Nomination interview questions:

My son will be having his interviews for nomination to USNA soon. Aside from the typical “Why do you want to go” questions, does anyone have any insight to the interview questions???

Besides of what is stated above I would know about current events, global and local. I was asked a few of those during my interview.
 
One thing that really helps is at the end of the interview, when they ask if you have any questions for them, have one ready to ask. It can be about really anything, but just asking a question will set you apart from the majority of candidates who quickly say "no" because they're itching to get out of the room. When I did my USMA nomination interview, I asked the woman (who was a West Point grad) what she thought about the former professor's open letter about West Point and we ended up having a five-minute conversation about it that was very enjoyable. Do something that makes you memorable!
 
One thing that really helps is at the end of the interview, when they ask if you have any questions for them, have one ready to ask. It can be about really anything, but just asking a question will set you apart from the majority of candidates who quickly say "no" because they're itching to get out of the room. When I did my USMA nomination interview, I asked the woman (who was a West Point grad) what she thought about the former professor's open letter about West Point and we ended up having a five-minute conversation about it that was very enjoyable. Do something that makes you memorable!

^^ This is a good life skill everyone should have. I interview dozens of kids every year for our business, and we typically hire one or two. The ones who stand out are the ones who ask good open-ended questions. The answer to the question should not be obvious to anyone who has been on the USNA website. Asking good questions (1) demonstrates the person has an interest, (2) can carry on an adult conversation, and (3) builds rapport - everyone likes a good conversation.
 
Fully agree to have a question or two ready. However, a couple of points in this regard. First, be respectful of the committee's time. If they're slotting interviews every 20 minutes and you're at minute 19, asking an open-ended question that will take a while to answer may be more annoying than not. If you're the last interview of the day or the last before lunch, much easier.

Second, avoid asking questions just to ask them. For example, I've had candidates (including men) ask me what it was like to be a female at USNA when I was there. Folks, that's more than 35 years ago. Do you REALLY care? It has nothing to do with life at USNA today. Also, many women in my generation don't really enjoy discussing it. And what are you going to do with my answer? This is an interview, not an oral history project for school. To be clear, it doesn't make me angry to answer, I just feel it's a waste of time for both of us.

So, that leaves two types of questions. The first are process-based (i.e., "When should I expect to hear back from the Senator?"). The second are things that you really want to know and that the interviewers can actually help you with. For example, if you're being interviewed by a former submariner and you have some interest in subs, you might ask what factors influenced his decision to make that his service selection. These types of questions can be more difficult if you don't know in advance who your interviewers will be. Or, if you are being interviewed by a current/recent parent, you might ask, "What did your son/daughter find most challenging/most fun/most unexpected during plebe year?"
 
Last year my DS reported being asked:
Why do you want to go to...?
What have you done to prepare for ...?
What will you do if you don't get an appointment?
What's your favorite book and why?
and the doozie,
"If your best friend asked you to help him dispose of a dead body, would you help him?"
I thought he was pulling my leg, but he insists he was really asked.
 
"If your best friend asked you to help him dispose of a dead body, would you help him?" I thought he was pulling my leg, but he insists he was really asked.

This is the point we "veterans" of the process make. MOC committee members often ask off-the-wall questions that no one can anticipate or practice for. Often, they have no relevance to anything and are probably asked just to see how a candidate responds to something totally unexpected.

My answer to the above: "Assuming my best friend is a mortician, absolutely."

Or, "If the dead body was a dead animal and my friend really needed my help, I would."

BTW, in line with the above, if you get a question like that, don't be afraid to have a little fun with it, provided you remain respectful. And take a moment to think through the question before you answer. As you can see above, there could be different ways to interpret an off-beat question.
 
^^ I agree. Off-beat questions might be asked simply to see how a person replies to something they couldn't possibly have prepared for or when someone seems overly coached in replying to the obvious questions. Best to be yourself and not pretend to be someone you THINK the interview panel wants to see.
 
AROTC-dad's best advice above is Listen.
Many people (not just teenagers) do not practice active listening skills, because they don't know what they are.
If you get a question in any sort of interview, the person asking you the question wants to gain insight about you (obviously).
The way they ask you the question may inform you as to what they're getting at - more than the words that are coming out of their mouth - because some people don't articulate their own thoughts clearly.
Nevertheless, sometimes all you have to go on are those words, so you must "be in the moment" and consider those words with rapt attention.
Discourse is wonderful (meaningful discourse, anyway). You can have a great time in an interview, or it can be a tremendous ordeal that you must endure. It is almost entirely up to you.

