Team Interview Rubrics

The Team Interview Rubric is the tool judges use to score team interviews at an event. This article explains what the rubric listens for and how it is organized, and provides both letter and A4 sizes for download. It is written for students, coaches, and judges.

For how judges prepare for and conduct interviews during an event, see Judging Team Interviews.

Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central glossary.

The rubric is available in two versions. The standard Team Interview Rubric is the official scoring tool used by judges, with criteria, examples of what judges listen for, and point values for each category. The student-friendly version presents the same categories in clear, approachable language so teams can practice and prepare for their interview. Download a PDF below to get started.

Team Interview Rubric

 This is the official rubric that will be used by judges to evaluate teams during the interview at a competition.

Team Interview Rubric – Letter Size

Team Interview Rubric – A4 Size 

Student-Friendly Interview Rubric

The student-friendly version covers the same criteria in plainer language, using stars in place of points and adding self-check questions and practice tips for each section. It is written for students to read and use on their own or alongside a coach, and it is a good way for a team to practice telling its story the way a judge will listen for it.

This version of the rubric is designed to be a teaching tool to help students understand how their interview will be evaluated so that they can practice and prepare effectively. This is not the official rubric and will not be used by judges at events.

Student-Friendly Interview Rubric – Letter Size

Student-Friendly Interview Rubric – A4 Size

What the Interview is For

A team interview is a conversation where judges hear the story of a team's season directly from the students who lived it: the work they did, the problems they solved, and what they learned along the way.

It is not a presentation or a quiz. A memorized speech, however polished, will not score well, because the rubric rewards what judges hear in genuine conversation: specific accounts of the team's own work, backed by decisions, test results, sources, and moments from the season. Students may consult their Engineering Notebook during the interview if it is available, the way engineers reference their own documentation. No one student has to explain everything, different students on the team can speak to different parts.

Note: The standard for whose work the interview describes comes from the Student-Centered Policy. Read that policy for the full picture of what it means for work to belong to the students.

How the Rubric is Organized

The rubric has two sections and six criteria. 

• Explain Your Learning (6 points) – whether students can explain their own work, trace how they got there (including what did not work), and show how they know their robot works.
• How You Worked With Others (6 points) – whether students learned from and with each other, made decisions together, and made outside ideas their own by crediting, adapting, testing, and understanding them.

Each criterion is scored on what judges hear during the conversation: Heard, with Specifics (2 points), Heard (1 point), or Not Yet Heard (0 points), for a total of 12 points. Under each criterion, the rubric lists examples of the kinds of evidence that count — judges do not need to hear all of them, and hearing any one of them counts.

Note that respect and courtesy are not a scored category, as the Code of Conduct makes them an expectation of participation for every team.

Version History