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Speech Language Pathologist interview questions and how to answer them

SLP interviews are mostly case talk. The hiring manager wants to hear how you think through a real patient or student, how you handle a family who disagrees with you, and whether your notes will survive an audit. Expect fewer brain teasers and more "walk me through what you'd do" questions, and bring specific cases from your placements or fellowship.

12 questions8 minute read

Part 1

1.Walk me through how you'd handle a new stroke patient referred for a swallow evaluation.

Why they ask

Dysphagia is the core of medical SLP work, and a sloppy bedside screen can put someone at risk of aspiration pneumonia.

How to answer

  • Start with the chart: stroke location, respiratory status, alertness, current diet order and any intubation
  • Describe the oral mechanism exam and what you watch for during trials, like a wet voice or a delayed cough
  • Say when you'd stop and recommend an instrumental study, either a modified barium swallow or FEES
  • Close with how you communicate the diet in IDDSI terms to nursing and the kitchen

2.A patient's family refuses the thickened liquids you recommended. What do you do?

Why they ask

This happens constantly, and they want to know you respect patient choice while still protecting the patient and the facility.

How to answer

  • Explain the risks in plain language and check the patient understands, involving them directly when they can decide
  • Offer ways to reduce risk, like strategies, oral care and supervision during meals
  • Bring in the doctor and the care team, and follow your facility's informed refusal or risk waiver process
  • Document the conversation, what was offered and what was decided

3.How do you evaluate a bilingual child when the standardized tests weren't normed on kids like them?

Why they ask

Over-identifying a language difference as a disorder is a real, common mistake, and school teams know it.

How to answer

  • Gather a case history on both languages and how much exposure the child gets to each
  • Use dynamic assessment, language samples and parent report alongside any standardized scores
  • Work with an interpreter or a bilingual SLP rather than translating a test on the fly
  • Report scores with a clear caution about norms, and base eligibility on the whole picture
4.Tell me about a goal you wrote that wasn't working. What did you change?

Why they ask

They want proof you actually read your data instead of running the same activity until the plan of care runs out.

How to answer

  • Name the client, the original goal and how you were measuring it
  • Say what the data showed and how long you gave it before changing course
  • Explain what you changed: the target, the cueing level, the approach or the practice setting
  • Share what happened next, even if the result was only partly better
5.How would you manage a large school caseload and still make sessions count?

Why they ask

School SLPs burn out on caseload size, and directors want someone with a system, not someone who'll quit by spring.

How to answer

  • Describe how you group students by goal rather than just by grade or schedule
  • Mention push-in sessions in the classroom where they make sense
  • Show how you track data quickly, like a simple sheet or a tracking app, so progress reports aren't a scramble
  • Name how you protect time for evaluations and IEP paperwork on the calendar

Part 2

6.A parent at an IEP meeting wants more speech time than your data supports. How do you handle it?

Why they ask

IEP meetings can turn adversarial, and a defensive SLP can create a legal headache for the district.

How to answer

  • Listen first and find out what the parent is actually worried about
  • Walk through the data in plain words, with work samples if you have them
  • Look for other supports: classroom strategies, a home program or a consult with the teacher
  • Let the team decide together, and loop in your special education coordinator if it stalls
7.What's your experience with AAC, and how do you get a device used outside therapy?

Why they ask

Plenty of devices end up in a backpack. They want someone who trains the people around the user.

How to answer

  • Name the systems you've used, like TouchChat, LAMP Words for Life or a low-tech picture board
  • Explain how you matched the system to the person's motor, vision and language skills
  • Describe modeling on the device yourself and coaching parents, aides or nurses to do the same
  • Mention funding or device trials if you've been through that process
8.Our building has a productivity expectation. How do you meet it without cutting corners?

Why they ask

Skilled nursing and rehab employers need billable time, but they also need an SLP who won't create compliance risk.

How to answer

  • Say plainly that you'll only bill for skilled treatment you actually delivered
  • Explain how you plan the day, batch notes and use co-treatment or group therapy where it's appropriate
  • Mention that you'd raise it with your manager if a target couldn't be met honestly
  • Show you know the difference between skilled therapy and routine feeding supervision
9.How do you write a note that holds up to a Medicare or insurance review?

Why they ask

Denied claims cost money, and a surveyor reading your notes is judging the whole department.

How to answer

  • Show why the service needed a licensed SLP, not an aide
  • Tie each session to a measurable goal with the patient's actual performance
  • Note the cueing you gave and how the patient responded
  • Keep a clear line from evaluation to plan of care to progress notes
10.Tell me about a time you disagreed with a doctor, teacher or supervisor about a patient or student.

Why they ask

SLPs regularly push back on diet orders, discharge timing or classroom placements, and they want to see you do it well.

How to answer

  • Pick a real case where the stakes were clear
  • Explain how you brought evidence, like your evaluation findings or study results, instead of opinion
  • Say how you raised it privately and respectfully
  • Share the outcome and what you'd do the same or differently

Part 3

11.How do you work with OTs, PTs, nurses or teachers on the same patient or student?

Why they ask

Your treatment only sticks if the people around your client reinforce it between sessions.

How to answer

  • Give an example of a co-treatment or shared goal that worked
  • Describe how you pass on strategies, like a posted swallow precautions sign or a classroom cue card
  • Mention how you keep each other updated in team huddles or IEP check-ins
12.Why this setting, and why this team?

Why they ask

Turnover is expensive, and many SLPs hop between schools, rehab and clinics. They want to know you chose this on purpose.

How to answer

  • Name what draws you to this population, with a placement or fellowship example
  • Show you've looked at their program, such as whether they do FEES or run a feeding clinic
  • Say what you'd like to grow into there

Questions to ask them

Ask at least two. It shows you're picking them too.

  • What does a typical caseload or daily productivity expectation look like here, and how is it measured?
  • If I'm still in my clinical fellowship, who would supervise me and how often would we meet?
  • Do your SLPs have access to instrumental swallow studies, and who performs them?
  • What assessment kits, AAC devices and materials will I have, and how are new ones requested?
  • Which documentation or IEP software do you use, and how much of the week goes to paperwork?

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