FDU PA Program Interview: Format, Questions & Requirements

How to use FDU's mission and Florham Campus curriculum in your answers

To rehearse your answers out loud before interview day, Confetto runs AI mock interviews for PA school applicants with follow-up questions on your experiences and motivation. Start your free week on our PA School Interview Questions and Mock Interviews page.

FDU's Mission, Goals, and Outcomes page states the program mission word for word: "To prepare future PAs as socially responsible members of interprofessional teams, empowered to promote health, provide competent and compassionate patient-centered care, and advocate for the well-being of diverse communities." The Class of 2028 Student Manual also lists the university's five FDU CARES values: Community, Advantage, Respect, Ethics, and Support.

The program is housed at one location in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences building on the Florham Campus, which bridges Florham Park and Madison in Morris County, New Jersey. Make sure your travel plans and interview answers reference the Florham Campus rather than FDU's Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck.

When an interviewer asks why you want to attend FDU, connect your background to specific parts of the curriculum rather than reciting the mission statement:

• 12-month Didactic Phase: Runs from early January through December across spring, summer, and fall semesters, with hands-on learning in the Virtual Cadaver, Physical Exam, Simulation, and Procedural Labs, plus case-based problem-solving sessions.
• 17-month Clinical Phase: Covers four semesters with ten five-week blocks of Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs) across eight core rotations (Behavioral and Mental Health, Family Medicine and Primary Care, Pediatrics, Women's Health, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Urgent Care) and two medicine electives.
• Dedicated simulation block: Students complete an additional five-week block of PHAS 7560 Simulated Interactive Medicine (5 credits) during the clinical phase to sharpen clinical reasoning, problem solving, and technical procedures.
• Clinical sites within 60 miles: The PA program coordinates all required and elective clinical sites and preceptors across urban northern New Jersey and the Metropolitan New York area within a 60-mile radius of the program, and students must have regular, on-demand access to transportation.
• Four-semester Research Capstone: Students take Research I through IV (PHAS 7600, 7620, 7630, and 7640) plus a 5-credit Research Project (PHAS 8650), culminating in a capstone poster presentation and defense at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Spring Research Symposium and the NJSSPA Research event.
• Outreach and service learning: Students participate in community health outreach coordinated with the assistant dean of student affairs and community engagement and FDUPASS, the FDU PA Student Society, plus a voluntary medical service trip closer to graduation.

12 FDU PA interview questions to practice

Our team wrote the 12 practice questions below to match the selection criteria on FDU's Admissions page, the five competency domains in the Student Manual, and the Florham Campus curriculum. For more prompts across programs, see our guide to PA School Interview Questions: Top 40 for 2026-27.

• 1. Motivation and PA role: Why do you want to become a Physician Assistant, and what do you understand about a PA's professional responsibilities on a physician-PA team?
• 2. Why FDU: Why is the Fairleigh Dickinson University PA program on the Florham Campus the right fit for you, and which part of our 29-month curriculum excites you most?
• 3. Patient Care Experience: Walk us through a meaningful patient interaction from your 400+ hours of healthcare experience. What did it teach you about compassionate, patient-centered care?
• 4. PA shadowing: FDU strongly recommends at least 25 hours of PA shadowing. Tell us about a specific moment you observed while shadowing a PA that confirmed your decision to enter this profession.
• 5. Interprofessional teamwork (Program Goal 4): Our mission centers on preparing socially responsible members of interprofessional teams. Describe a time you worked with people in different roles to care for a patient or solve a problem.
• 6. Community advocacy and outreach: How have you advocated for or served a local community, and how would you contribute to outreach through FDUPASS?
• 7. Leadership: Tell us about a time you stepped into a leadership role in a work, volunteer, or academic setting when a team was falling behind.
• 8. Cultural humility and social determinants (Program Goal 3): Tell us about a time you cared for or worked with someone from a background very different from your own. How do social determinants of health shape a PA's management plan?
• 9. Ethics and professionalism (FDU CARES): A coworker or classmate asks you to document a vital sign or procedure you did not personally check because the clinic is running behind. How do you respond?
• 10. Academic rigor and sequential curriculum: FDU's didactic phase runs for 12 months starting in January, and courses are sequential with no part-time option. How have you prepared for that pace?
• 11. Evidence-based medicine and research: How would you choose a clinical research topic for your capstone project at the Spring Research Symposium, and why does that question matter to patients?
• 12. Stress and clinical uncertainty (Technical Standards): PAs must tolerate physically taxing workloads and function in the face of clinical uncertainty. Tell us about a high-pressure shift or situation where you did not have all the answers right away.

