Updated
Optometry School Interview Questions and Formats at Six Schools
Optometry school interviews are usually a 30 to 45 minute conversation with one to three interviewers, mostly faculty, on campus or online. NECO uses one faculty member for 45 minutes, SUNY a panel of two who have read your whole file, and UC Berkeley a student and a faculty member who see only your essays, letters and experiences.
Expect to explain why optometry, what you learned shadowing and anything unusual in your file. Below: six schools' formats from their own pages, how OptomCAS leads to the interview, questions grouped by what schools say they assess, and example answers we wrote. Checked October 31, 2026.
How six optometry schools interview
| School | Format | Who interviews you | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| NECO | Format: 45-minute interview, virtual or on campus | Who interviews you: One faculty member | Decision: Two to three weeks |
| SUNY Optometry | Format: Panel, open file, conversational | Who interviews you: Two faculty members | Decision: 1 to 2 weeks |
| UC Berkeley | Format: Semi-blind, 2-on-1, virtual | Who interviews you: A current student and a faculty member | Decision: Within three weeks to one month after that round's last interview |
| Pacific University | Format: About 30 minutes, online | Who interviews you: Two representatives of the college | Decision: Not stated |
| Michigan College of Optometry (Ferris) | Format: 45 minutes, part of a half-day visit | Who interviews you: Three admissions committee members | Decision: Not stated |
| Illinois College of Optometry | Format: One-on-one, on campus or remote | Who interviews you: One faculty member or administrator | Decision: Two to three weeks |
Most interview days add more than the interview. NECO adds a student panel and time with its leadership. SUNY's guide says its student-life conversation is not part of the interview. ICO sends invited applicants a form with a pre-optometry course worksheet and an essay, so plan time for writing too.
What each school says it is looking for
- Pacific considers knowledge of the profession, motivation toward optometry, clear and logical thinking, poise, self-confidence, warmth and how you express ideas.
- SUNY wants to learn about your interest in optometry, your background and experiences, and your potential as a student. It promises a relaxed conversation with no tricky questions.
- Ferris advises not to over-prepare, but to be ready to explain why optometry and any low grades or OAT section scores.
- Western University's interview guidebook, written for an earlier entering class (OD 2029), describes general and behavioral-based questions.
From OptomCAS to the interview
All 25 schools and colleges of optometry take applications through OptomCAS. The 2026-27 cycle opened June 25, 2026 and closes May 20, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET (cycle dates), and it costs $190 for the first program and $85 for each one after (fees). OptomCAS processes the application, and each school decides whom to interview.
Schools invite on their own timelines. UC Berkeley runs two rounds for Fall 2027, with deadlines of August 21 and December 12, 2026, and releases invitations two weeks after each (Berkeley). Pacific interviews from September 2026 to April 2027 (Pacific). SUNY says only 30% of its applicant pool is invited.
Open file or semi-blind: what it changes
At an open-file school like SUNY, your interviewers have read everything, grades and OAT included, and may ask you to explain them. Prepare a calm, two-sentence account of any weak semester or score. At UC Berkeley, interviewers see only your essays, letters and experiences, so they will not ask about numbers, but they will expect you to know your own essays well. Our guide to open file vs closed file interviews covers both.
Optometry interview questions by theme
Grouped by what the schools themselves say they assess. Questions are ours unless a school is named as the source.
Why optometry
Why it comes up: Ferris tells applicants to be ready to explain exactly why optometry is their profession of choice.
- Why do you want to be an optometrist?
- Why optometry and not ophthalmology?
- When did you first consider optometry, and what kept you on this path?
- Where do you see yourself ten years after graduating?
Knowledge of the profession
Why it comes up: Pacific lists knowledge of the profession first among what it considers, and ASCO says exposure to the field is often discussed in the interview.
- What did you learn from shadowing that surprised you?
- What does an optometrist do that patients often do not know about?
- How do optometrists fit into primary care?
- What is a challenge facing the profession right now?
Your file
Why it comes up: SUNY interviews open file and says interviewers may ask clarifying questions about your academic records. Ferris says to be ready to explain low grades or OAT section scores.
- Walk me through this semester on your transcript.
- Your OAT physics score is lower than your others. What happened?
- Tell me more about this experience on your application.
- What would you do differently if you were applying again?
