Am I asking my preceptor too many questions?

Preceptors expect students to ask questions. That's what supervision is for. What wears on people is a question the student could have answered alone, or the same question asked twice. The number matters much less than how you ask.

Try first, then ask

Before you ask, spend a reasonable amount of time on it: check the shared drive, past reports, the project brief, and your own notes. Then say what you tried in the question itself: "I looked at last year's report and the data dictionary, and I'm still unsure which age groups to use. Should I follow the state categories?" This shows you did the work and lets your preceptor answer in one line.

Sort questions by urgency

• Ask now: anything that blocks your work, involves privacy or safety, or could lead to a public-facing mistake.
• Batch: background, "why do we do it this way," and preferences. Keep a running list and bring it to your check-in or put it in one email.
• Ask someone else: software, where things are saved, and office logistics. A coworker can often answer these faster.

Write down the answers

Keep a simple running log of answers you receive. Asking the same question twice is what makes people feel you're not listening. Your notes also become a resource for later tasks.

The bigger risk is asking too few

Students more often go quiet for too long, then turn in work built on a wrong assumption. If you've been stuck for more than an hour or two on something that matters, ask. For ways to reframe the worry, read overcoming the fear of asking questions. To save your non-urgent questions for the right moment, learn how to run a productive one-on-one.