NR Interview Preparation
An interview with the Division of Naval Reactors won’t be easy. A number of distinguished leaders, among them a former President of the United States (Jimmy Carter), have gone through these interviews and have felt the same anxiety you may be feeling. The screening process to
be selected for interview is rigorous and the overwhelming majority of those invited to the
interview are selected for the program. Those few who are not selected usually lacked the
proper preparation.
This website will help your prepare. Your preparation should include:
Review of the NUPOC Study Guides
Practice oral interviews with Nuclear Trained Officers
Intense personal reflection.
The study guides on this website contains the type of questions that you can expect to
be asked during your interviews at Naval Reactors. It does not contain all questions that
may be asked; however, it is representative of the types of problems that are most
encountered at the interviews.
The interview focuses on technical questions from Calculus, Physics, and other
technical courses. The majority of the questions are from Calculus and Physics. You may
be asked questions from other topics in your major. Keep in mind that the interviewer has a
copy of your transcripts to use as a guide for these questions. A typical interview lasts 30-40
minutes and contains 2-4 major questions per interview.
General Notes:
The Navy pays for the hotel room for two nights, transportation to and from the
airport, your plane ticket and your meals at the hotel. All other expenses are your
responsibility.
You will fly in the afternoon before the interview. The interview starts bright and
early the next morning. You are free to spend the night in the hotel following the interview.
The hotel where you will be staying at changes from interview to interview. Be prepared to
use the DC metro system to get to your interview. Typically the hotels are near the Crystal
City or Navy Yard sites. The commute to the Navy Yard typically requires a short walk (.5-
.8 miles) make sure you have comfortable shoes and an umbrella.
You are welcome to stay the day after the interviews to see Washington, D.C.
coordinate with your recruiter to get a plane ticket that accommodates your desired schedule.
Things to Bring:
- Conservative suit, tie, jacket, shoes, etc.
- Use Carry-on luggage (don’t take the chance of losing checked luggage)
- Reading material (you will need it for time between interviews)
- An Umbrella (In case of rain)
- A photo ID (required to gain access to the Navy Yard)
Schedule:
DAY BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
1200-1800 Fly into National Airport, check in the hotel
1800-1900 Dinner in hotel
1900-2000 Interview pre-brief with Nuclear Officer Program Manager
2000 - Relax!!!
DAY OF INTERVIEW
0630-0700 Breakfast in hotel
0700 Meet recruiter in lobby for transportation to Naval Reactors
0815-1045 Technical interviews
1100-1300 Lunch
1300-1600 Interview with Admiral Donald
How to Use the Study Guide
The guides are divided by subjects. Everyone is expected to answer Calculus, Physics,
and a portion of Electrical. Other subjects are dependent on your major.
To simulate the interview environment, you should sit down with the study guide,
paper and a pencil. Answer the questions using the problem solving approach.
Using old textbooks or class notes check the answer or look up the solution. If you
are still having difficulty, call your recruiter and he will get in touch with a Nuclear Trained
Officer who can assist with these solutions.
Technical Interview Details
- minimum of two interviews
- third interview may be given (random, question of the day or questionable
performance on prior interview)
- 30-40 minutes in length
- first 10 minutes are usually personal questions
- given in the interviewers office
- interviewer is a senior design engineer
- interviews are staggered
- no competition between applicants
- assess your ability to make it through Nuclear Power School
- all courses on transcripts are fair game with special emphasis on Calculus and
Physics
Technical Interview Hints
- all questions are given orally – be prepared to write
- use plenty of paper or blackboard and present ideas clearly
- take your time, the interviewer will speed you up if required
- make assumptions: do not ask for assumptions
do not assume the problem away
do make the problem solvable
- use numerical approximations to make the math easier
- understand the question
- use the problem solving approach
- use applicable equations – do not ask if derivation is required
- do not volunteer information or lack of information
- do not expect help or additional information from the interviewer
- do not give up unless told so by the interviewer
- NEVER SAY “I DON’T KNOW” in response to a question. You know
SOMETHING about what ever question they are likely to answer. Do your best
to display knowledge.
- ANSWER THE QUESTION WITH CONFIDENCE AND
ENTHUSIASM.
Personal Interviews:
This website contains the type of personal questions most often asked by the Admiral. You may also be asked some of these questions during the first 5-10 minutes of your technical interviews.
Keep these in mind when answering them:
- there is no correct answer for everyone
- decide what is the best answer for you
- be straight forward, honest and consistent
- be as direct as possible with your answers
The Interviews:
Design engineers who work at Naval Reactors conduct the technical interviews in
the morning. Most are civilians with specific areas of expertise. If you are an EE, you will
interview with the EE’s (and most other candidates will interview with people of the same
background). The interviews last thirty minutes to an hour apiece and are one on one. Most
people have two technical interviews. Some may have a third interview. The only thing you
need to bring to the interview is a writing instrument (paper will be provided by the
interview).
