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Mock interviews: how to run one that actually helps

A mock interview is a practice interview: someone asks you real questions, you answer out loud, and you get feedback before it counts. Here is how to run one with a friend, a coach or AI, the script and scorecard to use, and a free mock interview you can start now.

Start a free mock interview Get the scorecard (PDF)

The short answer

A mock interview is a rehearsal of a real job interview: the same kind of questions, answered out loud under similar conditions, followed by feedback. The useful kind has three parts: realistic questions for the job you want, feedback on specific answers (not general impressions), and a second attempt at your weakest answer. You can run one with a friend using the script and scorecard below, book one with a career center or coach, or practice with AI any time; Huru’s is free.

Three ways to do a mock interview

Each is good at something different. The best preparation usually combines them: repetitions on your own, then a final run with a person.

  • With a friend or mentor

    Best for
    A real reaction from a person, and industry knowledge if they work in your field.
    How
    Send them the job posting and the script below, and ask them to score you with the scorecard.
    Limits
    Hard to schedule often, and friends tend to be too kind. The scorecard helps them be specific.

  • With a career center or coach

    Best for
    Trained feedback, strategy and help choosing your stories. Many universities offer it free to students and alumni.
    How
    Book through your school’s career center, or hire a coach for senior or specialized roles.
    Limits
    Limited appointments, especially in hiring season; coaching can be expensive.

  • With AI

    Best for
    As many repetitions as you want, questions from the exact job posting, and the same criteria every time.
    How
    Answer out loud on camera and get a score and feedback on each answer. Huru is free.
    Limits
    It doesn’t know the employer, can mishear a word, and can’t choose your stories for you.

How to run a 45-minute mock interview

A format that works with a friend, a mentor or a classmate. The script and scorecard below cover everything the interviewer needs.

Download the script and scorecard

Free, two printable pages, no sign-up.

  1. Before: set it up like the real thing

    Pick the job, send the interviewer the posting and your resume, and choose about eight questions. Use the same room, camera and outfit you’ll use on the day.

  2. Warm-up (3 minutes)

    Small talk and “Tell me about yourself”. The interviewer stays neutral, as a real one would.

  3. Questions (about 30 minutes)

    Two openers, four behavioral questions, one or two about the role. The interviewer asks one follow-up when an answer is vague, and takes notes in the candidate’s own words.

  4. Your questions (4 minutes)

    The candidate asks two or three questions, as at the end of a real interview.

  5. Feedback (8 minutes)

    The strongest answer and why, then one thing to fix. Not ten: one.

  6. Redo the weakest answer

    Answer that question again with the fix, right away. That second attempt is where the improvement happens.

The interviewer’s script: 20 questions

Pick about eight: two openers, four behavioral, one or two about the role. Ask them in order, without warning which comes next, and ask one follow-up when an answer is vague: “What did you do, specifically?”

Openers

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Why are you interested in this role?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • Walk me through your resume.

Behavioral

  • Tell me about a time you worked on a team to reach a goal.
  • Describe a conflict with a coworker and how you handled it.
  • Tell me about a time you failed.
  • Describe your most challenging project.
  • Tell me about a time you took initiative.
  • Tell me about a time you worked under a tight deadline.
  • Describe a time you had to adapt to a big change.

About the role

  • What are your greatest strengths?
  • What is a weakness you’re working on?
  • What would you do in your first 90 days?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?
  • Why should we hire you?

Pressure and closing

  • What would your last manager say about you?
  • Tell me about a decision you’d make differently now.
  • What are your salary expectations?
  • What questions do you have for me?

What each question is really asking, and how to answer it: mock interview questions, with pages for specific roles. For behavioral questions, use the STAR method.

Score every answer the same way

Feedback helps when it is specific and consistent. Score each answer from 1 to 5 on the same five dimensions, and write down the candidate’s own words.

Relevance
Did it answer the question that was asked?
Structure
Was it easy to follow: context, what they did, the result?
Specificity
Real details, numbers and examples, or general claims?
Impact
A clear result, and their own role in it (“I”, not only “we”)?
Articulation
Clear, concise, confident delivery?

These are the five dimensions Huru scores on every practice answer, out of 100.

What Huru gives back on one practice answer. Example answer.

