What happens on the day

There will be 4 panellists interviewing you and there may be observers.

Testing your computer

On the day of the interview, please make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get the computer you’ll be using set up and tested.

Virtual interview format 

Your interview will have 2 stations and you will rotate through each separate station automatically. The length of the interview process is about 32 minutes. This includes:  

• identification (ID) check and applicant briefing 
• reading time for the first station  
• interview for the first station 
• reading time for the second station 
• interview for the second station

A breakdown of what the interview process will involve is detailed below.

The scenarios won't be shared in advance of the interview.

Panellists and observers

Panellists

The panel will consist of 4 panellists who will assess your answers using an agreed national scoring framework with positive and negative indicators.

Scenarios will have been constructed by subject matter experts and will have been validated for relevance, difficulty, and consistency by independent scrutineers, including current dental core dentists-in-training.

Observers

There may be times where the interview is observed. This could be by a lay representative or external assessor.

The purpose of these roles is to make sure that quality, consistency and standardisation is present throughout all interviews. It also allows for areas of best practice to be established and shared. 

Inexperienced panellists and administrative staff may also observe. The purpose of this is to assist with their understanding of the recruitment processes, so that they’re able to carry out their roles effectively. 

The Dental Core Training National Recruitment Office (DCTNRO) can confirm that the observers will have no role in the assessment of an applicant and no role in deciding the appointability of an applicant.  

Issues on the day

Technical difficulties 

In the event of significant technical difficulties which make the interview impossible to complete, it's likely that the interview can be rearranged for later the same day. Therefore, it is preferable that you make yourself available for the whole day of your booked interview.

It may also be possible for the interview to be rearranged to an alternative day, but this is not guaranteed.

Raising issues with the interview

Most interviews are conducted without issue. However, if during your interview you feel there were issues which may have affected your assessment, it's vital that you raise these by email with the recruitment team. You must do this as soon as possible after the interview and on the same day as the interview by emailing  [email protected].

This will give our team the earliest opportunity to investigate any concerns and act on them accordingly. Any concerns that are raised will be dealt on an individual basis. Please note that the DCTNRO cannot perform any remedial action for operational issues that occurred during an interview. Mitigating action is not usually possible post interview dates.

Outcome following your interview

You will be notified of your final outcome, that is, whether you're appointable or unappointable on Thursday 22 May 2025.