CERN Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 11 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at CERN.
CERN
Safety Engineer
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
It started with introductions and a few technical questions related to the job. It wasn't too difficult overall and didn't have any really hard technical questions. The interview was generally focused on safety analysis.
Confirmed questions1 question
- How would you incorporate risk assessment into the design process?
CERN
Technical Engineer
Entry Average Neutral experience No offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Technical screen Presentation Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Presentation Coding Technical
So you apply, and if they like your profile, they'll ask you to do a video interview where you record your answers. If you pass that, you'll get a timed, two-hour test. After the test, you'll have some online interviews. The first online one is kind of a prep for the next two main ones. Then comes a panel interview where you present yourself using a PowerPoint for about 7 minutes, and they ask you questions to get to know you. The next interview is to go over the results of the technical test you took. If you do well, congrats! If not, hopefully, you'll get some feedback on what didn't work.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- Can you answer some general questions about basic mathematical principles, like the symmetry of a sine wave or natural logarithms?
- Do you have knowledge of basic circuit topologies for Op-Amps?
- What do you know about Boolean logic, logic gates, and converting decimals to binary?
CERN
Engineer
Mid Average Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Technical screen Presentation Panel
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral Presentation
First, I had to upload a lot of documents, including three references from different people. I also had to attach a cover letter and a detailed list of all my useful skills with examples. You'll interview in front of a committee with an HR representative, the hiring manager for the team you might join, and some subject matter experts. I did a short presentation of my professional background and handed out printed copies to everyone, which they liked. They asked me some questions about my technical knowledge and quite a few about my work attitude, how I get along with colleagues, and how I handle tough situations. They really appreciated that my presentation perfectly matched the job's responsibilities, so I'd advise all candidates to read the job description carefully and prepare a short presentation or speech highlighting their skills.
Confirmed questions1 question
- I thought there would only be one interview with the committee, but before that, I had to complete a questionnaire with general knowledge questions about CERN and more specific questions that required calculations and theoretical knowledge. Ultimately, it was a good selection method.
CERN Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from CERN interview reports.
“Given a piece of code, can you explain what it does and whether it's safe to use?”
Read reports →“Tell me about the finite element method.”
Read reports →“Do you have knowledge of basic circuit topologies for Op-Amps?”
Read reports →“How would you incorporate risk assessment into the design process?”
Read reports →“What do you know about Boolean logic, logic gates, and converting decimals to binary?”
Read report →“Can you answer some general questions about basic mathematical principles, like the symmetry of a sine wave or natural logarithms?”
Read report →“Regarding PCB boards, what are your thoughts on testing and production methods, how would you set up a testing procedure for a specific board presented, and what types of tests would be in your test strategy?”
Read report →“Can you answer question 5?”
Read report →“Can you answer question 4?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 11 CERN interview reports.