Western sends ABS access instructions to the email address on your OUAC application once applications close on November 1, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Western does not publish an exact ABS deadline or the fee amount; both arrive in the Kira instructions, so read them the day they land. The ABS sits alongside Casper, the DAT and a February panel interview, and each one is a separate requirement. Official information was checked on 21 October 2026 for the 2026 to 2027 application cycle and fall 2027 entry.
Arvin’s Kira Assessment Masterclass has a Western ABS track that takes applicants through writing and recording their answers. To try a recorded Kira-style answer first, take the free Kira assessment.
What is the Western Dentistry ABS?
| Item | What Western publishes for fall 2027 entry |
|---|---|
| Delivery platform | Kira Talent |
| Response types | Written and oral (video) components |
| Purpose | Non-academic strengths, impactful or transformative life experiences, personal values |
| Access | Instructions sent to the email on your OUAC application after applications close |
| Application deadline | November 1, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET (OUAC application, DAT and Casper scores) |
| Document deadline | November 10, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET (transcripts not sent through OUAC, WES evaluations and English proficiency, if required) |
| ABS timing | Mid-November |
| ABS fee | Paid through Kira when you start; Western does not publish the amount |
| Casper | A separate requirement: the Canadian Casper test, scores received by November 1. Snapshot and Duet are not required. |
| Interviews | Virtual, structured 3-person panels on February 6 and 7, 2027; interview decisions by email in January |
Western describes the ABS as a chance to tell your story beyond grades and test scores. It names non-academic strengths, impactful or transformative life experiences and personal values, and says the ABS helps the school see how applicants align with its mission to serve diverse communities with integrity and care. It also says the ABS is about “YOU” and that the admissions office does not give guidance on how to prepare for or complete it.
An answer can be detailed without being dramatic. A part-time job, a team responsibility, a difficult conversation or a change in your approach gives you something concrete to explain. Choose the experience that answers the actual prompt, not the one that sounds most impressive.
Is the Western Dentistry ABS the same as Western Medicine’s ABS or Casper?
No. Western Dentistry and Western Medicine are different programs. Do not transfer Medicine’s questions, dates or assessment instructions into your dentistry preparation simply because both processes use the label “Western ABS.” For the medicine side, see Western medicine CASPer and interview.
Casper is separate too. Western needs your Canadian Casper score by November 1, while the ABS comes later in November. Completing one does not complete the other, so keep the application, test scores, supporting documents and the ABS as four separate items on your checklist. For the full Casper and interview overview, see Western dentistry CASPer and interview, and for the wider picture, which Canadian dental schools require CASPer.
The February interview is a structured panel, not an MMI. Western interviews about 200 applicants for up to 56 places in the DDS program. To prepare for it, read dental school interview preparation in Canada and panel interview vs MMI.
How do you access the Western ABS on Kira Talent?
Western sends detailed instructions after the OUAC application closes, to the email address on your application, and will not chase an alternate address if that one is wrong.
Before the access period:
- Confirm that the email account on your OUAC application is current and that you can log in.
- Check that account and its spam folder regularly from November 1.
- Save the official access instructions rather than relying on a link shared by another applicant.
- Record the exact ABS deadline, time zone, payment step and response requirements as soon as they arrive.
- If the instructions do not arrive, contact Western Dentistry admissions through its official channels.
“Mid-November” is the label on Western’s public calendar, not a deadline you can stretch. The date and time in your Kira instructions are the ones that count.
How should you prepare for the Western Dentistry ABS?
Build a small bank of genuine experiences. The themes below are practice exercises written by the ExperienceMED team, not a published Western Dentistry question list.
| Practice theme | Experience to explore | Reflection to develop |
|---|---|---|
| Teamwork | A task with competing responsibilities | How you made your contribution clear |
| Communication | A misunderstanding you helped resolve | What you changed after listening |
| Responsibility | An error or commitment you had to own | How you prevented a repeat |
| Access | A barrier that affected someone’s participation | What you learned without assuming their needs |
| Feedback | Advice that challenged your first view | A later action showing the change |
| Motivation | A real experience shaping your interest in dentistry | What it clarified and what you still need to learn |
Arvin Ardakani, a final-year medical student who founded ExperienceMED, teaches personal answers built from real experiences, never memorized scripts. The five-part structure he uses for personal stories is public in why he teaches personal stories over templates.
Weak vs strong: make your role visible
Weak: “I volunteered with people who could not afford care. It taught me empathy and confirmed that I want to become a dentist.”
Stronger: “With the coordinator’s approval, I rewrote a confusing information sheet in plain language. Some people found it easier to use, but cost and transport stayed a barrier, and I now check whether information is usable before I assume it helps.”
A stronger answer names what you were responsible for, what you actually did, an honest result and what you now do differently. Arvin coaches students to find these specifics in ordinary experiences rather than reach for dramatic ones. Do not copy the example; use your own experience.
How do written and video Kira answers differ?
Use the same experience for one spoken rehearsal and one written rehearsal. Spoken answers need a clear route through the story; written answers need enough time to finish the point and check that the question has been answered. Use the timers and permitted materials in Western’s own instructions for the real assessment.
Kira says a Practice step may appear on your Check-In page, depending on how the school has set up the assessment. In practice you can redo and replay answers; in the real assessment you get one attempt per question and cannot replay. Only real responses are evaluated, and practice questions and timing may differ from the real ones. When Arvin marks an answer himself, he looks for reflection backed by a later example, which is the part most first drafts leave out. The six skills he marks are set out in what he looks for when marking an answer.
Common Western ABS mistakes
- Using Western Medicine’s instructions for Dentistry. Check the program name and entry cycle before relying on a requirement.
- Assuming Casper completes the ABS requirement. Keep them as separate checklist items.
- Guessing the deadline from social media. Record the official date, hour and time zone from your Kira instructions.
- Listing achievements without explaining your role. Name what you did, why you did it and what changed.
- Claiming clinical authority you did not have. Describe observation and volunteering honestly and protect other people’s privacy.
- Stopping at “I learned empathy.” Explain a specific change in your understanding or behaviour.
Who coaches the Western Dentistry ABS and interview?
Arvin Ardakani coaches applicants for Kira assessments, including Western Dentistry’s ABS, through Arvin’s Kira Assessment Masterclass, and coaches the February panel interview too. He coaches medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, nursing and every other pre-health applicant, plus residency applicants, for CASPer and interviews, and he teaches every student personally, marks their answers himself and gives them direct WhatsApp access. Shima, a dental applicant writing in her second language, moved from the 1st quartile to the 4th on CASPer with his coaching. Dentistry applicants can see the full picture on the dentistry page, and CASPer for dental applicants covers what changes for dental scenarios.
Your next step for Western Dentistry
Create your deadline checklist and outline two genuine experiences with a specific action and reflection. Western also needs your Casper score by November 1, so take the free CASPer assessment and have your answer marked, or use the Chat with Arvin button on this page to talk about your Western ABS and February panel interview. For Kira across other schools, start with the Kira Talent guide and Kira interview questions and answers.
ExperienceMED is independent of Western University and Kira Talent.
Related: Western dentistry CASPer and interview and Kira Talent guide.
