Wake Forest PA Program Interview: Format, Mock IBL Session and Dates
What happens at the Wake Forest PA program interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.
Wake Forest interviews about 200 applicants for an average class of 88 across its Winston-Salem and Boone campuses. All 2026-27 interviews are virtual. The day includes a faculty interview, a mock inquiry-based learning (IBL) session and time with faculty, staff and students, and both group and individual scores count. Decisions are finalized in February.
Key facts (2027 entry)
- Format
- An interview with faculty plus a mock inquiry-based learning (IBL) session. You also talk with faculty, staff and current PA students.
- Online or in person
- Online. All interviews for the 2026-27 cycle are virtual.
- When
- On a rolling basis during the cycle. Early CASPA and supplemental applications get priority for the limited interview spots.
- Who is interviewed
- About 200 applicants this year. For the Class of 2028, 208 of 1,517 applicants were interviewed.
- How the interview counts
- Your interview score, both group and individual, is weighed with your supplemental application, GPA, withdrawals, test scores, clinical experience, personal statement and references.
- Decisions
- Finalized in February. Accepted applicants get a phone call and a letter. Alternates and rejected applicants hear by email.
- Class
- Average class of 88 (64 in Winston-Salem, 24 in Boone) in a 24-month Master of Medical Science program.
What happens on the interview day
The interview day is virtual for the 2026-27 cycle and has three parts.
- Faculty interview. You interview with faculty. Wake Forest does not publish how long it lasts or how many interviewers there are.
- Mock IBL session. You join a practice inquiry-based learning session. IBL is the small-group, self-directed learning built on real patient problems that the program has used since 1969.
- Meet the program. You have the chance to speak with faculty, staff and current PA students.
- Two scores. The admissions FAQ says the committee looks at an interview score that is both group and individual.
The group part is scored. In the IBL session, ask good questions, build on others' ideas and help the group reach a plan, rather than racing to the answer.
How offers are decided
The committee weighs your whole file with your interview score.
- What counts. Supplemental application, total GPA, number of undergraduate withdrawals, test scores, clinical experience, personal statement, references and interview score (group and individual).
- February. Wake Forest expects to finalize admission decisions in February.
- How you hear. Accepted applicants get a phone call and a follow-up letter. Alternates and rejected applicants are told by email.
- Last year's odds. For the Class of 2028, 174 of 208 interviewed applicants were accepted and 87 enrolled.
How you get an interview
Interviews are offered on a rolling basis. Because spots are limited, early CASPA and supplemental applications are prioritized.
- GPA of 3.2 or more. Total overall GPA as calculated by CASPA. The Class of 2028 averaged 3.74 total and 3.74 science.
- 1,000 patient contact hours. Healthcare employment or other direct patient contact, done by October 1, 2026. Accepted applicants in past cycles had 1,404 to 7,896 hours. Shadowing does not count.
- GRE. Required and sent through CASPA with code 5923. The Class of 2028 averaged 155 verbal and 154 quantitative.
- Three letters. At least three, through CASPA, and one must be from a healthcare professional.
- Few withdrawals. Competitive applicants have fewer than two total undergraduate course withdrawals, plus higher GPAs and test scores and strong hands-on patient care.
What else the committee values
Wake Forest lists leadership, volunteering, life experience, success in overcoming adversity and aptitude for inquiry-based learning. It gives consideration to first-generation college students, active-duty military and veterans, and economically disadvantaged applicants.
Dates and other details
The class entering in 2027 is the Class of 2029.
Dates for 2027 entry
- September 1, 2026. CASPA must be complete: submitted, with all transcripts, payment and two of three letters received.
- October 1, 2026. Supplemental application ($100) due, GRE scores posted by CASPA, and 1,000 healthcare hours completed.
- December 31, 2026. All prerequisites and your bachelor's degree complete.
- February 2027. Admission decisions finalized.
Two campuses
The program runs in Winston-Salem and in Boone, in the mountains of western North Carolina. Students must provide their own transportation on both campuses for the 24 months.
How to prepare
Prepare for two different tasks: a personal interview and a group learning session.
- Practice small-group cases. Work through a patient case with two or three friends. Take turns leading, summarizing and naming what you still need to look up.
- Explain why IBL suits you. Have an example of learning something hard on your own or in a team, since aptitude for inquiry-based learning is on the committee's list.
- Bring your life story. Leadership, volunteering and overcoming adversity are named qualities. Pick one clear story for each.
- Know the campuses. Think about whether Winston-Salem or Boone fits you and why.
Test your setup. A virtual group session moves fast. Check your camera, sound and connection, and practice speaking up without talking over others.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Interview + IBL group (online) station, written for applicants to Wake Forest University School of Medicine PA Program. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
In this group task, your group reads a short scenario: a clinic forgot to call a patient about an abnormal lab result, and the patient only found out two weeks later. You have ten minutes to draft a plan so it does not happen again.
Invite quieter members in, keep the group on time, and end with a clear, shared plan.
Tell me about a time you had to learn something difficult largely on your own. How did you work out what you needed to know?
Show the steps you took to find and check information, and what you would do differently next time.
Tell me about a time in your healthcare role when you were asked to do something slightly outside your training or comfort zone. What did you do?
Show that you spoke up, asked for supervision and put patient safety first.
You are a PA student. Another student on your rotation keeps jumping in to answer every question the preceptor asks, so you never get a chance to participate. Talk to your classmate.
Be direct but kind, use 'I' statements, and suggest a fair way to share the learning.
Tell me about a challenge you have overcome and how it will shape the kind of PA you become.
Keep the hardship brief and spend most of the answer on what you did and what you learned.
You're a PA in a primary care clinic, and a patient's symptoms are unusual and outside your experience. Your collaborating physician is out sick today. What are your next steps?
Keep the patient safe, find another qualified colleague, and be honest with the patient about the plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wake Forest PA interview virtual?
Yes. Wake Forest says all interviews for the 2026-27 admissions cycle will be conducted virtually.
What is the mock IBL session at the Wake Forest PA interview?
It is a practice inquiry-based learning session held on interview day. IBL is the program's small-group, self-directed way of learning from real patient problems, and the committee looks at a group interview score as well as an individual one.
How many applicants does Wake Forest PA interview?
About 200 this year. For the Class of 2028, 1,517 applied, 208 were interviewed, 174 were accepted and 87 enrolled.
When does Wake Forest PA send decisions?
Wake Forest expects to finalize decisions in February. Accepted applicants get a phone call and a letter, and others are told by email.
Does shadowing count toward Wake Forest's 1,000 hours?
No. Wake Forest encourages shadowing PAs to learn about the profession, but shadowing does not count toward the required patient contact hours.
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: PA Program Admission Process · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: PA Program Admission Requirements · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: PA Program Admission FAQs · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: PA Program Class Profile · read October 24, 2026
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Physician Assistant (PA) Program · read October 24, 2026