Top 10 Grad School Interview Questions & Answers || Best Graduate School Interview

On this episode of Navigating Academia, Dr. Singh helps you prepare for your graduate school interview by sharing 10 of the most commonly asked questions you will be asked during a graduate school interview.

The first hurdle in the graduate school admissions process is the interview, and of course, you want to ace it. I've put together the 10 most commonly asked questions during the graduate school admissions interview process according to various surveys of faculty members, as well as current graduate students.

I've tried to word these in a way so that they will be, to every extent possible, relevant to any doctoral or masters program.

Interview Tips for Graduate School:

I've also included some tips and examples for how to answer interview questions. Then you can be better prepared to come up with your own great answers.

👉 Navigating Academia is your leading source for professional guidance on how to advance your career in academia. Hosted by internationally-renowned Cambridge and UPenn faculty member, Dr. Jay Phoenix Singh, this series provides practical advice for tackling the field’s biggest challenges.

The top 10 grad school interview questions most commonly asked are:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself
2. Why do you think you are a good fit for this program?
3. What are your research interests?
4. What do you see as the major trends in the field?
5. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment
6. What are your long-term career goals?
7. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
8. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
9. What else should we know about you?
10. What questions do you have for us?

Be sure and watch the practice interview video with Dr. Singh. He will ask 10 most common questions (as well as some others) and you will have about 30 seconds to provide an answer. You can actually go through and practice giving answers to questions so that you are fully prepared for your graduate school interview.

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ABOUT DR. SINGH

Jay Phoenix Singh, Ph.D. is a Fulbright Scholar, faculty at both UPenn as well as Cambridge, and the internationally award-winning Founder of the Global Institute of Forensic Research (successful 2017 exit as CEO).

Author of over 75 peer-reviewed articles and books, he completed his graduate doctoral studies in psychiatry at the University of Oxford and clinical psychology at Universitat Konstanz. He was named the youngest tenured Full Professor in Norway in 2014 and, since this time, has become the only psychology professor to have lectured for all eight Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, UPenn) as well as both Oxford and Cambridge. Dr. Singh is a charismatic academic mentor and coach who uses evidence-based practices to improve the lives of academics of all levels. #phdlife

0:00 Introduction
0:24 NAVIGATING ACADEMIA with Dr. Jay Phoenix Singh
2:47 TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF
5:45 WHY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE A GOOD FIT FOR THIS PROGRAM?
7:01 WHAT ARE YOUR RESEARCH INTERESTS?
9:29 WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MAJOR TRENDS IN THE FIELD?
11:21 TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT
12:56 WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM CAREER GOALS?
14:57 WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES?
17:05 WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?
17:35 WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR US?

[donovyn]

Thank you so much I got into my TOP program and prepared for my interview using your videos! You’re an amazing resource that’s benefiting so many future scholars!

[AdnanKhan-cxit]

Who else is watching this video a night before his/her interview?

[daniellepurcell]

I'm just seeing this video after doing my interview yesterday. I low-key feel kinda dunce now.

Update: I was successful in the interview!

[daicycorinamagallon]

I watched your video the day before my interview for masters program. I was able to refine the material I already had for my interview. I am so happy I came across this video because it really did help. I got my acceptance letter today!!!! I’m in! Thank you, Dr. Singh!

[SaraTahaFPTU]

Hey man, I love you and your video. It got me accepted last year in a master's degree Biotechnology program and also a scholarship. I always thought it is impossible but here I am, a year has passed. Thank you.

[jesseleavitt]

Its interview season... I have an interview in 3 weeks and these examples were just what I needed!

[julietr]

I had two interviews this week and was watching your videos and practice along interviews to hype me up. Although none of these questions got asked in my interview (which turned out to be all about the project itself) it still really helped me. I just got offered both PHDs, and one comes with a paid scholarship which is very rare in my field, so wanted to say thank you! I'll be watching more when I start the programme.

[quantumgecko]

I watched a number of your videos in preparing for my interviews. Yesterday I was accepted into my top choice of clinical psych PhD programs! I think the advice I found the most useful was coming up with a research question and a methodology. I spent a ton of time creating a solid research idea in my advisor's (and my) area of interest. Because I was well versed in the existing literature we had a great discussion about it during the interview. The other questions were helpful in preparing as well and most of them came up at one point or another during interview day. I really appreciate you making these videos and I am so thrilled about starting my program! Thank you!

[jene-marievandenberg]

I absolutely loved this video! Definitely made me more calm and confident about my upcoming interview!

[geethikapillai]

Wow! Let's get more of such videos, this was fantastic!

[dkccruz]

Hey Doc! Just want to let you know that this video helped me a lot on my interview! I just got the news earlier that I got in!! This is amazing, I want to share the joy I'm feeling right now! btw, that's for M.S. Entrepreneurship under Decision Sciences and Innovation Department! Cheers! P.S. this is an IVY League school here in the Philippines!

[yijinglian]

I watched many of your videos before my grad school interview and they helped a lot!!! Several same questions were asked and I prepared them beforehand with advice from your answers. They helped me to get into Tokyo University studying international relations, which is my dream school since high school. Thank you so much!

[trailblazer]

bumped into this 12 hours before my interview. Super thanks Dr Singh

[dianed]

Hello!!! Thank you for this helpful guide! For my weakness I was hoping to say: I feel like what I do is never enough and I tend to put too much on my plate. I’ve been able to work through this by making sure I know what my priorities are and managing my time.

[engelmonsanto]

Thanks so much for this video! Helped me get into a MS in Cardiovascular Perfusion Program

[biancajingles]

My interview is this week for an MSW program and this video was so helpful! Thank you! The question I’m most nervous about is about my weaknesses because I have plenty but I’m not sure how to spin them in a positive direction. The one I’m thinking of talking about is that I overwork myself when I’m invested and committed to reaching a specific goal. I’ve recognized that it isn’t healthy for my body or my relationships so I’ve been committing to cooking dinner every Sunday for my family so I can catch up with them and relax doing something I enjoy.

[taaytaay]

Ah thank you so much! I have my interview in a few weeks and I’m super nervous, but this helped a lot!!

[DearFatGirl]

I also have these questions!
They asked about handling work and school.
They will ask about your study skills.

They will ask how you handle stress.

They ask how you deal with conflict in a professional environment with other professionals.

They might ask what personal skill sets you have that would make you an effective counselor.

[abeeramehmood]

Very helpful and under rated video. I will be interviewing for immunology graduate programs and this was very helpful.

[claudiggah]

This video was amazing, I have an interview coming up for grad school to be an LMHC, I am excited, nervous but know this it the field for me!