Oil & Gas Industry Interview Questions Answers

For;
1) WellSite Geologists
2) Data Engineers
3) Mudloggers
4) Petroleum Engineers

Khursheed Marwat
OGDCL, Islamabad Pakistan.
Cont: 923160998789
Email: khursheedmuhammad704@gmail.com
 Table Of Contents
1) Wellsite Geologists: Sample Questions and Answers for the Interview?
(A)-------------------------------- (1)
2) Data Engineers: Sample Questions and Answers for the Interview?
(B)-------------------------------- (5)
3) Mudloggers: Sample Questions and Answers for the Interview?
(C)-------------------------------- (7)
4) How Petroleum Geologists are interviewed for the Job?
(D)-------------------------------- (8)
5) Interview Rejection: Insights into common pitfalls and Solution:
(E)-------------------------------- (10)
 (A)
Q1. What are important roles and responsibilities of a wellsite geologist on a rig?
Ans. A wellsite geologist serves as a multifaceted expert on an oil rig.

Basically he plays three primary roles:

1. Expert Geologist: Analyse and interpret geological data, including logs, cuttings, and core
samples, to identify and characterize formations, evaluate potential hydrocarbon zones, and assess
reservoir quality. As well as identify overpressure zones and estimate formation pressure and advise
MW for the safety of operation.

2. Operations Coordinator: Oversee geological operations on the rig, coordinating with operations
geologies, company man, drillers, directional drillers, logging engineers and other team members to
ensure drilling activities align with geological objectives.

3. Data and Quality Manager: Ensures that data and logs are being presented on company
recommended formats. It is also his essential duty to ensure that all geological data being collected is
consistently accurate and meets established standards.

Key responsibilities of a wellsite geologist include:

• Preparing and submitting geological reports and logs on daily basis.

• Interpreting logs and data to provide informed recommendations to the client

• Witnessing and coordinating various operations, such as wireline logging, conventional coring, and
directional drilling

• Participating in daily meetings to update the team on geological findings and progress

• Compiling a comprehensive final well report upon completion of the well

Q2. What happens in the pre-job meeting between a wellsite geologist (WSG) and an
operations geologist (Ops. Geo) at the client's office?
Ans. The pre-job meeting between a wellsite geologist and an operations geologist is held in client's
office before going to the rig. For wellsite geologist it is a critical opportunity to align on the drilling
and geology plan for the well. The Ops Geo will typically provide the WSG with the following
information:

• A written drilling and geology plan

• A brief overview of the geology and structural setting of the field

• The objectives of the well

• The objectives of the well

• Any anticipated challenges

• A logging program

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• Copies of offset mud logs and wireline logs, along with any changes in reporting and logging formats.

The WSG will review this information and ask clarifying questions. During the discussion the two share
their own insights and recommendations based on their experience.

In addition to the technical discussion, the pre-job meeting is also a good opportunity to meet the
geology team consisting of geophysicist, Petrophysicist,

Exploration geologist and the manager etc.

Q3. What geological points do you cover in your morning briefing during the meeting
with town?
Ans. The morning briefing is a daily ritual for the wellsite geologist to inform the geology and drilling
teams on the latest geological matters and progress. Key points typically covered in the briefing include:

1. Formations drilled or logged in the previous 24 hours

2. Oil and gas shows encountered, including net pay thickness

3. Structural correlation and interpretation of the well's position within the geological framework

4. Directional drilling progress, ensuring the wellbore trajectory aligns with the planned path

5. Comments on any anticipated or suspected overpressure zones

6. Technical issues encountered during the previous 24 hours and any corrective actions taken

7. Upcoming operations, including the planned drilling or logging operation, anticipated formations,
and potential challenges

The wellsite geologist's concise and informative briefing keeps the drilling team well-informed and
prepared for any potential geological challenges that may arise.

