Jobs › Medical College of Wisconsin
Research Assistant-Graduate Student
Posted May 15, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about the research you've done so far, and what part of it you did yourself.
What they are checking: Whether they can clearly describe their own hands-on contribution instead of only the lab's overall project.
Tell me about an experiment that didn't work. What did you do next?
What they are checking: Whether they troubleshoot step by step and stay persistent rather than giving up or guessing.
Tell me about a time you had to learn a new method quickly. How did you go about it?
What they are checking: Whether they can pick up skills on their own using papers, protocols and people around them.
How do you see this research assistant role fitting into your graduate training and career goals?
What they are checking: Whether they have a clear reason to be here, which predicts how invested they will be in the work.
What would you do
How do you plan to balance your coursework with the hours you'd work as a research assistant?
What they are checking: Whether they have a realistic plan for time, since the lab depends on them showing up reliably.
You notice a result that doesn't match what your supervisor expects. How do you bring it up?
What they are checking: Whether they report data honestly even when it is inconvenient, which is the base of research integrity.
If you weren't sure how to do a step in a protocol and your supervisor was away, what would you do?
What they are checking: Whether they ask the right person or wait rather than guessing and wasting samples.
About the work
Walk me through how you keep a lab notebook or record your work so someone else could repeat it.
What they are checking: Whether they understand that research only counts if others can follow and reproduce what was done.
What lab techniques or software are you comfortable with today, and what would you need to be trained on?
What they are checking: Whether they know their own skill level honestly so the lab can plan training.
How do you handle working with human subjects data or animal work in terms of rules and privacy?
What they are checking: Whether they know that IRB and animal care rules exist and must be followed exactly.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Medical College of Wisconsin.