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Interview preparation roadmap · Science

Core chemistry, analytical instruments, lab safety and quality.

ChemistryInstrumentsSafety

0 / 17 complete · 11 core · 6 other · 85 subtopics

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  1. 01Interview foundations
  2. 02Chemistry core
  3. 03Research
  4. 04Practice
  5. 05Behavioral & HR
  6. 06Company & final prep
CoreCommonly assessedGood to knowRole-dependentAdvancedFor deeper interviewsOptionalNot needed by everyoneCompletedYour progressYou are hereNext up

  1. 01Interview foundations

    What every interviewer sees first.

    1. 01.1Resume

      CoreBeginner3–5 h

      A one-page resume you can defend line by line.

      What this covers

      • One-page format — Reverse-chronological, clean fonts, no photos or tables that confuse parsers.
      • Project bullets — Action + what you built + a number (users, speed, accuracy).
      • Skills section — Only skills you can answer questions on for two minutes.
      • ATS readability — Export a text-based PDF and check it with a parser.
      • Working links — GitHub, LinkedIn and a live project link that open.
      • Tailoring — Reorder bullets to match the job description.

      What to practise

      • Run your PDF through a parser test
      • Rewrite each bullet as action + result
      • Remove any skill you can't explain for 2 minutes

      Common questions

      • Walk me through your resume.
      • Which project here are you most proud of, and why?
      • Why is this skill on your resume?

      Free resources

      • OpenResume — Free ATS-friendly resume builder and parser test (Free)
      • Jake's Resume (Overleaf) — The LaTeX resume template most SDE freshers use (Free)
      • Resume Worded — Resume and LinkedIn scoring (Free plan)
      • Jobscan — Match your resume against a job description (Free plan)

      Free courses

    2. 01.2Tell me about yourself

      CoreBeginner1–2 h

      A 60–90 second answer: present, past, why this role.

      What this covers

      • Present — Who you are now: degree, year, focus.
      • Past — One or two proof points: a project, internship or result.
      • Future — Why this role and this company next.
      • Length — 60–90 seconds; stop before you list everything.
      • Delivery — Calm pace and eye contact, not a memorised script.

      What to practise

      • Write it, then say it out loud 5 times
      • Record yourself and cut anything over 90 seconds

      Common questions

      • Tell me about yourself.
      • Why should we hire you?
      • Where do you see yourself in a few years?

      Free resources

      Free courses

    3. 01.3Papers & your research talk

      CoreAdvanced4–8 h

      Reading papers and presenting your own work clearly.

      What this covers

      • Reading papers — Abstract, figures, methods, then details.
      • Your thesis story — Question, method, result, meaning.
      • Talk structure — Fifteen minutes, one main message.
      • Handling questions — Honest limits.
      • Literature awareness — Key recent work in your area.

      What to practise

      • Give a 15-minute talk on your work
      • Summarise three recent papers in your field

      Common questions

      • Explain your research to a non-specialist.
      • What are the limitations of your study?

      Free resources

      • Google Scholar — Papers, plus the Cite button for APA/IEEE (Free)
      • PubMed — Search biomedical and life-science papers (Free)
      • Zotero — Reference manager with one-click citations (Free)

      Free courses

  2. 02Chemistry core

    The main rounds.

    1. 02.1Chemistry fundamentals

      CoreIntermediate15–25 h

      Core chemistry for research and lab roles.

      What this covers

      • Physical chemistry — Thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibria.
      • Organic chemistry — Reactions and mechanisms.
      • Inorganic chemistry — Bonding and coordination.
      • Analytical chemistry — Spectroscopy, chromatography.
      • Safety & handling — Hazards and storage.

      What to practise

      • Revise one reaction mechanism a day
      • Explain HPLC and NMR in your own words

      Common questions

      • How does chromatography separate compounds?
      • What affects reaction rate?

      Free resources

      Free courses

    2. 02.2Lab techniques & safety

      CoreIntermediate4–8 h

      Instruments, SOPs and documentation in the lab.