Q4. How do you estimate the net pay for your morning report on a quick-look basis?
Ans. A wellsite geologist utilizes a combination of logs to estimate net pay on a quick-look basis in the
following manner:

1. Establish a sand line on the gamma ray log to identify potential sandstone intervals

2. Determine a hydrocarbon cut-off on the resistivity log to distinguish hydrocarbon-bearing zones

3. Mark oil-bearing and gas-bearing reservoirs by analysing the GR, resistivity, neutron density cross-
overs, and gas log.

4. Calculate the net pay thickness by summing the individual oil and gas pay intervals

5. Indicate possible oil pay and possible gas pay zones based on low resistivity, low porosity, or
contamination in the lithology

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This quick-look net pay estimation provides an initial assessment of the well's hydrocarbon potential
and helps in further evaluation and decision-making processes.

Q5. What is the effect of dolomitization on reservoir characteristics?

Ans. Dolomitization is a diagenetic process that replaces calcium carbonate (calcite) with magnesium
carbonate (dolomite) in sedimentary rocks. This process often enhances reservoir quality by increasing
porosity and permeability.

Q6. If we get a kick, what information will you pass to the operations geologist?
Ans. If a kick occurs, the wellsite geologist has to immediately inform the operations geologist and
provide the following information:

1. Depth of the kick

2. Latest structural correlation of the wellbore

3. Events leading up to the kick, including ongoing operation, mud weight, gas readings and hole
condition etc.

4. Duration and intensity of the drill break

5. Total gas and pit volume gain

6. Shut-in drill pipe pressure (SIDPP) and shut-in casing pressure (SICPP)

7. Estimated kill mud weight

8. Difference in formation pressure as per the kick and from logs/ calculations

The idea is to be fully prepared with information and suggestion before you call town.

Q7. What will be your concerns while drilling in an old field that has good quality clastic
reservoirs?
Ans. Old oil and gas fields usually have depleted reservoirs which may present several challenges.
Therefore we must anticipate:

1. Minor to moderate mud losses due to the pressure differential between the wellbore and the
surrounding depleted formations

2. Differential sticking, if the hydrostatic and formation pressures differential is significant and depleted
reservoirs are porous and permeable, we must seriously be concerned to avoid drill string or wireline
tools getting stuck

Q8. After running the first set of electric logs, the wireline engineer gives you the printout.
How will you QC the logs?
Ans. Quality control (QC) of wireline logs is crucial to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the logs.
The wellsite geologist should perform the following QC checks:

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 1. Verify the accuracy and completeness of information on the log heading including the scales on
various tracks.

2. Examine the consistency of log curves, identify any missing or unusual patterns on the log curves
that may indicate errors or inconsistencies.

3. Check that log calibrations are within the acceptable range and that any comments provided by the
logging engineer are appropriate and informative.

Q9. What are the various steps involved in taking a fluid sample on wireline?
Ans. Collecting fluid samples using wireline tools provides valuable information about formation fluids
and reservoir characteristics. The process typically involves the following steps:

1. Correlate the depth of the wireline tool with the geological formations encountered.

2. Position the wireline tool at the desired sampling depth and record the formation pressure.

3. Pump out to remove any contaminant (MF) until you see fresh reservoir fluids.

4. Identify fluid using OFA, resistivity and temperature.

5. Open the sample chamber and collect the fluid sample.

Q10. How do you geosteer a directional well?

Ans. Geosteering is the process of controlling the trajectory of a directional wellbore to reach the
desired target while maintaining wellbore stability and avoiding formation damage. The wellsite
geologist plays a crucial role in geosteering by:

1. Plotting directional data on horizontal and vertical section plots to visualize the actual wellbore
trajectory compared to the planned path.

2. Analysing the plotted trajectories to identify any deviations from the planned path and assess their
severity.

3. Collaborating with operations geologist, company man and directional driller to make informed
decisions about corrective actions, such as adjusting the tool face or reaming the wellbore.

4. Last but not least; communicating effectively with all stack holders is of paramount importance for
successful well placement.

