Dentistry · 2027 entry · Guide 4 of 4
Interview Tips & Common Myths
The myths that cost dentistry applicants offers, busted with official evidence, plus the tips interviewers and successful students recommend.
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01
Start here
At a glance
The five myths that cost the most offers
Myth“I need a perfect, memorised answer to every question.”
RealityInterviewers spot scripts instantly. Bullet points, real examples and clear reasoning score higher than polish.
Myth“Online, I should look at the interviewer’s face.”
RealityLook at the camera lens. Looking at the screen or down reads as distracted, or as reading notes.
Myth“Saying the right buzzwords earns marks.”
RealityThere’s no tick-box for “MDT” or the four pillars. Marks follow how well you reason and communicate.
Myth“Grades and UCAT don’t matter once I’m interviewed.”
RealityIt depends on the school. Some decide on interview alone; others combine it with academics and UCAT.
Myth“One bad answer and it’s over.”
RealityMMI stations are scored separately, and panels are a whole conversation. What can sink you is unprofessional behaviour, not a weak answer.
02
Before the day
Myths about preparing
MythThe more weeks of work experience, the better.
RealityInterviewers mark what you learned and reflected on, not how long you were there. One moment you can reflect on in depth beats a list of placements. Check each school’s own requirements for dental experience.
MythThe best answers are memorised word for word.
RealityRehearsed answers sound robotic and collapse at the first follow-up. Interviewers say they can see straight through coached answers and want to hear the real you. Prepare bullet points and examples, then practise saying them differently each time.
MythYou need dentistry knowledge to do well.
RealitySchools say explicitly that no clinical knowledge is tested. What counts is insight into the job and how you think.
MythMore frameworks and buzzwords mean more marks.
RealityA long-serving selector explains you don’t get ticks for terms like “MDT” or all four pillars. Assessors use a global scale guided by positive and negative indicators. Use frameworks as scaffolding, not a script.
MythPractising with friends and family is enough.
RealityFamiliar faces don’t recreate the pressure. Students who got offers recommend teachers or people you don’t know, and say they improved with every interview.
MythLeaked questions from last year will help.
RealityMany schools bind candidates to confidentiality, rotate their content, and treat sharing as misconduct. Relying on leaks makes your answers sound rehearsed for the wrong question.
03
In the room
Myths about the interview itself
MythThe interviewers have read your personal statement.
RealityIt varies by school, and many interviewers won’t have read it. Assume they know nothing, and tell them what you did and learned.
MythBeing nervous loses you marks.
RealityInterviewers expect nerves. What matters is staying composed enough to think.
MythYou can’t ask for a question to be repeated.
RealityYou can. Asking for a question to be repeated or a word explained is normal and far better than answering the wrong question.
MythNever say “I don’t know”.
RealityBluffing is worse. Say what you do know and reason from there: “I’m not sure, but I’d think about it like this…” Interviewers are marking your reasoning and honesty, not your memory.
MythInterviewers are trying to catch you out.
RealityThey want you to show your best. Some stay neutral-faced on purpose so every candidate gets the same experience, and challenge is a test of composure, not a trap.
MythYou must answer instantly.
RealityA short pause to think looks considered, not slow. “Can I take a moment?” is fine.
MythThe waiting room is secretly scored.
RealityThere’s no evidence of hidden marking, but professionalism is observed all day. Be kind to everyone.
MythThere’s a right answer to every ethics question.
RealityMarks go to balanced, safe, well-explained reasoning that reaches a clear conclusion within your role.
04
Zoom and Teams
Myths about online interviews
MythTo make eye contact online, look at the interviewer’s face on the screen.
RealityLook at the camera lens when you speak. To them, that is eye contact. Looking at the screen, at yourself or down at the desk reads as distracted, and can look like you’re reading notes.
Where to look: a simple routine
- Speaking: eyes on the lens.
- Listening: glance at their face to read reactions; nod.
- Thinking: it’s fine to look away briefly, then come back to the lens.
- Put a small dot or sticker next to the lens as a reminder.
- Drag the video window just under the camera so their face and the lens are close.
- Raise the laptop so the lens is at eye level, not looking up your nose.
MythOnline, a few notes out of shot are fine.
