Cardiff University Dentistry Interview Questions 2026: Complete Guide to the BDS MMI
🌟 Introduction: Cardiff’s Dental School and Why the Interview Matters
Cardiff University School of Dentistry is the only dental school in Wales and teaches its undergraduate programmes in the University Dental Hospital on the Heath Park campus, alongside the University Hospital of Wales.
Competition is intense. Cardiff reports over 1,500 applications per year for the BDS Dentistry programme, with only around 280–300 applicants invited to interview and about 100 offers ultimately made for roughly 74 Year 1 places.
Your interview is therefore crucial. This guide focuses on the BDS Dental Surgery (A200) for 2026 entry, using:
Cardiff University’s own Admissions Information for Dentistry (approved August 2024)
The School-level Admissions Policy for 2026 entry
Official School of Dentistry undergraduate pages (MMI dates)
Dental Schools Council (DSC) guidance on the values and attributes needed to study dentistry
Genuine student comments and blogs from Cardiff.
🎯 How Cardiff Decides Who to Invite for a Dentistry Interview
Cardiff’s process is structured and rule‑based. For BDS A200, they do not use predicted grades or AS levels at any stage of selection.Cardiff University
1. Basic eligibility checks
To be eligible to apply, you must:
Be 18 years old on the first day of Year 1
Meet minimum GCSE (Level 2) and A‑level (Level 3) requirements, including required subjects (typically Biology and Chemistry)
Meet English language requirements at the point of application
Sit the UCAT in the summer/autumn of the year of application (for A200 only)
Cardiff does not currently accept Access Courses, BTECs or T Levels for BDS.
2. Academic scoring – achieved grades only
For all applicants who meet the minimum requirements and have acceptable personal statements and references, Cardiff assigns an academic score based on achieved qualifications only.
For BDS:
Typically seven GCSEs are scored:
9 / 8 / A* = 4 points
7 / A = 3 points
6 / B = 2 points
5 / 4 / C = 1 point
Accepted achieved A‑level grades can add to this score
Once you reach 28 points, you are treated as having the maximum academic score for BDS and considered alongside others at that level
Predicted grades do not contribute to this score, and AS‑level results are ignored.
3. Contextualisation and guaranteed interviews
Cardiff divides applicants into groups (e.g. Welsh‑domiciled, contextualised rest‑of‑UK, non‑contextual rest‑of‑UK, widening participation and overseas) and uses contextual admissions to widen participation.
Some applicants get guaranteed interviews for Dentistry if they meet the minimum entry requirements. This includes those who have participated in programmes such as:
Cardiff University Step‑Up to University
Sutton Trust Dental Summer School
Deintyddion Yfory (Tomorrow’s Dentists)
North Wales Dentistry Scheme
International Foundation Year in Health, Medical and Life Sciences
Welsh‑domiciled applicants and contextual applicants receive additional consideration in scoring
4. How UCAT is used
For BDS A200, UCAT is required, but there is no fixed UCAT cut‑off published in advance. Cardiff uses UCAT only if there are more high‑scoring academic applicants than available interview places in a given applicant group.
Key points:
UCAT scores from previous years are not accepted
The cut‑off changes every cycle and may differ between applicant groups (e.g. Welsh vs non‑contextual rest‑of‑UK)
5. How many interviews and offers?
Official Cardiff figures (last two cycles):
>1,500 applications per year for BDS
~280–300 interviews
~100 offers
~74 Year 1 places (UK + overseas; number can change)
Freedom of Information responses for recent cycles report around 250–300 interviews just for home applicants, which matches these published figures.
🧪 How Cardiff Interviews for BDS 2026 Entry
MMI format for 2026
Cardiff states that for Dentistry, interviews will be in the format of Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), consisting of several short stations with themed questions.