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 (B)
Q1. As a data engineer, what are your major responsibilities with regard to data
interpretation?
Ans. As a data engineer I have multiple responsibilities. My first and foremost duty, after rigging up
the unit, is to ensure that mudlogging unit is running smoothly, recording all the data accurately. To
do this I have to calibrate and sometimes troubleshoot sensors. Carry out interpretation of data to
identify presence of hydrocarbons, optimize mud hydraulics for better ROP and estimate formation
pressure to recommend proper mud weight. My job also requires to prepare daily, weekly and final
reports and logs for the client.

Q2. What are the surface-controlled drilling parameters that effect ROP?
Ans. Many parameters such as WOB, RPM, Flow Rate, Mud hydraulics, MW and Bit Size do effect
Rate of Penetration.

Q3. What are drilling related factors that may influence gas readings?
Ans. 1.ROP 2.Hole Size 3.Flow Rate 4.Degasser Efficiency 5.Differential pressure 6.Surface losses.
Increasing first four parameters will tend to increase gas readings; while increasing the last two
parameters will tend to decrease gas readings.

Q4. Why don’t we get kick while drilling thick over pressured shale section even when
the formation pressure exceeds the hydrostatic pressure?
Ans. Shales have extremely low permeabilities and usually low porosities; as a result, small amount
of fluid contained in them does not flow into wellbore. However, in an overpressure zone shale
behaves differently: it produces cavings and may cause tight hole if shale is plastic in nature.

Q5. How does temperature data help us in detecting over pressure zone?
Ans. As heat flows from center of the earth to surface of the earth, the geothermal gradient increases
with depth almost at constant rate but if an overpressure zone is encountered the geothermal gradient
increase at a faster rate than in normal pressure zone. The reason for that is that overpressure zones
are under-compacted (more porous), therefore they contain more water. As water is bad conductor of
heat it mostly retains the heat instead of passing all of it upward. This is why, the temperature gradient
increases at a faster rate inside over pressure zone. This layer sometime called seal, is usually compact
and hard with negligible porosities and permeabilities. More over please note, the mud temperature-
out-data as recorded by mudlogging unit is affected by a number of factors, therefore it is advisable to
be extra careful in tracing geothermal gradient. Perhaps plotting temperature data from MWD tools
may yield better results.

Q6. If a sensor is giving suspicious readings how would you trouble shoot it?
Ans. Logical steps usually taken are: First have a look at the sensor for its displacement or physical
damage as well as check its response or functionality. If that is OK, check for the integrity of cable
and connections. If all things look good so far, check and recalibrate sensor. If the problem still
persists call for technical assistance from town, there may be problem with electronic channel or PCB.

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Q7. What are the indications of bad hole condition? How will you know if drill string is
stuck mechanically or differentially?
Ans. Poor hole condition is indicated by abundant cuttings and cavings on shakers, high ECD, High
torque, drag and overpull on connections. In case of differential stuck up (which happens when string
gets pushed to the wall of a highly permeable but depleted reservoir) circulation is possible. While
in mechanical stuck up (where hole has packed off) circulation is usually not possible, nor we can
much rotate or move pipe up and down.

Q8. What is the purpose of optimizing mud hydraulics? What will be your main
consideration to optimize hydraulics for 6 ½” hole vs 17 ½” hole?
Ans. Main purposes of optimizing mud hydraulics are to improve penetration rate, to avoid build-up
of cuttings inside the annulus, to efficiently use rig energy and avoid undue stress on circulatory
system. 6 ½” holes are usually drilled at deeper depths where the formations are very compact and
hard; therefore, the focus is to use maximum hydraulic energy at the bit (by selecting smaller nozzles
to get high jet velocities) in order to increase ROP. This strategy is not applied, while drilling 17 ½”
hole where formations are usually soft and ROP is naturally fast. In this stage concern is to optimize
annular flow rate to remove large amounts of cuttings being generated, efficiently, without seriously
eroding the open hole section. The idea is to avoid build-up of cuttings in the annulus and resulting
problems.

Q9. What are the empirical observations that will convince you that we are drilling in
an overpressure zone?
Ans. Increasing trends of ROP and total gas. Appearance of connection gas, appearance of shale
cavings and sometimes high torque and drag on connection. Bear in mind one parameter alone should
not be taken as a serious indicator of overpressure zone.

