Interview prep: how to answer, what to wear and how to show up

For any question that asks for a past example, tell it in four parts: Situation, Task, Action, Result.

• Situation: set the scene in a sentence or two. Where were you, and what was going on? [13]
• Task: say what you were responsible for or trying to achieve. [13]
• Action: describe what you personally did, step by step. Say "I", not "we". This should be the longest part of the answer. [13]
• Result: say how it resolved, with something concrete if you can, and what you learned from it. [13]
• Use STAR for questions like "tell me about a time you faced a conflict", "describe a failure" or "give an example of leadership". It does not fit "why dentistry" or "why this school"; those need a clear reason backed by one specific experience. [13]
• Prepare five or six stories from different parts of your life (clinic or shadowing, research, a job, a team, a setback) and practice each in about ninety seconds. Most interview questions can be answered with one of them. [13]

STAR is a long-standing teaching convention from career offices, not a research finding. In this app, Tutor mode and the scorecard check your behavioral answers against it and tell you which of the four parts you left out.

Wear a conservative business suit. Every source agrees on this, for dental school and for residency.

• The AAMC advises admissions candidates to dress professionally in a neutral-colored suit or dress without distracting accessories, and to be understated and conservative: navy, dark grey or black where possible. [2][3]
• ADEA's guidance for dental school interviews is to choose attire that is both professional and comfortable and reflects your style, and not to dress casually in a T-shirt and jeans. [1]
• Dental-specific advisers recommend a black or navy suit for everyone, either a pants suit or a skirt suit, clean, pressed and well fitted. [14]
• In a study where judges ranked candidates on appearance, neat grooming and business dress were the two factors that mattered most. Older judges were more conservative than younger ones, and interviewers are usually senior faculty. [11]

Blue, black and grey are the safe choices. Keep bright color to one small accent, or leave it out.

• Cornell's Career Exploration Center recommends blues, blacks and greys for traditional fields because they read as confident and capable, with color added only through a small accessory such as a tie, necklace or socks. [4]
• In a CareerBuilder survey of 2,099 hiring managers, blue was the color most often named best for an interview (23%), followed by black (15%). Orange was most often named worst (25%) and was the color most associated with being unprofessional. [5]
• The same survey reported what managers associate with each color: black with leadership, blue with being a team player, grey with being logical and analytical, white with being organized, brown with being dependable, and red with power. [5]

These color meanings come from an opinion survey of hiring managers in business, not from experiments and not from dental admissions. Treat them as a guide to what looks conventional, not as proof that a color changes your outcome.

Choose navy or another dark, quiet tie. Avoid a red tie.

• In three experiments, people shown a job applicant wearing red judged him less favorably. With a red tie instead of a blue one he was rated as having less earning and leadership potential, and with a red tie instead of a green one he was rated less likely to be hired. [6]
• Dental interview advisers recommend navy or dark ties. A bow tie is acceptable if it is not flashy. [14]

The red-tie experiments used photographs rated by study participants, not real interviews. The effect is real in the lab; how large it is in a 30-minute conversation is unknown. Since a navy tie costs you nothing, it is the sensible choice.

Plain and light under the jacket. Skirts and dresses at or just below the knee.

• A white shirt or blouse looks crisp, especially on camera. Avoid busy patterns, which are distracting on video. [14][3]
• A neutral-colored dress is as acceptable as a suit in AAMC guidance. A pants suit and a skirt suit are equally appropriate. [2][14]
• If you wear a skirt, advisers recommend knee length or slightly below. [14]

Closed-toe dress shoes that you can walk in for an hour.

• The AAMC warns against uncomfortable shoes because interview days include a lot of walking around campus. [2]
• Advisers recommend closed-toe dress shoes for everyone. If you wear heels, keep them low enough to walk in comfortably and avoid high or chunky ones. [14]

Either is fine. What matters is that it is neat, stays off your face, and that you do not touch it.

• Advisers recommend hair neatly styled and kept out of the face. For long hair, a simple ponytail or neat bun works. No study we found shows that hair worn up does better than hair worn down. [14]
• Neat grooming was one of the two most important factors when judges ranked candidates on appearance. [11]
• Research has documented a bias against natural Black hairstyles. In four studies, Black women with natural hairstyles were rated less professional and were less likely to be recommended for an interview than Black women with straightened hair or white women. The bias appeared in an industry with conservative dress norms (consulting) and not in a creative one (advertising). [9]

The natural-hair finding describes a bias in evaluators. It is not a reason your hair is unprofessional, and the researchers' recommendations are aimed at organizations, not candidates. Some jurisdictions have passed laws protecting natural hairstyles. How you wear your hair is your decision; we include the research so you can make it informed.

If you wear makeup, keep it natural and light. Heavy, dramatic makeup can cost you on trust.

• In a Harvard-led study, faces with makeup were rated more competent at every level of makeup. With unlimited time to look, natural and professional looks also raised likeability, and the natural look raised trustworthiness. The most dramatic (glamorous) look gave no likeability gain and lowered ratings of trustworthiness. [7]
• Dental interview advisers recommend natural makeup that is not bold. [14]

The study rated photographs of women's faces; it did not study interviews, and no guidance from ADEA or the AAMC asks anyone to wear makeup. Wearing none is entirely appropriate.

Wear whichever you normally wear and see best in. Glasses do not hurt you and may help slightly.

• In four experiments, faces with glasses, full-rim or rimless, were judged more successful, more intelligent and more trustworthy than the same faces without. Full-rim glasses slightly lowered ratings of attractiveness; rimless glasses raised trustworthiness without that cost. [8]

These were ratings of photographs, and the effects are modest. It is not a reason to buy glasses you do not need. For a video interview, check beforehand that your lenses are not reflecting your screen or a lamp; that last point is practical advice, not from a study.

Keep all of it minimal. Nothing should make noise, catch the light, or reach the interviewer before you do.

• The AAMC advises keeping cologne and perfume to a minimum and avoiding excessive, dangling, noisy or clunky jewelry and distracting accessories. [3][2]
• Advisers suggest small earrings and a watch as all the jewelry you need. [14]
• In the appearance-ranking study, non-conservative piercings lowered a candidate's ranking. [11]

The greeting and small talk count. Interviewers form a judgment in the opening minutes, and it carries through.

• In a study of structured interviews, the impression candidates made during the opening rapport-building minutes predicted the interviewer's final rating (r = .42) and whether candidates later received offers (r = .22). The effect came from early judgments of competence, not just from being liked. [10]
• ADEA's advice for those minutes: be sincere and authentic, offer a welcoming greeting, sit up straight with a calm and relaxed posture, and speak slowly and clearly. [1]
• Be professional with everyone you meet during the visit, including staff and students who are not interviewing you. [1]

Dress exactly as you would in person, and sort out light, background and equipment the day before.

• Treat a video interview just like an in-person one, and dress the same way. [1][3]
• Sit in a clean, well-lit room with a neutral background. Put the light in front of you, not behind: do not sit with a window at your back, and do not sit in the dark. [1][3]
• Look at the camera, not the screen, when you speak. [3]
• Be at your webcam 15 minutes before the start. Check the time zone of the school, test your equipment and connection, and ask others in your home not to use the Wi-Fi heavily. [1]
• Find a quiet, private place with no pets in the room. Take notes on paper, not by typing. [1]

ADEA's checklist for before, during and after the interview.

• Before: read the invitation so you prepare for the right format, learn the school's mission and review its website, do mock interviews, and get a good night's sleep. [1]
• Arrive 30 minutes early, ideally after visiting the location the day before. Bring the invitation and photo ID. [1]
• During: phone off or silent, no vibrating smartwatch, and not too much caffeine. Listen to the whole question, take your time before answering, and do not take over with very long answers. Prepare your own questions, and do not ask ones the website answers. [1]
• After: send a thank-you email with no misspelled names, follow up on anything you promised, and never speak negatively about a school on social media or in another school's interview. [1]

The same conservative standard applies. If a program tells you its dress code, follow it.

• When one emergency medicine residency switched to an explicitly informal dress code, 85% of applicants appreciated it, but two thirds said it made them worry more about what to wear. If a program says business casual, it means it; choose the neat, conservative end of that. [12]

We found no published study of attire in dental residency interviews specifically. This section rests on general guidance and one study from medicine.