CIA Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated Sep 12, 2011 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 8 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 8 ratings
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| 1–8 of 8 CIA Interviews | Sort by |
Intern at CIA
Posted Sep 12, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2010 (took a day)
Talked to a recruiter at a university career fair about an internship as a weapons analyst. Received a call that night for an on-campus interview the next morning.
Interviewer was nice and the interview was relatively relaxed. Asked a set of standard behavioral questions and also asked what in my opinion was the most important issue America was facing. Questions were mainly focused on leadership experience.
Interview went well but was unable to continue with application process because I was planning on some international travel between the interview and the internship period when the background check would be taking place.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Intelligence Analyst at CIA
Posted Jul 28, 2011
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2009 (took 2 days)
Interviewed for the Stokes program. After a long screening process, they fly you in, give you a number of presentations and tours, making you all excited to work for them. Then you spend a day interviewing, the questions in general are pretty tough but its all just a test. A scenario interview question was asked.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Presentation, an IQ/Intelligence Test and a Skills Test.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Analyst at CIA
Posted Feb 6, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Feb 2010 (took a day)
Laid back interview, about a half hour, basic behavioral. Seemed a little unorganized, but the security at the place was intense. After an hour long presentation (nothing new, all mostly found on the website), I waited about two hours before the interview. This was about two months after a lengthy testing process. Open, welcoming.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Presentation, an IQ/Intelligence Test and a Skills Test.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Operations Officer at CIA
Posted Oct 1, 2010 — 3 of 3 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2010 in Washington, DC (took 3 months)
First step consisted of an online application for one or more positions. I was told later on that there is a hierarchy among the various directorates as to which gets first crack at the candidates available with Operations being first on that list.
About a month later I was contacted and asked to set up a phone interview. The phone interview lasted around 30 min and consisted of some basic personal questions and a few general knowledge items regarding the agency and its mission.
Several weeks later I received a packet asking for more information. The response included several personal / motivation for applying questions and an essay about a current international issue. In addition to the written material, I had to take an online personality assessment and IQ test.
About a month after that I was contacted by phone (a negative response comes in the form of a letter) and invited to an information session in the Northern VA area and asked to set up an appointment for the first 1:1 interview. The information session was with a large group of people, lasted around 5 hours, and covered all the basics about positions within the Operations Directorate and general details about life undercover.
The interview is scheduled within a week of the information session and was conducted at an off-site agency building. The interview was conducted by a retired Operations Officer and consisted of basic interview type questions (resume review, motivations, strengths, weaknesses, life choices, etc...) In addition I was asked to discuss another current foreign affair (different from the previous essay) and also participated in several role playing exercises based on typical duties of an officer.
I choose not to pursue the position after that point, but from what I learned the next step (1-2 months later) consisted of a three day round of a 2nd 1:1 interview (similar to the first), another aptitude test, and psychological evaluation. Upon successful completion of that, candidates receive a conditional offer of employment. From there you must pass medical and background checks. Overall the process from application to start date can take up to or more than a year.
General Thoughts: The process requires a long time to complete. An understanding of the concept of cover is important. Checking out some of the suggested reading material (provided early on) is a good idea. Overall a career in intelligence is probably less interesting that you would have thought (at least that was the case for myself).
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test, a Personality Test, a Drug Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Analyst at CIA
Posted Aug 8, 2010
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jan 2008 in Washington, DC (took a day)
The interview lasted for about 1 hour. The questions were both about my professional qualifications, along with my personal situation. At one point the interviewer had me explain to him my understanding of the political situation in a region outside the US. I could choose the region I told him about. The interviewer was very interested to know my language skills.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Internship at CIA
Posted Jun 28, 2010
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Declined Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2009 (took a day)
Talked to recruiter at a job career fair and was offered an interview. Interview was less than an hour long and was not stressful. The common interview questions were asked (leadership roles, how you dealt with previous situations, team work experience, etc.) Was offered a research postion in the DC area.
Interview Questions
Reason for Declining
no housing allowance was awarded and price of living was too high for the salary that was offered.
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Drug Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Analyst at CIA
Posted Feb 14, 2010 — 0 of 1 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2009 (took a day)
It was a normal behavioral interview. One specific question she asked was to relate a current event to the CIA and give a briefing on it. Overall extremely friendly.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Project Management Engineer at CIA
Posted Dec 7, 2009
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Declined Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2009 (took 6 weeks)
Got an interview by attending college career fair. Was 2 on 1 with behavioral questions. Recieved offer in the mail about 6 weeks later.
Interview Questions
Reason for Declining
I wouldn't want to take the polygraph and wouldn't want to live on the east coast.
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
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