Universities, IITs and research institutes interview every PhD applicant on their subject and their proposed research. Under the UGC's rules the interview is 30% of the decision, and more for JRF holders.
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Scored on 6 criteria
Marks
No fixed marks
Length
15–30 minutes
Panel
3 members
They read first
Your Research statement
See one run
The PhD interview interview, from your Research statement to the report
What a mock looks like in the room, step by step. The panel, its order, the form and the criteria are the real interview's; the words and numbers are illustrative.
1
You fill in your Research statement once
The panel has read your statement of purpose or research proposal. Expect to be asked what question you want to answer, why it matters, and how you would begin.
Your Research statementYou fill it once
Name
Home district and state
Postgraduate degree
Research interest
Theses, papers and conferences
Work experience
2
The board asks, one member at a time
In the order the real one moves: opening, then fundamentals, then research question, then method, then close. Follow-ups come from what you just said.
PhD Admission InterviewQuestion 2 of 10 · Fundamentals
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3
You answer out loud
Speak as you would in the room, or type. Your pace, long pauses and filler words are measured as you go — and, if your camera is on, how often you look toward it.
You, answering out loudIllustrative
Subject expert · Fundamentals
Measured as you speak
70110–170 words a minute: where boards are at ease210
Words per answer so far
Shaded: long enough to make a point, short enough to land itone ran long
132words a minute
2long pauses
2.4fillers per 100 words
71%looking toward the camera
4
The report says what to fix
Scored on the 6 criteria this interview is assessed on, member by member, with every line of your Research statement marked as held up, shaky or not yet asked. A practice estimate, never a forecast.
Your reportIllustrative
Interview · practice estimate
62 / 100 indexAbove average
This board gives no marks of its own, so it is a practice index out of 100. For finding what to fix, not for predicting a result.
What the board assessed
Subject knowledge7/10
The research question6/10
Method7/10
Awareness of the field6/10
Clarity5/10
Intellectual honesty6/10
Member by member
CChair
SProspective supervisor · Proposal
ESubject expert · Fundamentals
Your Research statement, under questioning
Name: Held up Home district and state: Shaky Postgraduate degree: Not asked yet
Nothing to buy first. Pick the round, fill in your Research statement, and the board is ready. Your recording, if you ask for one, never leaves your device.
A departmental committee: the head or a senior professor in the chair, prospective supervisors and a subject expert.
The interview asks whether the candidate can do research: a real question, a method, awareness of what is known — and whether they command the subject beneath the proposal.
1 Opening
2 Fundamentals
3 Research question
4 Method
5 Close
Under the UGC's 2022 PhD regulations, where selection uses a written test or the NET score, that counts 70% and the interview 30%; JRF holders are admitted on the interview.
Who sits on the board
C
Chair
The head of department. Opens with the candidate's background and closes with why this department.
S
Prospective supervisor · Proposal
The faculty member whose area the proposal falls in. Takes the research question apart: why it matters, what is known, what would count as an answer.
E
Subject expert · Fundamentals
Tests the core of the discipline beneath the proposal, often at the board.
What they assess
6 things the panel is weighing
Subject knowledge
Commands the core of the discipline, not only the slice the proposal touches.
The research question
States a question, why it matters, and what would count as an answer.
Method
Knows how they would go about it — design, data, methods — and the main threat to the result.
Awareness of the field
Knows who else works on it and what is already known.
Clarity
Explains the idea without jargon, in the order a listener needs.
Intellectual honesty
Concedes a weakness in the plan instead of defending everything.
Not published as a rubric — these are the areas PhD admission committees consistently probe.
What they read before you walk in
Your Research statement
The panel has read your statement of purpose or research proposal. Expect to be asked what question you want to answer, why it matters, and how you would begin.
NameThe board may address you by it.
Home district and stateBoards ask more about this line than any other.
Postgraduate degree
Research interestExpect to be asked why it matters and how you would start.
Theses, papers and conferencesYour master's dissertation counts.
Work experienceAnything you did is fair game — including a gap year.
How is the PhD Admission Interview interview conducted?
A departmental committee: the head or a senior professor in the chair, prospective supervisors and a subject expert. It usually runs 15–30 minutes. The interview asks whether the candidate can do research: a real question, a method, awareness of what is known — and whether they command the subject beneath the proposal.
Does the PhD interview interview carry marks?
Under the UGC's 2022 PhD regulations, where selection uses a written test or the NET score, that counts 70% and the interview 30%; JRF holders are admitted on the interview.
What does the board assess?
Subject knowledge, The research question, Method, Awareness of the field, Clarity, Intellectual honesty. Not published as a rubric — these are the areas PhD admission committees consistently probe.
What will I be asked about?
The panel has read your statement of purpose or research proposal. Expect to be asked what question you want to answer, why it matters, and how you would begin. The Research statement lines it draws on: name, home district and state, postgraduate degree, research interest, theses, papers and conferences, work experience, and more.
Can I practise the PhD interview interview online?
Yes. The Practice Studio runs a mock interview the way the real one moves — a 3-member panel taking turns in the real order — and scores you on the same criteria. You can also book a real interviewer for a free, demo or paid session by video.
Can I practise it in Hindi?
Yes. The AI interviewer can conduct the whole interview in हिन्दी (Hindi), as a Hindi-medium board does, and you can answer in Hindi or English.
