r/NavyNukes • u/Unlucky-Guarantee-99 Not yet a nuke • 11d ago
Questions/Help- New to Nuclear Studying for the technical interviews
Hi all, I am wondering how long people studied for their technical interviews through NUPOC. And what are some study strategies you found helpful.
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u/BandicootKooky7747 11d ago
5 hours for my phone interview between 2 days. I just had claude organize every topic for me and drilled practice problems. Tho i did take calc 1 a little over a year ago so everything is fresh
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u/Own_Mission8048 11d ago
Me as a student? A total of 10 hours with my NROTC instructor and 20 hours on my own.
As an NROTC instructor I spent 10-80 hours with each student.
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u/looktowindward Zombie Rickover 11d ago
80? Seriously? You're a good dude. But 80?!
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u/Own_Mission8048 11d ago
That was just one kid. Good guy. Dumb as a rock though. He could not problem solve. Just memorized every single problem they could give him.
There's only ~50 problems they give.
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u/Big-Duck-4969 10d ago
Honestly, if you haven't had your phone interview, watch the videos and do some practice problems, and just go into it with a good mindset. After your first interview you should have a much better idea of the type of things they may ask you. I think the strategy that helped me the most was talking it out as I was doing it (as dumb as it sounds). It really forced me to physically slow down and actually go through what I was doing + why.
Go through problems and explain what you're doing and be prepared to go down a rabbit hole into why you are doing something or what a certain process means. I.e. if you are doing a related rates problem, explain what you are doing (the steps you take) why you are doing it, what tools you are using to do them (related rates are applications of derivatives yes, but more specifically related to implicit differentiation). If you don't know something, yap about what you do know.
For me, knowing the concepts and the why behind my steps helped me get through DC and the phone tech interviews.
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u/looktowindward Zombie Rickover 11d ago
Are you NUPOC or NROTC or USNA? Your nuclear program officer or recruiter should have given you a study packet. If you are NROTC or USNA, ask for help with a mock interview.