Does practicing with mock interviews work?

The research on interview preparation points the same way: practice with specific feedback improves how you answer.

  • In an experiment with 144 participants, people who received more comprehensive interview coaching, including skill practice, got higher interview ratings and gave more organized, well-structured answers.

    Tross & Maurer, 2008

  • Among the preparation strategies candidates used before structured interviews, watching mock interviews and studying materials related to the interview were the ones most related to better performance.

    Maurer, Solamon, Andrews & Troxtel, 2001

  • A meta-analysis found that interview anxiety is linked to lower interview performance (a correlation of −0.19). The effect is modest, but it’s one more reason to rehearse under realistic conditions before the day.

    Powell, Stanley & Brown, 2018

A free AI mock interview

When there’s nobody to practice with, or you want more repetitions than a friend can give, practice with AI. Huru is an AI mock interview built for exactly this.

  • Mock interviews for 242+ career roles, or a custom interview from any job title and description (also from a job post, with the Chrome extension)
  • You answer out loud on camera, question by question, on desktop or mobile
  • Every answer scored out of 100 by Huru’s own model (relevance, structure, specificity, impact and articulation), with what worked, what to fix and a stronger version of your answer
  • Free for everyone, with every feature; English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and French
Start a free mock interview

What about ChatGPT?

A general chatbot can ask you questions and give written feedback, and voice modes let you answer out loud. What it doesn’t do by default is score every answer against the same criteria, record you on camera or track your progress: you set that up in your prompts each time. Our interview practice prompts help if you go that way.

Whatever you use, AI practice has limits: it doesn’t know the employer and can mishear a word. Our guide to what an AI interview coach can and can’t do covers them. Use AI for repetitions, then do a final mock interview with a person.

Types of mock interview

Match the practice to the interview you’re facing.

  • Behavioral

    “Tell me about a time…” questions. Prepare stories with the STAR method.

    The STAR method

  • Role-specific

    Questions for one job, from nursing to software engineering.

    Questions by role

  • Technical and coding

    Live coding, often in a shared editor such as CoderPad, sometimes with an AI assistant.

    CoderPad interviews

  • One-way video

    Recorded answers with a timer and no interviewer, on platforms such as HireVue or Spark Hire.

    HireVue interviews

Mock interviews: questions

What is a mock interview?
A practice interview that simulates a real one: realistic questions, answered out loud under similar conditions, followed by feedback. It can be run by a friend, a career center, a coach or an AI tool.
How long is a mock interview?
Usually 30 to 60 minutes. A useful format is 45 minutes: a short warm-up, about 30 minutes of questions, a few minutes for your questions, and 8 minutes of feedback, followed by a redo of your weakest answer.
How do I prepare for a mock interview?
Treat it like the real thing: pick a specific job, send the interviewer the job posting and your resume, prepare a few true stories, and use the same room, camera and outfit you will use on the day. Ask the interviewer to score you on the same criteria for every answer.
Are mock interviews worth it?
Research on interview coaching supports it: in one experiment, people given more comprehensive coaching with skill practice received higher interview ratings and gave better-structured answers. The benefit comes from specific feedback and a second attempt, not from the rehearsal alone.
Is ChatGPT good for mock interviews?
It can generate questions and give written feedback, and voice modes let you answer out loud. What a general chatbot doesn’t do by default is score every answer against the same criteria, record you on video or track your progress; you have to set that up in your prompts each time. A dedicated tool does it for you.
Where can I do a mock interview for free?
With a friend using a script and scorecard (both free on this page), with your university career center if you are a student or alum, or with an AI mock interview tool. Huru is free for everyone: practice for 242+ roles or any job posting, with every answer scored.
What questions are asked in a mock interview?
The same as in a real first interview: “Tell me about yourself”, why this role and company, behavioral questions such as a conflict, a failure or a challenging project, strengths and weaknesses, and why you should be hired. The 20-question script on this page covers them.

Sources

Research cited on this page, checked on :

Huru’s facts come from the product itself.

Keep preparing

Run your first mock interview now

Pick your role or paste the job posting, answer out loud on camera and see your first score in minutes. Huru is free for everyone.

Start a free mock interview Get the scorecard (PDF)