Best PA School Interview Prep (2026): Courses, Coaches, AI

Free and official resources

Start here whatever your budget. These come from the programs, PAEA and the advisors who help applicants.

• Your programs' own pages. PA formats differ more than most. CU Anschutz runs a 15-minute individual interview, a 25-minute group interview and a 25-minute group exercise, while Northwestern uses one-on-one interviews and a group patient-case activity and says it does not use the MMI. Read each program's page before you pick any prep.
• PAEA's virtual interview tips. A 2020 article from the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) gives tips for virtual interviews: do a dry run of your camera and audio, check your lighting and background, and if you join a group discussion late, wait before you speak.
• Pre-health advising mock interviews. Many universities run mock interviews for their own students once they have an invitation. NC State offers one mock interview per student per cycle, UW-Madison two (a traditional one and an MMI), and Northeastern one traditional and one MMI mock of 30 minutes. UGA runs one-hour mock interviews and virtual mock MMIs.
• Free extras from coaches. The PA Life gives away a workbook of 317 PA school interview questions, and The PA Platform runs the Pre-PA Club, a free community.

Human coaches and courses

A practicing PA can hear your stories, push back with live follow-ups and tell you how an admissions committee will hear them. That human judgment is the main strength of this group. The trade-off is cost, and not every provider publishes its prices.

AI practice tools

AI tools let you practice out loud at any hour, and all three here have free tiers and published prices. They are good for building fluency and timing. They do not replace a person who knows you, so many applicants pair them with at least one human mock interview.

Books and self-study

• Interview guide books. Savanna Perry, PA-C wrote a 210-page PA school interview guide, and The PA Platform says her books are sold on Amazon.
• PAEA's CASPA Program Directory. Lists 339 programs and lets you filter and compare deadlines, prerequisites, GPA requirements, tuition and program length. Useful for knowing each program before your interview.
• Question workbooks. The PA Life's free workbook lists 317 PA school interview questions to practice from.
• Record yourself. Answer a question to your phone camera, then watch it back for pace, filler words and eye contact. It is free and shows you what an interviewer sees.
• Practice with a friend. Have someone ask you questions out loud, time your answers and tell you where you lost them. For a group exercise, practice with two or three people.

How to choose

• Budget. Free resources first. AI tools run from $9 (Maya, 20 minutes) to $579 a year (Confetto). A single live mock interview runs from $125 (The PA Life) to $167 (The PA Platform), and full packages cost thousands. Admissions Helpers does not publish prices.
• Time. With an interview in a few days, a short AI pass or one live mock fits better than a long program. With weeks to go, mix regular AI practice with a human mock or two.
• Your programs' format. GW runs a 5-station virtual MMI, Duke two individual interviews and a group exercise, and Emory a virtual MMI plus a timed written question. Pick prep that practices the format you will face, including group and written parts.
• What you need help with. If your content is strong but you ramble or freeze, frequent timed practice helps most. If you are unsure how to explain why PA, a practicing PA or advisor helps most.

Who each option fits

• Tight budget: your programs' pages, your advising office's mock interview, and a free tier from an AI tool.
• Want a practicing PA to coach you: The PA Life or The PA Platform for single mock interviews, or Intervly's live sessions with PA faculty.
• Want lots of spoken practice: an AI tool such as Confetto or Intervly, which offer unlimited mock interviews on paid plans, or Maya passes for short bursts.
• Want help with the whole application: The PA Platform's Full Package or Admissions Helpers' consulting.

Frequently asked questions