How To Get A Dentistry Interview
Applying to dental school is not easy. It can feel like there is a whirlwind of information you need to know and sometimes it can feel like you don’t even know where to start. If you do feel that way, don’t worry! The following blog post should help you out with all the key things you need to know and help you secure that dentistry interview!
Entry requirements
With 16 dental schools in the UK, of which two are graduate entry only, it is no secret they all want different things from their applicants. By tailoring your application to the dental schools you have applied to, you increase your chances of being invited for an interview.
Dental schools will be interested in your GCSEs and A levels( or equivalent), generally requiring biology and chemistry at A level but also your UCAT score and personal statement. There is one university in the UK which does not take UCAT but requires you to take the BMAT (biomedical admissions test) and this is the University of Leeds.
The UCAT, formerly known as the UKCAT, is a computer based test you will need to take the year of your admissions cycle and your score is only valid for that year. According to the official UCAT website, ‘ The UCAT helps universities to select applicants with the most appropriate mental abilities, attitudes and professional behaviours required for new doctors and dentists to be successful in their clinical careers’ Here is a link to the website https://www.ucat.ac.uk/
Below is a list with links to the entry requirements each university requires.
University
Link to Entry Requirements
King’s College London
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/dentistry-bds
University of Birmingham
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/med/dental-surgery.aspx#EntryRequirementsTab
University of Bristol
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2022/dentistry/bds-dentistry/
University of Leeds
https://courses.leeds.ac.uk/g033/dental-surgery-mchd-bchd-oral-science-bsc-mchd-bchd-bsc
University of Sheffield
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/2022/dental-surgery-bds#entryreqs
Barts and The London, Queen Mary University
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/smd/undergraduate/courses/full-entry-requirements/dentistry-bds/
Cardiff University
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2022/dental-surgery-bds
University of Manchester
Queen’s University Belfast
https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/dentistry-bds-a200/#entry
University of Glasgow
https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/dentistry/#entryrequirements
University of Dundee
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/undergraduate/dentistry/entry-requirements
University of Liverpool
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/dental-surgery-bds/entry-requirements/
University of Newcastle
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/a206/
Plymouth University, Peninsula School of Dentistry
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bds-dental-surgery
University of Aberdeen
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree-programmes/534/A201/dentistry/
University of Central Lancashire
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/dental-surgery-bds
2. Succeeding in the UCAT
The university clinical aptitude test, UCAT, is a two hour test made up of 5 sections: verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning and situational judgement. Each section is given a score from 300-900 except the situational judgement test, which is given a band from 1-4. At the end you are given an average score of the four sections and a band for the situational judgement. The average UCAT score of a cohort tends to vary yearly however is generally between 620-630.
Aiming for a score above average will improve your chances of being invited for an interview.
A top tip for success is being familiar with the exam. This involves knowing what types of questions will come up and developing a strategy for them. The more used to the questions you are, you are less likely to not know what to do on the day. Becoming familiar with the exam requires prepping around 4-8 weeks before the exam date.
This involves becoming accustomed to keyboard shortcuts such as ctrl+f which is used to flag a question. By doing so you are able to save time which is of the essence in this exam. Furthermore online question banks such as Medify and Kaplan are great ways to accustom yourself to the online format of the exam as well as the question types.
Don’t forget to use the resources on the official UCAT website, which include mock exams and question banks.
Iwanttobeadentist offer great courses and articles such as the UCAT online mastery course, e-lessons, UCAT tuition as well as a UCAT book.
Here is an article written by a member of the team at Iwanttobeadentist: https://iwanttobeadentist.com/scoring-750-in-the-ucat-former-applicant-shares-his-strategy He breaks down each section and explains his top tips for success in the UCAT after achieving a score of 750 with band 1 in the SJT.
Iwanttobeadentist online UCAT course can be found here and the UCAT e-lessons here.
3. How to master the personal statement
The personal statement is a 500 word essay that is a part of your UCAS application. It is a statement of text where you describe to a dental school why you are an ideal candidate and why they should interview you.
The key to a good personal statement is starting early and having a good structure. This allows you to have multiple drafts and the structure makes the statement easy to follow and clearer to read.
You should aim to have an introduction, main body and conclusion.
In the introduction you want to capture the reader’s attention. Here you will want to talk about why you want to study dentistry and what has motivated you to pursue the career e.g was it your own experience as a patient? Following the short introduction you move on to the main body of the statement.
The main body is where you will discuss why you are an applicant who has the skills and qualities required of a dental student and future dentist. This can be done by discussing the following
Work experience/research- By describing things you have learnt and by reflecting on them you demonstrate an insight into the career. This can be done by discussing cases you have seen/ read about or even describing the manner in which a dentist behaved in order to keep the patient comfortable and the impact this had. It can also be done by doing online courses which are great to broaden your knowledge but also demonstrates that you are an independent learner. By doing so, you are demonstrating a genuine interest into the profession which is what admissions tutors are looking for.
Personal attributes- Dentists require many skills such as empathy, compassion, listening, communication, ability to work in a team, leadership, adaptability, resilience, honesty, manual dexterity. In your personal statement you want to demonstrate that you have these qualities and are more than just your academics. For example playing a musical instrument shows manual dexterity, playing a sport shows teamwork, resilience and communication skills, volunteering shows compassion, empathy and listening skills.
It is useful to list what you have seen on work experience and what hobbies you have and try to link them to an attribute a dentist requires.
Eg. DofE- Shows leadership, teamwork, resilience and communication
Seeing a dentist calm a patient with dental anxiety down shows communication, listening skills and empathy.
Due to the stressful nature of dentistry, it is key to be able to maintain a work life balance. By showcasing your hobbies and extracurricular activities you are portraying that you are a candidate that has the skills to cope in a stressful environment and are beyond just your academia.
To conclude your personal statement, you want to show the admissions tutor you are aware of the challenges in the dental profession but are determined to pursue the career. You want to be able to summarise the key points of your statement and should urge the tutor to want to find out more.
Here is a link to an article written by a member of our team who discusses the key to success in the personal statement in more detail as well as providing examples of personal statements which you can read. https://iwanttobeadentist.com/dentistry-personal-statement/#statement1
Free statements examples here
We can help review your statement here
Conclusion
Overall, applying to dental school and waiting for an interview can feel challenging at times, however by starting early and making sure you have read in depth about the career and the specific entry requirements of a dental school, you improve your chances of being invited for an interview !
Don’t forget to check out our website for more helpful tips and tricks and remember a member of our friendly team is always willing to help with the application process!!
Good luck!!