Use this material to examine your own work. Confirm current requirements, forms and dates with IStructE before applying.
Practice questions
These 220 authored prompts are for personal practice and mentor discussion. They are not official interview questions or predictions of an assessment.
220 questions
What is the Institution for, and why did you choose it over another body?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which parts of the Code of Conduct have you actually had to think about?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where are the limits of your technical competence, and how do you know?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did you recognise that a problem was more complex than it first looked?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How have you been involved in Institution affairs?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Why does the profession share data and knowledge, and where have you contributed?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What would you do if asked to work outside your competence, by someone senior?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which technical meeting or seminar has changed how you work?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you explain a structural constraint to a client with no technical background?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did you have to deliver unwelcome technical news, and how did you do it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you make sure a drawing communicates your intent to someone building it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Whose written work have you reviewed, and what did you change?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What was your last disagreement with another discipline, and how was it resolved?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Your portfolio is a piece of communication. What did you do to make it navigable?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you record a decision made in a meeting so that it holds up later?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the hardest thing you have had to explain, and to whom?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
On a scheme you worked on, what were the options, and why did you land where you did?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What constraint most shaped that scheme, and how did you find it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which scheme have you contributed to, and what was the reasoning behind its form?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which of your concepts turned out to be wrong, and when did you realise?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you establish stability at concept stage?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you approach a structure of a type you have never designed?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where has an existing structure been part of your concept?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How did the construction method influence the form you chose?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the load path on one of your projects, from roof to ground?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you check the output of an analysis package?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did an analysis give you an answer you did not believe? What did you do?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you decide how much modelling a problem needs?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which member on your last project governed, and on what check?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Whose calculations have you checked, and what did you find?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you choose a deflection limit?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did you have to justify an assumption you could not fully verify?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which materials have you designed in, and which do you know least well?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How did you choose the material for one of your schemes?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What material problem have you had to solve on site?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How does durability affect your specification?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where have you specified a material you had not used before, and how did you get comfortable?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do the material choices in your scheme affect its embodied carbon?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What have you specified about workmanship, and why did it matter?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where has sustainability changed a design decision you made?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How have you calculated or estimated embodied carbon?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where could you have used less material, and why did you not?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What have you reused, and what did you have to prove about it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you weigh operational against embodied carbon?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you design something to be taken apart?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How have you persuaded a client that a lower-carbon option was worth it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How much time have you spent on site, and what did it change?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What have you designed that proved awkward to build?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the construction sequence for one of your structures?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where have temporary works governed your permanent design?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What has a contractor taught you?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you handle a request to change something during construction?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What went wrong on site on one of your jobs, and what was your part in it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What are your duties as a designer, and where have you discharged them?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What hazard have you designed out?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you communicate a residual risk you cannot design out?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did you raise a risk that was unwelcome?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How have you considered disproportionate collapse?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you assess risk on an existing structure of unknown provenance?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What would you do if you found an error in information already issued?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you keep up with structural safety alerts and lessons from failures?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What have you been responsible for delivering, and to what programme?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you plan a design workstream?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Whom have you supervised, and how did you know their work was sound?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did a programme slip on your watch, and what did you do?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you manage design changes and their effect on the rest of the team?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How is quality assured in your work, and what is your part in it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When did you have to resolve a conflict within a team?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Under what form of appointment does your work usually sit?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the difference between reasonable skill and care and fitness for purpose?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How does a fee get set, and what happens when scope grows?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What would you do if you were asked to work without a signed appointment?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Why does professional indemnity insurance exist, and what affects it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How have you contributed to controlling cost on a project?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What statutory approvals has your work needed, and what was your part?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Can you take us through your career in ten minutes?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Which project in your portfolio are you proudest of, and why?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What did you personally do on this project?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Who checked this, and what did they change?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What would you do differently if you started this project again?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you keep your competence current?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where do you want your practice to go in the next five years?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Is there anything you have not had the chance to tell us?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What does chartered status actually oblige you to do?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where do the Institution's Code and your employer's interests pull in different directions?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you decide when to seek a second opinion?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What role do standards and codes play in your judgement?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you handle discovering a colleague had made a serious error?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is your CPD plan for the next twelve months?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How has your understanding of professional responsibility changed since you graduated?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What would make you refuse to put your name to something?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you contribute to the development of others?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Why do you want to be a member of this Institution specifically?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the most important thing the profession gets wrong at the moment?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you record and reflect on what you learn?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you structure a technical report?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
When has your written information been misunderstood, and what did you change?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you brief someone taking over your work?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you communicate uncertainty to a client?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What happened when you presented to people more senior than you?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you use sketches in your work?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What makes a good design-team meeting?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you explain your scheme to a planning committee?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you handle a client who wants something you think is wrong?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What have you written that you are pleased with, and why?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Who reads your drawings, and what do they each need from them?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you communicate across a language or cultural barrier?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you start a scheme from a blank sheet?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How does the architect's proposal shape or limit your options?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where have you proposed something unusual, and how did you justify it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you size members at concept stage?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How does the grid get decided, and who decides it?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What did you have to abandon on a scheme, and why?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do movement joints affect your concept?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you allow for future change in a building?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where has the ground dictated your scheme?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you compare two schemes fairly?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the load path in the structure on this page of your portfolio?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you design the same building on a much tighter programme?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you arrive at the loading for a structure?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you handle lateral stability in your analysis?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you model a connection that is neither pinned nor fixed?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What have you designed that was governed by serviceability?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How would you check a structure someone else modelled?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you deal with a member that fails your check by a small margin?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
Where have you used a hand calculation in preference to software?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you approach dynamic behaviour — footfall, machinery, wind?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you record a calculation so someone can check it in five years?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
What is the biggest simplification in your analysis, and is it safe?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
Ask a mentor what remains unclear, then record what you need to investigate or practise.
