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Cepheid Interview Questions
& Process

Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.

Based on 186 interview experiences · FREE TO READ

2.8 Rounds average
Average Typical difficulty
56.8% Positive experience

Which role are you interviewing for?

30 roles · 186 reports

Candidate interview experiences

First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Cepheid.

Showing 4 of 186
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Cepheid

Environmental Scientist

Research · nearly a year ago

Entry Average Positive experience Decline offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Onsite Group
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Group

It was a pretty straightforward interview process. They asked some basic and behavioral questions, and the technical questions weren't too tough. The whole thing took about half a day. We had lunch with the team, which was really nice. The lab area is massive. Everyone there seemed incredibly busy.

Confirmed questions1 question
  • What are your plans for the next five years?
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Cepheid

Senior Field Reimbursement Manager

Operations · nearly a year ago

Senior Difficult Negative experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical

The interview process at Cepheid was quite extensive, spanning from November 2025 to January 2026. It consisted of three main stages. The first stage was a 30-minute preliminary call with the in-house recruiter. The second interview involved a one-hour, two-person meeting with two senior directors. The third interview was supposed to be a technical one with their VP and hiring manager, but the hiring manager had an emergency and couldn't make it, so I didn't get to interview with them. After that, there was a long wait of over 3.5 weeks with no response from Cepheid. It's important to note that as a candidate, you really have to do your due diligence and follow up for roles at Cepheid. By January 2026, I received an automated rejection email for the Senior Field Reimbursement Manager position with no specific feedback.

Confirmed questions3 questions
  • Can you tell me about Cepheid's mission?
  • What products does Cepheid offer?
  • What is the main focus of Cepheid?
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Cepheid

Research Associate

Research · nearly a year ago

Entry Average Positive experience Decline offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical

The interview process was pretty straightforward, mostly based on your resume and if you have any referrals, those help. They asked personality-based and research questions related to your experience. It was conducted via phone interviews initially. The whole process involved two phone interviews followed by an on-site interview.

Confirmed questions3 questions
  • Can you describe yourself using just three words?
  • Tell me about your research experience.
  • What is your motivation for joining Cepheid?
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Cepheid

Tech Support Specialist

Operations · more than a year ago

Entry Average Positive experience Accept offer 1 round
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Other

First, there was a recruiter call, which was super friendly and just for a general vibe check, not technical at all. Then, the main interview was like a marathon, three 30-minute sessions back-to-back. The first part was with my potential direct manager and her boss, who surprisingly joined. They mostly wanted to chat about my customer service experience, what I think makes for great service, its importance to a company, and how I'd handle specific customer situations. They also touched on my technical background, which wasn't extensive, but they mentioned training was part of the deal, so I felt okay about that. The second 30 minutes were with another Tech Support Manager. He asked some technical questions and probed my knowledge in biochemistry, which was also a bit weak, but I did some quick research and could explain what Cepheid's products are and the basics of PCR tests. The final 30 minutes were with a Senior Tech Support person. This part felt more like a casual chat, mainly to assess my language skills since I'm a native speaker, so he didn't really test me much.

Confirmed questions3 questions
  • Can you explain what PCR stands for and the mechanics of how it functions?
  • In your opinion, why is customer service significant?
  • Describe your approach to handling a situation with a dissatisfied customer calling in.

Cepheid Interview Questions

Quoted word for word from Cepheid interview reports.

Can you explain what PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is and its mechanism?

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Suppose you have three light bulbs connected to a power supply and one of them isn't working. How would you troubleshoot this issue?

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Can you explain what PCR stands for and the mechanics of how it functions?

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Can you define what a buffer is and explain how you would prepare one?

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Why would you waste time applying for jobs you aren't qualified for?

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How do you keep yourself informed about the latest developments and trends in supplier management?

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Regarding designing and manufacturing a pneumatic pump system, would you be capable of undertaking this?

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What action would you take if you encountered a situation where equipment repair would take several days?

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Formats, difficulty and experience

Across all 186 Cepheid interview reports.

Interview formats

Behavioral 49.6%
Technical 35.8%
Presentation 5.7%
Coding 2.7%
Group 2.2%

Interview difficulty

Easy 20.4%
Average 72%
Difficult 7.5%

Candidate experience

Positive 56.8%
Negative 24.9%
Neutral 18.4%

Reports by job function

Engineering 76
Operations 48
Research 27
Other 11
Analytics 6
Marketing 5