What is the difference between an MMI and a panel interview?

In a multiple mini interview (MMI) you move round a circuit of short stations, usually five to ten minutes each, and a different assessor scores each one, so every question type gets its own station. A panel interview is one longer conversation with two or more interviewers who cover several types in turn. Of the 16 UK dental schools, 11 run an MMI-style circuit and 5 a panel or group format.

Do dental school interviews test manual dexterity?

Some do. In our data, 4 of the 16 interviewing UK dental schools include 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, 14 of the 16 interviewing UK 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 four UCAS choices to see how each one interviews and the questions to practise.

Add your four universities

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

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Free · No sign-up · 16 UK dental schools mapped · 485 questions in the bank

How it works

From four school names 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 each school’s own admissions pages.
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 UK dental schools test

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

Empathy & role play16/16

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

Why this university15/16

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.

Why dentistry14/16

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 & professionalism11/16

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

Personal qualities & resilience8/16

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

Teamwork & leadership7/16

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

NHS dentistry & hot topics6/16

What they look for. An informed view of the NHS dental contract and access to NHS dentistry and current health stories, with both sides of each argument.

How to practise. Keep a running list of five current stories with a two-sided summary of each, and practise giving a balanced opinion in under two minutes.

56 nhs dentistry & hot topics questions in the bank

Data & problem solving5/16

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

Manual dexterity4/16

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

Your personal statement3/16

What they look for. That everything you wrote is true and that you can talk about it in depth, including what you learned.

How to practise. Reread your application and prepare a follow-up answer for every activity, book or experience you mention.

Work experience & reflection2/16

What they look for. Reflection, not description: what you saw, what it taught you about the job and how it changed your view.

How to practise. Turn each placement or volunteering role into one short story with a clear lesson about patients, teams or yourself.

18 work experience & reflection questions in the bank

Health inequalities & diversity1/16

What they look for. Awareness of health inequity and of how background, culture and access shape patients’ care, plus how you would serve a diverse population.

How to practise. Prepare an example of working with people unlike you and a view on one cause of inequity you have seen first-hand.

8 health inequalities & diversity questions in the bank

Community & regional health1/16

What they look for. Interest in the region the school serves and the health needs of its local and rural communities.

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

14 community & regional health questions in the bank

Group task1/16

What they look for. How you behave in a group while assessors watch: contributing, listening, drawing others in and helping the group decide.

How to practise. Practise a timed group discussion with friends and focus on summarising and including quieter voices rather than winning.

Every school

Every UK 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.

MMI11 schools

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)MMI, 7 stations · 7 min per station
Why dentistryEmpathy & role playWork experience & reflection+4
Guide
BirminghamMMI, 4–10 stations · 5–10 min per station
Empathy & role playWhy dentistryEthics & professionalism+4
Guide
CardiffMMI, 10 stations · In person (UK), online (international)
Ethics & professionalismWhy dentistryEmpathy & role play+2
Guide
DundeeMMI, 7 stations · About 1 hour
Empathy & role playTeamwork & leadershipPersonal qualities & resilience+3
Guide
GlasgowMMI, 7 stations · 6 min per station
Why dentistryWhy this universityEthics & professionalism+2
Guide
LeedsMMI
Empathy & role playEthics & professionalismPersonal qualities & resilience+2
Guide
LiverpoolMMI
Empathy & role playWhy dentistryEthics & professionalism+3
Guide
ManchesterMMI, 5 stations · 7 min per station
Why dentistryEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+3
Guide
PlymouthMMI, 5 stations · About 55 min
Why dentistryEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+4
Guide
Queen's University BelfastMMI · In person (UK), online (international)
Why dentistryEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+2
Guide
UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)MMI
Ethics & professionalismWhy dentistryEmpathy & role play+2
Guide

Panel interview5 schools

BristolStructured interview, 4 assessors · About 45–60 min
Why dentistryEmpathy & role playNHS dentistry & hot topics+2
Guide
King's College London (KCL)Online panel, 2 interviewers · Online
Why dentistryEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+1
Guide
NewcastleOnline panel, 2 selectors · About 20 min
Why dentistryEthics & professionalismEmpathy & role play+4
Guide
Queen Mary (QMUL)Online panel, 3–4 interviewers · Online
Why dentistryWhy this universityEmpathy & role play+4
Guide
SheffieldSelection day: panel + group task · Interview up to 15 min
Why dentistryWhy this universityEmpathy & role play+4
Guide

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Practise by question type rather than memorising answers. Almost every UK 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: an MMI gives each type its own station, while a panel covers several in one conversation, and a few schools add a group task, a data or calculation station, or a discussion of your personal statement. Choose your schools in the planner to see the exact mix for each one, with practice questions for every type.

Each school's format comes from our table of every UK dental school interview, built from the schools' own admissions pages. Station themes come from the school's published format where it releases one, and otherwise from our interview guide for that school, which combines its admissions pages with recent applicants' reports. 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, 200 of them written for UK 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