The SDR interview questions that predict performance ask for a specific past behaviour, then test the same trait live. Five traits matter: coachability, resilience, curiosity, structure, and honesty. Ask two or three questions per trait, score every answer 1 to 5 on a shared rubric, and let a 20-minute role-play settle what the answers cannot. Pedigree and dial counts predict very little.
This is the screen we run when we place SDRs for clients, and the one we ran in-house before that. It covers the four-stage process, 12 questions with what a strong answer sounds like and the red flag for each, the scoring rubric, the role-play protocol, and where the approach does not apply. It builds on the traits in what makes a great SDR and the hiring order in how to hire salespeople.
What should the SDR interview process look like?
Four stages in two to three weeks, each testing something the previous one cannot. A screen call tests curiosity and honesty. A written task tests writing and structure. A live role-play tests coachability and resilience. References confirm what you think you saw. Then the offer. Every stage has a reason to send someone home, which is what keeps the later stages small.
| Stage | Tests | Format | Ends the process when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Screen call | Curiosity, honesty, basic communication | 20 minutes, phone or video | They researched nothing about you |
| 2. Written task | Writing, structure | One cold email to a real persona; 30 minutes, take-home | Generic email, or clearly not their own work |
| 3. Live role-play | Coachability, resilience | 20 minutes prep, 5-minute call, one note, rerun | They pitch instead of ask, or argue with the note |
| 4. References | Honesty, work ethic | Two extended calls with former managers | The manager's story differs from the candidate's |
In our hiring funnel, roughly 100 applicants become 25 screen calls, 8 role-plays, and 1 hire, and the whole process takes 4 to 8 weeks including sourcing. Keep the written task short enough that a good candidate finishes it the same evening. A two-hour assignment loses the people who already have offers, which is exactly the people you want.
Which interview questions predict SDR performance?
Twelve, grouped by trait. Each asks for something that actually happened, because a candidate can describe ideal behaviour in an interview without ever having done it. Listen for a specific situation, what they did, and what changed. If any of the three is missing, ask again before you score.
Coachability
- 1. Tell me about feedback you disagreed with. What did you do with it? Strong: they tried it anyway, measured, and can say what happened. Red flag: a story about why the feedback was wrong.
- 2. What were you bad at a year ago that you are good at now? Strong: a named skill and how they practised it. Red flag: nothing comes to mind, or a strength dressed as a weakness.
- 3. Rewrite this opening line for me. Hand them one weak cold-email line. Strong: they ask who it is for, then cut it in half. Red flag: they defend the original or add adjectives.
Resilience
- 4. Describe a month where nothing worked. What did you change? Strong: they name the change and when they knew it was working. Red flag: the month is blamed on the list, the market, or the manager.
- 5. What was the last rejection that stung, and how long did it stay with you? Strong: an honest answer measured in minutes or hours. Red flag: rejection never affects them.
- 6. How many attempts before you stop chasing a prospect, and why that number? Strong: a number with a reason, usually 3 to 5 calls inside a full sequence. Red flag: until they answer, or one, because they do not like to bother people.
Curiosity
- 7. What did you find out about us before this call? Strong: something specific, and a question about it. Red flag: the first line of your website.
- 8. Pick one industry we sell into. What does their sales team struggle with? Strong: a real guess with reasoning behind it. Red flag: an answer that would fit every industry.
Structure
- 9. Walk me through a day with 40 dials, 60 emails, and 10 LinkedIn tasks. Strong: time blocks, a reason for the order, research time protected. Red flag: they just work through the list.
- 10. On a list of 200, who do you call first? Strong: a trigger, a title, a recent reply; some logic for priority. Red flag: alphabetical, or whatever the tool shows first.
Honesty
- 11. Tell me about a number you missed. What was the real reason? Strong: a reason inside their own control. Red flag: every miss was someone else's fault, or they have never missed.
- 12. What would your last manager say you need to work on? Strong: something specific that matches what you saw in the role-play. Red flag: a compliment in disguise. The reference call checks this one.
How do you score SDR interview answers?