Example answers to three key FDU PA questions

Below are three worked example answers written by our team to show how to weave FDU's specific curriculum, mission, and selection criteria into natural, first-person responses. Use them to see the structure of a strong answer, not as scripts to memorize.

Question 2: "Why is the Fairleigh Dickinson University PA program the right fit for you?"

"Three specific parts of FDU's program match how I learn and where I want to practice. First, I worked as a medical assistant in an outpatient clinic in Newark for the past two years, and I want to keep serving patients in northern New Jersey. Because FDU coordinates all ten five-week clinical rotations within a 60-mile radius across northern New Jersey and the New York metro area, I can train in the hospital systems and diverse communities where I plan to build my career. Second, I learn clinical skills best by repetition before stepping into a patient's room. Knowing that FDU pairs its 12-month didactic labs with an additional five-week Simulated Interactive Medicine block in the clinical phase tells me the faculty take procedural confidence and clinical reasoning seriously. Finally, during my undergraduate work I helped run blood pressure screenings at a local food pantry, so working with FDUPASS on community health outreach fits what I already love doing."

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.

Question 5: "Our mission centers on preparing socially responsible members of interprofessional teams. Describe a time you worked with people in different roles to care for a patient."

"When I worked as an emergency department technician, an older Portuguese-speaking patient came in with a laceration and elevated blood pressure. He was agitated and kept trying to pull off his monitor leads. As the tech, my job was to get his EKG and vitals, while the triage nurse was trying to reconcile his medications and the PA was waiting to suture. Instead of forcing the leads on, I paused and asked the unit clerk to connect our video medical interpreter before we did anything else. Once the interpreter was on screen, we learned he was terrified that his wife, who had dementia and was waiting in the lobby, didn't know where he was. I let the nurse and the PA know right away, and the charge nurse brought his wife back to his bay. Five minutes later, his heart rate dropped, I got a clean 12-lead EKG, and the PA repaired his laceration smoothly. It showed me that every role on the floor spots different pieces of the patient's distress, and speaking up calmly saves everyone time."

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.

Question 9: "A coworker or classmate asks you to document a vital sign or procedure you did not personally check because the clinic is running behind. How do you respond?"

"I would refuse directly but calmly, and I would go take the vital sign myself right then. When I trained as a medical assistant, my supervisor drilled into us that the medical chart is a legal document and that our signature means we personally performed the care. If a colleague asked me to chart a blood pressure I hadn't taken, I would say, 'I can't sign off on vitals I didn't take, but grab the next room and I will check this patient's pressure right now so we stay on schedule.' That keeps the patient safe and keeps the clinic moving without embarrassing my coworker in front of patients. Once the rush settled down, I would talk with my coworker privately to see why they felt pressured to cut corners and make sure they knew I wouldn't falsify a chart in the future. If I saw them documenting unverified vitals on their own patients, I would bring it to the supervising clinician or preceptor immediately, because an inaccurate vital sign can mask a serious change in a patient's condition."

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.

Two-week preparation plan for the FDU PA interview

Use the two weeks before your interview date to lock down your stories and your logistics. Here is our team's step-by-step checklist:

