Preparing for the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry interview

Rules you need to know before interview day

Rochester is unusually explicit about conduct. In its virtual interview attestation, applicants are prohibited from:

• Recording or copying the interview in any way.
• Disclosing the questions to anyone outside the Office of Admissions, because doing so "may provide an unfair advantage to applicants who have not yet interviewed."
• Receiving assistance, guidance or feedback during the interview, "including the use of AI software."
• Using virtual or blurred backgrounds at any point during the virtual interview day.

Rochester says a breach may lead to denial, a rescinded acceptance, or conduct action. That also tells you how to use practice tools: use them before the day, never during it, and don't post or share what you were asked.

The school also asks you to schedule through the applicant portal, where dates are first come, first served. You'll upload your photo, complete a virtual interview attestation, say where you'll be on the day, and fill in your two most significant activities and any gap year experience. Rochester says to submit those quickly: if they aren't in five business days before your interview, it reserves the right to withdraw your application. Those pre-interview materials, including your two activities, are what your application-blind interviewers have in front of them, so write them as if they were your whole file.

Rochester's timeline

From Rochester's Apply Now page:

• AMCAS deadline: October 15. The secondary application and $100 non-refundable fee are due November 15.
• Letters of recommendation are due November 22, through the AMCAS Letter Service.
• Interviews run from September to mid-March, by invitation. All are virtual and required for admission.
• Interview decisions are completed in early to mid-March. The interview page says to expect a committee decision about 6 to 8 weeks after your interview.
• April 15, 2027: hold no more than three acceptances. April 30, 2027: hold one and select "Plan to Enroll." Waitlist activity begins May 1.

Rochester says directly that it doesn't require situational judgment tests such as Casper or AAMC PREview. Its page says it received over 6000 applications this year.

What Rochester says it looks for

Rochester describes its students as having "a strong foundation in science, evidence of curiosity through research/innovation, and demonstration of human connection through clinical experiences, community engagement, and advocacy." Its list of qualities adds "altruism, an accepting attitude, curiosity, empathy, maturity, professionalism, mindfulness, and resilience." Selection is holistic: MCAT, GPA, activities, letters, personal statements, background and mission alignment are all weighed.

Rochester's curriculum, the Double Helix Curriculum, is built on the biopsychosocial model. Instruction uses problem-based learning, team-based learning and small-group skills sessions, with standardized patients and simulation. The Advisory Dean program supports students through each transition. When you answer "Why Rochester?", pick one of these specifics and connect it to your own experience.

The small-group discussion

Rochester describes the group session as a Problem Based Learning (PBL) exercise facilitated by a member of the admissions community. "Discussion will center around an ethical issue in medicine and no preparation is needed." The school says it's a way to get to know you, to introduce you to a format used regularly in the curriculum and to introduce you to your potential future colleagues.

That framing is a hint. In a PBL-style group, a strong participant:

• Lets the group define the question before arguing for an answer.
• Names what's unknown and says what information would change their mind.
• Builds on a peer's point by name, and asks the quiet person what they think.
• Stays on the ethical principles in play rather than on trying to look the most decisive.

Rochester practice questions (written by us, not Rochester)

Rochester doesn't publish its questions, and it asks interviewees not to share them. These are ours, written to reflect the qualities the school names. Keep each answer to about two minutes.

1. Walk me through one of the two activities you chose as most significant. Why those?
2. Tell me about something you were curious about that led you to learn on your own.
3. Describe a time you showed empathy for someone whose situation you didn't fully understand.
4. What does resilience look like in your own life? Tell me about a time it was tested.
5. Tell me about a time you had to be accepting of a view you didn't share.
6. What did you do during your gap year or time away from school, and what did you take from it?
7. Describe a team you were on that struggled. What did you do?
8. A colleague is cutting corners on a task that affects patients or participants. What do you do?
9. How would you want a physician to talk with a patient who disagrees with the treatment plan?
10. What draws you to a biopsychosocial approach to medicine, and what example have you seen of it?
11. Why Rochester?

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

A drill for a two-interview day with a group session

1. Write your two significant activities as 150-word paragraphs. Read them as if you were an interviewer who has seen nothing else. What question would you ask?
2. Answer four questions from the list on video, about two minutes each. Keep the camera at eye level and use a plain, unblurred background, since Rochester prohibits virtual and blurred backgrounds.
3. Have a partner ask two follow-ups per answer. Application-blind interviewers can only ask what's in front of them or what you say, so notice where a vague claim invites "Tell me more."
4. Run a ten-minute group discussion with two friends on an ethical scenario of your choosing. Each person speaks, then summarizes the group's position before it ends. Debrief: who defined the question, who named the unknowns, who included the quiet one?
5. Repeat two days later with different questions, and don't use any tool during the real interview.

If you don't have practice partners, 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.

Rochester interview FAQ

Is the Rochester interview an MMI?

No. Rochester uses two one-on-one interviews and a small-group discussion, according to its interview page and the AAMC MSAR entry.

Is the Rochester interview virtual?

Yes. All interviews for 2026-27 are virtual and required for admission.

Will my interviewers see my GPA and MCAT?

No. Rochester conducts application blind interviews, and interviewers only have the pre-interview materials you submitted.

Can I use AI tools during the interview?

No. Rochester prohibits receiving assistance, guidance or feedback during the interview, including AI software. It also prohibits recording the interview and using virtual or blurred backgrounds.

Does Rochester require Casper or PREview?

No. Rochester's FAQ says it doesn't require situational judgment tests such as CASPer or AAMC PREview.

Applying to other New York schools too? See our guides to the SUNY Upstate, Albany Medical College and Weill Cornell interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Sources: Rochester interview day details, Apply Now, Curriculum, AAMC MSAR interview procedures (2027).

Confetto isn't affiliated with the University of Rochester. 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.