Newcastle Dentistry Interview Questions & Tips

Past Interview Questions & Tips

SELECT SECTION

Newcastle Dentistry Interview Format

Newcastle receives around 700 applicants per year to its Dentistry program. They check applications to ensure that an academic minimum is surpassed, before using UCAT scores to further rank the applicants. Each year there is a specific UCAT cutoff, which is in the range of 637-650. However, the UCAT score is not directly predictable and dependent on application numbers and average scores.

Applications above the threshold are allocated scores based on their interest, motivation and commitment to dentistry, as evidenced through the personal statement. The amount, and variety, of dental experience is crucial, and a minimum of 10 days’ relevant work experience should be obtained. They will also look for evidence of team working and leadership skills, personal achievements and voluntary or charity activities.

The interview’s goal is to confirm whether an applicant has the aptitude, motivation and personal qualities required of a dental student at Newcastle, and of a dental professional in the future.

Interviews are in a panel format, and will be conducted by two selectors. Interviews will take around 20 minutes, and at the close of the interviews each selector will independently grade the candidate’s performance. You should expect the selectors to be drawn primarily from the academic and clinical staff at the university.

At interview applicants are assessed on:

preparation and motivation for dental school
effective learning skills
team working
personal qualities/resilience
interpersonal and communication skills
empathy, integrity and professionalism

Key Dates

Interviews will be held between December and March.

Newcastle Dentistry Key Application & Interview Statistics

Overall Success Rate (Total Applicants : Total Spaces)

Percentage of Candidates Interviewed

Percentage Of Candidates Interviewed

Interviewee Success Rate

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Newcastle Dentistry Past MMI Stations & Interview Questions

Preparation and motivation for dental school

What interests you in particular about the Newcastle course?
What contributions can you expect to make to the University?
You will be expected to study independently, and be responsible for your own learning. How can you illustrate that you are prepared for this?
Why are you choosing to study Dentistry rather than Medicine?
What are the differences between private dentistry and NHS dentistry?
Are you aware of the GDC (General Dental Council)? What is its role?
Do you know how NHS dentists are funded?
Are you attracted by the financial rewards possible in Dentistry?
Do you keep up to date with healthcare news and trends?
Can you give us an example of how research is important to dentistry?
Do you think that technology has influenced the practice of dentistry over the last 20 years? Will it continue to do so?

Effective Learning skills

What kind of learning style do you have?
Are you used to learning in small groups?
Are you used to taking responsibility for your own learning?
Do you believe that your learning style fits the course here at Newcastle?
Have you any experience of teaching others?

Team working

Tell us about a time when you worked successfully as part of a team.
Tell us about a time when your individual skills were crucial to the success of your team.
Are you a strong leader? Tell us about a time when you have shown leadership skills.
How have you developed your leadership abilities throughout school?
Do you think you work better in a team or alone?
What other types of healthcare professional do dentists have to work alongside?

Personal qualities & resilience

What personal qualities are most important to a dentist?
What characteristics do you note in yourself that you believe to be important to pursuing a career in dentistry?
Tell us about a time when you overcame a challenge in your learning.
Tell us about a time when you overcame a personal challenge.
What impressed you in particular about the manner of the dentists that you shadowed during your work experience?
What did you notice that could have been improved by the dentists that you shadowed during your work experience?
What personal strengths do you possess that will let you take on the amount of work required in a dentistry degree?

Interpersonal and communication skills

Why are communication skills so important to dentists?
How would you communicate with a difficult patient?
What types of patient might be more difficult to communicate with than others?
What communication challenges have you seen during your work experience?
Tell us about a time when your communication skills were essential to a task succeeding.

Empathy, integrity and professionalism

What do you understand by the term empathy?
Should dentists have to work for the NHS for a set period of time?
What do you understand by the term patient consent?
Tell us about a time when you were impressed by the professionalism of a dentist during your work experience.