Judging Resources: Team Interview Tips and Sample Questions – REC Library

Best Practices

Ask if the team has a few minutes for the interview. If the team has an upcoming match that may interfere with the interview, tell them you will come back at a better time. Do not keep the students from heading to a match and make them late for their competition round.
Ask if all team members are present. Try to include all team members in the interview.
Ask a quick “icebreaker” question such as, “That’s a really great team logo! Who designed it?” or “How is your team doing so far today?”
Being a Judge gives you a unique opportunity to impact students through positive reinforcement. Just a few words of encouragement can make their day.
Try not to ask yes or no questions. Encourage teams to elaborate on their answers.
Be prepared to rephrase your questions. Be mindful of differences in communication styles.
Be mindful of students who do not speak the language that you are using as their first language.
Be aware of different age levels. Approach students in an age-appropriate way, especially when talking to younger students.
Be attentive to students. Do not engage in side conversations/phone use during interviews.
It is acceptable to take a picture of each team with their robot so the license plate is visible. This will help you identify teams and robots later during deliberations.
If you are having trouble finding a team, wait for them at the field for their next match.

Is this a good time for an interview? Are all of your team members here?
What does your robot do and how does it score points?
How did you develop this robot design?
Which team members built the robot?
What part of your robot are you most proud of? Why?
Were there any other robots that inspired your robot design? How?
What changes did you make to improve your design during the season?
What was the most difficult challenge your team has overcome so far?
Did you use any sensors? What are they used for? How do they operate in your autonomous mode? How do they operate in your driver-controlled mode?
What problems did you have in working on your robot? How did your team solve them?
If you had one more week to work on your robot, how would you improve it?
Has your game strategy been effective? How and why?
Tell us about your robot’s programming – who was the primary programmer?
What were the challenges of this year’s game that you considered before designing your robot? How did you design your robot to meet those challenges?
What are your goals for Driver and Autonomous Coding Skills scores? What are your average scores?