What are competition-based interview questions?

Questions designed to produce evidence of a specific competence from the candidate's past behavior: "tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to a client" for communication, for example. In a competition-based interview every candidate gets the same questions on the same four to six competencies, and the answers are scored against written behavioral indicators.

25 questions
Scoring rubric 1–5

Competency-Based Interview Questions (and the BEI Method)

A competency-based interview asks every candidate the same questions about the same four to six competencies, each question demanding a real past situation, and scores the answers against written behavioral indicators. The behavioral event interview (BEI) is the most rigorous way to run it: you probe one incident in depth — what happened, what they thought, what they did, what resulted — instead of collecting rehearsed summaries.

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Competency-based interviews fail in two predictable ways: the competencies are never defined beyond a word («leadership»), and the questions get a prepared story with no follow-up.

This page gives you the questions, the probing method and the scoring scale.

The 25 questions below are grouped by competency and paired with the probes from the behavioral event interview (BEI) method, which was built to get past prepared stories. Each question says what a strong answer contains and what should worry you; the scoring section turns each competency into observable indicators so two interviewers rate the same evidence the same way.

25interview questions

5question sets by competency

1–5scoring rubric for every answer

Competency-based, behavioral, BEI: what is the difference?

The three terms overlap and are often used interchangeably. The differences matter for how you run the interview and how you score it.

Competency-based interview

What it isA structured interview built around the competencies the role needs, same questions for every candidate, scored against indicators

Use it whenAny role where you want comparable, defensible decisions — this is the frame for everything below

Behavioral questions

What it is«Tell me about a time…» questions that ask for past behavior as evidence of a competency

Use it whenThe question format inside a competency-based interview

Behavioral event interview (BEI)

What it isA probing technique (McClelland, 1970s): take one real incident and reconstruct it in detail — situation, thoughts, actions, results — with follow-ups until the evidence is concrete

Use it whenSenior roles, small candidate pools, or whenever prepared answers are the risk

Situational questions

What it is«What would you do if…» — hypotheticals that test reasoning, not experience

Use it whenJunior candidates and skills they have not used yet

Before you ask: define each competency as behaviors

A competency you cannot describe as observable behavior cannot be interviewed for. For each competency the role needs, write three or four indicators of what it looks like when done well, and one or two of what it looks like when missing. That list is your scoring key; the questions below only produce the evidence.

Problem solving

Positive indicators (what a 4-5 looks like)Frames the problem before acting; names what was ruled out; decides with incomplete data and revisits

Negative indicators (what a 1-2 looks like)Jumps to a solution; the problem is always someone else’s; no method

Communication

Positive indicators (what a 4-5 looks like)Adapts the message to the listener; checks understanding; delivers bad news early and plainly

Negative indicators (what a 1-2 looks like)Talks at people; misunderstandings are the other person’s fault

Teamwork

Positive indicators (what a 4-5 looks like)Handles conflict directly; shares credit specifically; manages dependencies actively

Negative indicators (what a 1-2 looks like)Wins arguments; the team is described as a burden

Leadership

Positive indicators (what a 4-5 looks like)Gives hard feedback that changes something; decides under ambiguity; develops people

Negative indicators (what a 1-2 looks like)Leadership as philosophy; every decision turned out well

Adaptability

Positive indicators (what a 4-5 looks like)Re-plans fast; can name what they gave up; changed something because of feedback

Negative indicators (what a 1-2 looks like)Every change was done to them; nothing has changed in years

Accountability

Positive indicators (what a 4-5 looks like)Warns early; owns the miss in the first person; follows through without reminders

Negative indicators (what a 1-2 looks like)External causes for every miss; «we» for failures and «I» for wins

The BEI probing method: how to get past the prepared story

Ask for one specific incident, then walk it in four passes. Most of the evidence comes from the second and third pass, which is exactly where a standard behavioral interview stops.

Situation

What you ask«Pick one specific time this happened. When was it, who was involved, what was at stake?»

