The process took 1 day. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA) in Mar 2012
Interview
I applied for an examiner position and it took two weeks after the position closed for me to receive an email saying I was selected for an interview. The email also came with a questionaire and a link to a video (very helpful). The interview was very relaxed and took about 45 minutes. The two interviewers (both SPE's I believe) were writing down what I was saying so I wish I could have been a bit more concise in my responses. I would recommend preparing succinct written answers to these questions - and try to sound like you are not reading them when they interview you.
They told me it would take up to a month for HR to contact me with an offer (three more weeks to go!)
Questions:
What molecular biology techniques do you know?
Have you ever had to convince someone of your point of view? How did you do that?
How would you complete four tasks of equal importance at the same time?
How have you had to motivate someone to complete a goal?
What experience do you have presenting scientific or technical materials?
3
Other Patent Examiner Interview Reviews for US Patent and Trademark Office
I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Washington, DC)
Interview
Online Hirevue interview. Interview was simple and brief. Questions were related to the general breadth of patents as a whole along with various personality questions. You are given multiple attempts to record your answers.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Give us a time where _____ happened and how you responded"
I applied through a staffing agency. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Oxnard, CA) in Jun 2026
Interview
I've only done the digital one, where I recorded myself, and it was fairly easy. You got chances to redo your recording, which was nice, and you had a minute before you read the question to prepare your answer. I found it to be intuitive.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was one time you had multiple things to do? How did you prioritize those things, and how did you complete them? (that's the gist of the question)
I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA)
Interview
I started getting emails for the first round of interviews on 4/16 and did that first interview on 5/13. It was just simple behavioral questions. I received an email to schedule a live online interview on 5/19, and I am scheduled to take it on 5/21.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us about a time where you had to prioritize multiple tasks and how you responded to it. Tell us about the outcome.