How long should a STAR answer be in an English interview?
Aim for 90 to 120 seconds by default. A careers-centre guide published by Duke University puts a strong STAR response at one to two minutes, and 45 seconds is enough for a narrow competency. Use the timing sheet above to hold the shape, with about 60% of the time in the action.
Aim for 90 to 120 seconds by default. A careers-centre guide published by Duke University puts a strong STAR response at one to two minutes, and 45 seconds is enough for a narrow competency. Use the timing sheet above to hold the shape, with about 60% of the time in the action. Longer answers only work when the panel has asked for depth.
A recorded video answer should be built at 120 seconds and closed by 150, because no interviewer is sitting there to interrupt it for you. In a live interview the panel controls the length through follow-up questions; in a recorded one you control it, and every extra second is time the reviewer spends watching rather than scoring. Prepare two lengths rather than four: hold the 90-second version ready as your default, keep the 45-second version for a competency that needs one decision, and treat the 120-second and 180-second versions as material you have already rehearsed in case someone asks you to expand. If the interview is running late and the interviewer says there are five minutes left, that is the signal for the 45-second version, not for cutting the result.
'Tell Me About a Time When...' in English: Building a STAR Answer →