PGT English interview questions and answers (2026)
PGT English interview prep for CBSE, ICSE and IB schools — real panel questions, model answers, and a Class 12 literature 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 min) — a short unseen passage, one grammar exercise, and a 200-word essay on 'why literature'.
- 2Demo lesson (15–20 min) — usually a Class 11 or 12 poem or prose piece from the syllabus.
- 3Subject panel (20–30 min) — HOD English + Principal. Expect literary-criticism questions with real depth.
- 4HR round (15 min) — school fit, salary, joining date.
- Two printed CVs + one lesson plan you've actually taught
- Original MA English, B.Ed, CTET / state TET certificates
- A novel you're currently reading — you'll be asked
- One printed poem you can teach cold in 5 minutes
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 know your terms with textual precision?
Metaphor is substitution by similarity — 'my love is a rose' works because love and rose share qualities. Metonymy is substitution by association — 'the crown decided' works because crown is associated with monarchy, not similar to it. In 'The Tiger King', calling the king 'the crown' would be metonymy; calling him a caged animal is metaphor. Give students both examples from the same text — the distinction sticks.
What they're really asking — Do you make literature happen or just describe it?
Bring a real old family photograph to class. Pass it around before you name the poem. Ask what they see — clothes, expressions, background. Then read the poem once, no commentary. Ask what changed for them. Only then discuss loss, memory, and the tense shifts (present-past-present). Poetry becomes boring when we explain before we experience. Reverse that order.
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 — 'A Thing of Beauty' by Keats (poetry close reading)
- Class 12 — 'Deep Water' (theme identification)
- Class 11 — 'A Photograph' (memory and tense)
- Class 11 — Note-making from an unseen passage
- Reading aloud with pace and feeling
- Cold-calling by name
- Textual evidence used naturally
- Time management
- One clear takeaway the class remembers
A concrete object, image, or short anecdote related to the text. Make them curious before you name the text.
Read the passage / poem aloud once, no commentary. Ask what they noticed.
Guide them through 2–3 specific lines. Ask questions, don't lecture.
Two-minute write on a specific prompt from the text. Share one.
Cold-call two students. Close with a question that opens tomorrow's lesson.
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 periods per week does a PGT English teacher get, and how many boards batches?
- What's the library budget per year, and who chooses the acquisitions?
- Do you run any writers-in-residence, book clubs, or literary events?
- What's the CPD budget for subject workshops or reading conferences?
- How do you handle AI-assisted writing in your school policy?
- What's the appraisal cycle and what's measured?