Typical Interview Questions for Health Professions Programs

Evaluation of Motivation

  • Why do you want to be a doctor (dentist, veterinarian)?
  • What stimulated your interest in medicine (dentistry, veterinary medicine)?
  • Why choose medicine (dentistry, veterinary medicine) over some other career in the health professions?
  • What will you do if you fail to gain admission to medical school (dental school, veterinary school)?
  • Why did you apply to our school?

Evaluation of Self-Awareness

  • How would you describe yourself?
  • What are your two best qualities?
  • What are your two weakest qualities?
  • What makes you special from other candidates?
  • What aspects of your life's experiences do you think make you a good candidate for medical school (dental school, veterinary school)?
  • What do you have to offer medicine (dentistry, veterinary medicine)?
  • If your best friends were asked to describe you, what would they say?
  • What has been your biggest failure and how did you handle it?
  • How do you work under pressure? Give an example.
  • How do you respond to criticism? Describe a situation where you or your work was criticized. What was your immediate reaction to the situation?
  • What do you do in your spare time?

Evaluation of Goals and Knowledge of Career Field

  • What type of doctor (dentist, veterinarian) do you want to be and why?
  • What do you see yourself doing in medicine (dentistry, veterinary medicine) 10-15 years from now?
  • How would you attract health care providers to rural areas?

Evaluation of Qualifications

  • Tell me about your research.
  • What is your major and why did you choose it?
  • Describe the discrepancy between your grades and your MCAT scores.
  • What non-science courses did you like the most?
  • Why did you pick your undergraduate institution to attend?
  • What is the reason for your poor grades freshman year?
  • Describe the most challenging experience when you volunteered in a health care setting. How did you handle it?

Evaluation of Knowledge of Current Issues and Trends in Health Care

  • What are your opinions about abortion/euthanasia/socialized medicine/HMOs?
  • What can be done about rising health care costs?
  • What do you think is the most pressing issue in health care today?
  • What do you think of the government's role in health care?
  • What do you think about alternative medicine and its place in health care?
  • What do you think about the right of health care providers to refuse treatment or provide prescription drugs due to their religious beliefs?

Ending Questions

  • Is there anything else you want to tell the committee?
  • Do you have any questions for the committee?

Example questions taken in part from mock and actual interviews of our students and: