Pharmacy school interviews are one of the most important factors in determining acceptance to a program. In fact, I would even go as far as saying this is the most important factor. Interviews in general scared me to death. My heart starts to race, my sweat glands go into overdrive, and I feel like fainting. To get over my fears I had to practice and anticipate all the questions that might be thrown at me. One of the things that helped improve my interview skills dramatically was to utilize mock interviews. They will help you formulate more concise and fluid answers compared to going into an interview without any practice. Many people get nervous for interviews and practice will help ease those jitters.

Pharmacy School Interviews

Once you have received an invite for the interview there is roughly a 50% chance of getting an acceptance letter. At this point the pharmacy school has already reviewed your application and has thrown out a majority of the applications through their screening process. Certain pharmacy schools will put more emphasis on the interview when deciding if you are a good fit for their pharmacy program. Other programs however, will base their entire application process on some sort of point system. Below is an example of how a school may analyze an applicant on a point system:

  • Grade Point Average (30/100)
  • Interview (30/100)
  • Letters of Recommendation (10/100)
  • Extracurricular Activities (10/100)
  • Personal Statements (10/100)
  • PCAT Scores (10/100)

They add up all the points and send out acceptance offers to the applicants that score the highest. While other schools will hand pick their students based off the interviews rather than GPA and other factors.

Take the time to prepare and practice by asking friends and family to give you a mock interview. I have collected a list of 50+ questions to practice with for interview day. Another great resource to utilize would include pre-pharmacy clubs or pre-pharmacy departments to see if they offer mock interviews. Watch the video below on how to prepare for interviews.

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I hope the recommendations above will help guide, motivate, and inspire you to achieve your goals. Follow my blog for more tips and advice on how to become a pharmacist. What are your experiences? Please comment below and share your thoughts.

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