UdeM Pharmacy Interview Prep Guide (2025-2026)

The Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Pharmacy is a highly competitive French-language PharmD program known for its rigorous academics and community-focused training blackstonetutors.com. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the interview process and what to expect: it covers the interview format and style, the school’s mission and values, key features of the PharmD program, relevant healthcare policy context, the non-academic qualities valued in candidates, the competency frameworks shaping the curriculum, common themes from past interview questions, and the timeline for the 2025–2026 admissions cycle. Each section connects these findings back to interview preparation, helping you understand what the program emphasizes and how that might be reflected in the interview.

Unlike many professional programs that use Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs), UdeM’s pharmacy program typically conducts a traditional interview. It is usually a one-on-one or small panel interview, described as a conversational "job interview" style discussion rather than a series of timed stations forums.premed101.com. The interview is conducted in French and focuses on qualitative aspects such as the candidate’s motivations and understanding of the profession admission.umontreal.ca. Interviewers are not testing scientific or theoretical knowledge – in fact, the admissions guide explicitly states that no specific preparation or technical knowledge is required admission.umontreal.ca. Instead, the goal is to confirm the applicant’s genuine interest in the program and the pharmacy profession.

The interview component at UdeM is by invitation only, meaning not all applicants are interviewed admission.umontreal.ca admission.umontreal.ca. Those selected for an interview receive an email invitation from the Faculty admission.umontreal.ca, and the interview may be held virtually or in-person. Historically, being invited to an interview has been a strong positive indicator. In past years, most candidates who performed satisfactorily in the interview were either admitted or placed on the waiting list rather than outright rejected forums.premed101.com. Because the initial screening heavily weighs academic record and the CASPer test, the interview pool is a small subset of the ~1700 applicants. (The program admits roughly 240 students each year, an overall acceptance rate around 14% admission.umontreal.ca.) Once at the interview stage, a candidate’s chances of admission are relatively high, with final offers largely determined by interview performance forums.premed101.com forums.premed101.com.

Understanding the Faculty’s mission and values can provide insight into the qualities they seek in students. The Faculty of Pharmacy’s mission is to be a leader in pharmacy education and research on medications and pharmaceutical care, using interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to tackle society’s health challenges pharm.umontreal.ca. Its vision is to act as a driver of change advancing the profession and pharmaceutical sciences pharm.umontreal.ca. These ideals suggest that UdeM values forward-thinking students who are passionate about improving healthcare. The official core values of the Faculty further highlight the personal attributes and behaviors they prize in their community and, by extension, in their applicants:

• Engagement – Active involvement and dedication, whether in academic projects, faculty life, or broader society pharm.umontreal.ca.
• Leadership – A visionary and open-minded attitude that inspires others and drives improvement pharm.umontreal.ca.
• Professionalism and Quality – Authenticity, honesty, and integrity in one’s actions, and a commitment to high-quality service with a client-centered approach pharm.umontreal.ca.
• Team Spirit and Collaboration – Supporting others and working together with empathy and respect, fostering solidarity and mutual aid among peers pharm.umontreal.ca.

In an interview context, demonstrating alignment with these values can be crucial. For example, discussing past experiences where you showed leadership or teamwork, or expressing a sincere commitment to serving the community, would resonate with the faculty’s stated values. While you should not explicitly recite the mission statement, being aware of this ethos – a focus on leadership, social engagement, professionalism, and collaboration – will help you understand the perspective of your interviewers and the kind of future pharmacist UdeM hopes to train.