For 2026 entry, the official School of Dentistry undergraduate page lists the MMI dates as:
Dental Surgery (BDS, A200): 12 – 23 January 2026
Dental Therapy and Hygiene (BSc, B752): 9 – 20 March 2026
Dental Hygiene (DipHE, B750): 9 – 20 March 2026
These dates are published by Cardiff itself and may be subject to minor changes, so always double‑check their website close to the time.
Structure and length of the MMI
Cardiff doesn’t publicly list every detail of the BDS MMI structure, but a Cardiff University student representative on The Student Room has described the BDS interview as historically comprising around 10 stations, each lasting 5 minutes, with details confirmed in the invitation email.
A Cardiff student blogger (Dental Hygiene & Therapy) further explains that MMIs at Cardiff typically involve:**Blogs
Rotating through multiple bays in the clinic
~5 minutes per station, with:
2 minutes of preparation time
1 minute to move between stations
A buzzer system to signal when to start/stop
Although this blog is for Dental Hygiene & Therapy, the general MMI style is very similar across the School of Dentistry.
So, for 2026 BDS entry, it is reasonable to expect:
Around 10 short stations
Roughly 1.5 hours overall including movement and briefings
A mix of discussion, scenarios and possibly role‑play, all mapped to dental professional attributes
In‑person vs online interviews
Cardiff states that:
Home fee‑status applicants will have in‑person MMIs in Cardiff
Overseas BDS applicants may be offered online MMIs
Online interviews are not routinely offered to home candidates
They currently do not reimburse travel expenses, but say applicants who struggle financially can contact them to discuss their situation (funding is not guaranteed).
Welsh and bilingual interviews
Cardiff offers the option to sit your MMI entirely in Welsh or bilingually:
You can switch between Welsh and English at any point
All questions are available in Welsh
There are no extra marks for speaking Welsh, and you will not lose marks if you switch language
You must contact the School (after receiving an invitation) to secure one of the Welsh / bilingual interview slots
🧭 What Is the Cardiff Dentistry Interview Style?
Cardiff’s MMIs are values‑based and skills‑focused, not a test of your dental technical knowledge.
According to Cardiff’s Admissions Information document and the linked Dental Schools Council guidance, most MMI stations are mapped to the “values and attributes expected of dental professionals” as defined by the GDC and DSC.
This means the interview is designed to assess things like:
Communication skills (listening, explaining clearly)
Empathy and respect for patients
Teamwork and leadership
Honesty, integrity and duty of candour
Resilience, self‑reflection and insight
Motivation to study dentistry and understanding of the profession
Awareness of consent, confidentiality and ethics
A Cardiff Uni student rep summarised typical themes as questions about:
“the course in Cardiff, ethics, your understanding of a career in [dentistry], the NHS, working in teams, self‑directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience, and communication.”
Expect stations to be friendly but structured, with assessors following marking criteria rather than trying to “catch you out”.
📅 When Are Cardiff Dentistry Interviews Held & When Will You Hear?
Interview dates for 2026 BDS entry
As above, the official 2026 MMI window for BDS is:
12 – 23 January 2026 (BDS Dental Surgery A200)
For other dental programmes (which some applicants may also be considering):
BSc Dental Therapy & Dental Hygiene (B752): 9 – 20 March 2026
DipHE Dental Hygiene (B750): 9 – 20 March 2026
These dates are published on Cardiff’s School of Dentistry website and can change slightly, so check closer to the time.
When will you find out if you have an interview?
Cardiff explains that they:
Review all Dentistry applications after the 15 October UCAS deadline
This process “can take many weeks”, and they don’t give exact timelines
Aim to give at least two weeks’ notice of your interview date where possible
Ask BDS applicants who haven’t heard by the end of December to contact DentalCentralEnquiries@cardiff.ac.uk
A Cardiff dental student blogger notes that due to the large number of applications, you may hear quite close to the interview dates, but the School tries to give at least two weeks’ notice.Blogs
📚 What Topics Are Covered at a Cardiff Dentistry Interview?
