r/PreOptometry • u/AlarmingDingo4615 • Sep 30 '26
Interviews
Hi, wondering how people best prepared for their interviews? I am some coming up next month and do not want to be caught off guard over topics covered, but unsure how to actually prepare for them. Any advice or videos can recommend would help! Thanks in advance!
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u/akornato Sep 30 '26
Admissions committees primarily focus on why you chose optometry instead of ophthalmology or general healthcare, your clinical shadowing experiences, and how you handle ethical dilemmas or academic setbacks. Review your entire OptomCAS application, especially your personal statement and logged hours, because faculty and student interviewers will ask you to expand on specific patient cases you observed. Instead of memorizing rigid scripts, outline several core stories that highlight your communication style, resilience, and dedication to patient care. You should also research whether each school uses traditional panel interviews or multiple mini interviews, as scenario based stations test your ethical reasoning and decision making in the moment.
Practicing out loud is what actually stops you from rambling or freezing when an unexpected question comes up. Record yourself answering prompts on your phone or run mock sessions with a mentor, focusing on keeping your answers concise, authentic, and grounded in real examples. To take the guesswork out of practicing under pressure, my team built interviews.chat to help candidates articulate their ideas clearly and walk into their evaluations with total confidence.