      What this covers

      • Lab safety — Chemicals, biosafety, waste.
      • Instruments — Principles of what you used.
      • SOPs & GLP — Following and writing procedures.
      • Documentation — Lab notebooks and records.
      • Troubleshooting — When experiments fail.

      What to practise

      • Explain three instruments you used, with principles
      • Write an SOP for one routine task

      Common questions

      • How does a spectrophotometer work?
      • An experiment failed. What do you do?

      Free resources

      • NPTEL — IIT/IISc course videos across engineering (Free)
      • Khan Academy — Maths and science from scratch (Free)
      • PubMed — Search biomedical and life-science papers (Free)

      Free courses

    3. 02.3Quality & Six Sigma tools

      Good to knowIntermediate4–8 h

      Quality tools manufacturing and production roles use.

      What this covers

      • 7 QC tools — Pareto, fishbone, control charts and more.
      • Six Sigma basics — DMAIC.
      • FMEA — Failure modes and risk priority.
      • SPC — Process capability basics.
      • Root cause analysis — 5 Whys.

      What to practise

      • Do a fishbone analysis on a real problem
      • Calculate Cp and Cpk for sample data

      Common questions

      • What is DMAIC?
      • How do you find a root cause?

      Free resources

      Free courses

  3. 03Research

    Methods and data.

    1. 03.1Research methods

      Good to knowIntermediate6–10 h

      Designing studies and analysing results carefully.

      What this covers

      • Research questions — Clear and testable.
      • Study design — Controls, variables, sample size.
      • Data analysis — Statistics you actually used.
      • Reproducibility — Notes, code and data.
      • Ethics — Consent and integrity.

      What to practise

      • Write a one-page research proposal
      • Explain the statistics in one of your projects

      Common questions

      • How did you design your experiment?
      • How do you know your result is not chance?

      Free resources

      Free courses

    2. 03.2Data analysis for science

      Good to knowIntermediate6–10 h

      Python or R for analysing experimental data.

      What this covers

      • Python or R basics — Scripts and notebooks.
      • Data handling — Tables, cleaning, plotting.
      • Statistics in code — t-tests, regression.
      • Reproducibility — Versioned code and data.
      • Figures — Clear plots for papers.

      What to practise

      • Re-analyse one of your datasets in code
      • Make one publication-quality figure

      Common questions

      • How did you analyse your data?

      Free resources

      Free courses

  4. 04Practice

    Rehearse it out loud.

    1. 04.1Mock interviews

      CoreBeginner3–5 h

      At least two full practice interviews before the real one.

      What this covers

      • Realistic setting — Same format, time limit and dress as the real round.
      • Common questions first — Introduction, motivation, experience, weaknesses.
      • Feedback — Ask what was unclear or too long.
      • Recording — Watch yourself once; fix fillers and pace.
      • Role questions — Add 3–5 questions specific to your field.

      What to practise

      • Do two mock interviews with a friend or senior
      • Use a spoken practice tool and read the transcript

      Common questions

      • Tell me about yourself.
      • Why this role?

      Free resources

      Free courses

  5. 05Behavioral & HR

    How you work with people.

    1. 05.1Behavioral & STAR

      CoreBeginner3–4 h

      Stories about teamwork, conflict and failure, told with STAR.

      What this covers

      • STAR structure — Situation, task, action, result. Spend most of the time on action.
      • Story bank — 6–8 real stories you can reuse across questions.
      • Teamwork & conflict — Disagreeing respectfully and what you changed.
      • Failure & weakness — A real one, what you learned, what you do now.
      • Ownership — Times you took initiative without being asked.
      • Common HR questions — Why us, why you, strengths, relocation.

      What to practise

      • Write 6 stories in STAR form
      • Map each story to 2–3 common questions
      • Practise one story with a friend

      Common questions

      • Tell me about a time you failed.
      • Describe a conflict in a team and what you did.
      • What is your biggest weakness?

      Free resources

      Free courses

    2. 05.2Strengths & weaknesses

      CoreBeginner1–2 h

      Honest strengths with proof, and a real weakness you are working on.

