PGT Chemistry interview questions and answers (2026)
PGT Chemistry interview prep for CBSE, ICSE and IB schools — real panel questions, model answers, and a Class 12 organic-mechanism demo lesson plan.
What this interview actually looks like
An honest breakdown of how Indian schools run this interview — not a generic template.
- 1Written test (30–45 min) — one balancing/redox, one organic mechanism, one Class 12 numerical (equilibrium or electrochem).
- 2Demo lesson (15–20 min) — Class 11 (Chemical Bonding) or Class 12 (Aldehydes/Ketones or Electrochemistry).
- 3Subject panel (20–30 min) — HOD Chemistry + one senior teacher; expect one mechanism you must draw on the board.
- 4Principal / HR round (15 min) — school fit, salary, joining date, lab-safety attitude.
- Two printed CVs + a Class 12 lesson plan
- Original M.Sc, B.Ed, CTET / state TET certificates
- Your own marker + a small model kit (or molecular models on your phone)
- One printed mechanism (aldol or SN1) you can draw in 60 seconds
Questions with model answers
Grouped by round. Each answer is 2–4 sentences — long enough to be real, short enough to remember. Dots show how often each is asked.
What they're really asking — Do you teach mechanism as electron flow, not as a memorised diagram?
Base (OH⁻) removes the α-hydrogen — that's the whole game. The resulting enolate attacks the carbonyl carbon of a second aldehyde. Protonation gives the β-hydroxy aldehyde. Under heat you eliminate water to give the α,β-unsaturated product. Say out loud why base — the α-H is acidic (pKa ~17) because the enolate is resonance-stabilised. Students who miss the enolate step never understand any reaction with α-H.
What they're really asking — Do you welcome the awkward question or shut it down?
Because we classify by the acid–base parents. NaCl is what you get from NaOH + HCl — a base and an acid — so we call it a salt. H₂O comes from H⁺ + OH⁻ but we don't think of it that way; we think of it as the oxide of hydrogen because O²⁻ is the anion. Same molecule can wear two labels depending on the reaction it came from. That question is why I love Class 11.
A 15-minute demo you can teach on Monday
Panels don't score creativity — they score structure, board work and closure. This is the skeleton that works.
- Class 12 — SN1 vs SN2 with a physical model
- Class 12 — Nernst equation with a Daniell cell demo
- Class 11 — Balancing redox in acidic medium
- Class 11 — VSEPR predicting molecular shapes
- Electron-flow reasoning, not memorised diagrams
- Board work — clean structures, balanced equations
- Cold-calling by name
- Safety awareness during demos
- Time-boxed close
Show the reagent, the colour change, or a molecular model. Make them predict the product before you name the reaction.
State the rule / mechanism in one sentence. Draw curly arrows or Lewis structure on the board.
One NCERT-style problem, on the board, thinking aloud. Explicitly track charges and lone pairs.
Hand out a similar problem. Circulate — do NOT stand at the front.
Cold-call two students. Close with one exam-technique tip.
Ask them back — questions for the interviewer
Most candidates freeze at “do you have any questions for us?” These signal that you take yourself seriously.
- How many practical periods per week does a PGT Chemistry teacher get?
- Is the lab stocked with fresh reagents each term or replenished on request?
- How is Class 12 split between two PGTs — by section or by chapter?
- What's the CPD budget for subject workshops (RSC, ICT, HBCSE)?
- Do teachers get lab access outside class hours to prep demos?
- What's the appraisal cycle and what's measured?
Ready to apply?
PGT Chemistry openings across Indian schools, updated daily.
See open PGT Chemistry jobs