Q10. How does chromatograph separate C1, C2, C3 etc. from the gas mixture that is
coming from degasser?
Ans. A chromatograph contains usually two spring shaped aluminium tubes called columns, which
are usually filled with micro-beads of silica. These silica beads are tightly packed in such a way that a
low permeability or a tortuous path is created for the gases to pass through. Therefore, lighter gases
like C1, C2 move ahead followed by heavier gases like C3, C4 and C5. Thus, the gas mixture is
broken down into its components.

Q11. How do you evaluate formation for hydrocarbons using mudlogging data?
Ans. By checking lithology characteristics, evaluating oil shows and looking at chromatographic
analyses. We may also do gas ratio plots to have an idea about nature of reservoir fluid. Gas ratio
plots are more reliable if we are using constant volume degasser.

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 (C)
Q1.What are your job responsibilities as a mudlogger?
Ans. In my role as a mudlogger, I under take many vital responsibilities. To begin with, I participate
in rigging up mudlogging unit. My job includes calibrating and trouble shooting sensors. Describing
cuttings and evaluating hydrocarbons shows as well as recording these on mudlog. I also monitor
drilling parameters for the safety of operations and promptly alert relevant personnel if any parameter
goes off-limits.

Q2. A mudlogging unit records 20 to 25 drilling related parameters. Which one, in your
opinion, is the most important parameter?
Ans. Depth; as all other parameters are recorded against depth. If depth doesn’t work then all other
parameters will not make much sense.

Q3. Looking at cut fluorescence, how will you determine the quality of oil?
Ans. Lighter colours of cut fluorescence like white, bluish white, pale white indicate lighter oil or
low-density oil. Darker colours like brown, dark brown etc. indicate heavier, poor quality oil.

Q4. What is the significance of technical comments that you put on your mudlog?
Ans. Comments on mudlog are important observations as they help in understanding drilling events
and down-hole conditions to someone studying the mudlog even years later. For example stating
reason behind sudden increase in MW or making note of large amount of caving on shaker or rate of
mudloss are a few examples of important comments that are taken into consideration while designing
and drilling future wells.

Q5. What is working principle of mud density sensor?

Ans. Mud Weight sensors operate on the principle of hydrostatic pressure. Each sensor is fitted with
two pressure transducers, placed vertically one above the other at a known distance. The difference in
hydrostatic pressure is then mathematically converted into MW.

Q6. Why constant volume degasser is considered better than conventional degasser?
Ans. Constant volume degasser has better extraction efficiency for all hydrocarbon gases compare to
conventional degasser, which has high efficiency for lighter gases and poor efficiency for heavier
components. This tendency of conventional degassers gives poor gas ratios and thus erroneous
reservoir fluid analysis. It may also be added that CVD is not affected by mud-level fluctuations in
possum-belly.

Q7. How will you find out if the gas line has got a cut or a hole?
Ans. A hole or a cut in gas line can easily be ascertained by taking off the gas line from degasser end
and blocking it fully with thumb. If the ball on flow meter (on gas detector) drops to zero, the line is
good. On the other hand if the ball does not drop to zero than a leak in the gas line is suspected. In
which case gas line should be changed.

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Q8. What are mudlogging parameters that indicate we are drilling in an overpressure
zone?
Ans. Increasing trend of ROP and total gas; appearance of connection gas and cavings are some of
the indicators of drilling in high pressure zone. Occasionally one may also encounter high torque and
overpulls on connections.

Q9. What are two sensors that must be functional to record ROP and depth?
Ans. Draw works and hook load (WOH) sensors should be functional as they are complementary to
each other in recording ROP and depth.

Q10. There are several indicators of a kick but which one do you think as most reliable
and most immediate indicator of kick?
Ans. Increase in mudflow (mud return) is reliable and immediate indicator of kick.

(D)
In other words how do SMEs or subject matter experts evaluate the suitability of a
candidate for the job? Having an insight into the mind of an interviewer could easily tip
the results in your favor.
Before I proceed any further let me point out that for the purpose of this article I have grouped
mudlogging geologists, data engineers and wellsite geologists under the head of petroleum geologists.
Therefore my examples will come from these three job positions on oilrigs. However, the design and
structure of interview as laid out, will also benefit geologists from many other streams.

