WesternU Dental School Interview: Format, MMI, Dates and Tips

What happens on the interview day

Interview day runs through the morning on the Pomona campus. You interview, hear about the program, eat lunch with students and tour.

• 25 to 30 minutes. Your interviewers ask general and behavioral questions that need you to draw on personal experience.
• Who interviews. Faculty, administrators, clinicians and/or a student. They want to learn what your application could not show and judge your fit with the program.
• MMI block. The sample schedule lists an MMI block, run in two waves of about 23 minutes. WesternU does not publish the number of stations or what they test.
• Photo ID. A government-issued ID is required at check-in. Without one, you may reschedule only if space is available.
• Business attire. WesternU asks you to wear business professional clothes and bring a pen and notepad.

How offers are decided

Admission is rolling, so seats fill as the cycle goes on. WesternU does not publish how much the interview counts.

• Second week of December. Initial acceptances are released.
• Through the first day of class. Offers can come as late as the first week of classes, so a quiet inbox in spring is not a no.
• Deposits. $2,000 in total. Early admits pay two $1,000 deposits, and later admits pay $2,000 at once.
• Letters of interest. Accepted as supplemental documents in the WesternU application portal.

How you get an interview

WesternU says there is no formula for admission. It reviews the whole file and gives each part the same weight.

• Two applications. AADSAS plus WesternU's own secondary ($60). Every applicant must complete the secondary to be considered for an interview.
• Dental experience. At least 30 hours as a dental assistant, hygienist, lab technician or observer, done by the time you apply. WesternU recommends 100 or more.
• Community service. Volunteer work or service-oriented employment is required.
• Letters. A pre-health committee letter is preferred. Otherwise three letters, two from college science professors.
• DAT. Taken by December 1, 2026, and no earlier than May 11, 2023. Canadian DAT scores are not accepted.

Dates for 2027 entry

WesternU's deadline is December 1, 2026, but rolling admission rewards applying early.

• June 2, 2026. AADSAS and the WesternU secondary open.
• September to February. On-campus interviews.
• December 1, 2026. Deadline for AADSAS, the secondary and fees, and the last day to take the DAT.
• Second week of December. First acceptances.
• June 30. All prerequisite coursework must be finished by the end of spring term.

How to prepare

Behavioral questions want real stories, so build a set of examples before the day.

• Use WesternU's list. It wants integrity, compassion and respect, flexibility, community involvement, oral health experience, strong communication and lifelong learning. Prepare one story for each.
• Use a simple shape. For each story, say the situation, what you did, and what changed. Keep it under two minutes.
• Know WesternU. WesternU wants a good understanding of both dentistry and WesternU, plus interest in community-based education and service learning.
• Read the curriculum. WesternU points interviewees to the curriculum overview in the 2026-2027 CDM course catalog.
• Practice short scenarios. Since the sample schedule includes an MMI block, practice timed ethics and role-play prompts as well as personal questions.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a Interview and MMI (on campus) station, written for applicants to Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine (WesternU CDM). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

Frequently asked questions