UdeM’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is a four-year, first-professional doctorate designed to produce pharmacists who are practice-ready and patient-centered. The curriculum is built to meet current and future health needs admission.umontreal.ca, blending rigorous scientific education with a strong emphasis on clinical practice and community-oriented care blackstonetutors.com. Students learn in French and are trained to become front-line healthcare providers who can collaborate across disciplines in Québec’s healthcare system admission.umontreal.ca. Below are some key facts and unique features of the program:

• Duration and Credits: 4 years of full-time study, comprising 164 credits of coursework and practical training admission.umontreal.ca.
• Curriculum Structure: Integrated modules cover all facets of medications and patient care – from the science of drugs and their effects on humans and society, to professional practice labs, interdisciplinary projects, and extensive experiential learning admission.umontreal.ca. The program’s design merges theoretical knowledge with hands-on application in real settings.
• Early and Diverse Clinical Experience: Students begin practical training early. Supervised internships (stages) in community pharmacies and hospital settings start in the very first year of the program admission.umontreal.ca, providing exposure to diverse patient populations and health situations. (Some rotations may occur outside the Montreal area to broaden experience, and the faculty manages placement assignments fairly for all students admission.umontreal.ca.)
• Innovative Teaching Methods: The faculty emphasizes active learning and use of technology. Teaching is delivered by experts in various pharmacy fields and often involves interactive components – from patient simulation labs to problem-based learning – to reinforce collaboration and patient partnership admission.umontreal.ca.
• Research and Inquiry: There is a strong encouragement for students to engage in research and innovation. Many faculty members are leading researchers, and students can participate in research projects or innovative practice initiatives under their guidance blackstonetutors.com. This focus nurtures critical thinking and a spirit of scientific inquiry alongside clinical skills.
• Facilities and Student Support: The Faculty is housed in the modern Jean-Coutu Pavilion, which offers state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, and study spaces admission.umontreal.ca. Students benefit from a range of resources dedicated to their well-being and success, and a dynamic student association that contributes to academic and social life admission.umontreal.ca.
• Scale and Reputation: Université de Montréal hosts the largest Francophone faculty of pharmacy in North America admission.umontreal.ca. The PharmD program is accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) admission.umontreal.ca, meaning it meets national standards and its graduates are eligible for licensure. Being part of a large, well-respected institution also means extensive alumni networks and partnerships in the healthcare sector.

These program features not only define the educational experience but can also inspire thoughtful questions to ask your interviewers. Demonstrating genuine interest in how the program operates and what it offers shows that you have done your homework and are imagining yourself as a student there. For instance, noting the emphasis on research and innovation, you might inquire about opportunities to get involved in research projects as a PharmD student blackstonetutors.com. Given the early start in clinical internships, you could ask how the faculty supports students in those first-year pharmacy practice experiences. You might be curious about the resources for student success and well-being (since the faculty prides itself on a supportive environment) admission.umontreal.ca, or how the program facilitates interdisciplinary learning with other healthcare faculties. By asking such questions, you both gain valuable information and show the interviewers that you are serious about engaging with all aspects of their program.

• What research or internship opportunities are available for PharmD students who want to go beyond the core curriculum?
• How does the faculty support students during their early-stage internships in community or hospital pharmacies?
• What kind of interprofessional learning experiences can pharmacy students have with other healthcare students or professionals?
• What resources does the Faculty provide to ensure student wellness and academic success throughout the program?

Pharmacy education doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it’s influenced by the healthcare system and policies of Quebec and Canada. Interviewers may not quiz you on policy like a test, but they often appreciate when candidates are informed about the broader context of pharmacy practice. Being conversant with key healthcare issues and policy changes demonstrates social awareness and a genuine interest in the profession’s role in society. Here are several policy and current-affairs topics relevant to UdeM’s pharmacy program and its future pharmacists:

• Expanded Scope of Practice: In Quebec, recent legislative changes (e.g. Projet de loi 31) have expanded what pharmacists are allowed to do. These changes – referred to in French as “modifications à la loi” – have energized the profession admission.umontreal.ca. Pharmacists in Quebec can now perform additional activities like prescribing for minor ailments, administering vaccines, and adjusting medications, greatly increasing their role in frontline healthcare. Understanding this evolution is important, as it underscores why the program trains students in clinical decision-making and patient care (the interview may touch on your awareness of pharmacists’ evolving role).
• Access to Healthcare in Remote Regions: Quebec faces challenges in distributing healthcare services across its vast territory. UdeM’s Faculty of Pharmacy is actively involved in this conversation – for example, it provides a small academic advantage (a bonus to the admission academic score) for candidates from certain remote or underserved regions admission.umontreal.ca to encourage diversity and eventual return of pharmacists to those communities. This reflects a policy emphasis on improving health services access in places like Abitibi, Gaspésie, and northern Quebec. Being aware of such regional healthcare disparity issues (and pharmacists’ potential role in addressing them) could be useful in discussion.
• National Pharmacare Debate: At the federal level in Canada, there is ongoing discussion about implementing a national pharmacare program (a universal prescription drug insurance plan). In late 2023, the government introduced initial steps toward a national prescription drug plan reuters.com, aiming to improve medication access across the country. As a future pharmacist, this is highly relevant: national pharmacare could change how patients get their medications and how pharmacists interact with insurance systems. While you won’t need detailed policy analysis in an interview, being aware of the concept of pharmacare and its implications (greater access vs. cost and implementation challenges) shows you are thinking about the future context of pharmacy practice.
• Opioid Crisis and Harm Reduction: Canada is in the midst of an opioid overdose crisis, and pharmacists are on the front lines of this issue. Pharmacists often are the first healthcare professionals to notice signs of opioid misuse and have been key players in harm reduction (for example, providing naloxone kits and safe dispensing) pharmacists.ca. In Quebec and nationwide, there’s ongoing debate around strategies like safe injection sites and “safe supply” of medications to combat this crisis. An interviewer might not ask specifically about opioids, but demonstrating an awareness of major public health challenges – and the pharmacist’s role in patient safety and public health – can underscore your conscientiousness and readiness to engage with real-world issues.

In preparing for your interview, it’s worthwhile to think about these topics and how a pharmacist fits into them. You might reflect on questions like: How do expanded prescribing powers change what it means to be a pharmacist? Why is access to a pharmacist important in rural communities? What responsibilities do pharmacists have in a public health crisis? You don’t need policy expertise, but awareness and thoughtful opinions can set you apart as a well-rounded candidate.

Admission to UdeM’s pharmacy program isn’t based on grades alone. The selection process explicitly evaluates personal and professional qualities to ensure candidates have the right aptitudes for patient care. The non-academic criteria come through in two main ways: the CASPer exam and the interview (if one is conducted). These tools assess what a transcript cannot – your soft skills, values, and suitability for the profession. Below are some of the key attributes and criteria, beyond academics, that the admissions committee looks for:

• Ethical Judgment and Professionalism: The faculty places high importance on integrity and ethical behavior. The CASPer situational judgment test, which all applicants must take, is designed to measure traits like judgment, professionalism, and ethics in decision-making admission.umontreal.ca. You should be the kind of person who can be trusted with patient well-being and confidentiality, and this comes across in how you handle ethical dilemmas.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Pharmacy is a collaborative healthcare field – pharmacists work with doctors, nurses, and others. Through CASPer scenarios (and potentially interview questions), your ability to work in a team and show empathy towards others is evaluated admission.umontreal.ca. The school values applicants who can demonstrate cooperation, respect, and the communication skills needed for effective teamwork, reflecting its commitment to an interdisciplinary approach.
• Motivation and Passion for Pharmacy: One of the primary goals of the interview is to confirm your genuine interest in the program and profession admission.umontreal.ca. Be prepared to convey why you want to be a pharmacist, what you find meaningful about this career, and how you have explored or confirmed your interest. They are looking for candidates who are truly motivated by more than just academics – for instance, a desire to care for patients or a fascination with how medications improve lives.
• Communication Skills (and French Proficiency): Strong communication is essential for a pharmacist counseling patients. Since the program (and the interview) is in French, you must be comfortable communicating in French. All applicants have to meet UdeM’s French language requirement as a condition of admission admission.umontreal.ca. Beyond language fluency, the way you express yourself in responses – listening to questions, organizing your thoughts, and conveying ideas clearly – will demonstrate your communication skills. Interviewers will note if you can connect and explain your thoughts effectively, as that translates to good patient communication in the future.
• Leadership and Community Engagement: While UdeM’s admissions formula doesn’t formally score extracurriculars, the school’s values suggest they appreciate well-rounded individuals who show initiative and service. Experiences such as leadership roles, volunteering, or research can highlight qualities like commitment and engagement. For example, taking on a leadership role in a student club or volunteering at a hospital pharmacy shows you are invested in the community and can take responsibility – which ties into the faculty’s values of engagement and leadership pharm.umontreal.ca. You can reference such experiences in your interview to provide evidence of these qualities.

