SUNY Downstate PA Program Interview: 2027 Entry Prep Guide

According to the School of Health Professions Application Instructions, the Admissions Committee reviews files holistically once they are sufficiently complete for evaluation. You may be invited to interview while minor requirements, such as a remaining letter of recommendation or in-progress prerequisite coursework, are still pending. To be a viable candidate in the spring term before matriculation, the Timeline to Apply page notes you should have no more than 1 science prerequisite and 2 other prerequisite courses remaining. See our SUNY Downstate PA program guide for full prerequisite rules.

Confirm your exact interview format and interview calendar dates in your invitation email and the AMP portal, where the program delivers individual scheduling instructions. Per the PA Admissions Requirements page, the program awards interview preference under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students of Temple University who meet the selection factors and the program's mission. An invitation to interview does not guarantee admission, and all admissions decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Email is the university's primary form of communication, and updates appear on the admissions checklist inside your AMP portal. The Office of Student Admissions asks applicants not to call or visit in person to ask about status, as inquiries delay processing.

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

• Holistic review criteria: Prior academic performance, prerequisite grades, letters of recommendation, communication skills, motivation for the PA profession, clinical and non-clinical experience, and leadership or professional memberships.
• Qualifying clinical and volunteer experience: Volunteer direct patient care and shadowing can count toward the 500-hour U.S. health-related experience requirement (candy striper roles do not count), alongside 250 hours of unpaid non-clinical community service.
• Priority and preference: Maximum entering class size is 45 per ARC-PA records. Admissions priority goes to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and New York State residents, and MOU interview preference applies to qualified Temple University undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students.

Before your SUNY Downstate PA interview, you complete a Personal Statement (explaining why you chose the PA profession and why Downstate matches your educational goals) and a six-part Questionnaire inside the online supplemental application, per the Before You Apply page.

The six questionnaire prompts go further than a standard PA school interview questions list. They ask you to commit in writing to how you will handle a fixed curriculum, no outside employment, and a Brooklyn commute with limited parking. Because the Admissions Committee reviews your entire file holistically, use the breakdown below to make sure your spoken answers match and expand on what you wrote.

• 1. Patient care relevance: Describe your patient care/contact experience and its specific relevance to your goal of becoming a PA. In the interview, go beyond listing clinical duties and share one moment where you observed a PA obtain a history, perform an exam, or formulate a treatment plan under physician supervision.
• 2. Time and attendance plan: Academic, clinical, and professional responsibilities leave minimal vacation and time off, and curriculum sequencing is never adjusted for an individual student. Describe your plan to meet all time and attendance requirements and manage the impact on you and your family. Be ready to explain aloud who will cover family responsibilities during your didactic and clinical training.
• 3. Rigorous study history: Describe your specific past experiences handling long hours of dedicated study, independent work, and group work. Prepare a concrete example from your science prerequisites or undergraduate degree where you combined independent study with group problem-solving to earn a B+ or higher.
• 4. Financial support without working: Students are strongly discouraged from holding any jobs. Describe how you will support yourself and meet family or financial obligations over the 27-month enrollment. State calmly that you have reviewed the student budgets on the Financial Aid website and arranged savings, family support, or financial aid so you will not work during the program.
• 5. Brooklyn transportation and parking plan: While Downstate is accessible by public transportation, parking near campus is limited. Describe your plan for reliable, timely attendance at classes and clerkships. Name your actual public transit route to 450 Clarkson Avenue and 445 Lenox Road in Brooklyn and your backup option if a train or bus is delayed.
• 6. Prior medical or PA program attendance: If you have ever attended a PA or medical program, state the program name, dates, and circumstances of your departure, especially if you did not graduate. If this applies to you, give a direct, factual account of what changed and how your recent prerequisite grades prove your readiness.

SUNY Downstate is the only academic medical center in Brooklyn, a borough of 2.3 million people where many residents are immigrants, minorities, and economically disadvantaged. Per the Mission and History page, the program's mission is to cultivate professionally competent and culturally diverse PAs to provide compassionate healthcare for an evolving urban population. Its vision is to educate PAs equipped with a keen appreciation of the social determinants of health common to America's urban population.

The Master of Science curriculum begins in late May or early June and focuses on primary care. It splits into 4 semesters of didactic instruction (lectures, labs, and simulation) followed by 10 supervised clinical clerkships across affiliates, including University Hospital at Downstate and Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. Students must join the Student Association of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (SAAAPA) and are introduced to the New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA) to engage with health policy and PA legislation.

