Colloqa

Competency-based interview questions: what they are, examples, and how to answer

A competency-based interview asks you to prove, with real examples, that you have the skills the job needs — “Tell me about a time when…”. It is the standard format in the UK for the NHS, the Civil Service, councils, the police, graduate schemes and many large employers. The good news: the questions are predictable once you read the job description, and every answer can follow the same structure. Below: what a competency-based interview is and how it is scored, the questions asked for each common competency, STAR example answers, how to prepare, and the mistakes that cost marks.

Practise competency questions out loud

Free: 1 full practice interview a day, no card.

What a competency-based interview is

A competency is a skill or behaviour the job needs — teamwork, communication, problem-solving, leadership. The employer lists them in the job description or person specification, then asks one or two questions about each, always about something you have actually done: “Give me an example of a time when you…”. The idea is simple: how you behaved in a real situation is the best evidence of how you will behave in the job.

Competency-based interviews are usually structured. Every candidate gets the same questions, and the panel scores each answer against a list of what a good answer shows (positive indicators) and what a weak one shows (negative indicators). That is why a vague or hypothetical answer scores low even if it sounds sensible — there is nothing to score.

In the US the same format is called a behavioural interview. Some UK employers now combine it with strength-based questions (what you enjoy and do naturally) or values-based questions (how you match the organisation’s values) — more on those below.

How to answer: the STAR method

Almost every competency question can be answered with the same four parts. Aim for about two minutes per answer.

  1. Situation — set the scene in one or two sentences. Where you were, what was going on, and why it mattered. Keep it short; this part earns few marks.
  2. Task — what you had to achieve. Your responsibility or goal in that situation, so the panel knows what success looked like.
  3. Action — what you did, step by step. This is where the marks are. Say “I”, not “we”: what you decided, said and did, and why. Spend at least half your answer here. More on STAR and behavioural questions →
  4. Result — what happened, and what you learned. A concrete outcome, with a number if you have one, and one sentence on what you took from it. UK panels often reward that reflection.

Common competency-based interview questions

Grouped by the competency they test. Check the job description: the competencies listed there are the ones you will be asked about.

Teamwork

  • Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to achieve a goal. They score your role in the team, how you supported others, and the shared result.
  • Describe a time you had a disagreement with a colleague. How did you handle it? They look for calm, direct communication and a resolution — not who was right.

Communication

  • Give an example of when you had to explain something complex to someone without your knowledge. How you adapted your language, checked understanding and followed up.
  • Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult news. Honesty, empathy and clear next steps. Common in the NHS and customer-facing roles.

Problem-solving and decision-making

  • Describe a problem you solved at work. What did you do? How you gathered information, weighed options and decided — and whether it worked.
  • Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without all the information. Judgement under uncertainty: what you knew, what you assumed, how you limited the risk.

Planning, organising and delivering at pace

  • Give an example of when you had to manage several deadlines at once. How you prioritised, who you told, and whether everything was delivered.
  • Tell me about a time you delivered something under pressure. What you did to keep quality while working fast. “Delivering at pace” is a Civil Service behaviour.

Leadership and influencing

  • Describe a time you led a team or a project. How you set direction, involved people and handled problems. Leading doesn’t require a manager title.
  • Tell me about a time you persuaded someone to change their mind. How you understood their view and built your case, rather than pushing harder.

Adaptability, resilience and customer focus

  • Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a change at work. How quickly you adjusted and helped others adjust.
  • Describe a time you made a mistake. What did you learn? Ownership, how you fixed it, and what you changed afterwards.
  • Give an example of when you went above and beyond for a customer or patient. What you did beyond the minimum, and why it mattered to them.

Example STAR answers

Use them for the structure, not the words. Each takes about two minutes out loud.

Teamwork — retail supervisor

“(S) Two weeks before Christmas, two of our six staff went off sick on the same day. (T) As shift supervisor, I had to keep the tills and the stockroom running without overtime budget. (A) I moved our strongest cashier to the busiest till, took over deliveries myself in the morning, and asked two part-timers if they could swap shifts — one could. I also put a short note on the staff group so everyone knew the plan. (R) We kept queue times under five minutes all week, and the manager used the same plan in January. I learned to ask for help earlier instead of trying to cover everything myself.”

Short situation, detailed actions in the first person, a measurable result and a reflection.

Communication — healthcare assistant (NHS)

“(S) A patient’s daughter was upset because her father’s discharge had been delayed and nobody had told her why. (T) I wasn’t able to change the decision, but I could make sure she understood it. (A) I took her somewhere quiet, listened first, then checked with the nurse in charge what I could share. I explained that the doctors were waiting for one more test result and gave her a time when the nurse would update her. (R) She calmed down and thanked us later, and I now update families myself whenever a plan changes rather than waiting for them to ask.”

Shows empathy and clear communication — what NHS values-based panels look for.

