What interview formats do Australian dental schools use?

Of the 11 Australian dental schools in our data, 2 run an MMI, 1 a panel or semi-structured interview, 1 a recorded online interview, and 7 select without an interview on their standard entry route. MMI stations are usually five to ten minutes each.

Do dental school interviews test manual dexterity?

Some do. In our data, 1 of the 4 interviewing Australian dental schools includes manual dexterity in their interview, from a practical task to questions about hobbies and skills that show fine hand control. Prepare examples you can describe in detail, such as an instrument, art, model-making or sewing, and how you improved.

Do I need to prepare a "Why this university?" answer?

Yes. Even where it is not a station of its own, interviewers ask it inside motivation questions, and an answer that would fit any school scores poorly. In our guides, 3 of the 4 interviewing Australian dental schools list it as a question to expect. For each school, prepare specific reasons covering how it teaches, where it places students and why that suits you.

How many questions should I practise before my interview?

Aim for breadth before depth: at least two or three questions of every type in your plan, answered out loud and timed, then more on the types your schools test most. Rehearsing set answers word for word tends to backfire, because follow-up questions push past them. Working through many different questions of each type builds the flexibility assessors reward.

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Question planner Dentistry · 2027

What will your interviews ask?Practise the right questions for each dental school.

Add your universities to see how each one interviews and the questions to practise.

Add the universities you’re applying to

We’ll show how each one interviews and what to practise.

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Free · No sign-up · 11 Australian dental schools mapped · 485 questions in the bank

How it works

From your school list to a practice plan

Interviews differ far more between schools than most applicants expect. The planner reads what each of yours actually runs, so your practice time goes where the marks are.

1
Each school's real format: MMI, panel, traditional or recorded, with the station count, timings and when interviews run, from our research of each school’s published format.
2
The question types, ranked: every station mapped to a question type, then ranked across your schools so the types they all test come first.
3
Locked practice questions, then a mock: real questions from the question bank for every type you need to practise, and a mock built for each school.

Question types

The question types Australian dental schools test

Ranked by how many Australian dental schools test each one. Open a type to see what assessors look for and how to practise it.

Why this university4/4

What they look for. That you know how this school teaches and where it places students, and why that suits the way you learn.

How to practise. For each school, name its teaching style, one placement or pathway feature, and the reason it fits you. Generic answers that fit any school score poorly.

Empathy & role play4/4

What they look for. Communication with an actor or patient: listening, acknowledging feelings, explaining clearly and agreeing a next step.

How to practise. Run timed role plays with a friend playing an upset patient, relative or colleague, and get marked on empathy as well as content.

74 empathy & role play questions in the bank

Data & problem solving4/4

What they look for. Calm, structured thinking: reading a graph or table, doing quick calculations, prioritising and explaining your reasoning as you go.

How to practise. Practise interpreting simple graphs and prioritisation tasks against the clock, narrating your thinking aloud.

5 data & problem solving questions in the bank

Why dentistry3/4

What they look for. A motivation for dentistry that is specific, tested against real experience and honest about the downsides of the job.

How to practise. Rehearse a two-minute answer built on one or two moments you can talk about in detail, then stress-test it with "why not nursing or dental hygiene?" follow-ups.

31 why dentistry questions in the bank

Ethics & professionalism3/4

What they look for. Balanced reasoning through a dilemma: weighing both sides, applying the core principles and landing on a safe, justified decision.

How to practise. Practise talking through consent, confidentiality, capacity and resource allocation out loud, using a structure such as "identify, explore, decide, safeguard".

146 ethics & professionalism questions in the bank

Teamwork & leadership3/4

What they look for. Evidence that you work well in a team, can lead when needed and handle conflict without blame.

How to practise. Prepare two STAR examples, one where you led and one where you followed, each ending with what you would do differently.

18 teamwork & leadership questions in the bank

Personal qualities & resilience2/4

What they look for. Self-awareness: your strengths and weaknesses, how you cope with pressure and failure, and whether you have the qualities of a good dentist.