Hiring process starts either when you send your resume’ to a company, or the company HR picks up
your profile from LinkedIn and calls you to enquire your availability. At this stage the caller may also
request a few extra information needed to complete their database. Thereafter a technical interview is
arranged with a subject matter expert. Once a technical interview is done successfully, HR will get back
to you to complete the legal formalities of a contract, which also include a discussion on salary.

Now let’s move to the critical part of hiring process that is technical interview. It is here you will be
assessed and evaluated if you’re the best fit for the job among many candidates in the queue.
Understanding how you are probed and judged by an expert during the course of interview and
preparing accordingly will give you huge advantage over your competition.

During the interview all geologists, no matter what stream they come from, will be probed on multiple
dimensions of their professional assets, namely:

1) Educational Qualification
2) Quality of Experience
3) Subject knowledge and concepts
4) Technical Skills
5) Soft skills like communication etc.
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6) Knowledge and awareness of QHSE
For experienced candidates the most important attributes are technical skills and subject knowledge,
together these two carry more than two-third marks. All other attributes are assigned one-third marks.
However, for fresh graduates the marking pattern will differ. It should be noted that a technical
interview ideally takes more or less an hour to complete

Now let’s examine the above attributes from the perspective of an interviewer:

Educational Qualification: A graduation degree in geology is must. Post-graduation will get you a
few more marks. Educational qualification and quality of institute matter a lot for fresh candidates but
these tend to lose sheen as one grows in experience.

Quality of Experience: When an interviewer looks at your resume he does not just look at the number
of years you have worked on a position but also on the quality of clients you have worked with. He also
needs to know where your experience comes from? Does it come from working on offshore rigs or
onshore rigs alone or both? What type of wells have you drilled? Wildcat, exploratory or development
wells? Vertical, directional or horizontal wells? What challenges have you faced in drilling those wells?
HPHT, H2S, severely depleted reservoirs etc. The more varied your experience the more valuable it is.

Subject knowledge and concepts: This part of the interview deals with the core knowledge and clarity
of concepts needed to perform the job independently. For example a mudlogging geologist not only
needs to have knowledge of various sedimentary rocks but also a clear concept of depositional
environments and compaction process. So that, in an overpressure environment he can correlate a drill
break to changes in lithology and compaction and warn driller to flow check to avoid any influx.
Mudlogger level questions on this, could be something like: why do we usually flow check right after
a drill break? Or Why do drill breaks are often associated with kicks? A right answer will tell about
your understanding as well as conceptual clarity of a parameter that you monitor so closely.

Technical Skills: These skills can be regarded as the practical part of your knowledge that you need to
perform your job efficiently and accurately. Quality skills come with training and experience. Trouble
shooting mudlogging sensor and equipment is a skill, assessing thickness of a bed based on mudlogging
parameters and showing it on the lithology interpretation column of mudlog is a skill, describing
fluorescence is a skill, estimating formation pressure through D’exponent or sonic log is a valuable skill
for data engineers and wellsite geologists. Examples of skill based questions that may be asked are:
How do you set trend line on d’exponent plot? Or how do you set isodensity lines on a sonic log to
estimate formation pressure? Or if you do not see SPP on your screen what steps will you take to isolate
the problem? Please bear in mind this is the most critical part of your interview, also the questions in
this category carry maximum weightage. If you do badly here you may not be able to recover in the
eyes of an interviewer.

Soft Skills: Your communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving skills your attitude etc.
are grouped under soft skills. These skills are always in demand because they help you not only in doing
your job smoothly but also in creating a positive environment at work place. Remember an interviewer
is a keen observer, he will be watching you closely from the very first question “tell me about yourself”.
From your answer to this seemingly innocent question he will assess how you communicate
information, how do you organize your thoughts? How confident and comfortable you feel when
speaking? Are you being natural or fake?

