If you’re a CAD designer, mechanical engineer, or product design professional, there’s a good chance that SolidWorks is a central tool in your workflow. It’s one of the most widely used CAD platforms across industries—automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and consumer products.
Preparing for a job interview involving SolidWorks can feel daunting, especially if you haven’t had one in a while. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide featuring SolidWorks interview questions, sample answers, and expert tips to help you make a strong impression.
Why SolidWorks Interviews Matter
SolidWorks is not just about creating 3D parts—employers want professionals who can model efficiently, collaborate on assemblies, create detailed drawings, and understand real-world manufacturing implications. A SolidWorks interview is a chance to showcase not only your technical ability but also your design thinking.
Common SolidWorks Interview Questions (With Sample Answers)
1. What is SolidWorks and what is it used for?
Sample Answer:
SolidWorks is a 3D CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software used to design parts, assemblies, and 2D drawings. It’s widely used in mechanical design, prototyping, and simulation due to its intuitive interface and advanced features like FEA, motion analysis, and surface modeling.
2. What is the difference between a part, an assembly, and a drawing in SolidWorks?
Sample Answer:
- A part (.SLDPRT) is a single 3D component.
- An assembly (.SLDASM) combines multiple parts into a working model.
- A drawing (.SLDDRW) creates 2D representations for manufacturing, including dimensions, annotations, and tolerances.
3. Explain what mates are in assemblies.
Sample Answer:
Mates define relationships between components in an assembly. Common types include coincident, concentric, distance, angle, and tangent. They restrict degrees of freedom and ensure that parts move or stay in place as required.
4. What is the difference between extrude and revolve features?
Sample Answer:
- Extrude creates a 3D shape by extending a 2D sketch along a linear path.
- Revolve creates a 3D shape by rotating a sketch around an axis.
Both are base features used to create solids or cuts.
5. How do configurations work in SolidWorks?
Sample Answer:
Configurations allow users to create different versions of a part or assembly within the same file. Each configuration can vary dimensions, features, materials, or suppressed components. This is useful for product families or variants.
6. Can you explain what Design Tables are?
Sample Answer:
Design Tables are Excel-based tools embedded in SolidWorks that automate the creation of configurations. They’re ideal for parts with repetitive design changes, like brackets with varying hole patterns or plate thicknesses.
7. What is a Bill of Materials (BOM) and how is it generated?
Sample Answer:
A BOM is a structured list of components in an assembly. In SolidWorks, it’s generated in a drawing view using the BOM table tool. It can include part numbers, descriptions, quantities, and custom properties like material or weight.
8. How do you apply materials in SolidWorks?
Sample Answer:
Materials can be applied from the FeatureManager design tree. They affect mass, strength, and appearance. SolidWorks uses this data in simulation tools for stress and thermal analysis.
Intermediate to Advanced SolidWorks Interview Questions
9. What is Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Assembly Design?
- Bottom-Up: Parts are designed separately and assembled later.
- Top-Down: Assembly drives the design; components are created in context. Useful for complex systems where parts depend on each other.
10. How do you perform motion simulation in SolidWorks?
SolidWorks Motion allows for simulating physical movement with inputs like motors, gravity, and friction. It’s useful for dynamic studies like gear trains, piston mechanisms, or cam profiles.
11. What tools do you use for error checking?
- Interference detection to catch overlapping parts
- Collision detection during motion simulation
- Mass properties for weight and center of gravity
- Design for manufacturability (DFM) tools
12. What’s the role of parametric design in SolidWorks?
Parametric design links geometry to dimensions and relationships, allowing updates across models. When a parameter is changed, dependent features automatically update, ensuring consistency.
13. How do you use equations and global variables?
Global variables allow control over multiple dimensions from a single location. Equations can define relationships (e.g., hole spacing = width/4), which streamlines design changes and avoids errors.
Benefits of Preparing for a SolidWorks Interview
- 🚀 Showcase mastery of industry-standard tools
- 📐 Demonstrate real-world problem-solving in design
- 🧠 Build confidence for practical and technical assessments
- 🛠 Improve your modeling speed and workflow efficiency
- 📊 Increase your chances of landing high-paying CAD roles
What Employers Are Looking For
When hiring for SolidWorks roles, employers look for:
- Solid understanding of core modeling techniques
- Experience creating drawings with GD&T
- Ability to work with large assemblies and configurations
- Familiarity with simulation and motion studies
- Knowledge of product development life cycles
- Communication skills to work with cross-functional teams
Tips for Acing a SolidWorks Interview
✅ Review the job description
Are they focused on product design, FEA, tooling, or automation? Tailor your prep accordingly.
✅ Practice common tasks
Like extruding, adding fillets/chamfers, mating components, and creating drawings with BOMs.
✅ Prepare a portfolio
Include screenshots, project files (if allowed), and design challenges you’ve solved with SolidWorks.
✅ Be ready for a practical test
You may be asked to model a part or fix a design on the spot. Know your shortcuts and logic.
FAQs About SolidWorks Interviews
1. Do I need certifications like CSWA or CSWP?
Not mandatory, but helpful. Certifications like Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) or Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) validate your skills and give you an edge.
2. Will there be a hands-on test?
Often yes. Employers want to see you create or modify a part/assembly in real-time or fix errors.
3. Is knowing FEA (Simulation) required?
Not always, but it’s a strong asset, especially for roles involving product validation or mechanical stress analysis.
Conclusion: SolidWorks Interview Success Is in the Preparation
Whether you’re a student stepping into your first engineering job or a seasoned designer aiming for a senior CAD position, preparation is key. Understanding both fundamental and advanced SolidWorks interview questions will help you demonstrate your expertise, solve problems efficiently, and stand out from other candidates.
Remember, the interview is as much about how you think as how you model. Show your design logic, attention to detail, and ability to work efficiently—and you’ll be well on your way to landing your next opportunity.