NIH Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 238 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Which role are you interviewing for?
30 roles · 238 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at NIH.
NIH
Intern
Intern Average Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
It was a long process with many technical questions. Just prepare beforehand and you should be fine. There were 3 rounds of interviews with different levels of management. Overall, it wasn't bad, just need to be knowledgeable about the role you're applying to.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Why are you interested in NIH and what makes you a good fit for this role?
NIH
Research Assistant
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Technical screen
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
The interview process involves interviewers asking about your knowledge, your experience, and how you'd contribute to the position. The interviewers are professional and friendly. You should be ready to summarize your experience and what you can bring to the role.
Confirmed questions4 questions
- What are your research interests?
- Can you tell me about your experience?
- How do you see yourself contributing to this role?
NIH
Product Manager
Mid Average Positive experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Case Behavioral
So, I had a panel interview for the PMF role. There were three people and they asked seven questions in total. It was a 40-minute interview, and they each asked a question one by one. They started with introductions, talked a bit about the job, and asked if I had any questions before we began the actual interview.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Can you tell me about your experience with case management studies?
NIH
Electrical Engineer
Senior Difficult Negative experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical
The interview for the Electrical Engineer role involved technical questions about relays and arc flash studies. They were specifically looking for an experienced engineer, not someone they would train. I was brought in from another organization's posting, as there wasn't a specific job posting for this role. Unfortunately, the person who scheduled the call gave me incorrect information, making my preparation less useful. It's a highly educated organization.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Can you describe your experience with performing arc flash studies and generating the corresponding reports?
NIH Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from NIH interview reports.
“Write Python functions to solve the 'two angry frogs' problem: Given a list of platforms (integers), calculate the furthest two frogs can be from each other. They start together and can only move to a platform with a higher number.”
Read reports →“For categorizing reads from a metagenomics experiment, what data structure would be most efficient?”
Read reports →“Can you write a function to do division without using the division symbol?”
Read reports →“What are the responsibilities of scientists, if any, in sharing their research with their communities?”
Read reports →“What would you do with $100 million if you won it?”
Read report →“In the context of managing a scientific review meeting, how would you handle a participant who is rude and overbearing?”
Read report →“Can you explain how you'd find common words in a large document to create a short summary?”
Read report →“Regarding SLURM, how would you set up job priority settings to guarantee high, fair, and optimal system utilization?”
Read report →“Imagine you received $10 million for research purposes; what would you pursue?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 238 NIH interview reports.