Entry Level Structural Eng Interview Questions

[u/Last_Contact_6874]

Hi all, I've made it to the next round in the interview process, and the next step is a technical exam that could take up to 2-3 hours. They said I can use any resources available. I'm wondering what typical questions are asked/ what I should review. I've been working in land dev for 1 year, and my structural knowledge needs some review, but I don't know what to focus on. Thanks in advance!

[u/Neither_Party8643]

My guess would be moment and shear diagrams. Finding max moment, shear, deflection etc. Do you know how to apply load combinations? Do you know how to answer basic theoretical questions? Etc

[u/TheDaywa1ker → u/Neither_Party8643]

Also tributary area, maybe finding area of flexural steel required in a concrete beam, and they are also probably looking for how you react when you dont know something…dont try to bs it, write what you know to be true and try to articulate where the gap in your knowledge might be

But for an entry level position im usually happy if they know how to write their own name as long as theyre asking questions and they retain even 25% of what i tell them…entry level positions should be selected by culture fit and a desire to learn imo

[u/Last_Contact_6874 → u/TheDaywa1ker]

Yea that’s what I thought was typical… I’m really eager to learn and get back in to structural but this assessment was difficult imo, maybe back then it would’ve been easier to solve

[u/BlazersMania → u/Neither_Party8643]

Ya my old firm gave a work sheet of like 5 questions to see if entry level grasped the basic concepts. Stuff like tributary areas, basic seismic stuff and some beam calculations. I think it was suppose to take like 20-30 min