A questionnaire on the interview process used in selecting first-year medical students was sent to all 123 U.S. medical schools. The questionnaire included items on the role of the interview in selection. the nature of the interview process, and how the interview was administered. The results revealed that 106 of the 107 responding schools used an interview in selecting students. Among four selection factors, the interview ranked second in importance to gradepoint average; references and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores were of lesser importance. Only 8 percent of the institutions used a selection index for admission processing that assigned the interview a specific percentage weight. The interviews generally used a one-to-one format, and most applicants had at least two separate interviews. All of the schools used faculty and staff members as interviewers, and 72 percent of the schools used students also. Eighty percent of the schools made certain that each interviewee was interviewed by at least one member of the admissions committee, and all interviewers were admissions committee members at more than half of the schools. Items on interview organization revealed that most of the schools trained or briefed their interviewers and required a written interview report for the applicant's file. About three-fourths of the schools held interviews only on their campus. About one-third of the schools did follow-up studies on the effectiveness of interviews in predicting success. Most schools had a geographical preference area for applicants, and on the average the schools interviewed 69 percent of the applicants from their m a . (8 ref)-