Pulling together official Cardiff documents, DSC guidance and student‑rep comments, the main topic areas for Cardiff BDS MMIs typically include:
1. Motivation and understanding of Dentistry
Why Dentistry, not Medicine or another career?
What do you think are the best and hardest parts of being a dentist?
What have you learned from any work experience or caring roles?
2. Why Cardiff and why Wales?
Why do you want to study at Cardiff specifically (teaching style, outreach clinics, phantom heads, community placements, Wales‑wide service)?
How do you feel about working in the NHS in Wales, including in more rural or deprived communities?
3. NHS and healthcare awareness
The role of dentistry in the NHS and public health
Issues like access to NHS dentistry, prevention, sugar and diet, health inequalities
Understanding of the dental team and multidisciplinary working
4. Professionalism, ethics and the law
Cardiff maps its stations to the GDC / DSC attributes, which specifically highlight: consent, confidentiality, duty of candour, raising concerns and putting patients’ interests first.
So expect scenarios around:
Consent (e.g. anxious minors, language barriers)
Confidentiality and social media
Mistakes and duty of candour
Fair allocation of limited resources
5. Communication and teamwork
Explaining information clearly to patients or colleagues
Working within a team, handling disagreements, giving and receiving feedback
Empathy, listening and adapting your communication style
6. Resilience, reflection and self‑awareness
Cardiff places strong emphasis on reflection and insight:
Times you have struggled and how you coped
How you look after your mental health and manage stress/exams
What you’ve learned from mistakes
7. Dexterity and practical skills
Hobbies demonstrating fine motor skills (instruments, art, crafts, sport, etc.)
Ability to concentrate over long periods and pay attention to detail
8. Suitability for the profession
Cardiff explicitly mentions they consider “Suitability for the Profession” scores when deciding offers. It is possible to score well on individual stations but not receive an offer if your overall professionalism/suitability score is low.
📊 How Many Applicants Get Interviews and Offers at Cardiff Dentistry?
From Cardiff’s official Admissions Information for Dentistry (updated August 2024):
Applications: Over 1,500 per year (past two years)
Interviews: Approximately 280–300 BDS applicants
Offers (BDS): Now around 100 per year
Places: Around 74 places for Year 1 (including UK and overseas)
This means that, very roughly:
Around 1 in 5–6 applicants are invited to interview
Around 1 in 3 interviewees receives an offer
Around three‑quarters of offer holders ultimately get a place (depending on exam results and firm/insurance choices)
These figures can vary by year, and may differ slightly between applicant groups (e.g. Welsh‑domiciled vs overseas).
🧠 Extensive Example Cardiff Dentistry MMI Stations & Questions
Cardiff does not publish its exact current stations, but their student blogger confirms that invited applicants are sent sample past stations to practise with, and that stations are designed to assess DSC / GDC attributes rather than detailed dental knowledge.
Below is a large set of original example stations and questions, designed to be Cardiff‑style, based on:
Cardiff’s emphasis on values, reflection and NHS context
DSC guidance on attributes such as empathy, communication, duty of candour and lifelong learning
Use these for practice; they are not official and won’t be reused verbatim by the School.
1️⃣ Motivation & “Why Dentistry / Why Cardiff?”
Station 1 – Why Dentistry?
You have 2 minutes to read the task, then 5 minutes to answer.
Why do you want to study Dentistry?
What moment or experience most strongly confirmed this choice for you?
What alternative careers have you considered, and why did you decide against them?
Station 2 – Why Cardiff & Wales?
Why have you chosen to apply to Cardiff’s School of Dentistry?
Cardiff’s BDS is delivered in the University Dental Hospital at Heath Park, with outreach clinics across Wales. How does this learning environment suit you?Cardiff University+1
How do you feel about the possibility of practising in Welsh communities with varying levels of dental access?
2️⃣ Work Experience & Reflection
Station 3 – Reflecting on caring experience
Describe one experience (dental or non‑dental) where you cared for or supported someone.
