2021 was a year of evolution in admissions. Shedding 2020’s quick-fix solutions — and the challenges that came with them — admissions leaders shifted their focus to tools and techniques that will set their process up for success in years to come. It’s that focus on long-term planning that brought more schools than ever to Kira Talent this year!
Whether it was their first or fifteenth cycle with Kira, discover what admissions teams thought of their experience.
- The Kira enhancements that clients loved this year
- By the numbers - Overview
- By the numbers - Programs
- Reports from other years
The Kira enhancements that clients loved this year
In 2021 Kira introduced a real-time video interviewing solution. Together with our client-favourite Asynchronous Assessment, Live Interviewing in Kira Talent transforms virtual interviewing from a quick-fix pandemic solution into a new era of refined, innovative and professional admissions experiences.
Read more about the evolution of Live Interviewing in Kira Talent
By the numbers | Overview
As admissions leaders continued to evolve their processes and reimagine admissions to better attract and engage new generations of applicants, we are proud that they’re choosing Kira to deliver this vision.
With a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 75, Kira scores higher than titans like Apple (NPS 68) and Tesla (NPS 43)!
However we know a single score can’t tell the whole story, so we’re letting our clients explain what aspects of the platform provided them with the most value this year.
63.9% of schools replaced an existing interview with Kira Talent.
Efficiency was a key focus for admissions leaders in 2021 — 38.7% of our partner schools named efficiency as their top reason for using Kira Talent. By providing features such as streamlined scheduling, built-in structured rubrics, and integrated score pairing, Kira is helping admissions teams eliminate repetitive manual tasks and build a more efficient admissions process.
Although a desire for a more efficient admissions process was the focus for the broader education admissions space in 2021, we wanted to parse out the nuances across different disciplines.
Programs:
- Business
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Dentistry
- Veterinary Medicine
- Health Sciences
- Law and Humanities
- K-12
By the numbers - Programs
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Business
Although efficiency almost tied for the top spot, it was effectiveness where business schools really saw Kira’s value this year. From screening in applicants to engaging international candidates and determining scholarships, Kira Talent helped business schools identify and enroll their best-fit applicants.
Most business schools used Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment to efficiently pre-screen applicants before inviting top candidates to a virtual or in-person interview. This year, 8.8% of Business Schools conducted both their pre-screening and selection interviews in Kira.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for business schools
What’s top of mind for business schools in 2022?
“Attracting and enrolling top candidates into our school”
“Offering a stable process for our staff and applicants”
“To continue refining the questions and tools we use to assess candidates' soft skills”
“Making the admissions process as smooth as possible for applicants and staff”
Medicine
Efficiency was what set Kira Talent apart from other platforms in the eyes of medical schools this year. Whether it was Live Interviewing’s streamlined scheduling and automatic transitions or the flexibility of an MMI conducted asynchronously, Kira made it easy for medical schools to deliver successful MMIs in less time.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for medical schools
With the launch of Live Interviewing in 2021, programs can now run their MMI, panel or 1-1 interviews conveniently and with confidence on a platform trusted to power MMIs for top US and Canadian medical schools.
Discover how Live Interviewing is changing the game for medical school admissions.
What’s top of mind for medical schools in 2022?
“Constraints on interviewer/rater time and availability.”
“Creating a more accessible process while maintaining the mission and integrity of the program.”
“Maintaining deadlines and improving on last year’s CaRMS performance.”
Nursing
With over 90% of nursing programs using Kira Talent to interview or assess all of their applicants, it’s no surprise that efficiency was the favourite amongst nursing admissions teams in 2021. It’s also why the majority of these programs chose to transition their entire interview component online, hosting all of their admissions interviews in Kira.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for nursing programs
What’s top of mind for nursing programs in 2022?
“Training our faculty so that they all review in a consistent way”
“Evaluating the admissions review process to increase efficiency and enhance effectiveness.”
“Accessibility of interviews for applicants and continuing to utilize a holistic application review process.”
Pharmacy
For pharmacy programs, efficiency was key in 2021. Whether they were identifying top candidates through an assessment to screen applicants in or out, conducting a final interview before sending out acceptance offers, this year’s pharmacy programs used Kira Talent to add value at various stages in the admissions process. In fact, 75% of those schools used Kira to conduct all of their interviews, and in one case that saved a school more than 20 hours of work within their 2021 admissions cycle.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for pharmacy programs
What’s top of mind for pharmacy programs in 2022?
“Increasing enrollment”
“Ease of process for admissions”
“An equitable process, safety, and a great experience for applicants”
Dentistry
Efficiency was the top reason that dentistry schools used Kira Talent this year as the majority of schools chose to engage applicants through an on-demand assessment.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for dentistry programs
With 75% of dentistry admissions leaders having transitioned all of their interviews onto the Kira platform, the majority are using the added efficiency to offer every applicant the opportunity to interview and show their strengths in a more comprehensive way.
What’s top of mind for dentistry programs in 2022?
“Recruiting the best candidates possible”
“Creating stability for applicants as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Veterinary Medicine
Efficiency was top of mind for veterinary medicine (vet med) programs in 2021 as 80% of them used Kira to replace existing interviews and create a more streamlined process for admin and applicants.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for veterinary medicine programs
Vet med programs used Kira Talent to enhance their process in many different areas in 2021. Whether they were engaging all their applicants, creating connections with those applying from abroad, or getting deeper insights into top candidates, Kira’s customizable platform fit exactly where their process needed it to.
What’s top of mind for vet med programs in 2022?
“Efficient and flawless system that does not require time that we don’t have.”
“Accessibility for our international students to undertake selection assessments.”
Health Sciences
Other health science programs – physical therapy, physician assistant, optometry and midwifery, to name a few – had a smaller representation in Kira and were grouped together.
Creating a fair process was the main focus for health science programs in 2021. Whether it was through a structured asynchronous assessment or a live MMI, 90.5% of health science programs hosted all of their interviews and assessments in Kira Talent. Supported by structured rubrics and horizontal reviewing functionality, Kira helped them ensure that the interviewing experience is consistent across all applicants.
Learn more about how Kira Talent works for health science programs
What’s top of mind for health science programs in 2022?
“To expand the diversity of our reviewer pool.”
“Strengthening our commitment to holistic admissions best practices.”
“Maintaining organization and efficiency in our admissions process.”
Law and Humanities
The majority of this year’s law and humanities programs are using Kira to replace an existing interview that wasn’t delivering the value or efficiency they needed. Naming effectiveness as the top benefit delivered by Kira Talent, over 90% of the programs conducted all of their admissions interviews in Kira in 2021.
What’s top of mind for law and humanities programs in 2022?
“To increase the number of qualified applicants to our programs.”
“Adding a qualitative assessment tool in lieu of standardized test scores”
K-12
For 2021’s enrollment managers, Kira’s ability to effectively engage and assess young applicants' character and communication, while ensuring they meet a standard of fundamental skills, is by far the most important benefit of the platform. By allowing applicant families to complete the assessment when and where is most comfortable for them, Kira Talent helps our K-12 partner schools reduce the stress on applicants and their families, and gives students the opportunity to put their best foot forward.
What’s top of mind for K-12 schools in 2022?
“Maintaining a stable admissions process for families.”
“Offering busy families the flexibility they need during the interview process.”
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