When interviewers evaluate your motivation and experience, they look for how your background connects to Brooklyn's patient population. Pairing a lesson from your soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or tutoring service with a clinical patient story shows you understand the social determinants of health before a patient ever reaches 445 Lenox Road.

Our team wrote these practice questions and this four-step preparation plan around SUNY Downstate's six supplemental prompts, its Brooklyn clinical training environment, and its published evaluation rules. Practice speaking concisely for 90 to 120 seconds per question.

• Question 1 (Mission and Brooklyn fit): SUNY Downstate trains PAs at Brooklyn's only academic medical center, working with faculty at University Hospital at Downstate and Kings County Hospital. Tell us about a patient encounter that showed you how social determinants of health affect primary care.
• Question 2 (Clinical vs. non-clinical service): We require both U.S. clinical experience and unpaid non-clinical community service outside of healthcare. What did your non-clinical volunteer work teach you about human needs that a hospital setting could not?
• Question 3 (Time and curriculum rigor): Our curriculum has minimal vacation and no schedule adjustments for individual students. Tell us about a time when an academic or work workload pushed you to your limit, and how you adjusted.
• Question 4 (Logistics and planning): We strongly discourage students from working during the program, and parking around Clarkson Avenue and rotation sites is limited. Walk us through your realistic day-to-day financial and commuting plan for the program.
• Question 5 (Cultural sensitivity and ethics): Our faculty emphasize tolerance and cultural sensitivity in a diverse city. Describe a time you cared for or worked with someone whose cultural background or health beliefs differed from yours. How did you build trust?
• Question 6 (Team-based care and the PA role): PAs practice medicine following a medical model under physician supervision. Tell us about a moment from your clinical hours where you saw a PA and a physician collaborate to solve a problem for a patient.
• Question 7 (Interdisciplinary teamwork): At Downstate, PA students learn alongside surgeons, researchers, physicians, and nurses. Describe a time when a team you belonged to disagreed on how to help a patient or client, and explain your role in resolving it.
• Question 8 (PA professional advocacy): All Downstate PA students must join SAAAPA and are introduced to NYSSPA to follow legislative initiatives affecting the profession. Why does involvement in professional associations matter for a future primary-care PA in New York State?
• Question 9 (Pending coursework and readiness): If you are completing a remaining prerequisite this spring, or if you faced a challenging science course in the past, how have you prepared yourself to transition directly into our didactic phase in late May or early June?
• Question 10 (Why SUNY Downstate PA): Our graduates typically choose from two to three job offers each and practice across Brooklyn, New York City, and the nation. Why is SUNY Downstate the specific program where you want to earn your Master of Science degree?
• Prep Step 1 (Audit your 6 questionnaire answers): Print the Personal Statement and six questionnaire responses from your AMP portal and prepare one concrete follow-up example for each, including your budget for not working and your transit plan for 450 Clarkson Avenue and clerkships.
• Prep Step 2 (Pair clinical and non-clinical stories): Have two clinical stories ready (showing patient and clinician interaction) and one non-clinical volunteer story ready (showing leadership and social responsibility).
• Prep Step 3 (Verify pending AMP documents): If you were invited with a recommendation letter or final spring course pending, check the Document Upload section of your portal to ensure your current semester grade report or course registration proof is uploaded as a clear PDF.
• Prep Step 4 (Rehearse out loud under a timer): Practice answering mission, behavioral, and logistical prompts in under two minutes so your interviewer has room for follow-ups.

SUNY Downstate requires both clinical hours and non-clinical community service, and our vision focuses on the social determinants of health in urban communities like Brooklyn. How have your experiences prepared you to care for our patients and handle the full-time demands of our 27-month curriculum?

• SUNY Downstate PA Program: Admissions Requirements
• SUNY Downstate PA Program: Before You Apply & Supplemental Prompts
• SUNY Downstate School of Health Professions: 2027 Application Deadlines
• SUNY Downstate PA Program: Timeline to Apply
• SUNY Downstate School of Health Professions: Application Instructions (PDF)
• SUNY Downstate PA Program: Master of Science Overview
• SUNY Downstate PA Program: Mission and History
• ARC-PA: SUNY Downstate Accreditation History