Ask yourself a question days before you even step into the room (with anywhere from 4 to 6 people on a nomination review board):
1. "Why am I here?" If you can't answer that one with an absolute equivocal "because I am a quality candidate, and I should receive an appointment!", then maybe you should get your mind right first.
If you don't believe in yourself, neither will they. You should walk into the room confident (not cocky) and be happy to be there (rather than trying to make them believe you're happy to be there).

The second part of AROTC-dad's advice (which I also like) is to wait.
I was interviewing a college grad the other day who kept finishing my sentences before I did. There are few things more annoying (to me, anyway) than someone cutting you off in mid-sentence because they are so
obsequious that they want to blurt out the "right answer" to everything and move on to the next thing. Take 4 or 5 seconds. Silence is okay while you are considering the question.
Don't feel the need to tell me "That's a good question", before you answer. I already know it's a good question, because I just asked it. :)

Finally, any answer you give should not be terribly rehearsed. If your answer comes from the heart and speaks to your motivation for making a service academy part of your long-term goal in life, it's a good answer.
If you think making your answer into what they want to hear is a good idea - I can only say that after interviewing countless prospective employees after decades in business - that's the last thing I want to hear.

That's just my opinion, of course. One last thing; don't take a beer to the interview. :biggrin:
Great advice! My son has his MOC nomination interview this upcoming Monday.
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Great advice! My son has his MOC nomination interview this upcoming Monday.
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Hello. This is for your son:
Did you have the BGO interview? If so there’s nothing to worry about. My BGO interview lasted about 2 hours, it was informal and pleasant but my brain was fried afterwards.
My best advise is, do your homework, make a cheat sheet with pieces of information about the SA of your choice. Kind of like “USMA fast facts”. Review the information, tips and advise in this forum, write it down in your cheat sheet, watch a couple good YouTube videos of people that has gone through it….write the relevant information down.
When you walk into that room think: HERE I AM! The panel can sense the confidence, your body language, after all you didn’t get this far being an average guy. You worked hard, you sacrificed a lot. You are remarkable!! Smile! We are almost there. Good luck
 
Hello. This is for your son:
Did you have the BGO interview? If so there’s nothing to worry about. My BGO interview lasted about 2 hours, it was informal and pleasant but my brain was fried afterwards.
My best advise is, do your homework, make a cheat sheet with pieces of information about the SA of your choice. Kind of like “USMA fast facts”. Review the information, tips and advise in this forum, write it down in your cheat sheet, watch a couple good YouTube videos of people that has gone through it….write the relevant information down.
When you walk into that room think: HERE I AM! The panel can sense the confidence, your body language, after all you didn’t get this far being an average guy. You worked hard, you sacrificed a lot. You are remarkable!! Smile! We are almost there. Good luck
Yes, he had his BGO interview on Saturday, and that went very well. He had his MOC interview last evening, but felt a little intimidated and felt he didn't do as well, but that's him! He said he flubbed the question on the honor code (he blamed it on a lack of research, which figures) He had a suit on, a white shirt, and a conservative tie. His physical presentation was flawless. He had his resume, transcripts, and a note pad. He did all of the above that you mentioned. As one of the interviewers told me, he is an outstanding young man with excellent communications skills: you should be proud. Now it's out of our hands. I'll send your response to him. Thanks for the advise!
 
Yes, he had his BGO interview on Saturday, and that went very well. He had his MOC interview last evening, but felt a little intimidated and felt he didn't do as well, but that's him! He said he flubbed the question on the honor code (he blamed it on a lack of research, which figures) He had a suit on, a white shirt, and a conservative tie. His physical presentation was flawless. He had his resume, transcripts, and a note pad. He did all of the above that you mentioned. As one of the interviewers told me, he is an outstanding young man with excellent communications skills: you should be proud. Now it's out of our hands. I'll send your response to him. Thanks for the advise!


The panel people knows we are nervous. Good call on the resumes. I had one for each member of the panel. Does he has still another interview? Perhaps with MOS? If so he needs to start the cheat sheet
 
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