What did you do well, and what would you do differently in future?
Which GDC / DSC attributes do you think you demonstrated? (For example: empathy, teamwork, responsibility, honesty.)Dental Schools Council
Station 4 – Shadowing a dental team (or alternative)
If you had dental work experience:
What surprised you most about the day‑to‑day reality of being a dentist?
What did you notice about how the dental team worked together?
If you did not have dental work experience:
What have you done instead to understand dentistry (e.g. online courses, reading, non‑dental caring roles), and what have you learned from this?
3️⃣ NHS, Public Health & Dental Issues
Station 5 – Access to NHS Dentistry in Wales
You are given a short paragraph describing difficulties in accessing NHS dental appointments in certain areas of Wales, especially for children and low‑income families.
Questions:
Why might access to NHS dentistry be unequal across different areas or groups?
What are the potential consequences of poor access for individuals and for the healthcare system?
As a future Cardiff‑trained dentist working in Wales, how could you contribute to improving oral health in disadvantaged communities?
Station 6 – Prevention vs treatment
A patient says: “I only come to the dentist when I’m in pain. I don’t see the point of check‑ups.”
How would you explain the importance of preventive care in a clear and respectful way?
How does prevention fit within the NHS and public health approach to dentistry?
4️⃣ Ethics & Professionalism Scenarios
Station 7 – Confidentiality and social media
Scenario: A dental student posts a photo on Instagram of a patient in the clinic. The patient’s face is blurred, but friends could recognise them. The caption includes jokey comments about their poor oral hygiene.
Questions:
What ethical issues does this scenario raise?
How should the student have behaved instead?
If you were another student in the clinic, what would you do?
Station 8 – Consent and an anxious teenager
Scenario: A 15‑year‑old arrives with a parent. The dentist proposes an extraction under local anaesthetic. The parent insists, but the teenager is visibly distressed and says they’re not sure.
Explain the key issues about consent in this situation.
How should the dental team communicate with both parent and young person?
What would you do if the parent pressured the teenager to agree quickly?
Station 9 – Duty of candour and mistakes
Scenario: A dental student accidentally scratches a patient’s lip with an instrument, causing a small cut. The supervising dentist suggests “It’s minor, let’s not mention it unless they ask.”
What does duty of candour mean in healthcare?Dental Schools Council
How should the situation be handled ethically?
How might the incident be used as a learning opportunity for the student?
Station 10 – Justice and prioritisation
Scenario: You are a foundation dentist in a busy NHS practice. You have three patients needing urgent appointments, but only one emergency slot left today.
What factors would you consider when deciding who gets seen first?
How would you communicate your decision to the patients who must wait?
How can dentists help ensure fairness in a system with limited resources?
5️⃣ Communication, Teamwork & Difficult Conversations
Station 11 – Explaining treatment to an anxious adult
A patient is terrified of injections and becomes tearful in the chair. How would you communicate with them?
What techniques could you use to reduce their anxiety?
How could you gauge whether they have truly understood and consented to treatment?
Station 12 – Conflict in the dental team
Scenario: A dental nurse tells you the dentist has been repeatedly rude to them in front of patients. They ask your advice.
How might this situation affect patient care?
How could you support the nurse while remaining professional?
When might it be appropriate to escalate concerns, and to whom?
Station 13 – Teaching and explaining
You are given a simple diagram of a tooth and gum disease.
Explain this diagram to a patient with no scientific background, in simple, non‑patronising language.
How would you check they have understood?
6️⃣ Resilience, Time Management & Self‑Reflection
Station 14 – Coping with stress
Tell us about a time when you felt under significant academic or personal pressure.
How did you manage the situation, and what did you learn about yourself?
Dentistry is demanding. How will you look after your wellbeing during the BDS course?
Station 15 – Learning from failure
Describe a time when something did not go to plan (exam, project, teamwork).
How did you respond?
What specific changes have you made as a result of that experience?