• Days 14 to 11 (Audit your CASPA file and PCE forms): Re-read your CASPA personal statement, your response to FDU's required custom question in CASPA, and every Patient Care Experience Form you uploaded. Pick four concrete patient stories that show compassion, teamwork, adaptability, and understanding of the PA role.
• Days 10 to 8 (Connect your stories to FDU's 4 goals): Read FDU's Mission, Goals, and Outcomes page. Map at least one personal example to entry-level clinical readiness, caring for diverse populations across care levels, and working on interprofessional teams.
• Days 7 to 5 (Practice out loud on camera): Answer all 12 practice questions from this guide out loud without notes. Keep your answers concise so your interviewer has room to ask follow-up questions.
• Days 4 to 2 (Confirm your format and dress code): Check your invitation email to confirm whether you are reporting to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences building in Madison/Florham Park or logging into a video conference. Prepare professional attire that meets FDU's standards (clean, pressed, neat hair, no sheer or revealing clothing). If virtual, test your webcam, microphone, and lighting in a quiet room.
• Day 1 (Prepare two questions for faculty): Write down two questions to ask your interviewers, such as how faculty advisers guide students through the four-semester Research I to IV capstone sequence or how FDUPASS structures its local outreach events during the didactic year.

FDU PA admissions requirements, outcomes and accreditation

Show details

Every admissions requirement and outcome figure below comes from FDU's PA Program Admissions, FAQ, and Mission, Goals, and Outcomes pages. To compare these with other programs nationwide, read our guide to PA School Requirements: GPA, Prerequisites, Tests, Hours.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Fairleigh Dickinson University PA Program, after the program first earned provisional accreditation in September 2021. Across the Classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026, by our calculation from FDU's published attrition table, the program achieved a 95.8% combined graduation rate (115 graduates out of 120 entering students listed across the three cohorts), and 100% of tested students in the Classes of 2024 and 2025 passed the PAEA End of Curriculum Exam on the first attempt.

Ready to practice your FDU PA interview out loud? Confetto's AI interviewer asks follow-up questions on your answers and scores your response against a rubric. Start your free week.

FDU PA program admissions facts, prerequisites and outcomes (Sources: FDU PA Admissions, FAQs, Outcomes, and Student Manual)

Item	Official FDU rule or outcome
Application portal & deadlines	Apply through CASPA (opens late April). Priority deadline: June 15. Regular deadline: August 1 (complete and verified by CASPA). Rolling admissions. No supplemental application (only a required custom question within CASPA).
Degree & minimum GPAs	Bachelor's or higher degree completed prior to September 1. Overall GPA of 3.2 or better. Science GPA of 3.0 or better. Both grades are calculated for repeated courses.
Prerequisite courses	Anatomy and Physiology I (or Anatomy with lab), Anatomy and Physiology II (or Physiology with lab), General Chemistry I with lab, General Chemistry II with lab, Genetics, Microbiology with lab, Organic Chemistry I with lab, Organic Chemistry II with lab or Biochemistry with lab, Psychology, and Statistics, Biostatistics, or Applied Statistics.
Prerequisite & progression rules	Completed within the last 10 years with a minimum grade of C (enrolled PA students need at least a C+ / 76% and a 3.0 cumulative GPR). Up to 2 prerequisites may be in progress when applying (completed with official transcripts by September 1). Community college, online courses, and AP credits (if accepted by your undergraduate institution) count.
Patient Care Experience (PCE) & shadowing	Minimum 400 hours of paid or volunteer patient care and healthcare-related experience (e.g., athletic trainer, CNA, ECG tech, EMT/paramedic, MA, medical scribe, PCT, pharmacy tech, phlebotomist, PT aide, RN, respiratory therapist, ultrasound sonographer), plus 25 hours of PA shadowing strongly recommended. Verified via signed Patient Care Experience Form or supervisor letterhead in CASPA.
Letters, GRE & advanced placement	3 letters required through CASPA on formal letterhead with contact info. GRE is not required and not factored in. No course waivers, transfer credit, or advanced placement.
Included in PA tuition	Tuition includes fees, Access Medicine digital textbooks (or program-provided print texts), university-issued iPad (for ExamSoft), diagnostic equipment (stethoscope, otoscope/ophthalmoscope, BP cuff, tuning fork, penlight, pocket eyechart), white jacket with FDU PA patch, and scrubs.
First-time PANCE & End of Curriculum pass rates	PANCE first-time pass rate: 86% for Class of 2024 (vs. 92% national) and 85% for Class of 2025 (vs. 91% national). PAEA End of Curriculum Exam first-time pass rate: 100% in 2024 (37/37) and 2025 (40/40). 1440 pass score benchmark for 2026.
Summative OSCE & Preceptor evaluations	Summative OSCE first-time pass rate: 97% (2024) and 95% (2025). Preceptor evaluation grand mean (benchmark >= 4): Clinical practice skills 4.6 (2024) and 4.7 (2025). Interpersonal & professionalism 4.8 and 4.9.
Cohort size, attrition & graduation rates	40 maximum class size (40 entering students per class). Class of 2024: 37 graduates (7.5% attrition, 92.5% graduation). Class of 2025: 39 graduates (5% attrition, 95% graduation). Class of 2026: 39 graduates (0% attrition, 100% graduation).

