15+ Knockout Question Examples to Instantly Screen Candidates

This article is part of our comprehensive guide to candidate screening. For the full strategy, read The Ultimate Guide to Candidate Screening.

What Are Knockout Questions?

Knockout questions are pass/fail screening questions designed to instantly filter out job applicants who do not meet the absolute minimum requirements for a role. They are not about assessing soft skills or potential; **they are a binary check for your deal-breakers.** For a deep dive on what they are and how to write them, read our full guide: What Is a Knockout Question?

The power comes from asking them *before* a candidate can even submit a full application. See our library of screening questions by role for more inspiration.

15+ Knockout Questions Examples for Any Role

Here are some examples across different roles. The key is to make them Yes/No or have a single correct answer. (For more ideas, see our list of 10 screening questions).

For Sales & Customer-Facing Roles

• "This role requires a minimum of two years of experience in a B2B SaaS closing role. Do you meet this requirement?"
• "Are you comfortable with a role where 50% or more of your compensation is commission-based?"
• "This role requires fluency in both English and Spanish. Are you fluent in both?"
• (See more Sales Rep questions)

For Technical & Engineering Roles

• "Do you have at least 3 years of professional experience with Python and Django?"
• "Are you legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship?"
• "In JavaScript, which of these methods would you use to iterate over an array and create a new array with the results? (a) forEach(), (b) map(), (c) reduce()"
• (See more Frontend Developer questions)

For Healthcare Roles

• "Are you currently a Registered Nurse (RN) with a valid, unencumbered license in the state of California?"
• "Do you hold an active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification?"
• "This position requires working rotating 12-hour shifts, including nights and weekends. Are you able to meet this requirement?"
• (See more Nurse screening questions)

For General, Retail, & Operational Roles

• "This is an in-office role in our Austin, TX headquarters. Are you able to commute to this location daily?"
• "The salary range for this position is $60,000 - $75,000. Does this align with your expectations?"
• "Do you have experience using Salesforce CRM in a professional capacity?"

Quick takeaway: The best knockout questions are specific, non-negotiable, and easy to answer with a 'Yes' or 'No'.

How to Implement Knockout Questions

The magic happens when you automate this process. Using a tool like Sift, you can build a short screening quiz with your knockout questions. **Only candidates who answer correctly get the link to your application.** This simple step ensures every candidate in your pipeline has already passed your most critical filters.