7️⃣ Manual Dexterity & Focus
Station 16 – Hobbies and skills
Which of your hobbies demonstrates fine motor skills or hand–eye coordination (e.g. drawing, sewing, musical instruments, model‑making, sports)?
What have these activities taught you about patience and concentration?
How might these skills be useful as a dentist?
Station 17 – Attention to detail task
You are shown a simple pattern, small Lego structure, or image. You have 30 seconds to study it, then it is taken away.
Recreate or describe the pattern / object as accurately as you can.
Reflect briefly on how you approached the task and what it shows about your working style.
8️⃣ Data Interpretation & Dental Public Health
Station 18 – Caries rates graph
You are shown a graph of caries rates in 5‑year‑old children across different regions of Wales.
Describe what the graph shows in simple terms.
Why might there be differences between regions?
If you were part of a public health team, what interventions might you suggest?
Station 19 – Sugar tax article
You are given a short article about the UK soft drinks industry levy (“sugar tax”).
Summarise the key points to the interviewer.
How might such a policy affect oral health?
Are there any limitations or challenges of relying on this type of policy?
9️⃣ Cardiff‑ and Wales‑Specific Scenarios
Station 20 – Bilingual patient in clinic
Scenario: You are a dental student on placement in Wales. A patient is much more comfortable speaking Welsh, but you are not fluent.
How would you ensure they feel respected and fully involved in decisions?
What practical steps could you take to communicate effectively?
Why is language so important in healthcare?
Station 21 – Community outreach clinic
Scenario: You are volunteering at a community dental clinic in a deprived area. Many patients have missed appointments in the past.
How would you respond to a patient who says, “I didn’t come because I knew you’d judge me”?
What can dentists and the wider system do to make services more accessible and welcoming?
⏰ When Are Cardiff Dentistry Offers Released?
Cardiff does not publish a fixed offer‑release date. However, recent applicants on The Student Room report that:
For one recent cycle, offers began arriving at the end of February
The following year, offers were reported around mid‑March
A Cardiff University student rep in the same thread confirms that offers are typically released around March after January interviews but emphasises that timings can vary.
So for 2026 entry, you should expect:
Interviews in January 2026
Most decisions and offers from late February through March, potentially extending into spring
Always rely on:
UCAS Hub
Emails from Cardiff Admissions / DentalCentralEnquiries
for definitive updates, as timelines can shift year‑to‑year.
✅ Top Tips for Succeeding at the Cardiff Dentistry Interview
Here are Cardiff‑ and dentistry‑specific strategies to help you perform at your best.
1. Know Cardiff’s course and context 🌍
Be ready to talk about:
The location of the School in the University Dental Hospital on the Heath Park campus
Early and varied clinical exposure, including outreach clinics in Wales
The fact that Cardiff is the only dental school in Wales and works closely with the NHS and Welsh Government
Have two or three specific reasons for choosing Cardiff beyond “it seems nice”: think teaching style, community focus, Welsh context, research, or facilities (e.g. phantom heads).
2. Study the official GDC / Dental Schools Council attributes 📘
Cardiff explicitly maps MMI stations to the “values and attributes needed to study dentistry” published by the Dental Schools Council.
Read the guidance and make a quick mind‑map of attributes such as:
Empathy
Honesty and integrity
Teamwork
Duty of candour
Resilience and self‑reflection
Motivation for dentistry
For each attribute, prepare 2–3 short examples from your life (school, work, volunteering, hobbies).
3. Practise timed, structured answers ⏱️
Because stations are short (often 5 minutes), you need to be clear and concise. A Cardiff student blogger emphasises using the preparation time to jot notes and keeping answers focused so you don’t run out of time.
A useful structure for many questions:
Situation – brief context
Action – what you did / would do
Reflection – what you learned / why it matters for dentistry
Practise with a friend, teacher or mirror and time yourself.
4. Focus on reflection, not just storytelling 🔍
Cardiff loves reflective applicants – it’s made clear in their scoring approach and linked DSC guidance.
