Your interview as part of your application to gain entry into the UK dental school to study dentistry is absolutely crucial.

Here are some tips for you to prepare for this.

General Preparations 

General preparations include getting to the place of your interview in good time. Are you going to get there by train or by car? If you are getting there by train, how far is it from the station to the actual university and if you are going by car, how are you going to park? You have to take into account the time of your interview and if it is in rush hour, extra allowance in time will be required. 

An early time interview may force you to stay overnight the day before. 

You have to dress the best you can possibly do so. Although, the universities application process stipulates that how you dress is not that important but in reality that’s how people subconsciously make judgements about you. Also, if you dress appropriately, you will feel more comfortable and confident within yourself and therefore you are more likely to do a better interview.

Make sure that you bring everything that the University has asked you to bring and this should be ready the day before.

As part of your preparation, take into account the type of interview that you will be having.

Here is a list of certain specific questions which dental schools do ask candidates.

Specific Questions About Yourself

A common question for a university to ask right at the beginning is,

“Tell me about yourself”. This is generally used as an icebreaker for you to start the interview off. 

Within this section, you must be able to talk about your personal statement and why you have made certain comments within it. In addition, be prepared to be asked about your hobbies or interests. The universities are not interested in you reeling out a long list of your hobbies or interests but rather what you gain from these.

Specific Questions About Dentistry

You should know as much as possible about the dental school that you are applying to and how it differs from other dental schools. If asked, why you have chosen this particular dental school, these facts should be concise and relevant.

It goes without saying about you should be particularly confident in knowing why you have chosen dentistry. You may be asked as to why you chose dentistry and not another healthcare profession.

They may ask you about your work experience. Once again, they are not interested in you having a long list of places where you have worked but instead they will be more focused on what you learnt specifically. You will be required to have knowledge about working in general practice and about common dental diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease. Finally, you will be expected to know about the regulatory aspect of dentistry.

It goes without saying that you will definitely need to practice as much as you can in front of family, friends and even people you are less familiar with. I know this is hard to do but try not to memorise specific questions because this will come out in the interview and will be a disadvantage for you. They are essentially looking for candidates who have a general all-around personality but will be able to meet the academic rigours of the degree.