What you are listening forA real, dated, bounded event — not a habit or a composite

Thinking

What you ask«What were you thinking at that point? What options did you see?»

What you are listening forThe reasoning behind the action; the alternatives considered

Actions

What you ask«What did you do first? Then what? What did you say, exactly?»

What you are listening forFirst-person verbs, sequence, actual words used

Result

What you ask«How did it end? How do you know? What would you do differently?»

What you are listening forA verifiable outcome, and honest hindsight

Problem solving questions

Tell me about a problem nobody on your team knew how to solve. Walk me through what you did in the first two days.

What a strong answer shows: They framed the problem, ruled things out, tested something small, and asked for help at a sensible point.
Red flag: A heroic solo effort with no method, or the problem was solved by someone else.

Describe a decision you made with incomplete information. What did you assume, and were you right?

What a strong answer shows: Explicit assumptions, a reversible first step, and a review afterwards.
Red flag: They waited for certainty, or every assumption turned out right.

Give me an example of a process you improved. What was the number before and after?

What a strong answer shows: A baseline they measured, a specific change, a result with a number.
Red flag: «Improved efficiency» with no figure.

Tell me about a time your first solution was wrong. How did you find out?

What a strong answer shows: A real miss, the signal that revealed it, and what they changed in how they approach problems.
Red flag: Their first solution is always right.

Describe the most complex analysis or diagnosis you have done. How did you know when to stop analyzing?

What a strong answer shows: A stopping rule — a deadline, a threshold, «would more data change the answer?»
Red flag: They analyze until someone takes the decision away from them.

Communication questions

Tell me about a time you had to explain something complex to someone without your background. What did you change in how you explained it?

What a strong answer shows: They name the listener, what they simplified, and how they checked it landed.
Red flag: The explanation is described at length; the listener never appears.

Describe a time you delivered bad news to a manager or a client. What were your first two sentences?

What a strong answer shows: The fact first, the cause, a plan — and they can quote it.
Red flag: They delayed it, or it was softened until it was not news.

Give me an example of a misunderstanding that cost time. What did you change afterwards?

What a strong answer shows: They own their share and made a concrete change (written follow-ups, a different channel).
Red flag: Entirely the other person’s fault.

Tell me about feedback you gave a colleague that they did not want to hear.

What a strong answer shows: Specific behavior, private, early, with a follow-up.
Red flag: «I am very direct» with no example.

Describe a time you had to get a decision from someone who was not responding.

What a strong answer shows: They escalated with facts, made the cost of waiting visible, and offered a default.
Red flag: They waited.

Teamwork and collaboration questions

Tell me about a disagreement with a colleague that lasted more than a day. How did it end?

What a strong answer shows: The other person’s position stated fairly; a conversation that changed something; a clear ending.
Red flag: The colleague is irrational and the story ends with them being overruled.

Describe a project where you depended on people you did not manage. How did you handle a delay on their side?

What a strong answer shows: Early alignment, visible deadlines, a direct conversation, then escalation with facts.
Red flag: The delay is described as something that happened to them.

Give me an example of a time you gave up something you wanted for the good of the team.

What a strong answer shows: A real trade-off with a reason, no resentment.
Red flag: They cannot think of one.

Tell me about a colleague who was not pulling their weight. What did you do first?

What a strong answer shows: A direct conversation first, about the specific commitment.
Red flag: Straight to the manager, or they covered indefinitely.

Who is a colleague you learned the most from? What specifically did you copy from them?

What a strong answer shows: A named person, a specific practice, evidence they adopted it.
Red flag: Nobody comes to mind.

Leadership questions

Tell me about the last time you gave someone difficult feedback. What did you say, and what happened next?

What a strong answer shows: The actual words, the reaction, and a change afterwards.
Red flag: Principles instead of a conversation they can quote.

Describe a decision you made that your team disagreed with. How did you handle it?

What a strong answer shows: They listened, explained the reasoning, decided, and checked later whether the team was right.
Red flag: Disagreement is described as resistance.

Tell me about someone you developed. What did you do specifically, and where are they now?