Interview Strategy:
Consider the purpose of the Naval Reactors technical interviews. The interviewers
are attempting to determine if you are the type of person who can be in charge of a nuclear
power plant. For instructor candidates, are you dynamic enough to teach a wide range of
technical subjects to extremely intelligent students? The interviewers are projecting you into
these roles.
When given a technical problem, use standard problem solving techniques (i.e. write
down the problem with given information, known relationships, diagrams as necessary).
Make sure that your answer is reasonable!
Talk your way through the solution. This is very important. The interviewer is as
interested in your thought processes as he is in your final answer. Also, an interviewer is
more inclined to help you if you show some basic understanding and if he knows you may
have problems.
Anything on your transcripts is fair game. However, most questions will focus on
calculus, physics and your major.
Be positive! When asked about weakness on your transcript, acknowledge it and say
what you have done about it.
Answer thoroughly and expansively. Tie in your answers to fundamental principles.
Show perseverance! Do not give up on a problem. Never, ever say, “I don’t know”.
Uttering these words can prove fatal.
Grades get you to the interview. They do not get you selected. Motivation and
enthusiasm are as important as technical ability.
Admiral's Interview:
This man will determine in less than five minutes whether or not you will become a
nuclear officer in the Navy. During your interview with him he will have three things in
front of him: 1) your transcripts, 2) the evaluations from the technical interviews and 3)
YOU. By the time you interview with the Admiral, there is nothing you can do about your
previous interviews or your transcripts, but you have complete control over how you present
yourself. First impressions are about the only thing you will leave him with, so they are
extremely important. A strong voice and good eye contact are mandatory. Enthusiasm for
the program and a sincere desire to serve as a nuclear trained officer will go a long way. He
rarely asks technical questions. Remember, the Admiral will be trying to imagine you on the
bridge of a warship or in control of a submarine (NUPOC), before a room of extremely
competitive students (Instructor), or maintaining the impeccable design standards of Naval
Reactors (NR Engineer). He asks most people “Why do you want to do this?” You should
have an answer ready. Above all else, be honest. The Admiral will ask you about academic
and personal weaknesses. You must own your mistakes and convince the Admiral that you
have learned from them and they won’t be repeated.
Additional Areas to Study by Major
All Majors:
- Definitions of differentials, derivatives and integrals
- Integration by parts
- Classify DEQs (and solve 1st and 2nd order linears)
- Polar/cylindrical/spherical coordinates
- Derive areas of circle, triangle, sphere (surface)
- Derive volume of sphere
- Definition of pH
- Types of chemical bonds
- Pascal’s Law
- Archimedes’ principle
- Simple DC RC & RL circuits
- One of your old physics labs
- Definitions and units for enthalpy and entropy
Electrical Engineering:
- Control systems (Nyquist diagrams, etc.)
- Motor/generator theory
- LaPlace transform solutions to RLCs
- Digital logic
- AC/DC circuit analysis
- Transformer theory
- Electromagnetic induction
- Faraday’s Law
Mechanical Engineering:
- Shear/moment diagrams for beams
- Stress/strain curves, typical values for Young’s Modulus of steel
- Types of welds
- Annealing, tempering, forging, cold working
- Heat transfer around boundary layers and through different types of materials
(qualitative)
- Basic heat transfer problems for heat exchangers (Q=UA T, Q=mc T_
- Tank draining problems (fluids with Bernoulli’s)
- Hooke’s law
- Laws of thermodynamics
- Moment of inertia
- Heat transfer equations (conduction, convection, and radiation)
Chemical Engineering:
- Combustion Equations
- Concentration/dilution problems solved with DEQs
- Corrosion (how to minimize, what causes it)
- Buffers
- Types of bonds
- pH problems
- Equations for Gibbs Free Energy and Helmholtz Energy
- Catalysts
- Metals versus nonmetals
Aerospace Engineering:
- Resonant frequency
- Bernoulli’s Equation/fluids/transport problems
Civil Engineering:
- Tank draining problems (fluids with Bernoulli’s)
Chemistry:
- Types of bonds
- Buffers
- Crystal structures
- pH problems
- Catalysts
- Metals versus nonmetals
Computer:
- Boolean algebra
- Semi-conductor theory
- Probs and stats
Physics:
- Elastic/inelastic collisions
- Orbit problems
- Momentum problems
Math:
- Linear algebra
- Taylor and Fourier series
- Triple integrals
- Decay/buildup problems using a series of DEQs
- Spherical coordinates
- Derive quadratic equation
Download the Study Guides
Happy Studying!