Associate Scientist applicants have rated the interview process at Merck with 3.2 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 74% positive. To compare, the company-average is 68.3% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Associate Scientist roles take an average of 52 days to get hired, when considering 23 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Merck overall takes an average of 36 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Merck as a Associate Scientist according to 23 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 24%
One on one interview: 22%
Group panel interview: 18%
Presentation: 8%
Background check: 6%
IQ intelligence test: 6%
Drug test: 4%
Other: 4%
Skills test: 4%
Personality test: 2%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Merck in Nov 2021
Interview
Applied because team reached out
1 45 min screening interview
6 45 min interviews with team members (1:1)
1 virtual tour at the end
For interviews, mostly behavioral questions, 1 open-ended technical question per interview
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when you led a team to success
Phone screen: background, skill scoring.
Hiring manager interview: presentation showing your research, your career plan, etc
Overall good experience, everything step was arranged quickly, less than a week between interviews
I applied online. I interviewed at Merck (Rahway, NJ) in Feb 2026
Interview
the interview consisted of three rounds of interviews, last interview was a panel interview that consisted of the whole day. Spoke with many different members of the team but similar questions were repeated through out the day.
The interviewing process was pretty straightforward, kind of long. First, was the recruiter screening and if you make it past that, then the panel interview with the team, managers, and director. Also, there was a technical assessment.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How do you handle conflict?
A time you've had to troubleshoot?
Working well with others?