Behavioral
Why it comes up: NECO's prep guide lists a challenge question and a stress question among its core questions, and a teammate disagreement among its scenarios. The first three below are NECO's wording, and NECO suggests the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for them.
- Tell me about a time you faced a challenge.
- How do you handle stress or a heavy workload?
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate.
- What is a weakness you are working on?
Scenarios and ethics
Why it comes up: NECO says many optometry programs include scenario-based or behavioral questions. The first two below are NECO's examples, the others are ours.
- What would you do if you saw a classmate cheating?
- How would you handle a patient who is frustrated or uncooperative?
- A patient wants glasses online and declines a full eye health exam. How do you respond?
- You notice a colleague charted a test that was not done. What do you do?
Why this school, and your questions
Why it comes up: ASCO tells invited applicants to be prepared to ask questions about the school.
- Why our school?
- What will you add to our class?
- What questions do you have for us?
For behavioral questions, NECO suggests the STAR method: the situation, your task, the action you took and the result. Keep most answers to about a minute or two (see how long interview answers should be), and prepare two or three questions of your own about clinics, outreach or support.
Why optometry, and why not ophthalmology?
These two questions travel together. A strong answer shows you know what the job is day to day, which ASCO describes as primary eye care: optometrists are trained in general health and systemic disease and are often first to spot problems like diabetes and hypertension. Then tie it to a moment you saw. Our example for “Why optometry?” is in the practice card below. Here is one for the follow-up.
Example answer: Why optometry and not ophthalmology? (written by Confetto, the applicant is invented)
Ophthalmologists are physicians and surgeons, and I respect that path, but the work I want is primary eye care. When I shadowed at a community practice, most of the day was comprehensive exams, glasses and contact lens fits, and long-term care for the same patients year after year.
The patient who settled it was a retired bus driver with glaucoma whom the optometrist had followed for eight years. She checked his pressures and visual fields every few months, adjusted his drops, and knew exactly when his numbers meant it was time to send him to a glaucoma surgeon. That is the role I want: the eye doctor who knows a patient's history, manages what can be managed and refers at the right moment.
Why it works: it respects ophthalmology, names the primary care work the applicant saw, and ends on the role, not the lifestyle.
Practice the question every school asks
“Why do you want to be an optometrist?”
Every school asks this in some form. Give one moment from shadowing or your own eye care, what it showed you about the job, and why it fits you.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I started wearing glasses at nine, but I did not understand what an optometrist does until I shadowed one for 40 hours last year. In one afternoon she fit a teenager for his first contacts, talked a worried grandmother through early cataracts, and found retinal changes that sent a patient to his doctor for diabetes testing.
What drew me in was the mix of precise work and long relationships. I like the measurement and the problem-solving, and I like that patients come back year after year. I want to be the eye doctor a family trusts for decades, and the one who catches what others miss.
Sources: each school's own admissions page or interview guide, OptomCAS and ASCO, linked throughout and checked as of October 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is an optometry school interview like?
Usually a 30 to 45 minute conversation with one to three interviewers, mostly faculty, on campus or online, plus time with students. NECO uses one faculty member for 45 minutes, SUNY a panel of two, Pacific two people for about 30 minutes and Ferris three committee members for 45 minutes. UC Berkeley pairs a faculty member with a current student. See NECO's interview day.
Are optometry school interviews open file?
It depends on the school. SUNY says its interviewers have read your entire application. UC Berkeley's are semi-blind: interviewers see your essays, letters and experiences but not your grades. Open file vs closed file interviews.
How many applicants get an optometry school interview?
Few schools publish it. SUNY's interview guide says only 30% of its applicant pool is invited. See SUNY's interview guide (PDF).
How soon do you hear back after an optometry interview?
Often within weeks. SUNY says 1 to 2 weeks, and NECO and ICO two to three weeks. UC Berkeley decides by round, within three weeks to one month after that round's last interview. See ICO's application steps.
When does OptomCAS open and close for 2026-27?
OptomCAS opened June 25, 2026 and closes May 20, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET. Each school sets its own deadline, and some are much earlier: UC Berkeley's general deadline is December 12, 2026. See OptomCAS cycle dates.
Do I need to shadow an optometrist before the interview?
Expect to be asked about it. ASCO says exposure to the field is often a topic in the admissions interview, and Pacific strongly encourages 10 hours of observation with an optometrist. See ASCO's applicant guidance.