Updated
Podiatry School Interview Questions and Formats at Four DPM Schools
Podiatry school interviews are usually a faculty interview inside an interview day, on campus or by Zoom. Kent State interviews open file with one to two faculty members and usually decides within a week, and LECOM runs a Zoom interview day and typically decides within five business days.
Expect tell me about yourself, why podiatry, why not MD or DO, what you know about the profession, whether you can handle the curriculum and what you will do if you are not accepted. This page is about admission to a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) program, not fourth-year residency interviews. Formats are from each school's own page, read October 31, 2026. Questions and example answers are ours.
How four podiatry schools interview
| School | Format | Who | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State (KSUCPM) | Format: Open file, on campus or virtual, with a tour and students | Who: One to two faculty and an Enrollment Management member | Decision: Usually within one week |
| Des Moines University | Format: On campus or Zoom, select Fridays, with the dean and students | Who: Faculty | Decision: 1 to 2 weeks: accept, alternate or release |
| Scholl College (Rosalind Franklin) | Format: Interview day with lunch and a tour, file reviewed beforehand | Who: Interviewers who have read your file | Decision: Not stated |
| LECOM | Format: Zoom interview day | Who: Not stated | Decision: Typically within five business days |
The tone is conversational. Scholl says its interview is meant to be an exchange of information, that interviewers will have reviewed your file, and that they are likely to ask about your interest in and knowledge of podiatry as a career.
AACPMAS, rolling admissions and when invites come
All podiatric medical schools take first-year applications through AACPMAS, which processes your application but does not influence any school's selection. The Fall 2027 cycle opened July 31, 2026 and closes June 29, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET (cycle dates). It costs $225 for the first program and $75 for each after (fees).
Timing matters more than the closing date suggests. Des Moines says early applicants are more likely to be interviewed because of its rolling schedule, and Kent State says competitive applicants typically hear about an interview within one to two weeks of applying. Have your answers ready before you submit, not after.
What to know about the DPM path before you walk in
Interviewers test whether you understand the career you are choosing. These are the basics, from AACPM, the association of the podiatric medical colleges:
- A podiatrist is a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, a podiatric physician or surgeon trained to diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle and related structures of the leg.
- There are eleven accredited US colleges of podiatric medicine, and the DPM takes four years.
- Residency is required. Graduates select a 36-month Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency that includes rearfoot and ankle surgery (AACPM on podiatric education).
Shadowing is how you make these facts your own. Midwestern's Arizona college requires candidates to visit at least one podiatric practice, and a story from a visit like that can anchor many of the answers below.
Podiatry interview questions by theme
Our sample questions for each theme, and what a strong answer shows:
| Theme | Sample questions | A strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| You | Sample questions: Tell me about yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in ten years? What will you do if you are not accepted? | A strong answer shows: A short, honest story, one real weakness you are working on, and a concrete plan B that still points to podiatry. |
| Why podiatry | Sample questions: Why podiatric medicine? When did you decide? What did you see while shadowing? | A strong answer shows: A specific patient or case, and what the DPM did that drew you in. |
| Why DPM, not MD or DO | Sample questions: Why not medical school? Is podiatry a backup plan? | A strong answer shows: That you chose the scope on purpose: foot and ankle, medicine and surgery, from day one. |
| Knowledge of the profession | Sample questions: What does residency look like? What conditions do podiatrists treat? How do they work with other doctors? | A strong answer shows: The basics in the next section, said in your own words. |
| Your file | Sample questions: Can you handle the curriculum? Tell me about this grade. Walk me through your MCAT. Why the gap year? | A strong answer shows: One calm explanation per issue, what changed after it and your strongest recent science grades. |
| Behavioral | Sample questions: Tell me about a conflict on a team. A time you failed. How you handle stress. | A strong answer shows: A real situation, what you did and what you learned, in about a minute. |
| Why this school | Sample questions: Why our program? What questions do you have for us? | A strong answer shows: Something you learned from the school's own site or students, tied to your goals. |
Keep answers to about a minute (how long answers should be), and bring two or three questions about clinical training and residency placement.
Why podiatry and not MD or DO?
Expect a version of this, sometimes as “Is podiatry your backup?” Do not criticize medicine. Show that you chose the scope on purpose, with something you saw.
Example answer: Why podiatry and not MD or DO? (written by Confetto, the applicant is invented)
I did consider medical school, and I took the MCAT with both paths open. What changed my mind was shadowing. In one week with a podiatrist I saw her treat a child's flat feet in clinic, manage a diabetic foot ulcer with the patient's wound care team and assist on a bunion correction in the operating room.
With an MD I could reach foot and ankle care, but only after years of other training first. With a DPM I start in the field I want, with both medicine and surgery from the beginning. Podiatry is not my backup. It is the specific work I want to do.
Why it works: it admits the applicant considered medicine, shows three kinds of podiatric work seen firsthand, and answers the backup worry directly.
Applying to optometry too? See optometry school interview questions for how those schools interview.
Practice the question every DPM program asks
“Why do you want to be a podiatrist?”
The question every DPM program asks. Lead with what you saw a podiatrist do, then show you understand the scope and why it fits you.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
My grandfather has diabetes, and the doctor who saved his foot was a podiatrist. When I shadowed her two years later, I saw that his case was routine for her: checking circulation and sensation, catching a pressure sore before it opened, and teaching patients to check their own feet every day.
I want a career where I can treat a problem from the first exam through surgery if it is needed, and where prevention keeps people walking. Podiatry gives me both. I have now shadowed in clinic and in the operating room, and every day made me surer.
Sources: each school's own admissions or interview page, AACPMAS and AACPM, linked throughout and checked as of October 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is a podiatry school interview like?
Usually a faculty interview inside an interview day with students, a program overview and often a tour, on campus or by Zoom. Kent State interviews open file with one to two faculty members and an Enrollment Management member. LECOM runs a Zoom interview day. See Kent State's campus visit and interview.
Are podiatry school interviews virtual?
Many offer both. Kent State and Des Moines offer on-campus or virtual interviews, and LECOM interviews by Zoom. See Des Moines University's interview page.
How soon do you hear back after a podiatry interview?
Quickly at many schools. Kent State usually decides within one week, LECOM typically within five business days and Des Moines within 1 to 2 weeks. See LECOM's podiatric medicine FAQ.
When does AACPMAS open and close for Fall 2027?
AACPMAS opened July 31, 2026 for the Fall 2027 class and closes June 29, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET. It costs $225 for the first program and $75 for each one after. Des Moines and LECOM both admit on a rolling basis, and Des Moines says early applicants are more likely to be interviewed. See AACPMAS cycle dates.
How long is podiatry residency?
AACPM says graduates select a 36-month Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency that includes rearfoot and ankle surgery. It also says every new podiatric physician is required to complete residency training. See AACPM on podiatric education.
Do I need to shadow a podiatrist before the interview?
It helps you answer almost every question, and some schools require it. Midwestern's Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine requires candidates to visit at least one podiatric practice, and Scholl says interviewers are likely to ask about your knowledge of podiatry as a career. See Midwestern's DPM requirements.