year stated) includes "a station where you are observed having a nonclinical interaction with a standardized patient". The University of Minnesota MD Interview Guide gives the most detail. It lists December 8, 2023 and February 16, 2024 decision dates, so its description is from the 2023–2024 cycle. What it says:

• "The MMI stations will be staffed by members of the M Simulation team called Standardized Patients (SPs)."
• SPs "are individuals who are trained for any Human Simulation role including standardized/simulated patient, friend, peer, client, family member, etc."
• One station type: "Each candidate will be placed in a Zoom breakout room with one SP who will be in character."
• Another: "Two candidates will be placed in a Zoom breakout room with two SPs. The candidates will work together on the scenario with SPs observing."

Other schools describe their prompts without naming actors. Arizona's MMI prompt can be "a question, scenario or task"; UC San Diego's vignettes cover "a problem, an ethical dilemma, or a patient case". Read your own school's interview page to see whether it mentions role-play.

What the station is not:

• Not a clinical test. Virginia Tech Carilion: "No prior medical knowledge is required for the MMI." Arizona: the MMI "is not intended to evaluate scientific or clinical knowledge."
• Not you as a doctor, unless the prompt says so. Play the role the prompt gives you; UMN's list of SP roles includes "friend, peer, client, family member".
• Not a trick. The actor is following a brief. They will give you openings if you leave room for them.

What schools say they rate in the MMI includes communication (Hofstra: "How clearly and effectively you communicate your reasoning") and, at NYU, qualities like "relatability, maturity, empathy, and reliability". A role-play station is where those show up in behavior rather than in description. See what medical school interviewers look for.

The first 60 seconds

This opening is ours. It works for almost any role-play brief.

1. Sit or settle, at the person's level. On video, look at the camera.
2. Introduce yourself in the role the prompt gives you, and use their name.
3. Ask one open question: "How are you doing?" or "What have you heard so far?"
4. Stop and listen. Count to three before you say anything else.
5. Name what you see: "You seem upset." Then wait again.

Then, and only then, the information.

Breaking bad news (constructed)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Brief (constructed): "You borrowed your friend Taylor's car for the weekend. You were rear-ended at a stoplight. Nobody was hurt, but the car is not drivable. Taylor is about to walk in."

The structure we use, in plain words: get ready, find out what they already know, warn them that bad news is coming, say it plainly, stop, respond to the feeling, then plan the next step together.

The first two minutes, with notes (constructed, 130 words spoken by the applicant):

Applicant: Hi Taylor, thanks for coming over. Can we sit down for a minute? (Sits first. Waits.)

Actor (Taylor): Sure… what's going on?

Applicant: I have some bad news about your car, and I want to tell you straight. (Warning shot. Pause.) On Saturday I was stopped at a red light and someone hit me from behind. I'm okay. Nobody was hurt. But the car can't be driven right now. It's at a repair shop on Fifth Street.

(Stops. Does not explain the insurance yet.)

Actor (Taylor): Are you kidding me? I need that car for work on Monday.

Applicant: You're right, and I'm sorry. This is a real problem for you. (Names the impact, does not defend.) Can you tell me what Monday looks like for you, so we can figure out how to get you there?

Actor (Taylor): I start at seven. There's no bus that early.

Applicant: Okay. I can drive you Monday in my sister's car, and I'll call the other driver's insurance this afternoon about a rental. Would that help for now? Is there anything else you're worried about?

Margin notes. The applicant sits before speaking, warns before the news, says "nobody was hurt" early because it is the first thing a friend would want to know, and then stops. When Taylor gets angry, the applicant agrees with the feeling instead of arguing about whose fault the crash was. The plan comes after Taylor says what matters to them. The last question hands control back.

The weak version (constructed): walking in and saying, "So the good news is I'm fine, the bad news is your car got totaled, but it wasn't my fault, the other guy's insurance should cover it, and I already looked up rental places." Every fact is there. Nobody has been listened to.

An angry or upset person (constructed)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Brief (constructed): "You are a shift lead at a coffee shop. A regular customer, Mr. Patel, is shouting that his order was wrong for the third time this week."

