Ottawa states you need a computer with a webcam, audio and a reliable internet connection, in a quiet private location. Acuity publishes detailed technical requirements for Casper, not for the early-phase MMI, so use them as a baseline and confirm in the instructions Acuity sends you when you schedule. For a sitting of about 1 hour and 15 minutes, a tested setup matters.

What does Acuity publish?

For Casper, Acuity lists a laptop or desktop, the latest Chrome or Firefox, a working webcam and microphone, and download speeds of at least 1.5 Mbps with upload of at least 2 Mbps. It recommends wired inputs or the built-in microphone, and says smartphones and tablets are not supported. Those figures are for Casper. We did not find the same list for the early-phase MMI, so do not treat them as official for it.

Our checklist

  1. Audio first. Record thirty seconds and play it back with headphones.
  2. Light in front of you, never behind.
  3. Camera at eye level. Stack books if needed.
  4. Wired connection if you can, with other devices off the network.
  5. A private room. Tell the household, silence your phone and close other tabs.
  6. A full test recording in the real room, at the real time of day.

Arvin Ardakani tells applicants a tidy, boring background beats an interesting one.

What happens after the early-phase MMI?

The early-phase MMI for 2027 entry ran on 16, 18 and 19 October 2026, and Acuity has not posted dates for the next cycle. At Ottawa, interview invitations come from a rank-order list built from CGPA, early-phase MMI score and Autobiographical Sketch score, and interviews are typically held between February and March: a semi-structured panel interview of about 40 minutes. For that stage, read the Ottawa medicine interview format and see the Interview program. Applying next cycle? Everything on this page still applies: applicants are contacted in early October, shortly after the OMSAS deadline.

Related: Ottawa medicine interview format, What to wear and where to look in the early-phase MMI, How long is the early-phase MMI?. Arvin Ardakani marks recorded answers personally and mentors applicants at every step through ExperienceMED, with direct WhatsApp access: book an interview session.