NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 284 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Which role are you interviewing for?
30 roles · 284 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Business Administration Manager
Manager Difficult Negative experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Onsite Panel
Interview formats
Behavioral Presentation
I had an in-person interview with three people on the panel. There were two Business Administrator Managers and one HRBP. The HRBP ran the interview. They seemed to be trying to put me off the job, talking about how tough it is and how much everyone at the Lab would see my work.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- What are your strategies for motivating a team?
- How do you approach resolving conflicts among team members?
- Describe a challenging decision you faced and whether you sought input from others.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Software Engineer Intern
Intern Average Positive experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Coding Behavioral
I got an email straight from someone on the team. They asked me about my availability for an interview and also requested a code snippet to send over before the interview for them to check out. They mentioned they had a lot of people to interview and I liked that they gave me a month before their interview slots filled up. The person I talked to was nice and helpful.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Could you explain your code snippet to me?
- What led you to choose C for this task?
- Describe your approach to memory allocation and deallocation.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Business Analyst Administrator
Entry Average Positive experience Accept offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite Panel
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Case Presentation
The interview process usually involves 3-4 rounds. The first round focuses on your knowledge of the tools they use and your understanding of fundamental business processes, especially those related to budgeting and general administration. The second round is heavily centered on teamwork and interpersonal skills: how you interact with others, manage conflicts, and handle situations with superiors. They might also ask about your past projects in relation to the role. The third round is a case study where you're given a basic budget spreadsheet to work through a hypothetical scenario. The fourth round is a meeting with the director of the organization. If you reach this stage, it's a good sign, and in my case, it was more of a 'hello' meeting rather than a formal interview.
Confirmed questions8 questions
- Can you describe how you assert yourself with a superior?
- How do you deal with situations lacking clear direction?
- What software or tools do you currently utilize in your role?
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Systems Engineer
Entry Easy Negative experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
I had a really strange interview experience. I applied for a Systems Engineer role at JPL a few months ago, but they reached out about a different role and the posting was already gone so I didn't know what it was. It was a phone interview with 6 people, and I didn't know who was who until they spoke. I asked who they were, and they all gave their names and titles, but I couldn't keep track. They probably noticed I was confused and annoyed, which might have cost me the job. It felt really unprofessional.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Can you share an instance where you tackled a difficult problem?
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory interview reports.
“What impact does changing the size of a beam have on its frequency?”
Read reports →“Regarding a bike pedal at the bottom of its rotation, if a string is tied around it and pulled backward, will the bike move forward or backward?”
Read reports →“Regarding an ice cube melting in a cup of water, what changes occur to the volume?”
Read reports →“Given a scatter plot with a line drawn through it, how would you measure the line's error?”
Read reports →“Suppose there's a spacecraft on an interplanetary journey with a boom supporting a mass at its end. How can you make the boom lighter without altering its cross-section?”
Read report →“Given a photo, can you identify where the wheels on the curiosity rover are cracking and explain the reason for this issue, considering they are failing earlier than anticipated?”
Read report →“Can you solve the two ropes puzzle where the goal is to measure 45 minutes?”
Read report →“Another concern was that it seems impossible to terminate underperforming employees, which severely impedes effective leadership; how can one achieve positive changes or improvements when burdened with supporting low performers?”
Read report →“What would your friends say about you if I called them right now?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 284 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory interview reports.