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Interview · Principal

Principal interview questions, with what they test.

12 questions built from what the job actually involves: its core duties, the skills rated most important and the tools in use. Switch on practice mode to rehearse before you look.

12 questions · practice mode
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0
Quick answer

Principal interviews test whether you can do the core work, such as counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal…, and the skills rated most important for the role: active listening, learning strategies and judgment and decision making (O*NET). Prepare one true, specific story for each, with a result.

Had it 0Practise 0Practice mode
Q01Walk me through how you counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for principals, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used Apache Cassandra
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q02Walk me through how you confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for principals, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used IBM SPSS Statistics
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q03Walk me through how you observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for principals, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used SAS
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q04Walk me through how you determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for principals, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used The MathWorks MATLAB
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q05Walk me through how you enforce discipline and attendance rules.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for principals, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you plan and lead professional development activities for teachers…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used Microsoft Excel
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q06How have you helped someone else learn a skill you have?Learning Strategies
What they are really testing

Whether you can teach, not only do. Learning Strategies is rated 4.9 of 5 for this job, +2.1 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1Who and what
  2. Step 2How you broke it down
  3. Step 3How you checked progress
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic…
Q07Tell me about a time you had to make a budget go further.Management of Financial Resources
What they are really testing

Cost awareness and trade-offs. Management of Financial Resources is rated 3.8 of 5 for this job, +1.9 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1The budget
  2. Step 2The pressure
  3. Step 3What you changed
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and…
Q08Tell me about a time you had to get the best out of a team.Management of Personnel Resources
What they are really testing

Motivating, developing and directing people. Management of Personnel Resources is rated 4.1 of 5 for this job, +1.5 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1The team and the goal
  2. Step 2What was not working
  3. Step 3What you did
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and…
Q09Tell me about a decision you made with incomplete information.Judgment and Decision Making
What they are really testing

Weighing costs and benefits and owning the call. Judgment and Decision Making is rated 4.8 of 5 for this job, +1.5 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1What you knew and didn't
  2. Step 2The options
  3. Step 3How you decided
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of…
Q10Tell me about something you wrote at work that changed a decision.Writing
What they are really testing

Clarity and purpose in writing, and awareness of the reader. Writing is rated 4.6 of 5 for this job, +1.4 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1Who it was for
  2. Step 2The decision at stake
  3. Step 3How you structured it
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to enforce discipline and attendance rules
Q11Which of these have you used: Apache Cassandra, IBM SPSS Statistics, SAS? Tell me about a recent piece of work with one of them.Tools
What they are really testing

Real, recent use of the tools principals depend on, not a list of names.

Likely follow-ups
  • How would you get up to speed on Microsoft Access if you haven't used it?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Name the tool and the task, e.g. Apache Cassandra for counsel and provide guidance to students regarding…
  2. Step 2What you did with it
  3. Step 3A problem you solved with it
  4. Step 4What the output was used for
Q12Why do you want to work as a Principal?Motivation
What they are really testing

Whether you understand what the job really involves, and whether that is what you want.

Answer approach
  1. Step 1Name the part of the work you like: e.g. counsel and provide guidance to students regarding…
  2. Step 2Evidence you have done it or something close
  3. Step 3Why this employer
  4. Step 4Where you want to grow

Data Duty, skill, tool and conditions questions are built from O*NET data for this occupation. Advice Answer approaches are our coaching advice.

Answer framework

Two structures that work

SSituationOne sentence of context.
TTaskWhat you owned.
AActionWhat you did, in your words.
RResultWhat changed, with a number if true.
Questions to ask them

End the interview well

Advice

  • What does a strong first 90 days look like for this principal role?
  • Which part of the work takes the most time in a typical week?
  • How is performance measured here?
  • What tools and systems does the team use?
FAQ

Common questions

What are common Principal interview questions?
Expect questions about the core duties (counsel and provide guidance to students regarding…), about active listening and learning strategies, and about the tools you have used. This page lists 12 with what each one tests.
How should I answer behavioral questions?
Use a short structure such as Situation, Task, Action, Result, and end with a specific, true result.
Method

How this page is built

Questions are generated from O*NET 31.0 data for the occupation: its core tasks, the skills with the highest importance ratings, the tools reported, and work-context ratings. The interviewer intent and answer approach are TryHired coaching advice.

What this page can't tell you
  • What a specific employer will ask.
  • Technical tests or licensing exams for the role.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
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