The most common pageant questions are either personal questions about the contestant or questions about current events. Pageants use these questions to test the contestant's intelligence and ability to articulate ideas and to allow the judges to get a sense of the contestant's personality. The exact questions asked may take hundreds of different forms, so it is generally not advisable for a contestant to memorize answers to specific questions.
Many top pageant questions ask contestants about their opinions of the pageant itself. They may be asked why they decided to compete in the pageant, what they consider to be the role of the pageant queen or whether or not they would enroll in the pageant again if given the chance. Other common questions ask contestants to consider current events and issues affecting the wider world. When answering questions like this, it is generally advised that the contestant keep the focus narrow, discussing how these issues affect them personally and what small, individual contributions they can make.
Pageant questions vary widely in specifics. Judges are generally not expecting a profound answer to every question, but they do expect contestants to answer honestly and thoughtfully. No matter what the question is, the contestant should do her best to stay poised, open and truthful.