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 Your organizational skills may be assessed by questions like: What is the shortest time you have been
asked to rig up your unit? And how did you do it? You can also be tested for your interpersonal skills
for example by asking: How would you deal if your counterpart in the other shift was not doing his
share of work? The answers of these types of questions should be well thought out as these give a great
insight into your personality.

Knowledge and awareness of QHSE: Quality, Health, Safety and environment are very important
matters in today’s industries, more so in oil industry. Oil companies and service companies are
committed to provide safe and healthy work environment to all crewmembers. They invest time and
money in training the staff on safe work practices and expect people to strictly adhere to safety norms
on rig. This also pays them back by way of reducing or eliminating incidents and accidents on the rig
as well as maintaining well-being of their employees. Today no interview for oil industry job is
complete without assessing the candidate’s knowledge and awareness on safe work practices. Therefore
it is advisable to go through your safety training material prior to attending an interview. Examples of
a few questions may be cited here: What is work permit system? What authority does STOP card
program gives you on the rig? What do you understand by hazard hunt?

A common flaw that may be pointed out in the concluding remarks is poor preparation by candidates
for the interview. In most of my interviews it would appear that the candidate was expecting a casual
conversation. Unprepared to handle probing and follow up questions, he loses confidence and more
often than not ends up missing the opportunity. Preparation, therefore, is a key requirement to get
through the interviews.

(E)
Interview Rejection: Insights into common pitfalls and Solutions:
Having interviewed about 500 petroleum geologists for the roles of mudlogger, Data Engineer and
Wellsite geologist, I am in a position to identify some common mistakes that may cause the rejection
of your candidature.

First and most common mistake is coming unprepared for the interview. People believe since they have
been successfully working for years they know everything there is to know to do the job. Forgetting
that on the job when they face a problem or need to know something they have time to think, manuals
to consult and colleagues to ask. During the interview they do not have these resources. More over as
there are many candidates in line, an interviewer has to make on the spot decision about the suitability
of the candidate. Let me further elaborate this point:

With many years of experience, you become efficient in your job by doing it repeatedly without
sometime fully grasping or even forgetting the underlying principles and theories. For example on the
rig you are asked what is the MW now? In interview you may asked what is the working principle of
mud weight sensor? Similarly, while evaluating oil shows you observe and record among many things
the colour of the residual ring. But an interviewer may probe you by asking the significance of the
colour of the residual ring. Therefore, thorough preparation is indispensable for the successful outcome.

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The second frequent mistake people make in their pursuit of the job is embellishing their CVs with false
information or showing an exaggerated expertise. So when an interviewer tries to correlate their
knowledge and skills with what they claim to be on their CVs, the inconsistencies quickly become
apparent. Mismatch of experience or expertise makes a big dent in your chances of selection.

Sometimes upon getting a wrong answer, interviewer may ask the candidate if he is sure about it. Many
candidates make the mistake by saying “yes. Very sure” just to show they are confident even when they
are not. This false confidence is easily exposed and gives a negative impression about the candidate.
Also this may create a credibility issue. Providing false information in a professional setting can have
severe consequences for a company. This alone sometimes could be a reason of rejection.

Underestimating the expertise of interviewer may occasionally tempt a candidate to mislead him or
even argue with the interviewer. This could be a fatal mistake on the part of candidate, which should be
avoided at any cost. While some individuals are inherently argumentative, displaying this trait during
an interview suggests it could manifest in the workplace as well. Engaging in arguments underscores
weaknesses in communication skills.

In conclusion, it's crucial to thoroughly prepare for probing questions. Such questions lead to a better
assessment of your knowledge and skills. Furthermore, be ready to substantiate and justify every skill
and expertise you've highlighted on your CV. Alternatively, consider omitting any exaggerations from
your CV. Also remember, an interviewer evaluates not only your technical competencies but also your
personal attributes and soft skills to gauge your overall suitability. Therefore, maintaining good
communication and ethical integrity is of paramount importance.

Khursheed Marwat
OGDCL Islamabad Pakistan.
Cont: 923160998789
Email: khursheedmuhammad704@gmail.com

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