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If a program invites you to interview or visit, that’s a good sign — you’re a serious candidate. Grad interviews are less about trick questions and more about mutual fit. Here’s what to expect and how to show up ready to evaluate them as much as they evaluate you.
It’s a fit conversation, not an interrogation
Especially for research programs, the interview is often a chat with a potential advisor about your interests and theirs. They’re assessing whether you’d be a good fit for their lab and whether your goals match what they do — and you’re assessing the same about them.
Know your own application cold
Be ready to talk about your research experience, your statement of purpose, and why this program — specifically. Vague enthusiasm reads as a weak fit; specifics about their work read as a serious applicant.
Some programs interview, many don’t
Interviews are common in the sciences, psychology, and many funded PhD programs (sometimes a full visit weekend), and in professional programs like medicine and business. Plenty of master’s programs don’t interview at all.
Come with questions — you’re interviewing them too
A grad program is a years-long commitment, often funded. Asking sharp questions signals you take that seriously and helps you avoid a bad fit:
On a visit, the most useful conversations are with current grad students, often away from faculty. Ask honestly about funding reliability, how their advisor treats them, and whether they’d choose the program again. Their answers tell you what the official tour won’t — and that’s exactly the information you need before committing years of your life.
Prepare: review the grad application, learn how to choose a program, and practice with the interview STAR builder.