Degree apprenticeship interview questions

For many students, a degree apprenticeship interview is the first formal interview they have ever had. The good news is that the questions are fairly predictable, and the way answers are marked rewards preparation. This guide covers the questions you are likely to face, a structure for answering them and how to practise properly.

The types of interview you might face

Employers use different formats, and many use more than one in the same process:

  • Recorded video interviews, where questions appear on screen and you record your answers, often with a short time to think and a time limit for each answer.
  • Live video or phone interviews with someone from the early careers team or the business.
  • Final interviews, often in person or as part of an assessment centre, sometimes with a manager from the team you would join.

Questions usually fall into a few groups: motivation (why this employer and this route), competency (times you have shown a skill), strengths (what you enjoy and do well), and sometimes commercial awareness or technical questions for engineering and technology roles.

Start with the job description

The job description is the closest thing you will get to a published mark scheme. It lists the skills and qualities the employer is looking for, such as teamwork, problem solving, communication or attention to detail. Interviewers commonly score answers against those same headings.

Write each skill down and match it to a real example from your own life: school, a part-time job, sport, volunteering, a club you run or a project you built. Aim for six to eight strong stories you can adapt. One good example can often answer several different questions if you change the emphasis.

How to structure your answers

Use the STAR structure, then add two steps that most candidates miss:

  1. Situation: one or two sentences of context. Where were you and what was going on?
  2. Task: what you needed to achieve, or the problem in front of you.
  3. Action: the bulk of your answer. Describe three to five distinct things you did, in order.
  4. Result: what happened, with a number or a concrete outcome if there was one.
  5. Relate: connect what you learned to the role, the programme or the employer.
  6. Conclude: one short sentence that sums up the skill you have just shown.

Say “I”, not “we”. Interviewers are assessing you, and an answer about what the team did gives them nothing to mark. If the work was shared, be clear about your part. Keep each answer to roughly two minutes, with the action step taking most of that time.

Common degree apprenticeship interview questions

These come up again and again in some form. Prepare an answer for each, then practise saying it out loud:

  • “Tell me about yourself.” Give a short summary: what you are studying, what you have done outside school and why that leads to this programme.
  • “Why do you want a degree apprenticeship rather than going to university?” Talk about how you like to learn and what draws you to the work.
  • “Why this company?” Name specific things: a business area, the way the programme is structured, a conversation with someone who works there.
  • “Why this programme?” Show that you understand what apprentices in this role actually do day to day.
  • “Tell me about a time you worked in a team.”
  • “Tell me about a time you faced a challenge, or made a mistake.”
  • “Tell me about a time you showed leadership or took the initiative.”
  • “How would you balance work and study?”
  • “What do you know about our business, or a recent development in our industry?”
  • “Do you have any questions for us?”

Motivation questions are where marks are lost

Generic answers are the most common mistake. If your answer to “Why this company?” would work just as well for a competitor, it is not specific enough. Research before every interview: read the careers pages and the programme details, look at recent news about the employer and, if you can, speak to a current apprentice at an open day, a webinar or through your school.

Sprout’s firm pages, for example KPMG degree apprenticeships and BAE Systems degree apprenticeships, are a good starting point for the routes each employer typically offers and what the stages usually look like. Then go further on the employer’s own site.

Reuse what you wrote in your application too. Interviewers may have it in front of them, so reread your answers and be ready to expand on anything you claimed. Our degree apprenticeship application guide explains how to write those answers in the first place.

Strengths-based questions

Some employers ask quick questions about what you enjoy rather than what you have done: “What energises you?”, “Do you prefer starting tasks or finishing them?”, “What do you do in your spare time?” These are designed to find out what comes naturally to you, so they are harder to rehearse word for word.

Answer honestly and back each answer with a brief example. A real, specific answer is far stronger than the one you think they want to hear.

Video interview tips

  • Look at the camera, not at your own face on the screen.
  • Sit facing a window or a lamp so your face is lit, with a plain background behind you.
  • Use a laptop on a stable surface with a reliable connection, and close other tabs and notifications.
  • Use any practice question the platform offers to check your sound and timing.
  • Keep a few bullet points nearby, but do not read a script. It shows.

Record yourself answering practice questions on your phone and watch them back. It is uncomfortable, and it is the fastest way to fix filler words, rambling and a flat voice.

Practise properly

Reading model answers is not practice. Saying your answers out loud, to another person, under realistic conditions is. Ask a teacher, a parent or a friend to run a mock interview from your list of questions, and ask them to stop you whenever you say “we” or skip the result.

Feedback from someone who knows how these interviews are marked helps most. A one-to-one coaching session can be spent entirely on a mock interview for the firm you are applying to, with direct feedback on every answer.

Final rounds are often part of an assessment centre, with a group exercise and a presentation as well. Our degree apprenticeship assessment centre guide covers those.

Questions to ask at the end

Prepare two or three questions that show genuine interest, such as what a typical week looks like for a first-year apprentice, how study time is organised, or what the interviewer enjoys about working there. Avoid questions you could answer with a quick look at the website.

Frequently asked questions

What questions are asked in a degree apprenticeship interview?

Most interviews mix motivation questions, such as why you want this company and this route, with competency questions that ask for times you showed skills like teamwork, problem solving or leadership. Some employers add strengths-based questions, commercial awareness questions, or technical questions for engineering and technology roles.

How do I prepare for a degree apprenticeship interview?

Go through the job description and list the skills it asks for, match each one to a real example and structure your examples with STAR. Research the employer properly, reread your application, then practise your answers out loud with someone who can give you honest feedback.

How long should my interview answers be?

Roughly two minutes for a competency answer is a sensible target. Spend most of that on what you did, then relate it to the role and sum up in one sentence.

What should I wear to a degree apprenticeship interview?

Smart business clothing is a safe choice unless the employer tells you otherwise, including for video interviews. Wear something you are comfortable in so you can focus on your answers.

What if I do not have any work experience?

Most applicants are still at school or college, and interviewers know that. Use examples from school projects, part-time jobs, sport, volunteering, clubs, or things you have built or organised yourself. What matters is that you can show the skill and explain what you did.

How do I answer “Why a degree apprenticeship instead of university?”

Focus on what you are moving towards: learning by doing real work, building professional skills early and the specific career the programme leads to. Mentioning that there are no tuition fees is fine, but it should not be your main reason.

Want a coach for the whole season?

Sprout’s coaches are degree apprentices and offer holders at firms like JLR, Morgan Stanley and HSBC. In one-to-one coaching they run company-specific mock interviews for each employer you apply to and go through every answer with you. Read about degree apprenticeship coaching, and book a screening call if you want that support through the season.

Keep reading

All degree apprenticeship guides