Hello everyone! Thought I'd share my interview experience. Went to 5 interviews this year.
University of Washington, Seattle
3 DAY interview- 2 day bench exam and the last day is for the interview.
Day 1: Morning session- 4 hours to practice what we know on the mannequin, and to familiarize ourselves with the instruments and burs provided. They provide a very extensive prostho, endo and restorative kit (including polishing burs etc). Nothing unfamiliar to work with. I was personally pretty happy and excited about the instruments they provided. The kit had everything! There are a couple of current students (IDDS and traditional) to help you with questions at this time. Everyone is really helpful, understanding and courteous.
Afternoon session- 4 hours to prep a class 2 amalgam (lower molar), class 3 composite (upper CI), restore a prepared class 2 with amalgam (upper molar) and restore a prepared class 4 with composite (upper CI). The latter two are prepared by current students so they have pretty standard measurements. I noticed that some of my adjacent teeth were damaged so I had to get them changed before my exam. Also, the typo does not close! So it is tough to check if you've gotten your class 4 restored properly.
Day 2:
Morning session- 4 hours to isolate an upper CI (using rubber dam and clamp), create axis opening and complete an RCT. The first two steps are checked by the invigilator and graded immediately. During the RCT we had to take 4 radiographs- one standard x ray prior to begg treatment, one for working length, and the last 2 with completed obturation in 2 different planes. There is a real time crunch felt at this session. Last one hour especially. They use a manual developer/fixer so that takes up a little more time to get through.
Afternoon session- 4 hours to survey an upper and lower cast, wax up of an upper CI (with inlay wax), prepare a provisional crown for a lower molar (with a sub gingival margin and very damaged surrounding gingiva) and prepare an upper molar for receiving a PFM. Time crunch once again!
University at Buffalo
2 day interview- 1st day bench and the 2nd day is the interview.
DAY 1: 2 one on one interviews with faculty. Each interview averaged about 20 mins. Interviews will be longer if they like you (that is the general trend I've noticed) Nothing too stressful. On my second interview I was asked a few case scenarios.
Day 2: Extensive bench exam, 5 preps in 5 hours. We had to make a Class 2 amalgam prep, Class 2 composite prep, Class 2 amalgam restoration, Class 2 composite restoration and an upper PFM on a CI. I experienced a real time crunch at this exam. It is definitely stressful. The equipment is amazing though. Each candidate gets his very own isolated set up and a range of instruments. We were even given polishing burs. Instructions given for the exam are very clear so there is usually no need to ask additional questions to your proctors. Still, 2 proctors are assigned to 10 students.
Note: The teeth we were asked to restore with amalgam and composite had very wide cavities. I’d used 2 pellets of composite and amalgam each! The teeth they use are traditional Kilgore prepped teeth, so you can always practice restoring them prior to your exam.
University of Colorado, Denver
One day interview! Bench and personal interview all in one long day.
The interview held here is more stressful than in other schools. Its 45 min long and panel based. 2 faculty and 2 IDP (current or alumni) interview you. They go over your resume and ask you the usual questions (what are your goals, where do you see yourself in 5 years? What do you like to do in your spare time? Tell us about your family etc). They also ask a few ethic based questions. They are trying to judge the kind of person you are. Its tricky answering those questions. Note: Try to be as honest as possible when answering. I interviewed with this school twice, and the second time I interviewed I was just honest. I didn't try to make up a flowery answer (which is what most people try to do- Don't!)
Bench- 3 components. Class 2 amalgam prep on a lower posterior tooth, FGC on an upper post tooth and wax carving. The handpicks they use are electric and are very heavy. I wasn't used to using such a heavy handpiece. Practicing before hand will make a world of a difference! For wax carving- they give you red rope wax and blue inlay wax and ask you to make certain designs using it. It’s very simple and you just need to follow the written instructions carefully. It's actually the most fun thing to do at the bench! Being dentists, this part is the best for us
Pacific
2 day interview- 1st day personal interview and the 2nd day is the bench.
Interview- 20 min personal interview with 1 faculty member. Very casual and fun! Good opportunity to ask questions about the school. Faculty is very nice and friendly and they go out of their way to make you feel comfortable!
Bench- 2 preps- 3 hours. PFM on an upper ant tooth, Class 2 MO amalgam prep on a post tooth. There is also a 15 min critical thinking assessment- this is a case study and is a written exam. It is presented to you before the bench exam.
University of California, San Francisco
2 day interview- 1st day interview and 2nd day bench exam.
Interview- very casual, 30 min with 2 faculty. They ask you 3 case scenarios during the interview- no right or wrong answers, they just want to see how you think.
Bench exam- 3 hours- 2 preps. FGC and PFM.
I've been accepted at UW, Colorado and Pacific this year. I am choosing UW
Best of luck to everyone!