In short, UdeM is looking for future pharmacists who not only excel academically but also exhibit the personal attributes of a competent healthcare professional. When preparing for the interview, think about how you can demonstrate these non-academic qualities through your experiences and anecdotes. Remember that the CASPer and interview are opportunities for the school to see the person behind the grades – someone who is ethical, collaborative, caring, and sincerely motivated to join the pharmacy profession.

The PharmD program at Université de Montréal is structured around nationally recognized competency frameworks that outline what knowledge, skills, and attitudes a pharmacist should have. In Canada, pharmacy curricula are guided by the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) Educational Outcomes, which were adapted from the medical CanMEDS framework pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. UdeM, being a CCAPP-accredited program admission.umontreal.ca, ensures that its training covers all the key competency domains. Practically speaking, this means that throughout the program students are trained (and eventually assessed) on various roles and competencies beyond just “medical expert.” These roles parallel those in medicine and include being a care provider, communicator, collaborator, manager/leader, health advocate, scholar, and professional.

• Care Provider (Medication Expert): As the core of the pharmacist’s role, this competency involves delivering patient-centered pharmaceutical care – identifying medication-related needs, optimizing therapy, and ensuring patient safety in medication use.
• Communicator: Pharmacists must effectively communicate with patients, caregivers, and other healthcare professionals. This competency covers listening, explaining complex information in an understandable way, and adapting communication to diverse audiences (which in Montreal can include communicating health information in a multilingual context).
• Collaborator: Healthcare is a team effort. Pharmacists work alongside physicians, nurses, and other professionals. UdeM trains students to function well in interprofessional teams, to understand and respect the roles of others, and to contribute to collective patient care goals – reflecting the collaboration competency.
• Leader/Manager: Pharmacists often take on leadership or management responsibilities, whether that’s leading a pharmacy team, managing a clinic’s medication-use system, or advocating for practice improvements. The program encourages leadership development so graduates can effectively manage resources and drive positive change in their practice settings.
• Health Advocate: This competency is about using one’s expertise to advance the health and well-being of patients and communities. Pharmacists are taught to be advocates – for individual patients (ensuring they get the therapy they need), and for public health initiatives (like vaccination campaigns or drug safety policies). UdeM’s emphasis on social accountability (for example, improving healthcare in underserved areas) ties into this advocacy role.
• Scholar (Life-long Learner): Pharmacy is a constantly evolving field. UdeM instills a habit of lifelong learning and critical thinking – students learn to appraise evidence, engage in research, and continually update their knowledge. The scholar role ensures graduates remain competent throughout their careers and contribute to innovation in pharmacy practice or science.
• Professional: Finally, all of the above is underpinned by professionalism – a commitment to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and responsibility. The program emphasizes professional behavior, from following ethical principles to adhering to legal and regulatory standards and reflecting on one’s practice to improve. Being professional also encompasses the values detailed earlier (honesty, quality, accountability) as fundamental expectations of each student.