When you discuss work experience or activities, always include:
What you observed
What it showed you about dentistry or healthcare
How it has influenced your behaviour or plans
5. Be ready for NHS & ethics questions ⚖️
You don’t need to be a health policy expert, but you should be able to talk sensibly about:
What the NHS is and how dentistry fits within it
The importance of prevention, not just treatment
Basic ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, non‑maleficence, justice
Link back to GDC standards and DSC attributes where appropriate.
6. Use the prep time wisely 📝
From Cardiff’s own student blogger:
Use the 2 minutes of preparation to underline key words and note 3–4 bullet points
If you get flustered during the station, glance back at those notes to re‑centre yourself
Treat every new station as a fresh start – don’t carry negativity from the last one
7. Plan logistics early 🚆
Because interviews for home applicants are in person, you’ll need to plan:
Travel to Cardiff
Accommodation if you live far away
What ID and documents to bring (as specified in your invite email)
Cardiff does not routinely reimburse travel but encourages applicants who can’t afford to attend to get in touch – they may be able to advise.
8. Consider the Welsh / bilingual option (if relevant) 🏴
If you are a Welsh speaker:
Remember you can request a Welsh or bilingual MMI
You can switch languages without penalty
Decide in advance whether you’d feel more comfortable answering certain station types in Welsh or English
This can help you communicate more naturally, which is what assessors really want.
9. Look after yourself 🧘
In the weeks before the interview:
Maintain sleep, exercise and breaks
Do focused but manageable revision sessions
Practise breathing or grounding techniques for nerves
Remember that Cardiff already likes your academics and UCAT; the interview is about seeing who you are in person.
🗣️ Student Comments on the Cardiff Dentistry Interview
Cardiff helpfully provides some insight through student voices:
A Cardiff dental student blogger describes the MMI as moving “round a room… in our clinics and [between] bays”, with stations of about 5 minutes, 2 minutes’ preparation and 1 minute to move, guided by buzzers. They emphasise that all the clinical information needed is given in the station, so you don’t need prior technical dental knowledge.
The same blogger notes that Cardiff sends examples of past MMI stations to invitees and advises practising common MMI questions, researching GDC principles and NHS values, and keeping answers concise.
A Cardiff Uni Student Rep on The Student Room confirms that previous BDS interviews have had 10 stations of 5 minutes, and that Cardiff tends to ask about the Cardiff course, ethics, career understanding, the NHS, teamwork, self‑directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience and communication.
Applicants in recent cycles report offers starting to appear from late February to mid‑March, aligning with the School’s January MMI schedule.
These comments can’t override official policy, but they give a realistic flavour of what to expect.
🧾 References
Main official and authoritative sources used for this guide (all accessed recently):
Cardiff University – School of Dentistry, Undergraduate page (MMI dates for 2026) – includes published dates for MMI windows for BDS A200, B752 and B750.Cardiff University
Cardiff University – “Admissions information for studying Dentistry at Cardiff” (approved 30 August 2024) – details competitiveness, number of applications, interviews and offers, scoring system, contextualisation, guaranteed interviews, and MMI format (including Welsh/bilingual options and mapping to GDC attributes).Cardiff University
Cardiff University – School‑level UG policy, School of Dentistry, Variation to admissions policy for 2026 entry – outlines eligibility, UCAT requirements, academic scoring and resit policies.Cardiff University
Dental Schools Council (2023) – “Guidance on the core values and attributes needed to study dentistry” – national guidance on what dental schools look for, which Cardiff explicitly maps its MMI stations to.Dental Schools Council
Cardiff University Student Blogger – “Multiple Mini Interviews for Dental Hygiene and Therapy” (13 December 2024) – first‑hand description of Cardiff’s MMI structure and preparation tips.Blogs
Cardiff University – BDS Dental Surgery course information (UCAS / course pages) – confirms course location, structure and clinical setting.Cardiff University
