# 80% of Situational Interviewing is in 5 stories

[interviewing](/content/blog?tag=interviewing/index.html)

Situational interviews can be overwhelming.

*"How many questions should I prepare for? How many situations should I cover?"*

These are questions experienced professionals routinely ask me.

I have an idea for you to manage the prep.

In the book, “[Cracking the PM Interview](https://a.co/d/77JcA6v)," authors, Gayle and Jackie, group typical situational questions into five buckets.

## A. Successes:
- Tell me about a time when you had to show innovation.
- Tell me about something you’re proud of accomplishing.
- Tell me about a time when you reached a goal that was important.
- Tell me about a time when you solved a problem in a creative way.
- Tell me a specific insight you gained from something outside of work.

## B. Leadership:
- Tell me about a time when you had to sell your idea to another team.
- Describe a time when you had to motivate employees or coworkers.
- Tell me about a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
- Tell me about a time when you showed initiative.
- Tell me about a time when you’ve built a team.

## C. Failures:
- Tell me about a time when you failed.
- Tell me about a time when you made a mistake.
- Tell me about a time when you improperly analyzed a situation.
- Tell me about a time when you were disappointed with yourself.
- Tell me about a time when you could not juggle all your responsibilities.

## D. Challenges:
- Tell me about a time when you used a lot of data in a short period of time.
- Tell me about a time when you had to decide with insufficient data.
- Tell me about a time when you faced a challenge and overcame it.
- Tell me about a time when you weren’t able to reach a deadline.
- Tell me about a time when you handled a risky situation.

## E. Teamwork:
- Tell me about a time when you had to do something you didn’t want to do.
- Tell me about a time when you mentored or aided a coworker.
- Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement at work.
- Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict.
- Tell me about a time when you had to compromise.

Rather than preparing for each question and getting overwhelmed.

[Have a strong answer for each bucket](/content/blog/BMS-approach-situational-interviewing/index.html) and mentally edit the specifics.

This is the 20% that will take you 80% of the way there.

Good luck 💪🏽