Being aware of these competency frameworks is useful for interview prep because many interview questions indirectly target these areas. For example, a scenario question about teamwork relates to the collaborator role, or a question about a time you faced a moral dilemma touches on professionalism and ethics. When you answer interview questions, it can help to implicitly demonstrate these competencies. The faculty has explicitly integrated such competencies into the curriculum, so showing that you already appreciate the importance of, say, teamwork or good communication, can signal that you’re aligned with their educational approach. In sum, UdeM’s program is looking to train (and therefore to admit) students who have the potential to grow into well-rounded pharmacy professionals across all of these competency domains.

Although specific interview questions will vary year to year, applicants and resources have highlighted several recurring themes in UdeM’s pharmacy interviews. The questions often start with your Motivation for Pharmacy – expect to talk about why you chose this field, what experiences influenced you, and what you hope to contribute as a future pharmacist. For instance, you might be asked to describe the journey that led you to pursue pharmacy or a defining moment that confirmed your career choice blackstonetutors.com. Interviewers want to see genuine passion and a well-thought-out reasoning for entering the profession, beyond "it’s a stable job" – this is where your personal story and enthusiasm should shine.

Another common theme is your Understanding of the Pharmacy Profession. You should be ready for questions about the role of the pharmacist in healthcare and how it differs from or complements other professions blackstonetutors.com. They might ask about current challenges in pharmacy or healthcare – for example, discussing what you see as major issues (like medication accessibility, opioid misuse, or the impact of new technologies) and how a pharmacist can address them blackstonetutors.com. This doesn’t require expert knowledge, but you should demonstrate that you’ve thought about the profession’s context and future. It’s also wise to be aware of any recent developments or news in the field of pharmacy that interest you, as sometimes a question may invite you to comment on a news story or advancement you find exciting blackstonetutors.com.

Ethical and situational questions are also a significant part of the interview landscape. Candidates have reported scenario-type questions such as being placed in a hypothetical pharmacy situation and asked how you would respond forums.premed101.com. For example, “Imagine you’re a pharmacist and a patient comes to you with X problem – what do you do?” These questions assess your problem-solving approach, ethics, and communication skills under realistic conditions. When tackling scenario questions, it’s important to demonstrate empathy, sound judgment, and adherence to ethical principles (all while staying within the pharmacist’s scope). The interviewers aren’t looking for clinical perfection since you’re not a pharmacist yet; they’re looking at how you think through problems and prioritize patient well-being and professionalism.

Finally, expect some personal attribute questions – for instance, inquiries about your strengths and weaknesses, how you handle stress, examples of your teamwork or leadership experiences, and so on. These let you showcase qualities that tie back to the program’s values (leadership, collaboration, resilience, etc.). Throughout all these questions, keep in mind that the interviewers are gauging whether you align with the kind of student and future pharmacist the faculty wants: someone with strong interpersonal skills, ethical integrity, openness to learning, and true dedication to patient care. Remember that, as the admissions guidelines note, the interview is not about testing academic knowledge admission.umontreal.ca; it’s about you as a person. Themes of motivation, understanding, ethics, and communication all serve to paint a picture of your preparedness for a career in pharmacy and your fit with the UdeM Faculty of Pharmacy community.

Staying on top of the application timeline is essential so that you don’t miss any requirements leading up to the interview stage. Below are the key dates and deadlines for the 2025–2026 admissions cycle for UdeM’s PharmD program:

