Wake Forest CRNA Program Interview: Format, Dates and Who Gets In
What happens at the Wake Forest nurse anesthesia (CRNA) interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.
Wake Forest invites selected applicants by email to a live personal interview with the nurse anesthesia admissions committee, held virtually or in person. Apply by May 30 for July interviews or by September 1 for October and November interviews, both for a fall start the next year. Wake Forest aims to interview at least 70 applicants per admissions cycle, interviews an applicant only once per calendar year, and calls the interview very important.
Key facts (Fall start)
- Format
- A synchronous personal interview with the nurse anesthesia admissions committee, by invitation only. Applicants who are selected for an interview will be notified by email.
- Online or in person
- Either. Wake Forest describes a virtual or in-person interview.
- When
- Two rounds. A May 30 deadline leads to summer interviews in July, and a September 1 deadline to fall interviews in October and November. Both are for a fall start the next year.
- Who is interviewed
- The most competitive qualified applicants. Wake Forest aims to interview at least 70 applicants per cycle, and some who meet the prerequisites are not invited.
- Tests
- GRE within the past five years, the Casper test and a CCRN numerical score report.
- Class of 2025 averages
- 3.78 undergraduate GPA, 3.4 years of nursing and 2 years of intensive care experience.
- Decisions
- After interviews, the most competitive may get an early offer, most stay under consideration, and those not competitive are told after the interview.
What happens at the interview
Wake Forest holds a synchronous personal interview with the admissions committee, by invitation only.
- Invitation only. Applicants selected for an interview are told by email.
- Virtual or in person. The interview is synchronous, so you speak with the committee live, either online or on site.
- Once a year. You can be interviewed only once per calendar year.
- Official documents if invited. If you are selected for an interview, you must submit an official transcript from each two- and four-year college or university attended and an official GRE score report using GRE school code 0924.
Why it matters. Wake Forest uses the interview to judge qualities that numbers miss. It says that, based on the interview, some applicants with short ICU experience are admitted and some with more are declined.
How offers are decided
No single criterion decides an offer. Wake Forest also weighs your professionalism and how you communicate with the program during the application and interview.
- Early offers. The most competitive candidates may get an early admission decision.
- Still in the running. Most candidates stay eligible until final decisions, which can come at any time in the cycle.
- Not competitive. These applicants are told after their interview. You may reapply the next year by updating your application.
How you get an interview
The admissions committee reviews every application with close attention to the prerequisites, then invites the most competitive candidates.
Critical care experience
You need at least 1 year of full-time ICU or coronary care work within the two years before you apply, not counting orientation or management time. Part-time nurses need 2,080 hours in the past two years.
- Accepted units. Surgical, medical, trauma, neonatal, cardiovascular, neuro, burn and pediatric ICUs, and coronary care units.
- Depth counts. Wake Forest says 1 to 2 years in a large unit with vasoactive drips, ventilators, balloon pumps, blood gases and PA catheters is probably better than 10 years in a small unit.
- Other areas. Wake Forest values PACU, ER and step-down work, but says anesthesia most closely reflects critical care skills.
Grades, tests and paperwork
- GPA. At least 3.0. Wake Forest says a GPA under 3.5 without other strong academic signs may be less competitive.
- GRE. Taken within the past five years. Wake Forest expects over 300 combined verbal and quantitative, and scores below the 50th percentile may not be acceptable.
- Casper and CCRN. Complete Casper at least two weeks before the deadline, and upload your CCRN numerical score report.
- Courses. Statistics, including inferential statistics, and chemistry, three semester hours each.
- Two recommendations. One from the nurse manager you report to and one from a colleague who has seen your critical care work.
- Essays and a fee. Answers to set essay questions and a $100 application fee. BLS and ACLS are required.
Dates and other details
Wake Forest admits one class a year, starting each fall. Its pages give the deadlines without a year, so check the next round with the program.
The two rounds
- May 30. Deadline for summer interviews in July. Fall start the next year.
- September 1. Deadline for fall interviews in October and November. Fall start the next year.
The program
It is a 3-year, 90-credit, full-time DNP that starts each fall and ends three years later in summer. Core courses are online and anesthesia courses are in person or blended.
Wake Forest says it is the oldest continually operating nurse anesthesia program in North Carolina, running since 1942. You will need a North Carolina nursing license before clinical rotations.
How to prepare
Wake Forest's own suggestions are a good guide, and the interview can tip a decision either way.
- Shadow CRNAs. Wake Forest suggests shadowing in your own OR to see what the job involves and what matters to learn.
- Teach something. It suggests giving an in-service on your unit on an anesthesia topic, such as muscle relaxants. That also gives you a strong interview story.
- Explore the field. Wake Forest runs a Critical Care and Anesthesia Nursing Exploration (CCANE) event for nurses interested in anesthesia.
- Know your devices. Be ready to explain the drips, ventilator modes, balloon pumps and lines you manage, and why each works.
- Be professional throughout. Every email and call with the program counts, so reply promptly and politely.
Practice live answers. Since the interview may be online, rehearse on video with a friend so you get used to speaking clearly to a camera.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Committee interview (virtual or in person) station, written for applicants to Wake Forest University School of Medicine, DNP Nurse Anesthesia. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
How does an intra-aortic balloon pump work?
Explain inflation and deflation timing and what each does for the heart, then mention a patient you cared for on one.
What vasoactive drips have you managed and how do they work?
Name the drugs you actually titrate, explain the receptors and effects, and tie it to a real patient.
Describe a critical situation from your ICU experience and how you managed it.
Walk through what you saw, what you did first and why, and what happened, in under two minutes.
Tell me about a conflict with a coworker and how you resolved it.
Show that you listened, kept the patient first and found a fair fix, without blaming the other person.
How have you prepared for the academic rigor of CRNA school?
Point to real steps, such as recent science courses or study plans, and how you will keep up.
Why did you choose our CRNA program?
Use facts from the program's own pages, such as its history or clinical training, and tie them to your goals.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wake Forest CRNA interview online or in person?
It can be either. Wake Forest describes a virtual or in-person synchronous personal interview with the admissions committee, by invitation only.
When are Wake Forest CRNA interviews?
Applicants who apply by May 30 are considered for summer interviews in July, and those who apply by September 1 for fall interviews in October and November.
How important is the Wake Forest CRNA interview?
Very, in Wake Forest's own words. It uses the interview to judge qualities that predict success, and says some applicants with less ICU experience are admitted on the strength of it.
Does Wake Forest CRNA require Casper and the GRE?
Yes. You need a GRE score from the past five years and must complete Casper, along with a CCRN numerical score report.
How many applicants does Wake Forest CRNA interview?
Wake Forest says it aims to interview at least 70 applicants per admissions cycle, from far more applications than it has places.
Sources
Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Academic Nursing Admissions · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Nurse Anesthesia How to Apply · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Nurse Anesthesia Entrance Requirements · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Critical Care and Anesthesia Nursing Exploration · read October 24, 2026