Practice question

Every FDU PA student completes a four-semester research sequence (Research I through IV) and defends a capstone project at the Spring Research Symposium. How do you see medical research and evidence-based literature fitting into your day-to-day work as a practicing PA?

See an example answer

For me, understanding how to read and question clinical research is about giving patients honest, up-to-date answers in the exam room. While working as a medical scribe in a family medicine practice, I watched our PA care for a patient with type 2 diabetes who asked whether a new supplement she saw online could replace her metformin. Instead of brushing the question off, the PA pulled up a recent systematic review between patients, looked at the sample size and endpoints, and explained in plain language why the study didn't show a drop in A1c. The patient felt heard and stayed on her medication. At FDU, taking Analysis of Evidence Based Literature in the fall of the didactic year and then carrying a project through Research I to IV in the clinical year will train me to evaluate studies with that same rigor. I want to be the kind of PA who doesn't just memorize guidelines, but knows how the evidence behind them was built and how to translate it for a worried patient.

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented. This response works because it connects a real clinical observation from healthcare experience to specific courses in FDU's curriculum (Analysis of Evidence Based Literature and Research I to IV) and shows how research skills directly improve patient communication and care.

Frequently asked questions

Are Fairleigh Dickinson University PA program interviews in person or virtual?

According to FDU's PA Program FAQs, personal interviews are required for admission and may take place either in person or through video conference. From the interviewed applicants, the committee selects a cohort of 40 students and maintains a ranked wait list.

Does the FDU PA program require the GRE or a supplemental application?

No. FDU states on its Admissions and FAQ pages that GRE scores are not required and are not factored into the admissions process, and there is no separate supplemental application beyond a required custom question inside the CASPA application.

What are the minimum GPA and patient care hours for the FDU PA program?

You need a minimum 3.2 overall GPA, a 3.0 science GPA, and at least 400 hours of paid or volunteer patient care or healthcare-related experience, plus a strongly recommended 25 hours of PA shadowing. Every experience category must be verified in CASPA using FDU's signed Patient Care Experience Form or a supervisor's letter on formal letterhead.

What is the FDU PA program application deadline?

CASPA opens in late April, the priority application deadline is June 15, and the regular deadline is August 1. Your application must be complete and verified by CASPA no later than August 1, and because FDU uses rolling admissions, applying early is encouraged.

What is the FDU PA program's PANCE pass rate and accreditation status?

The ARC-PA granted FDU Accreditation-Continued status with its next validation review in July 2036. On its Mission, Goals, and Outcomes page, FDU reports a first-time PANCE pass rate of 86% for the Class of 2024 and 85% for the Class of 2025, alongside a 100% first-time pass rate on the PAEA End of Curriculum Exam for both cohorts.

Do FDU PA students have to find their own clinical rotation sites?

No. FDU's PA Program coordinates all clinical practice sites and preceptors for all ten five-week required and elective rotations, and all required sites are located within a 60-mile radius of the Florham Campus across northern New Jersey and the Metropolitan New York area.

Sources

• FDU PA Program Overview
• FDU PA Program Admissions
• FDU PA Program FAQs
• FDU PA Program Mission, Goals, and Outcomes
• FDU PA Program Academics & Curriculum
• FDU PA Program Technical Standards
• FDU PA Program Policies
• FDU PA Student Manual (Class of 2028)
• ARC-PA Accreditation History: Fairleigh Dickinson University