I have given all types of Formulation R&D interview. Here I have shared my experience of my 15 interviews.

1. F R&D Interview questions
Mr. Santosh Sopanrao Sarnaik
MS (Pharm) Pharmaceutics

2. General questions
1.Introduce about yourself
2.Tell me about your family background
3.What are your Strengths and weaknesses?
4.Justify your Strengths and weakness.
5.What are salary expectations?
6.Why should be hire you?
7.Where do you see yourself in the next five
years?
8.Briefly describe your project.

3. Specific
questions
Oral F R&D
Injectable F R&D
Topical F R&D

4. Oral or oral solid F R&D
• How to perform a Preformulation study for oral
solid or oral formulations?
• What are the critical quality attributes/ critical
process parameters/critical material attributes wrt
to oral or oral solid dosage form?
• What is compatibility study? and how to prove the
material is compatible.
• What are the different evaluation parameters of
tablets/capsules/oral solid dosage forms?
• Different types of excipients in tablets/capsules?
• What is dissolution/disintegration?
• Examples of disintegrants, super disintegrants,
lubricant, diluent, glidant, anti-adherent etc.
• Tell me about tablet/capsule defects and how to
minimize them.

5. Injectable F R&D
• How to perform a Preformulation study of injectable/parenteral
dosage form?
• What are the critical quality attributes/ critical process
parameters/critical material attributes wrt to injectable or parenteral
dosage form?
• What is compatibility study? And how to prove the material is
compatible.
• What are the different evaluation parameters of
injectables/parenteral?
• Different types of excipients in injectables/parenteral?
• What are the most important injectables/parenteral dosage forms?
• Examples of antioxidants, cryoprotectants, buffering agents,
preservatives, and other additives or excipients.
• Problems associated with injectables/parenteral drug delivery.
• How to determine the stability?

6. Topical F R&D
• How to perform a Preformulation study of topical dosage form?
• What are the critical quality attributes/ critical process parameters/critical
material attributes wrt to topical dosage form?
• What is compatibility study? And how to prove the material is compatible.
• What are the different evaluation parameters of topical dosage form?
• Different types of excipients in topical dosage form?
• What are the most important topical dosage form?
• Examples of antioxidants, cryoprotectants, buffering agents, preservatives,
and other additives or excipients.
• Problems associated with the topical dosage form.
• How to determine the stability?
• What are log P and log D? What is the difference between them?
• Different methods of enhancement of permeability

7. Common for F R&D
• What is a BCS class?
• How to confirm sterility?
• What is a product recall? Example
• Why do you want to work in F R&D?
• How your formulation is better than others?
• What are reference and generic medicinal products?
• What is impurity and types of solvents as per ICH
guidelines?
• What are the different stability conditions?
• How many batches are required for stability testing
and photostability testing?