• Application Opening: August 1, 2025 – This is when the online application for Fall 2026 entry becomes available admission.umontreal.ca. It’s advisable to start your application early, especially if you need time to gather documents or write any required statements (note: UdeM’s pharmacy application is mostly academic info, but starting early is still wise).
• Application Deadline (University/Out-of-Province Applicants): November 1, 2025 – If you have any university education or are coming from outside Quebec’s CEGEP system, you must submit your application by this date admission.umontreal.ca. This deadline also applies to international candidates (though note that the PharmD program is not open to international students on study permits admission.umontreal.ca). Make sure all transcripts and required materials are sent by this deadline.
• Application Deadline (CEGEP Applicants in Quebec): March 1, 2026 – If you are completing (or have completed) a DEC at a Quebec CEGEP with no other post-secondary studies, your application deadline is later, on March 1st admission.umontreal.ca. This gives CEGEP students time to include fall semester grades. However, don’t procrastinate thinking it’s far off – you’ll likely also be preparing for CASPer and focusing on your college coursework.
• French Proficiency Deadline: November 15, 2025 (for university/out-of-province applicants) or March 15, 2026 (for CEGEP applicants) – By these dates you must satisfy the French language requirement admission.umontreal.ca. This could mean submitting results of an accepted French test or demonstrating that your prior education was in French, as per UdeM’s criteria. Ensure you plan for any French test well in advance of the deadline if you need one.
• CASPer Test: All applicants are required to take the CASPer (online situational judgment test) as part of their application. You must complete CASPer in the appropriate testing window for UdeM and ensure UdeM receives your scores admission.umontreal.ca. Typically, for the Fall 2026 intake, CASPer test dates will be offered in the summer/fall of 2025 for early applicants and possibly again in winter 2026 for CEGEP applicants. Register for CASPer early and take it by the specified date – missing the CASPer will make your application incomplete admission.umontreal.ca.
• Interview Invitations: If you are selected for an interview, expect to be notified by the Faculty via email after the initial application review stage admission.umontreal.ca. For non-CEGEP applicants (deadline Nov 1), invitations might go out in late fall or winter. For CEGEP applicants (deadline Mar 1), invitations are typically sent in the spring (often around April or early May) of 2026. The interviews themselves are scheduled shortly after invitations – these could take place in person at the faculty or virtually, and they will be conducted in French admission.umontreal.ca. It’s important to monitor your email (including spam/junk folders) around those times so you can promptly respond to an interview offer.
• Decision Timeline: Admission decisions are finalized by early summer 2026. UdeM tends to release offers once all interviews and evaluations are completed, aiming for late May or June for initial offers. By mid-July 2026, the roster of admitted students is set (for example, the university’s records show that admissions for Fall 2024 were decided by July 11, 2024) admission.umontreal.ca. If you’re on a waitlist, offers can continue through the summer as spots open up. Ensure you follow any instructions in your offer (like confirming acceptance by a certain deadline). The PharmD program begins in late August 2026, so there will be orientation and registration steps in the weeks before that.

Keep in mind that meeting all deadlines is part of demonstrating your professionalism. Late or incomplete submissions are usually not entertained by such competitive programs. It’s a good idea to create a personal timeline or checklist for yourself. This includes scheduling your CASPer test well ahead of time, preparing any required documents (transcripts, proof of French proficiency, etc.), and being ready for a possible interview on relatively short notice (for example, have suitable interview attire and schedule flexibility around the expected interview months). By staying organized with the timeline, you allow yourself to focus on the substantive preparation – like practicing interview answers – without last-minute logistical stress.

In conclusion, preparing for the University of Montreal Faculty of Pharmacy interview involves a blend of self-reflection, research, and awareness of context. We’ve seen that the interview is a personal, motivation-driven conversation in French, aiming to identify candidates who embody the faculty’s values of engagement, leadership, professionalism, and teamwork. The PharmD program’s unique features – from its early clinical exposure to its innovative curriculum – provide ample talking points to discuss and ask about during your interview. Being informed about Quebec and Canadian healthcare issues ensures you can thoughtfully engage with any policy or ethics questions that come your way. And underpinning all of this, the competency frameworks and non-academic criteria highlight that UdeM is looking for well-rounded future pharmacists, not just top grades. By understanding each of these facets, you’ll be well-equipped to present yourself as a candidate who is not only academically prepared but also personally and professionally aligned with what the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Pharmacy seeks in the next generation of pharmacy professionals.