Drilling Engineering interview prep.

Behavioural questions to expect

1. Walk me through your background + drilling experience.
2. Tell me about a well or drilling project you've worked on.
3. Why drilling engineering vs production / reservoir / completions / other energy paths?
4. Why this service line - drilling fluids / cementing / directional + MWD-LWD / drill bits / integrated?
5. Why the firm?
6. What's your read on our service-line portfolio + recent operational moves?
7. Tell me what you understand about our HSE record + drilling technology direction.
8. Walk me through a well control event or kick you've been involved with.

Technical concepts to master

• Well design fundamentals

  Mud weight window + pore pressure + frac gradient · Casing seat selection · Casing design - burst / collapse / tension / triaxial · Cement program + zonal isolation · BHA design + drilling dynamics

• Well control + BOPs

  Kick detection - early warning signs · BOP stack architecture · MAASP (Maximum Allowable Annular Surface Pressure) · SIDPP + SICP (shut-in pressures) · Well control training + certification (IWCF / IADC WellSharp)

• Directional drilling + MWD-LWD

  RSS (Rotary Steerable System) vs motor BHA · Dogleg severity (DLS) + build / drop / turn rates · MWD (Measurement While Drilling) · LWD (Logging While Drilling) · Geosteering + reservoir contact optimisation

• NPT + cost-per-foot + drilling economics

  NPT (Non-Productive Time) · Cost-per-foot + AFE management · Stuck pipe + fishing · Lost circulation + LCM · Drilling automation + real-time drilling centre (RTOC)

Practical drills

• You take a kick at 12,500 ft TVD. Current mud weight 12.8 ppg. After shut-in: SIDPP 350 psi, SICP 500 psi, pit gain 15 bbl. Calculate kill mud weight + initial circulating pressure (ICP) assuming SCR of 30 spm at 850 psi. Walk through method choice + initial response.
• You're drilling a 12-1/4" hole in a shale-sand sequence at 9,800 ft. Drill string becomes stuck overnight: pumps free, no rotation, no upward motion. Walk through diagnosis + response.
• Pore pressure forecast: 11.0 ppg at 8,000 ft rising to 14.5 ppg at 14,000 ft. Frac gradient: 14.5 ppg at 8,000 ft rising to 16.5 ppg at 14,000 ft. Walk through casing seat selection logic + kick tolerance check at each shoe.

Smart-question anchors

• Service-line portfolio + basin exposure - drilling fluids / cementing / directional / bits / integrated mix
• HSE record + well control posture - TRIR, recent BSEE / OSHA engagement, post-Macondo reforms
• Technology direction - drilling automation, RTOC, AI / ML, electrification, lower-carbon drilling
• NPT reduction + cost-per-foot programs - benchmarking, lessons-learnt cadence, real-time advisory
• Operator customer mix - majors / NOCs / independents + day-rate vs integrated contract dynamics

Sourced from

API Recommended Practices (Spec 7, 16A / 16C / 16D, RP 53, RP 96, RP 65) · IADC Well Control + WellSharp + IWCF training standards · SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) papers + textbooks (Bourgoyne, Mitchell, Aadnoy) · BSEE 30 CFR 250 + post-Macondo Well Control Rule + SEMS · NORSOK D-010 well integrity standard + IOGP well control reports