Mock interviews
A mock interview is a rehearsal of the real thing: the same questions, the same format, the same clock, with feedback afterwards. Done properly it is the highest-return hour in interview preparation. Done the usual way it is a friendly chat that teaches you nothing.
Why most mock interviews do not work
Three failures, and almost every unhelpful mock has at least one.
The questions are generic. Practising “tell me about yourself” in the abstract does not prepare you for a seat that opens with a brain-teaser or asks you to walk through a deal. Across the 194 seats we have researched, the round varies enormously by firm and by desk.
The interviewer is kind. A friend will not interrupt you, will not follow up on the vague bit, and will not let the silence sit. All three are things a real interviewer does, and all three are what you most need to practise.
Nobody writes anything down. “That was good” is not feedback. Without a transcript or a score you remember the feeling of the session, not what you actually said.
What a useful mock interview has
- The real questions for the real seat. Not a generic list.
- Follow-ups. The second question — the one that probes the thing you glossed over — is where interviews are decided.
- The actual clock. Pressure changes answers. Practice without it rehearses a performance you will not give.
- A transcript. Read what you said. It is never what you thought you said.
- A score against the right rubric. Different seats reward different things.
Practise the recorded round too
Every one of the 194 seats we have researched includes a one-way recorded round before any human conversation. Talking to a lens with a countdown is a distinct skill, and it is the stage where most candidates are eliminated without ever being told why.
How often
More often and shorter beats rarely and long. The gains come from repetition under pressure, and from reading back what you said; both are available in twenty minutes. One marathon session the night before mostly produces anxiety.
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Falas is not affiliated with or endorsed by any employer named. Simulations are independent practice based on publicly described recruiting formats.