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BBC Apprenticeship Competency Questions — With Answer Guidance
BBC uses competency-based questions at the video interview and assessment centre stages. Here are the questions to expect, mapped to the competencies they test — with guidance on what strong answers look like.
Competency Questions by Area
Creativity
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated creativity.”
“Give me an example of when you had to show creativityunder pressure.”
What strong looks like
A specific STAR answer with a clear individual role, measurable outcome, and genuine reflection. Avoid: describing what “the team” did without isolating your contribution.
Curiosity
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated curiosity.”
“Give me an example of when you had to show curiosityunder pressure.”
What strong looks like
A specific STAR answer with a clear individual role, measurable outcome, and genuine reflection. Avoid: describing what “the team” did without isolating your contribution.
Collaboration
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated collaboration.”
“Give me an example of when you had to show collaborationunder pressure.”
What strong looks like
A specific STAR answer with a clear individual role, measurable outcome, and genuine reflection. Avoid: describing what “the team” did without isolating your contribution.
Inclusion
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated inclusion.”
“Give me an example of when you had to show inclusionunder pressure.”
What strong looks like
A specific STAR answer with a clear individual role, measurable outcome, and genuine reflection. Avoid: describing what “the team” did without isolating your contribution.
Commercial awareness
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated commercial awareness.”
“Give me an example of when you had to show commercial awarenessunder pressure.”
What strong looks like
A specific STAR answer with a clear individual role, measurable outcome, and genuine reflection. Avoid: describing what “the team” did without isolating your contribution.
Adaptability
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated adaptability.”
“Give me an example of when you had to show adaptabilityunder pressure.”
What strong looks like
A specific STAR answer with a clear individual role, measurable outcome, and genuine reflection. Avoid: describing what “the team” did without isolating your contribution.
The STAR Framework
S — Situation: Set the scene briefly (1–2 sentences). Enough context, no more.
T — Task: What was your specific responsibility? What was expected of you?
A — Action: What YOU did — not "we". Be specific. This is 60% of the answer.
R — Result: Quantify if possible. What changed? What did you learn?
Preparing Your Stories
Aim for 5–7 strong STAR stories before your first interview. You should be able to adapt each story to answer multiple different competency questions — a good teamwork story can often be reframed to show communication or resilience too.
Examples can come from school, part-time work, sport, volunteering, or any other experience where you had a genuine individual responsibility.
Want the full prep pack?
BBC Apprenticeship Prep Pack
Application stages, competencies, real interview questions, commercial awareness, and a pre-submission checklist — in one complete pack.