Preparing for the UNT Health Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine interview

Texas residency and TMDSAS

TCOM is a state-supported school, and the details matter more here than at most DO programs.

• TCOM's FAQ says that as a state-supported medical school it is required to fill at least 90% of each entering class with Texas residents, and the remaining 10% are open to non-residents.
• Applicants apply through the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), not AACOMAS, then complete TCOM's own secondary application. TCOM says it won't extend an interview offer until letters, MCAT scores, the secondary application and its fee have been received.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. AACOM lists TCOM as not accepting international students.
• For this cycle AACOM lists the TMDSAS primary deadline as October 1, 2026, with an August 15 date for best consideration. TCOM also has a binding Early Decision Program, for applicants who apply only to TCOM (applications due in early August, decisions by October 1).

What the numbers say

TCOM's admissions statistics page lists, for Fall 2025, 4,495 applications (3,767 from Texas residents and 728 from non-residents), 683 interviews conducted, 435 acceptances offered and an entering class of 233 (218 Texas residents, 15 non-residents). For Fall 2024 the figures were 4,227 applications, 687 interviews, 473 acceptances and a class of 241. Average GPA was 3.82 and average MCAT 507.2 for Fall 2025. TCOM says it has no minimum cutoff for GPA or MCAT but expects better than a B average in prerequisite courses.

Roughly 1 in 7 applicants was interviewed in Fall 2025 (683 of 4,495), and about a third of those interviewed entered the class (233 of 683). The interview matters.

How TCOM says it evaluates you

TCOM scores recommended applicants in three domains, which is the clearest guide to what interviewers are looking for:

TCOM domain	What TCOM says it looks at	How it might show up (our suggestion)
Academic qualifications	Ability to master scientific, social science and health care systems concepts, manage heavy demands, and improve	A time you struggled in a hard course and what you changed
Personal (humanistic) development	Consistent, sincere interest in serving others; self-awareness; understanding the socioemotional dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship	A patient or client interaction where you noticed your own reaction and handled it
Diverse experiences	Overcoming challenges, experiential learning through socially diverse opportunities, resilience, cultural competence, and how your experiences enhance others' learning	A setting where you were the one who didn't know the norms, and what you learned

TCOM also says it assesses behaviors that reflect the values of the University of North Texas System. Its mission is to "create solutions for a healthier community by preparing tomorrow's patient-centered physicians and scientists," according to its AACOM profile.

What to know about TCOM

• Primary care. TCOM says more than 60% of its graduates practice primary care.
• Osteopathic training. It says students train in osteopathic manipulative treatment in all four years, including a required clerkship in manipulative medicine.
• Service. The AACOM profile lists HOME, a student-run clinic for people experiencing homelessness in Fort Worth, a Rural Scholars program with service mission trips, and a Street Medicine team that partners with JPS Health Network.
• Research. TCOM describes a summer research program after first year, a pediatric research option with Cook Children's Medical Center, and a DO/PhD that takes six to seven years.
• Clinical years. Students rotate across a statewide network of hospitals and clinics.

Only raise one of these if it connects to your own history. "I volunteered at a street clinic for two years and the Street Medicine team is why I applied" works. A list of programs does not.

How to prepare for an MMI-style interview

1. Practice stations, not speeches. If TCOM uses an MMI, each station is short and separate. Practice reading a prompt, taking 20 to 30 seconds to plan and answering with a clear structure.
2. Mix question types. Prepare for personal reflection, ethical dilemmas and role-plays. Don't spend all your time on "why medicine."
3. Prepare your Texas answer. Because 90% of seats go to Texas residents, interviewers may ask why Texas and what kind of physician Texas communities need. Know your answer without sounding scripted.
4. Reset between answers. In a station format, a weak answer shouldn't leak into the next one. Practice taking a breath and starting fresh.
5. Set up for video. Camera at eye level, quiet room, and a test call at the same time of day as your interview.

Practice questions (written by us, not TCOM)

TCOM doesn't publish its interview questions. We wrote these around its three scoring domains and mission. Since AACOM lists an MMI, a few are scenario prompts. They are for practice and don't predict what you'll be asked.

1. Why osteopathic medicine, and why TCOM?
2. Tell me about a time you worked with people from a very different background from yours. What did you learn?
3. Describe a setback in your academic record and what you did about it.
4. Tell me about a time you noticed your own bias or reaction during an interaction with another person. What did you do?
5. A patient refuses a treatment you believe is necessary. How do you respond?
6. You see a classmate copying from another student during an exam. What do you do?
7. Role-play: a patient is angry about a long wait and is yelling at the front desk. Speak to them.
8. Texas has many areas with too few primary care physicians. What would bring you to one of them?
9. Describe a time you taught someone something. How did you know they learned it?
10. What does it mean to you to treat the whole person, and where have you seen it done well?
11. Tell me about a time you worked hard on something that didn't succeed. What did you do next?
12. What question were you hoping we would ask today?

Our free question bank preview has more medical school interview questions, and the full bank has over 500. Our MMI question guide and MMI timer help with station practice.

A 30-minute practice run

1. Recruit two people. One reads prompts and keeps time, the other plays the interviewer or the role-play character.
2. Pick six prompts from the list above: two personal, two ethical or scenario, one role-play and one about Texas.
3. Give yourself 30 seconds to read, then answer for about five minutes. Reset for two minutes between prompts.
4. Record it. Afterward, watch two answers and check whether you had a clear opening, a direct answer and a closing sentence.
5. Repeat the weakest station the next day with a different prompt of the same type.

Practicing alone? Confetto's AI mock interviews run traditional and panel-style interviews as well as MMIs, ask follow-up questions based on what you said, and give rubric-based feedback afterward. You can start with a 7-day free trial.

TCOM interview FAQ

Is the TCOM interview an MMI?
AACOM's profile lists Multi-Mini Interviews. TCOM's own pages don't describe the format, so confirm it in your invitation.

Is it in person?
AACOM lists virtual interviews only.

Do I need to be a Texas resident?
No, but TCOM says at least 90% of each class goes to Texas residents. In Fall 2025, 15 of 233 entering students were non-residents.

Do I apply through AACOMAS?
No. TCOM accepts applications only through TMDSAS.

Is there a minimum GPA or MCAT?
TCOM says it doesn't use minimum cutoffs but expects better than a B average in prerequisite courses.

Do I need Casper or PREview?
Neither appears on TCOM's admissions pages or its AACOM profile.

Applying to other Texas DO schools? See our guides to the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Confetto isn't affiliated with UNT Health or the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Details about the school come from TCOM's public admissions pages and its AACOM Choose DO Explorer profile as of October 2026. Formats can change between cycles, so go by what your invitation says.