      What this covers

      • Strengths with proof — Pick 2–3 and back each with one short example.
      • A real weakness — Not a disguised strength; something you are actively improving.
      • What you are doing about it — The habit, course or system that shows progress.
      • Fit to the role — Strengths that matter for this job, not any job.

      What to practise

      • Write three strengths with one example each
      • Practise the weakness answer until it sounds calm, not rehearsed

      Common questions

      • What are your greatest strengths?
      • What is your biggest weakness?
      • How would your friends or teammates describe you?

      Free resources

      Free courses

    3. 05.3Common HR questions

      CoreBeginner2–3 h

      The questions almost every HR round asks, answered honestly and briefly.

      What this covers

      • Why this company — Specific reasons from your research, not praise.
      • Why should we hire you — Match two needs of the role to your proof.
      • Gaps and changes — Explain gaps, backlogs or a branch change without excuses.
      • Relocation, shifts, bonds — Know your real answer before the interview.
      • Career goals — A realistic next step, connected to this role.
      • Notice period and joining — Facts you should have ready.

      What to practise

      • Write short answers to ten common HR questions
      • Say them aloud to a friend and cut anything over a minute

      Common questions

      • Why do you want to join us?
      • Where do you see yourself in five years?
      • Are you open to relocation?
      • Why did you choose your branch or degree?

      Free resources

      Free courses

  6. 06Company & final prep

    The last 48 hours.

    1. 06.1Company research

      CoreBeginner1–2 h

      The product, the role, the job description and recent news.

      What this covers

      • The business — What it sells and to whom.
      • The role — What the job description really asks for.
      • Recent news — Launches, results, announcements.
      • Interview format — The rounds, if the company shares them.
      • Your fit — Three reasons, matched to the job description.

      What to practise

      • Write 3 reasons you want this role
      • Match 3 JD lines to your experience

      Common questions

      • Why do you want to work here?
      • What do you know about our product?

      Free resources

    2. 06.2Questions to ask

      Good to knowBeginner30 min

      Two or three good questions for the end of the interview.

      What this covers

      • About the team — How work is planned and reviewed.
      • About growth — Mentoring, learning, the first 90 days.
      • About the product — What is hard right now.
      • What to avoid — Questions a quick search answers.

      What to practise

      • Write 5 questions, keep the best 3
      • Prepare one question about the team's own product

      Common questions

      • Do you have any questions for us?

      Free resources

    3. 06.3Salary & offer basics

      Good to knowBeginner1–2 h

      How to read an offer, answer salary questions and compare offers.

      What this covers

      • CTC vs in-hand — CTC includes PF, bonuses and benefits; in-hand is what you receive monthly.
      • Fixed vs variable — Variable pay and joining bonuses may have conditions.
      • Bonds and clawbacks — Read the service agreement before you sign.
      • Answering "expected salary" — Give a researched range or ask for theirs first.
      • Comparing offers — Role, learning, location and in-hand pay, not only CTC.

      What to practise

      • Look up salary ranges for the role and city
      • Calculate in-hand pay for one sample offer

      Common questions

      • What are your salary expectations?
      • Do you have any other offers?

      Free resources

    4. 06.4Final checklist

      CoreBeginner30 min

      Logistics, documents, setup and a calm night before.

      What this covers

      • Logistics — Time, timezone, link or address.
      • Documents — Resume copies, ID, certificates if asked.
      • Tech check — Camera, mic, internet, charger.
      • Night before — Sleep, light revision, no new topics.

      What to practise

      • Do a 5-minute tech check the day before
      • Lay out documents and clothes the night before

      Free resources

    5. 06.5Job & interview safety

      Good to knowBeginner15 min

      Spot fake offers, payment requests and fake interview links.

      What this covers

      • Payment requests — Real employers don't charge for jobs or training.
      • Email domains — Check it matches the company's own site.
      • OTPs & logins — Never share them with anyone.
      • Fake interview links — Care with unknown chat apps and downloads.
      • Reporting — The 1930 helpline and cybercrime.gov.in.

      What to practise

      • Check one recent offer against these rules
      • Confirm the opening is listed on the company's own careers page

      Free resources

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