How to practise. List three strengths and one genuine weakness with evidence for each, plus a setback you can reflect on without sounding rehearsed.

95 personal qualities & resilience questions in the bank

Indigenous health & cultural safety1/4

What they look for. Understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, the gap in outcomes and what culturally safe care looks like in practice.

How to practise. Read the Closing the Gap targets and prepare a reflective answer on cultural safety that avoids generalisations.

6 indigenous health & cultural safety questions in the bank

Rural & community health1/4

What they look for. Genuine interest in rural, remote or underserved communities and realism about practising there.

How to practise. Research the region’s health needs and prepare an honest answer on whether you would work there and why.

14 rural & community health questions in the bank

Manual dexterity1/4

What they look for. Evidence of fine hand skills and the patience to build them, or a practical task done under observation.

How to practise. Prepare examples from hobbies such as instruments, art or model-making, and talk through how you improved.

11 manual dexterity questions in the bank

Every school

Every Australian dental school's interview at a glance

Each school's format and the question types it tests most. Open a school's guide for timings and more example questions.

New South Wales2 schools

Charles Sturt Dental6 themed questions · about 30 min
Data & problem solvingWhy dentistryWhy this university+3
Guide
Sydney DentalNo interview for standard domestic applicants — ranked on GAMSAT section scores (international applicants submit a portfolio and may be interviewed)
No interview to prepare for
Guide

Queensland4 schools

Griffith Dental6 recorded responses · 5 min each
Data & problem solvingWhy dentistryEthics & professionalism+4
Guide
JCU DentalNo interview at any stage — selection is on academic performance, the written application statements, the Letters of Support and rurality
No interview to prepare for
Guide
UQ DentalNo interview — ATAR threshold then UCAT-ANZ aggregate ranking
No interview to prepare for
Guide
UQ Doctor of Dental MedicineNo interview — applicants who meet the minimum requirements (including GPA 5.0 and at least 50 in each GAMSAT section) are ranked on a final score of unweighted average GAMSAT (70%) and the Casper situational judgement test (30%)
No interview to prepare for

South Australia1 school

Adelaide Dental6 stations · 10 min per station
Why dentistryEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+4
Guide

Victoria2 schools

La Trobe DentalAcademic results only on the standard and Regional Entry codes (no MMI, no interview); First Nations Australian Entry applicants may be required to attend an interview
No interview to prepare for
Guide
Melbourne DentalAcademic ranking only (no MMI / no interview)
No interview to prepare for
Guide

Western Australia2 schools

Curtin Oral Health TherapyAcademic results only — ATAR-based selection rank
No interview to prepare for
Guide
UWA Dental8 stations · 5 min per station
Empathy & role playPersonal qualities & resilienceEthics & professionalism+3
Guide

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Practise by question type rather than memorising answers. Almost every Australian dental school tests your motivation for dentistry, ethical reasoning, communication and empathy, teamwork and your personal qualities, and most also ask why you chose that school and what you know about the health system and current issues. What changes from school to school is the mix and the format: some schools add stations on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, rural practice or a recorded response, and several graduate programmes use a panel rather than an MMI. Choose your schools in the planner to see the exact mix for each one, with practice questions for every type.

Each school's format and station topics come from our research of its own admissions pages for the current cycle, the same research our university-specific mocks are built from. Where a school publishes its format but not its topics, the planner says so and shows the ground that kind of interview usually covers. Practice questions come from the interview question bank. Schools change details between cycles, so check your invitation for the final format.

NextGen MedPrep's interview question bank holds 485 dentistry questions, 65 of them written for Australian interviews, each with an answer guide covering the approach, follow-up questions and the mark scheme. You can also sit a mock built for a specific school, with our AI interviewer, with a friend marking you against the official scheme, or with a tutor who sat the same interview, and there is a free six-station mock to start with.

Now practise the questions that count

Every question type in your plan is in the interview question bank, with follow-ups and a mark scheme for each. Start with a free mock, then work through the types your schools test most.

Explore the question bank Try a free mock Interview preparation

Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: 14 September 2026 · Editorial policy