Preparing for the CUSM School of Medicine interview

CUSM's 2026-27 timeline

• AMCAS: opens May 28, 2026, with a deadline of December 1, 2026. (The page also still shows December 1, 2025 for last year's cycle: use the 2026-27 timeline.)
• MCAT: taken between January 2024 and September 2026, with a minimum composite of 502 and an average of 510 in the most recent class. CUSM prefers a 3.0 total and BCPM GPA.
• Secondary application: by invitation, $100 (waivable), due December 30, 2026, and including Casper, which was added for applicants invited to the secondary.
• Interview: invitations from September 2026 to April 2027, and the video and written assessments are sent to selected applicants.
• Decisions: rolling. Some applicants may not hear until late May. "Plan to Enroll" opens February 19, 2027, and the Commit to Enroll deadline is June 21, 2027.
• No updates: CUSM does not accept updates to your AMCAS or secondary after submission (new experiences, employment or a letter of intent).

What CUSM looks for

CUSM says it reviews applications holistically and is "committed to ensuring healthcare equity in the Inland Empire of California and all communities nationwide." Its mission page says the school was established to facilitate "a medical education to promising disadvantaged students, especially from California and the Inland Empire," and to advance medicine "in an inclusive environment that advocates critical thinking, creativity, integrity, and professionalism." The page describes Casper as a tool "to evaluate the non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics essential for our program's success."

That gives you the themes for a recorded answer: why this region, how you handle a situation with integrity, and how you communicate when no one is there to react.

How to prepare for CUSM's interview

• Practice on camera, alone. A recorded answer has no interviewer reacting. Look at the lens, smile when natural, and finish the thought before time runs out.
• Practice with a timer. The questions are timed. Aim for a clear first sentence, one example and a short close, rather than using every second.
• Prepare the written part separately. A typed answer under a clock is a different skill, and Casper is a good warm-up for it.
• Know the region. The Inland Empire and healthcare equity are in the school's own words. Be ready to say what you know about the area and what you would do there.
• Test your setup first. Camera, microphone, lighting, a quiet room and a stable connection. Do not start the assessment until all are checked.
• Use the Engagement Day. It is a chance to ask faculty and student ambassadors the questions the video cannot answer.

CUSM practice questions (written by us, not CUSM)

CUSM doesn't publish its video questions. These prompts are ours, shaped around the mission and traits the school names. Practice each on camera, alone, with a timer, and watch it back.

1. Why do you want to attend medical school at CUSM, and why the Inland Empire?
2. Tell me about a time you saw an inequity in health care. What did you do?
3. Describe a time you made a decision with integrity when it cost you something.
4. Tell me about a time you worked with someone whose background was different from yours.
5. What does critical thinking look like when you are short on information?
6. Describe a moment when you were creative in solving a problem on a team.
7. You see a classmate share confidential patient information in a public space. What do you do?
8. How would you explain a hard new idea to someone with no background in it, in 60 seconds?
9. Tell me about a time you failed. What did you change?
10. What is one thing in your application you would like to say more about, and why?

For a wider set, see our interview practice questions with answers and our practice MMI questions.

A drill for the CUSM interview

1. Pick four prompts: one on why CUSM, one on equity, one on integrity and one on a failure.
2. Answer each in two minutes on camera, in the setup you'll use on interview day.
3. Watch it with the sound off. Are you looking at the lens and nodding when you listen?
4. Have a partner give two follow-ups per answer: "Where did you make a decision?" and "What would you do differently?"
5. Rewrite each story as three bullets and repeat it two days later, without reading.

If you don't have a practice partner, Confetto's AI mock interviews ask follow-up questions based on what you actually said and give rubric-based feedback afterward. The question bank has over 500 questions, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.

CUSM interview FAQ

Does CUSM use a live interview?

Not that the school describes. It uses a recorded video assessment and a timed written assessment, plus a group Virtual Engagement Day.

How long does the video assessment take?

The school says 30 to 60 minutes and that it can be done in your own time.

Is Casper required?

Yes. CUSM added Casper for applicants who are invited to complete the secondary application.

What is the minimum MCAT?

CUSM has set a minimum composite score of 502.

Can I update my application after I submit?

No. CUSM says it does not accept updates to AMCAS or the secondary application after submission.

Applying to other schools too? See our guides to the UC Riverside, Loma Linda, UC Irvine and California Northstate interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Sources: Application process, Requirements for admission, Mission, vision and history, AAMC MSAR interview procedures (2027).

Confetto isn't affiliated with California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine. Everything here about the school comes from its public admissions pages and the AAMC MSAR report, checked in October 2026. Formats can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.