Problem-solving — administrative officer

“(S) Our team was missing deadlines for invoice approvals, and suppliers were complaining. (T) My manager asked me to find out why. (A) I tracked twenty invoices through the process and found most were waiting days for one signature. I suggested a shared tracker and a weekly reminder, tested it for a month, and wrote a one-page guide. (R) Average approval time went from twelve days to four, and complaints stopped. Next time I’d involve the approvers earlier — they had ideas I only heard at the end.”

Evidence before the fix, a tested solution, a number, and an honest lesson.

Leadership — graduate with no work experience

“(S) In my final year, I led a group of five on a research project, and halfway through one member stopped contributing. (T) We still had to submit on time and share the marks. (A) I spoke to him privately, found out he was struggling with another deadline, and we agreed he would take the data analysis, which suited his strengths, with a check-in every Friday. I rebalanced the other sections so no one was overloaded. (R) We submitted on time and got a first. I learned that a quiet conversation usually solves more than a group message.”

University, volunteering or part-time work examples are completely fine for graduate schemes.

How to prepare for a competency-based interview

  1. List the competencies from the job description. Look at the person specification or the “essential criteria”. Each competency or behaviour listed there is a likely question.
  2. Prepare one or two examples for each. Eight to ten stories usually cover a whole interview. Use recent ones — ideally from the last two or three years — and from different settings, so you don’t repeat yourself.
  3. Write each one out as STAR bullet points. A few words per part, not a script. Mark the action steps you want to mention and the result you want to land on.
  4. Prepare for the follow-up questions. Panels probe: “What exactly did you do?”, “Why that way?”, “What would you do differently?”. Know the details behind each story.
  5. Practise out loud, against the clock. Two minutes per answer is longer than it sounds. Saying each story out loud a few times shows you where it drifts.
  6. Prepare your questions for the panel. Two or three questions about the team, priorities and next steps. Questions to ask at the end of an interview →

Competency-based interviews in different sectors

  1. NHS. NHS interviews combine competency questions with values-based questions linked to the NHS values, such as compassion, respect and dignity, and working together for patients. Prepare examples that show those values in practice. Nursing and healthcare interview questions →
  2. Civil Service. The Civil Service uses Success Profiles. Interviews usually assess behaviours (such as Working Together, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace) with STAR examples, and may add strength questions you can’t prepare word for word.
  3. Graduate schemes and assessment centres. Expect competency questions in the interview alongside group exercises and presentations. Examples from university, volunteering, sport or part-time work are expected.
  4. Panel format. Many competency interviews are held by a panel of two to four people who each score your answers. How to prepare for a panel interview →

Mistakes that cost marks

  1. Saying “we” instead of “I”. The panel can only score what you did. Credit the team, then describe your part.
  2. Answering hypothetically. “I would…” is not evidence. If you really have no example, say so and give the closest one you have.
  3. Spending too long on the situation. One or two sentences of background is enough. Most of the marks are in the actions.
  4. No result. An answer that stops at what you did leaves the panel guessing whether it worked.
  5. Using the same example twice. It suggests you have only one story. Prepare enough to cover every competency.
  6. Not matching the competency. A great story about problem-solving scores poorly if the question was about teamwork. Listen for the competency in the question.

Practise your examples out loud

Competency answers sound fine in your head and fall apart on the first follow-up: “What did you do specifically?” or “What would you do differently?”. The fix is saying each example out loud, to someone who asks the next question.

In Colloqa you rehearse a full interview by voice with an AI interviewer that asks follow-up questions on what you actually said. Paste the job description and the questions are built around the competencies it lists; you get feedback on the whole session afterwards.

Most marks in a competency interview are lost on vague actions and missing results. A run-through out loud shows you which of your examples need work.

Rehearse a competency interview

Questions about competency-based interviews

  • A structured interview where every question asks for a real example of a skill or behaviour the job needs, such as teamwork, communication or problem-solving. Your answers are scored against what a good answer should show. It is the standard format in the NHS, the Civil Service and many UK employers.

  • Essentially yes. “Competency-based” is the usual UK term and “behavioral” the usual US term for interviews that ask about past behaviour with “Tell me about a time when…” questions. Both are answered with the STAR method.

  • Usually one or two questions for each competency in the job description — often six to ten questions in total, plus follow-ups on each answer.

  • About two minutes. Long enough to cover the situation, your actions and the result, short enough to leave room for follow-up questions.

  • Use examples from university, volunteering, sport, caring responsibilities or part-time work. Panels score the behaviour you show, not where it happened.

  • Competency questions ask what you have done (“Tell me about a time…”). Strength questions ask what you enjoy and do well naturally (“What energises you at work?”). They are harder to prepare word for word — answer honestly and specifically.

  • Often yes — many employers allow a few notes. Ask in advance. Keep them to short bullet points per example so you are not reading.

  • Yes. In Colloqa you run a full mock interview by voice with an AI interviewer that asks follow-up questions on your answers. Paste the job description and the questions follow its competencies; you get feedback on the whole session at the end. The free tier is one full practice interview a day.

Keep preparing