Mechanical Engineering Interview Questions – Top 20

Mechanical Engineering interview questions are challenging.

Let me tell you a story about yourself.

You’re in school and studying for engineering, getting good grades, being a part of school clubs, and applying for jobs.

Without a doubt, you are now getting considered for interviews.

You’ve scheduled an interview with a recruiter.

Your interview is coming up.

Now you’re feeling anxious.

You don’t know what they’re going to ask.

It becomes a never-ending cycle of being nervous.

You’re nervous because you don’t know what to expect.

You don’t know what to expect because you’ve never done it before.

Let me tell you, what you’re feeling is absolutely normal.

Although it may be overwhelming, that feeling of nervousness goes away when you are prepared.

Let me relieve some of those nerves for you by preparing you with these 20 mechanical engineering interview questions!

If you need an engineering mock interview to prepare, check out: Engineering Mock Interview

March 2, 2024 by Kazu Fujimoto

Behavioral Mechanical Engineering Interview Questions:

Companies like to do a mix of both behavioral and technical questions, however the initial HR screenings usually begin with general and bevarioral questions.

1. Tell me about yourself

This is without a doubt, how interviews will start. The interview is going to be all about you, so be prepared to sell yourself. You need to come off confident and competent.

2. Why do you want to work for this company?

Obviously because you want a job, but you can’t give a straight up answer like this. A good answer to this question is easy. Do some research about the company. Find a few products and familiarize yourself with them. Learn about the industries that the company has a presence in.

Then answer the question as such:

“I was doing some research in XXX company and was fascinated by the work they do on X product and the direction their operational footprint is moving towards.”

You don’t need to phrase it as such, but phrase it in a way that you know about the company product and you’re aware of the macroeconomic presence said company has.

3. What are your greatest strengths?

Highlight your strengths regarding engineering.

“My greatest strengths are having an analytical mindset, solving a problem logically, and my mechanical inclination towards thin

4. What are your greatest weaknesses?

“Taking on too much work. I like to over commit to things, but end up juggling too much then end up getting tunnel vision”

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“I see myself as an engineer with a strong foundation in XXX skills, which I feel XXX company can provide for me”

6. Why should we hire you?

You might not even get asked this question, but being able to prepare for this gives you the proper mindset. Look into frame.

A good answer is something along the lines of tying in the requirements of the job to a situation you handled in the past, the task you responsible for, actions, and the result. (STAR method)

“I saw that the position required experience in XXX, correct? (They nod their head yes) From my experience in XXX, I have done XXX and implemented YYY, and as a result, ZZZ occurred. Therefore, my experiences suit me for the position that I am interviewing for.”

7. What are some of the favorite projects you’ve had in the past?

Employers love projects. In the industry, all you’re really given are projects. Underneath those projects, you’ll have administrative tasks and those feel like homework assignments. The creative aspect that projects require is what you will tie in regarding your work in the industry.

“Some of my favorite projects are XXX, YYY, and ZZZ. For XXX project, I was responsible for AAA, BBB, CCC (AAA, BBB, CCC are skills that the job description requires), which I believe ties into the requirement for the position I’m interviewing for”

8. What do you like about engineering?

Engineering requires a unique personality. We engineers like to take stuff apart and put them together. We like to know the ins and outs of a system.

“I really like the math and science that goes behind the application of these engineering components. I’ve always wanted a career that utilizes solving problems in math and science to accomplish XXX.

9. Tell me about a time you had…

This will range from a few questions such as: (You will need to answer these questions using the STAR method)

A conflict at work

“I was responsible for the design of XXX, and held a design review. Engineer A had opinion X whereas Engineer B had opinion Y. This went back and forth in the design review, and was a critical item. I took each engineer’s thoughts and weighed them carefully, and chose option A. I explained due to X, this would benefit our system as opposed to Y. Engineer B was upset, but we continued with the design and were successful in execution.”

