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Science & Pharma interview questions (2026)
Science & Pharma interviews in the UK cover 6 roles on this site, from biomedical scientist to research scientist. Below: how these interviews are run in 2026, the questions asked across the whole sector, and a page of real questions for each role.
How Science & Pharma interviews are run in 2026
- Lab and scientist roles combine a competency panel with a technical round — often a lab tour, a practical task or presenting your own work; regulated (GMP/GCP) roles probe data integrity hard.
- Pharma and CRO interviews are scenario-based: expect 'what would you do if a result was out of specification / a site deviated from protocol' rather than definition recall.
- First rounds are commonly video calls; NHS lab roles (biomedical science) follow structured values-based panels with HCPC registration checks.
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Questions asked across Science & Pharma
What does good documentation look like in a lab or trial — and why does it matter so much?
ALCOA in your own words: attributable, legible, contemporaneous, original, accurate. Then the habit — recording in real time, never backfilling.
Tell us about a time your results didn't match what you expected. What did you do?
The scientific reflex: check the method and instrument before doubting the sample, repeat with controls, report honestly. Unexpected results aren't failures.
What do you do if an SOP seems wrong, outdated or impossible to follow as written?
Never silently deviate: flag it through the change/deviation process, follow the current version meanwhile unless it's unsafe. Compliance plus initiative.
You see a colleague cutting a corner on protocol or safety. What do you do?
Speak to them directly first if safe, escalate if it continues or risks data or people. In regulated environments, not reporting makes you complicit — say so.
Describe troubleshooting an instrument or method failure under time pressure.
Systematic elimination — sample, reagents, calibration, instrument — with what you ruled out and when you called for help. Method is the answer.
How do you approach health and safety in the lab — COSHH, risk assessments, waste?
Name the frameworks (COSHH, risk assessments, PPE, spill and waste procedures) and one time you flagged or fixed a hazard. Lived safety beats recited safety.
Questions for each role
- Biomedical Scientist interview questions
- Chemist interview questions
- Clinical Research Associate interview questions
- Laboratory Technician interview questions
- Microbiologist interview questions
- Research Scientist interview questions