A de-escalation sequence (ours):

1. Lower your voice and slow down. Do not match his volume.
2. Acknowledge before explaining: "Three times in a week. I'd be frustrated too."
3. Ask, do not assume: "What did you order, and what did you get?"
4. Offer a fix and a choice: "I can remake it now, or refund it. Which would you prefer?"
5. Say what you will change: "I'll put a note on your usual order so the morning crew sees it."

What not to do: argue the facts first ("Actually, the ticket says…"), promise what you cannot deliver, or blame a coworker in front of him. If the actor stays angry, keep going. The rater is watching whether you stay steady, not whether the customer calms down on cue.

Teamwork and task stations (constructed)

UMN's guide describes a paired station where "The candidates will work together on the scenario with SPs observing." That means the rater is watching how you work with a stranger who is also being assessed.

Constructed example, written by us. Brief (constructed): "You and another applicant must agree on three items to take on a two-day hike from a list of ten. You have six minutes."

What to do (our recommendation):

• Agree on the method first: "Should we each pick our top three and then compare?"
• Narrate as you go: "I'm putting water first because the brief says there's no stream."
• Check, do not steamroll: "You put the first-aid kit higher than I did. Why?"
• Change your mind out loud when your partner has the better reason, and say so.
• Share credit at the end: "My partner's point about the map changed our list."

If your partner goes quiet, ask them a direct question. If they dominate, say "Can I add one thing?" and make a short point. Our page on behavioral questions and STAR answers covers telling teamwork stories in a traditional interview.

Virtual actor stations

UMN runs its MMI by Zoom, with each station in a breakout room; its guide says that if you are disconnected, use "the Zoom call in feature" or email the admissions office. On video:

• Look at the camera when you speak, and at the actor's face when you listen.
• Let silence happen. A three-second pause feels longer on video. Do not fill it.
• Show listening on screen: a small nod, or "Mm-hm", because the actor cannot see much else.
• Keep your hands still and in frame if you gesture.

Setup, lighting and connection drops are covered in virtual medical school interview tips.

Practice routine

1. Write five briefs with a friend: bad news, an upset person, a disagreement, a request you must refuse, and a paired task.
2. Have your friend play the character from a short brief you do not see.
3. Set a timer to your school's station length (UMN's guide: "The stations will be 8 minutes in length").
4. Record it. Watch only the first 60 seconds. Did you sit, introduce yourself, ask and stop?
5. Run it again with a new brief. Do not rehearse lines; rehearse the opening.

Questions about MMI role-play stations

Interviewing in the UK? The UK MMI role play station guide ties the same skills to UK school criteria.

Will my MMI have an actor?

It depends on the school. UMN's guide describes trained Standardized Patients staffing its stations, and NYU Long Island's page describes "a nonclinical interaction with a standardized patient". The other school pages we checked describe questions, scenarios or tasks. Check your school's interview page.

Do I need to break bad news like a doctor?

No, unless the prompt casts you as one. UMN's list of SP roles includes "friend, peer, client, family member". Arizona's page says the MMI "is not intended to evaluate scientific or clinical knowledge."

What if the actor gets angry or cries?

Stay with them. Name the feeling, wait, and ask what would help. Do not rush to fix it or end the scene early.

Can I step out of the role-play to explain my thinking?

Stay in the scene while it is running. If the station has a debrief with the rater afterward, explain your choices then. For stations where you discuss rather than act, see MMI ethics scenarios.

Review the writing you send next

After the interview, your next document is often a letter of intent or an update. Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent against GradPilot's medical school letter of intent and interest rubric; it reads whether the letter gives a specific, personal reason for the school. For an update, the medical school update letter rubric checks that the letter says what has changed.

More interview guides are on the medical school essays hub, starting with medical school interview questions and answers.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• University of Minnesota Medical School, MD Interview Guide (lists December 8, 2023 and February 16, 2024 decision dates): Standardized Patients, station types, 8-minute stations, Zoom breakout rooms, disconnection advice.
• NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, MD Admissions Interview Process (no year stated): standardized patient station.
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Interview Day (no year stated): no prior medical knowledge required.
• University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, MD Program Admissions (2026–2027): prompt types; no scientific or clinical knowledge.
• UC San Diego School of Medicine, Application Process (2026–2027): vignette types.
• Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Interview Day (no year stated): communication criterion.
• NYU Grossman School of Medicine, What to Expect from the MD Multiple Mini Interview ("2026 admissions season"): "relatability, maturity, empathy, and reliability".