How do you sanity-check a reaction?
Use an example from your own work. Explain your responsibility, the information you used, the checks you made and what happened.
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How do you assess the capacity of an existing member with no records?
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Why choose steel over concrete for a given frame, or the reverse?
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What governs the concrete mix you specify?
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Where have you had to consider fire performance?
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What do you know about timber that engineers often get wrong?
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How do you specify masonry, and what governs it?
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Where has a material behaved differently from your assumption?
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How do you decide between a standard product and a bespoke element?
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What testing have you specified or witnessed?
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How would you assess a material you have never worked with?
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How does material choice affect the foundation design?
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What material properties do you actually look up, and which do you carry in your head?
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Where would reclaimed material be viable in your work, and what would you have to prove?
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How do you allow for tolerance between materials?
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What is the single biggest carbon decision on a typical project?
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How do you know your carbon numbers are meaningful?
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Where have you challenged a brief on sustainability grounds?
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How does structural efficiency relate to carbon?
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What are the limits of what a structural engineer can influence here?
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How would you assess whether an existing building is worth keeping?
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What have you learned about sustainability in the last year?
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How do you handle a client who is indifferent to carbon?
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What is the difference between a low-carbon design and a lightweight one?
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How does design life affect your decisions?
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What does A1–A3 mean, and why does it matter to you?
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Where might a sustainability decision conflict with safety or durability?
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What would you do differently on your last project, for carbon?
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How does your design get built, in five steps?
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What tolerances have you had to accommodate?
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Which RFI have you answered that changed something?
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How do you allow for craneage and access in your design?
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What do you look for on a site inspection?
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How do you design for construction in a live or occupied building?
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What is the difference between what you draw and what gets built?
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How have you dealt with a non-conformance?
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How does off-site construction change your design?
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What would a contractor say about working with you?
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What was the last thing you saw on site that surprised you?
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How do you plan demolition or dismantling into a design?
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Where has weather or season affected a construction decision?
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How does the hierarchy of risk control apply to an example of your own?
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What goes into a designer's risk register on your projects?
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How do you judge whether a risk is acceptable?
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How does maintenance access influence your design?
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What is the most dangerous assumption in your current work?
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How do you deal with a temporary condition more onerous than the permanent one?
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What have you learned from a structural failure in the news?
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How would you respond to a report of movement in a structure you designed?
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How do you handle fire safety in your structural design?
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Where does your responsibility for safety end?
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What hazards does the structure on this portfolio page present?
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How would you assess the robustness of a structure against an event nobody designed for?
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How do you estimate the effort a piece of design will take?
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How do you prioritise when everything is urgent?
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How did you manage a piece of work that was going wrong?
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How do you hand work over between team members?
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What information do you need from others, and how do you secure it?
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How have you developed someone junior to you?
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How do you keep a design coordinated across disciplines?
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What does good record-keeping look like on your projects?
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How do you decide what to delegate?
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How have you improved a process rather than just following it?
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Who reports to you, formally or informally?
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How do you manage risk to the programme when information is late?
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What resource have you been accountable for?
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What is a collateral warranty, and why would anyone want one?
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What happens to your liability after the project finishes?
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How does the procurement route change your role?
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What is in a scope of services, and why does the boundary matter?
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How is a structural design usually priced by a contractor?
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What are your obligations under the Building Safety regime, if any apply to your work?
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What is a party wall matter, and have you met one?
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How does intellectual property work in design?
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What would you do if you thought a project was heading for a dispute?
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How do design changes get valued and agreed?
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Who is your client, in the legal sense, on your current job?
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Where do commercial pressure and engineering judgement conflict?
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What does your firm's quality system require of you commercially?
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Which Core Objective do you think is your weakest, and why?
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Which page of your portfolio would you like to talk about?
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What is the most difficult engineering problem you have solved?
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How do you know when a design is finished?
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What is on this drawing that you would change now?
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Why is this project in your portfolio at all?
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What are you reading or following professionally at the moment?
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If we gave you an unfamiliar structure to design tomorrow, what would you do first?
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What have you learned from someone you disagreed with?
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Which part of structural engineering do you enjoy most?
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How would your colleagues describe your engineering judgement?
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What has your mentor pushed you hardest on?
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Search 220 authored questions by subject or keyword. Select a question, answer aloud using your own work and discuss the reasoning with a mentor.
Practise at the relevant level
Check the standard required by the attribute or Core Objective you are discussing. Explain whether you observed the work, contributed under supervision or took responsibility for the decision.
Ask follow-up questions about assumptions, alternatives, checks and outcomes. Use the discussion to identify unclear evidence or experience you still need. These prompts do not predict official questions or an assessment result.
Official sources
Selected publisher pages were rechecked in September 2026. Other source records were last checked in July 2026. Open the latest official document before relying on a requirement.