A failure

“I was responsible for doing X and made the mistake of doing Y, and as a result, Z occurred. I had to be accountable for my actions, so I got all necessary parties involved. Once everyone was notified, they were aware of the situation, understood, advised me to do A, then the problem was resolved. In the future, to avoid mistakes like this, I learned to follow all processes and procedures regarding X.

A challenge

“Establishing myself politically was the biggest challenge I had faced. Starting off, no one really took me seriously. In an industry where you are dealing with senior engineers of over 40+ experience, you need to be confident in yourself when you challenge these engineers. These engineers will say what you are doing is wrong, when it is correct.”

10. How would your coworkers describe you?

“Efficient. Being productive in engineering really requires someone to be efficient. To take something complicated and to break it down into something really simple is one of my most effective strengths, which is what makes me efficient.”

Technical Mechanical Engineering Interview Questions

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, you’re now at the stage where you’re interviewing with an engineer / manager.

1. Are you familiar with GD&T?

This question will almost always be asked in engineering positions.

“GD&T refers to geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, which is a set of standards applied to machine produceable parts. Theoretically, we design our parts to certain dimensions, but in reality it is impossible to machine a part perfectly, so we deal with variances. GD&T gives us guidelines on how to live with these variances.”

Unfortunately, schools don’t emphasize the importance of GD&T.

2. What CAD systems are you familiar with?

“ProEngiener, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and CATIA”

Be prepared to take a CAD test at your interview as employers may need to see you demonstrate the skills you say you have.

Brush up on skills regarding modeling and drafting. Learn how to model basic components like bearings, fasteners, and shafts. Make sure you know how to create a machined drawing.

3. Can you identify the difference between yield strength and ultimate tensile strength?

“Yield strength is the point when a metal stops linearly deforming and starts plastically deforming. Ultimate tensile strength is the maximum stress that the material can handle before breaking.”

4. What is stress vs strain?

“Stress is a physical quantity that defines a force upon an area.”

“Strain is elongation of an object divided by the total length of the object.”

5. Explain what the Rankine Power Cycle is.

“The Rankine Cycle is a 4 process cycle where you take your working fluid, water, pump it up, then add heat from the boiler. Once the fluid gets heated, it turns into steam, which drives the turbine to generate work. Upon exit of the turbine, the working fluid goes through a condenser, and the cycle continues again”

6. How did they train you in your previous job?

Employers use this to gauge how you learn. It’s best to say that you were trained with minimal supervision, so that it shows you can learn independently.

7. What machining methods are you familiar with?

“Both CNC and manual lathe and milling (3-5 axis), welding, soldering, castings, forgings.”

Those methods should be what you are exposed to no matter what industry you are in regarding mechanical engineering.

8. Are you familiar with SAP?

“Yes, we use SAP as an Enterprise Resource Planning software to oversee many of our day to day business activities”

If you don’t have SAP experience, just mention that you’re familiar with ERP software, as companies like to know you are competent in this software.

9. What were your favorite engineering courses in college?

This may throw you off guard, but an employer wants to see that you are passionate about engineering. Understanding what subjects the job relates to and demonstrating that you are interested in those subjects will reflect well.

For example, if a job in the automotive industry working on engines, say thermodynamics.

If a job in oil and gas or pumps, say something like fluids.

10. Are you familiar with composites?

“Yes, composite materials are materials that are formed with two or more materials with different material properties. The purpose of creating composite materials is to achieve certain material properties that the individual materials cannot. Advantages include being lightweight and strong. Examples would be panels on the Boeing 787.”

There you have it.

These are the top 20 mechanical engineering interview questions that I have stumbled upon in my career.

Be prepared for these mechanical engineering interview questions and you’ll ace that interview and sign that offer letter in no time!

Want other mechanical engineering interview resources?

These resources will go more in depth in mechanical engineering courses such as aerodynamics, machine design, thermodynamics, control systems and more.

Check out:

• Aerodynamics Interview Questions – Top 25
• Machine Design Interview Questions – Top 13
• PID Interview Questions – Top 24
• Strength of Materials Interview Questions – Top 23
• Thermodynamics Interview Questions

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