So you have decided to choose a career in dental health? Then going into a good dental school would be your first step. After submitting your application and DAT, the interview would be the next part of the game. Interviews are intimidating for some, but don’t worry because we are giving you the common dental school interview questions. We are also giving you tips on preparing the interview. Let’s go with the tips first, shall we?
Dental School Interview Preparation Tips
First you need to understand the system. Basically there are two types of interviews, which are the open and closed file interview. The open file interview means that the interviewer will be able to see your AADSAS etc to assess your strong points and value. On the other hand, the closed file interview is more organic, because the interviewer doesn’t really see your applications and scores beforehand.
Usually, during the 15 to 60 minutes of interview there will be a panel, consisted of open and closed file interviewer. There are a lot of format and style of interview, but usually there are some common dental school interviews questions asked. To get the best idea about the interview format, you should ask the admissions offices directly.
Dental School Interview Questions Student Doctor
Dental School Interview Questions and Answering Tips
Now let’s go through the common questions.
- Tell me a little about yourself
This is the only part of the interview where you should explain about yourself. Be careful not to talk about your achievement, and focus more on your inter personal skills, extra curriculars, etc.
- Why do you want to be a dentist?
Stick to your submitted SOP. We don’t want the interviewers think that you are not true to yourself.
- Have you had any experience with dentistry?
Now is the time you mention your previous experiences in regard with dentistry. For example, clinical experiences, research, achievements, etc.
- What differentiates you from the rest of the applicants?
Sell yourself. However, it is a BAD IDEA to lie. Just talk earnestly about your positive attitude and your potentials.
- What other Dental schools have you applied to?
Just stay true and don’t lie. They can actually check whether you are lying or not.
- Why did you apply to OUR Dental school?
Focus on the word OUR. Do some research beforehand and see what is important to the school’s philosophies. See what makes them different from the other dental school too. Some interviewers might change the question into something like this: “What did you think about our school?”
These are the basic questions. There are numerous other questions that are usually asked in the interview, but most of them cover three areas:
- About yourself, including best and weakest points, stress management, leadership, other interest, etc.
- About your dental school goal, including the reason of choosing dentist as a career, opinion on what is needed to be a good dentist, etc.
- About the dental school, including the reason why you are fitted to be a student there, your method of learning, personal statements, etc.
- About dentistry, including your knowledge about the dentistry, opinion on the dental profession for the last decade, your reaction when faced against unusual situations, etc.
There. I hope this post can give you an idea about dental school interviews questions.
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