On a shared 1 to 5 rubric, by two interviewers, scored independently before they talk. The rubric turns "I liked her" into a number you can defend and compare across candidates. Coachability and resilience carry the most weight because they are the traits you cannot train in three months.
| Trait | 1 (no) | 3 (maybe) | 5 (yes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coachability | Defends the old way | Accepts the note, applies part of it | Applies the note on the rerun, then improves on it |
| Resilience | Blames list, market, or manager | Recovers, but loses energy | Treats the no as data and keeps going |
| Curiosity | Researched nothing | Read the website | Asks a question you had not thought of |
| Structure | Works the list top down | Has blocks, no logic for the order | Prioritises by signal and protects research time |
| Honesty | Has never missed a number | Admits a miss, blames it partly outward | Names their own part and what they changed |
Total out of 25. We advance anyone at 18 or above with no trait below 3, and we never average away a 1: a candidate who argues with feedback in the role-play is not rescued by a charming screen call. When two interviewers differ by more than a point on a trait, they settle it with the recording, not from memory.
How do you run the live cold-call role-play?
Give them 20 minutes and one page, then listen for questions, not pitch. The page is your ICP in five lines, the product in three, one persona with one likely pain, and one trigger. No script. The point is to see what they do with limited information, because that is the job.
- Send the page and leave them alone for 20 minutes. Note whether they ask you anything before you go; the good ones do.
- Play the prospect for five minutes. Be busy, not hostile. Give them the first 15 seconds to earn the next 30, then answer what they ask.
- Count questions in the first two minutes. Two or three is strong. Zero, followed by a feature list, is the most common failure.
- Raise one real objection, usually "we already have a vendor" or "send me some information". Score the recovery, not the words; the responses in cold call objection handling are the standard.
- Give one specific note and run it again. The second call is the coachability score, and it is the most predictive five minutes in the whole process.
When do these questions not work?
When you are hiring an AE or a VP, when the interviewer has never sold, or when you have not decided who the rep will call. AEs need a deal review and VPs need a 90-day GTM plan; the SDR role-play tests the wrong things for both. An interviewer who has never made a cold call cannot tell a good recovery from a confident bad one, so borrow someone who has. And if the ICP is still a guess, the role-play brief is a guess too. Write the ICP first, then hire.
They also fail when used to justify a decision already made. If you like a candidate's pedigree and score them 5s to match, the rubric is theatre. Scores go on paper before the discussion, or the process is not worth running.
How MarginSales approaches SDR interviews
This is the assessment we run when we place SDRs: a screen call, a written task built on the client's real ICP, a live role-play with a note and a rerun, and extended references, delivered as a shortlist of 3 to 5 candidates in 3 to 4 weeks. Because the role-play uses the client's actual persona and trigger, everyone on the shortlist has already done the job once. There is no fee unless we place, the placement carries a replacement guarantee, and we check in through months 1 to 3, which is part of why placed hires reach productivity about 50% faster.
We also say when the answer is not a hire yet. MarginSales provides sales outreach services for companies that want to extend their outbound capacity without building the entire sales development function internally, and some clients run that pod while they hire slowly and well. Once the hire lands, the 30-day ramp plan and the retention habits in why SDRs quit are what stop the interview effort from being wasted.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best SDR interview questions?
The ones that ask for a specific past behaviour and then test it live. Ask about feedback they disagreed with and what they did with it (coachability), a stretch when nothing worked and what they changed (resilience), what they found out about you before the call (curiosity), how they plan a day of dials and emails (structure), and a number they missed and the real reason (honesty). Then run a role-play, because answers can be rehearsed and behaviour under pressure cannot.
How do you assess an SDR candidate in a role-play?
Give them a one-page brief on your ICP and product and 20 minutes to prepare, then play the prospect for five minutes. Score questions asked, not pitch delivered: a strong candidate asks two or three questions in the first two minutes and handles one real objection without folding. Then give one piece of feedback and run it again. The second run is the coachability score.
How many interview rounds should an SDR hire take?
Four stages inside two to three weeks: a 20-minute screen call, a short written task, a live role-play, and two extended references. That is enough to test all five traits without losing good candidates to a faster offer. Our hiring funnel runs at roughly 100 applicants to 25 screen calls to 8 role-plays to 1 hire, so most of the effort lands on a handful of people.
Get the role-play brief and rubric for your ICP
Send us your job description and a line on who the SDR will call. We will send back a one-page role-play brief written for your persona and the scoring rubric above adapted to your motion, and walk you through both on a 30-minute call. Request the interview kit. Use it with us or without us.