What a strong answer shows: Concrete actions and an outcome — a promotion, a new skill, a move.
Red flag: «I always support my team» with no name attached.

Walk me through a goal your team missed. What did you do in the weeks before it was clear?

What a strong answer shows: Early warning, a scope or resource change, and a change to how they plan.
Red flag: Discovered at the end, explained by external factors.

Tell me about a time you led people more experienced than you.

What a strong answer shows: Credibility earned with a specific action; they can name who was skeptical.
Red flag: Leaned on the title.

Adaptability and accountability questions

Tell me about a project that was cancelled or reprioritized while you were deep into it. What did you do the following week?

What a strong answer shows: A concrete first move and honesty about the cost, without dwelling on it.
Red flag: The story is about how unfair the decision was.

Give me an example of feedback that changed how you work.

What a strong answer shows: They can quote it and name the behavior that changed.
Red flag: Vague feedback, nothing measurable changed.

Describe a commitment you could not keep. When did you tell the people counting on it?

What a strong answer shows: Early warning with a revised date and a reason.
Red flag: People found out on the deadline.

Tell me about a mistake that affected other people. What did you do in the first 24 hours?

What a strong answer shows: A real mistake, who they told and when, damage limited before anyone asked.
Red flag: Trivial, shared with so many people it is nobody’s, or they waited to see if it was noticed.

Describe a result you were responsible for that depended on other people. How did it go?

What a strong answer shows: They managed the dependency actively and own the outcome either way.
Red flag: The delay is somebody else’s.

How to score: the 1-5 scale with behavioral indicators

Score each competency separately, against the indicators you wrote before the interview, with the evidence next to the number. The scale below is the one we use across every guide in the library; the indicators table above is what makes a 4 mean the same thing to every interviewer.

1
No example
Talks about the competency in the abstract
2
Generic example
A situation, but their own actions are vague or match a negative indicator
3
Solid example
A real incident, their actions, an outcome; matches at least one positive indicator
4
Strong example
Above, plus the thinking behind it and a trade-off; matches most positive indicators
5
Exceptional
Above, plus lasting impact; the BEI probes found more evidence, not less

Common mistakes in competency-based interviews

Defining competencies as single words; asking one question per competency with no probe; accepting a habit («I usually…») instead of an incident; letting the candidate pick a different competency to answer; scoring the overall impression instead of each competency; and changing the questions between candidates. The last one quietly destroys comparability, which was the whole point.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What are competency-based interview questions?

Questions designed to produce evidence of a specific competency from the candidate’s past behavior: «tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to a client» for communication, for example. In a competency-based interview every candidate gets the same questions on the same four to six competencies, and the answers are scored against written behavioral indicators.

What is a behavioral event interview (BEI)?

A probing technique developed by David McClelland in the 1970s. Instead of collecting summaries, the interviewer takes one real incident and reconstructs it in detail — the situation, what the candidate was thinking, what they did step by step, and what resulted — with follow-up questions until the evidence is concrete. It is the most reliable way to get past prepared answers.

How many competencies should a competency-based interview cover?

Four to six. Each needs two questions with probes to produce enough evidence to score, and that already fills an hour. More competencies means shallower evidence on each; if the role genuinely needs more, split them across interviewers.

How do you score competency-based interview answers?

Write behavioral indicators for each competency before the interview (what a strong and a weak answer look like), score each competency separately on a 1-5 scale against those indicators, and write the evidence next to the score. Score alone, before the debrief, and compare evidence rather than impressions.

What is the difference between competency-based and behavioral interviews?

In practice, very little: behavioral questions are the question format, and a competency-based interview is the structure around them (defined competencies, same questions for everyone, indicators for scoring). The behavioral event interview adds the probing method. You can run a competency-based interview badly by asking behavioral questions without probes or indicators.

Keep reading

24 behavioral interview questions by competency (STAR follow-ups)Interview questions to ask candidates: the complete guide Interview evaluation form (free Word, Excel and PDF)Interview scorecard template with weighted score

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