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100dental school
interview questions

Every question that comes up, with what the interviewer is really trying to find out, the trap most applicants fall into, and a weak and a strong answer side by side.

12 categories 200 example answers Written by a dentist
↓ Download all 100 as a PDFHow to answer an ethical scenario
01Tell me about yourself.Personal02What qualities make a good dentist?Profession03What's your greatest strength?Personal04What do you see as the biggest issue facing dentistry today?Profession05What's your greatest weakness, and what are you doing about it?Personal06A patient refuses a treatment you believe is essential for their oral health. What do you do?Ethics07Corporate dental offices — DSOs — are becoming more popular. Do you think they're good or bad for dentistry?Profession08Why do you want to be a dentist?Motivation09How would your closest friend describe you? How would someone who doesn't like you describe you?Personal10Tell me about a time you faced a significant challenge. How did you handle it?Behavioral11During a practical exam, you see a classmate cheating. What do you do?Ethics12Why did you apply to our school?Fit13How is technology changing dentistry? Where does AI fit in?Profession14Why dentistry and not medicine?Motivation15What accomplishment are you most proud of?Personal16Tell me about a time you made a mistake. What did you do?Behavioral17A patient clearly needs treatment but can't afford it. How do you handle it?Ethics18What will you contribute to our class?Fit19What do you know about access to care and dental deserts in this country?Profession20When did you first become interested in dentistry, and what confirmed it for you?Motivation21What do you like to do for fun?Personal22Describe a time you worked as part of a team. What was your role?Behavioral23A colleague asks you to sign off on a procedure they didn't actually complete. What do you do?Ethics24If we admitted you, what would you want to get involved in here?Fit25What's the role of a dentist in a patient's overall health?Profession26What experiences have most prepared you for dental school?Motivation27How do you handle stress?Personal28Tell me about a time you led a group.Behavioral29You notice signs that a patient may be a victim of abuse. What's your responsibility?Ethics30What other schools are you considering? If we accepted you today, would you come?Fit31How do you feel about the level of debt dental students take on?Profession32Tell me about your shadowing. What surprised you?Motivation33What do you do to recharge?Personal34Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor or someone with authority over you.Behavioral35You realize you've made a clinical error that harmed a patient. What do you do?Ethics36What concerns do you have about dental school?Fit37What does professionalism mean to you?Profession38Did you have any trouble getting here this morning — traffic, parking, anything like that?Rapport39What's the most rewarding thing you've watched a dentist do?Motivation40Tell me about a book, podcast, or article that changed how you think.Personal41Describe a conflict you had with a peer and how you resolved it.Behavioral42A patient with restorable teeth demands you extract everything and give them dentures. What do you do?Ethics43Is there anything we haven't asked that you'd want us to know?Fit44Dental therapists and other mid-level providers are becoming more common in rural areas. How do you feel about that?Profession45How was your drive in? Where are you coming from?Rapport46What do you think is the hardest part of being a dentist, and are you ready for it?Motivation47Do you want to specialize, or practice general dentistry?Specialty48Tell me about your biggest failure and what it taught you.Personal49Tell me about a time you received difficult feedback. What did you do with it?Behavioral50Tell me about something you've done that required real precision with your hands.Hand Skills51Do dentists have an obligation to serve underserved communities?Ethics52Why should we pick you over an applicant with the same GPA and DAT score?Fit53What are the actual barriers keeping people in underserved areas from getting dental care?Profession54Have you ever worked in a dental office? Tell me about your role.Background55Have you had a chance to look around the campus or the clinic yet? What did you think?Rapport56Where do you see yourself in ten years?Motivation57If you were to specialize, which one — and what makes you say that?Specialty58What's the weakest part of your application, in your opinion? Walk me through why it was hard and what you did about it.Personal59Tell me about a time you had to manage competing priorities.Behavioral60Dentistry requires strong fine motor skills. Do you have any hobbies that demonstrate your hand skills?Hand Skills61How do you feel about treating patients whose own choices caused their disease?Ethics62What questions do you have for us?Fit63Would you be willing to practice in an underserved or rural area? Be honest with me.Profession64What did working in that office teach you that shadowing never could?Background65Dental school is largely what you make of it. The students who come out genuinely good are the ones in the sim lab at nine at night, on their own time, drilling the same prep over and over. Are you prepared to do that?Rigor66How's your morning going so far? Did you manage to get coffee?Rapport67What will you do if you're not admitted anywhere this cycle?Motivation68Specialty programs mean two to six more years and often more debt. Are you prepared for that?Specialty69What makes you different from the other applicants we're interviewing today?Personal70Tell me about a time you helped someone who was struggling.Behavioral71How do you know you have the dexterity for this? What's your evidence?Hand Skills72Is there ever a situation where a dentist should refuse to treat a patient?Ethics73Can you see yourself living here for four years? What would that actually look like day to day?Fit74What role does social media play in a dentist's career today?Profession75Have you done research? Walk me through the project and what was specifically yours.Background76Most of our students were at the top of their college class. Here, half of them will be below average for the first time in their lives. How will you handle that?Rigor77How has your interview season been going so far?Rapport78If dentistry didn't exist, what would you do instead?Motivation79What do you actually know about the day-to-day of that specialty — not the highlights?Specialty80If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would you pick?Personal81Describe a time you worked closely with someone very different from you.Behavioral82Tell me about a physical skill you were genuinely bad at when you started. How long did it take to get good?Hand Skills83Your supervising dentist recommends treatment you believe is unnecessary. What do you do?Ethics84If you moved here, what would your support system look like?Fit85Would you post clinical content online? Where's the line for you?Profession86Teach me something in two minutes. Anything you know well.Curveball87You've done graduate work before this. Why come back for dental school now?Background88How do you respond when you put in the work and the result still isn't good enough?Rigor89Before we start — tell me something about you that isn't anywhere in your application.Rapport90Who has most influenced your decision to pursue dentistry?Motivation91What if you get to third year and find you love general dentistry instead?Specialty92How would your friends describe you in three words?Personal93Tell me about a time you had to stay patient with a difficult person.Behavioral94You'll be working upside down, in a mirror, in a two-inch space, for hours. How do you think you'll handle that?Hand Skills95A 16-year-old patient asks you not to tell their parent something they've disclosed. How do you handle it?Ethics96What have you done to learn about this school, beyond reading the website?Fit97Do you see yourself owning your own practice one day?Profession98You have sixty seconds. Convince me you belong in this class.Curveball99You've had another career. What made you change course, and what are you bringing with you?Background100Dental school is equal parts memorizing an enormous amount of material and repeating a physical skill until it's right. Which of those do you find harder?Rigor

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Written by

Victoria Young, DDS

Victoria Young, DDS is a graduate of NYU College of Dentistry, class of 2024, and completed a residency at Penn Dental Medicine. She wrote all 100 questions and the coaching on each from her own interviews and from the pre-dental students she has mentored since.