RealityOnly if your school says so. The Dental Schools Council says a short off-camera list of key points can be acceptable, but some schools ban prepared notes. Follow your invitation. Room and desk checks happen. When in doubt, none.
MythOnline interviews are easier, or a disadvantage.
RealityNeither. The Dental Schools Council says online interviews are judged to the same standard.
MythIf your Wi-Fi drops, you’ll be marked down.
RealityYou are not usually penalised. Rejoin at once and report it on the day.
MythUsing AI quietly would help.
RealityIt’s banned everywhere and can mean disqualification. A randomised study of real applicants in practice virtual MMIs found that being encouraged to secretly use ChatGPT gave no advantage, and with no reading time before stations it lowered scores.
05
Behind the scenes
Myths about scoring and offers
MythOnce you’re interviewed, grades and UCAT don’t matter.
RealityDepends on the school. Some decide on interview alone; others combine it with UCAT or academics. Check your schools’ policies.
MythScore above a set mark and you’re guaranteed an offer.
RealityMost schools rank candidates, and the cut-off moves every year with the cohort.
MythAn early invitation means they rate you highly.
RealityInvitations go out in batches for practical reasons. Timing usually reflects scheduling, not ranking.
MythA long wait means bad news.
RealityMany schools hold every decision until all interviews finish.
MythThe waiting list is a polite rejection.
RealityPeople do get places from it every year.
MythReapplicants are marked down.
RealityPlenty of applicants succeed the second time. Show what you’ve learned since.
06
What works
Tips interviewers and successful students recommend
- Be the person they’d want treating them. A dental student with four offers says the interview is effectively a rehearsal for how you’ll be with real patients. Warmth and genuineness count.
- Use reading time to plan the structure and the likely follow-ups.
- Signpost, then deliver. “There are three things I’d consider…” makes good points easy to mark.
- Give both sides, then your view on debates; your opinion is the conclusion, not the opening.
- Show, don’t claim. Every quality needs an example and a reflection.
- In role-play, name the emotion you hear and explore it before offering solutions.
- Know your role in every scenario, and escalate rather than overstepping it.
- Research the city as well as the course.
- Swap filler words for useful ones. The odd “um” won’t cost you marks, but a stream of “like”, “basically” and “you know” makes a strong answer sound unsure. Replace them with phrases that buy you time and show your thinking: “That’s an interesting question; let me take a moment”, “There are a few things I’d consider…”, “So, to summarise…”. A short silent pause sounds more confident than any filler, so don’t be afraid of one. Record yourself on your phone for a minute a day to catch your own habits.
- Move on after a wobble. Each station or question is a fresh start.
- Practise against a straight face. Say your answers out loud to a camera, looking into its lens, with a YouTube video of an interview panel with neutral, straight-faced interviewers on in the background, so a serious face on the day doesn’t catch you off guard.
07
Avoid these
Red flags, and better things to say
Red flags that can cost an offer
- Dishonesty: exaggerating experience, lying in a role-play, or blaming others for a mistake.
- Judgemental or discriminatory comments about patients, groups or other professions.
- Unsafe actions: ignoring a risk to someone, or acting far outside your role.
- Rudeness to staff, students, actors or other candidates.
- Using AI, notes or outside help online, or recording the interview.
- Sharing interview content afterwards.
- No insight: no weaknesses, no reflection, no sense of the job’s downsides.
Some schools have a formal red-flag section or a separate suitability score.
| Instead of… | Try… |
|---|---|
| “I want to help people.” | “When I saw…, I realised what draws me to dentistry specifically is…” |
| “I’m a great communicator.” | “At my care home placement I learned to…, which taught me…” |
| “I’d report them to the GDC straight away.” | “I’d make sure the patient was safe, talk to them if appropriate, and raise it with a senior.” |
| “I understand how you feel.” | “I can see this is really upsetting. Can you tell me more?” |
| “My weakness is that I work too hard.” | A real weakness, what you’re doing about it, and the progress you’ve made. |
| “Therapists just…” | “What I value about the whole team is…, and the dentist’s role is…” |
| Silence, or bluffing | “I’m not certain, but here’s how I’d approach it…” |
A final word
Most myths share one root: the idea that interviews reward performance over people. They don’t. Prepare properly, then let them meet the honest, curious, kind future dentist you already are. Good luck from all of us at MedWay.
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