How to Prepare for a PhD Interview: Common Questions and Tips

Preparing for a PhD interview is mostly about three things: knowing your own work well, being solid on the fundamentals of your subject, and showing that you have thought about why you want to do research in that group. This guide covers how PhD interviews usually work, the questions that come up most often, how to answer them, and what to do before and on the day.

What the panel is trying to find out

A PhD admission interview is not a test of how much you have memorised. Panels are usually trying to judge whether you understand your subject’s core ideas, whether you can think through a problem you have not seen before, whether you are genuinely curious about research, and whether you will cope with the long, uncertain stretches that every PhD involves. Your answers should give them evidence on each of these.

How PhD interviews usually work

• Screening. Many institutes shortlist from applications, and some run a written test before interviews. The admission notice says which applies.
• The interview. Often a panel of several faculty members, sometimes including your prospective supervisor, in person or online. It commonly lasts 15 to 40 minutes.
• A short presentation. Some departments ask you to present your master’s or bachelor’s project, or a research proposal, in a few slides. Check the call letter.

Common questions and how to answer them

“Tell us about your research interests.”

Be specific. Name one or two areas, say what drew you to them, and connect them to the department’s work. “I am interested in physics” says little; “I want to work on defects in two-dimensional materials because my project on Raman spectroscopy of MoS2 left me with open questions” says a lot.

“Explain your project or thesis.”

Expect this in almost every interview, and expect follow-up questions. Prepare a two-minute version and a detailed version. Know why you chose your method, what went wrong, what you would do differently, and the basic theory behind every technique you mention.

Questions on fundamentals

Panels often start from something on your CV or project and work back to core concepts. Revise the key ideas of your undergraduate and master’s courses in the area you are applying for. If you don’t know an answer, say so and reason aloud about how you would approach it; panels value clear thinking over bluffing.

“Why this institute or this group?”

Mention faculty whose work you have read and what connects it to your interests. Our Find a Supervisor directory can help you look up faculty and their research areas before the day.

“Tell us about a paper you have read recently.”

Choose a paper you actually understand, ideally from the group you are applying to or from your own area. Be ready to summarise the question it asked, the method, the main result and one limitation.

“What will you do if your experiments or proofs don’t work for months?”

This checks resilience. A short, honest example of a setback in a project and how you handled it is more convincing than a general answer.

“What are your plans after the PhD?”

There is no single right answer. Academia, industry R&D, government labs and entrepreneurship are all reasonable, as long as your answer shows you have thought about it.

Before the interview

• Re-read the admission notice for the format, documents to bring and any presentation.
• Read the recent papers of two or three faculty members you would like to work with.
• Revise the fundamentals behind your project and your strongest courses.
• Practise explaining your project aloud to someone outside your field.
• Prepare two or three questions of your own, for example about the group’s current projects, the typical time to finish, or how fellowships and project positions are funded.
• If you will hold a fellowship or project post, read our guide to JRF, SRF and Research Associate stipends so you understand the terms.

On the day

• For in-person interviews, carry the original documents and copies the notice asks for.
• For online interviews, test your camera, microphone and connection beforehand, and keep a pen and paper ready in case you are asked to work something out.
• Listen to the whole question, take a moment before answering, and ask for clarification if a question is ambiguous.
• Be honest about what you know. Admitting a gap and reasoning towards an answer is better than guessing confidently.

Mistakes to avoid

• Not being able to explain parts of your own project or CV.
• Giving the same answer to “why this institute” that you would give anywhere.
• Listing many research interests without depth in any of them.
• Criticising previous supervisors or institutions.

Looking for openings? Browse current PhD positions and JRF posts, read how to email a professor about a PhD position, or set up a free email alert on any job page.