Mock interview questions: a UK practice set and how to run one

A mock interview is a practice interview run as close to the real one as you can manage: realistic questions, answers said aloud and feedback you can act on. This guide gives you a set of practice questions grouped by stage, a way to run a session with a friend, a careers service or an online tool, a feedback checklist, and advice on recording yourself.

Several UK pages, including Indeed UK, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Scope and the T Levels support page, tell you to practise aloud. They differ on who should run the session and how rehearsed to sound, so this guide shows where. It draws on UK careers services, recruiters and public bodies, listed under Sources, and includes a fictional practice session. None of the pages we cite says how many mock interviews are enough, though Prospects says to do at least one.

What a mock interview is, and who can run one

Indeed UK describes a mock interview as a simulated job interview in which someone, such as a friend or family member, acts as the hiring manager and asks questions you might meet. It lists four routes: an online platform, a professional career counsellor, a mentor, and a friend or family member (Indeed UK). The pages we read add more detail on each:

• A careers service. The University of Edinburgh books a practice interview of up to 45 minutes and asks you to upload the job description and your application so that it can prepare relevant questions. Cardiff lists a mock interview with a careers adviser, and Prospects says to contact your university careers service if you are a student or recent graduate (Edinburgh, Cardiff, Prospects). Availability varies. At the time we read it in October 2026, Bath says tailored mock interviews are not available in Semester 1, though drop-ins can help you practise common questions, and Imperial provides mock interviews for research staff only once you have a confirmed invitation to interview (Bath, Imperial). Bath says its one-to-one services are open to all its graduates with no time limit (Bath).
• A friend, family member or mentor. Indeed UK and jobs.ac.uk name a friend, family member or mentor, Scope names family or friends, and Prospects says to practise with someone you trust (Indeed UK, Scope, jobs.ac.uk, Prospects). Indeed UK notes that a friend can give emotional support and tailor questions to you, but that you need someone who will give honest and useful feedback. Make Happen suggests practising with someone who did not help you write your CV or cover letter, to see whether they can understand your strong points from how you present yourself (Make Happen).
• An online practice tool. Barclays LifeSkills describes a virtual interview practice of 30 to 40 minutes where you can record your answers and play them back, or type them. Manchester's Shortlist.Me gives automated AI feedback on rate of speech and filler words, lets you retry each question, and says that only you see your practice interview, apart from careers staff if you receive more detailed feedback. Loughborough's Interview Coach gives AI feedback on structure, delivery and content, with a maximum of five sessions in a 12-month period. Cardiff names CareerSet for online mock interviews with feedback (Barclays LifeSkills, Manchester, Loughborough, Cardiff). Several of these are open only to the students and graduates of that university. Edinburgh says general AI tools can help you generate possible questions but should not be your only source, as they can state wrong information, and it warns about putting personal data into them (Edinburgh). Our guide to preparing for an AI interview covers AI practice tools and the thin evidence for them.
• On your own. The National Careers Service suggests recording yourself and watching it back, and Indeed UK says to practise answering aloud even if you are alone (National Careers Service, Indeed UK).

The pages we read are mostly written for students and graduates, and several of these services are open only to that university's own students and, in some cases, graduates. The National Careers Service video tips page says how to talk to a careers adviser if you are 18 or over, or under 18 and not in education, employment or training, and to use your school, college or university adviser if you are still in education, and the Royal College of Nursing runs interview coaching on its careers pages, which are aimed at nurses and healthcare workers (National Careers Service, RCN). We found no page that compares these routes with each other.

How to run a mock interview

No UK page sets out one official method, so these steps combine what the pages above say. Evident's view is marked wherever we add to them.

1. Start from a real advert. Edinburgh's advisers need the job description and your application to prepare questions, and Indeed UK suggests modelling your practice on what the advert asks for (Edinburgh, Indeed UK). Our guide to tailoring a CV to a job description shows how to mark up an advert.
2. Choose the helper and give them your paperwork. Indeed UK suggests bringing your CV and cover letter, so you practise referring to them. Pick someone who will be honest, and Make Happen's point about someone who did not help write your CV is worth a thought (Indeed UK, Make Happen).
3. Decide who chooses the questions. Cardiff suggests asking a friend or family member to ask you the questions, so you do not know which comes next, and Indeed UK suggests that the helper gathers the questions or asks yours in a random order. For solo practice, Indeed UK suggests writing each question on a flashcard and shuffling them (Cardiff, Indeed UK). The lists below are a starting point. targetjobs says recruiters might tell you what to expect if you ask, but advises not to count on it (targetjobs).
4. Match the real format. For a face-to-face interview, Indeed UK suggests a clean, quiet space with a chair for you and one for the interviewer, and wearing the outfit you plan to wear. If the real interview is on video, Scope suggests practising over video, and Prospects says to dress for telephone and online interviews as though they were in person. UCAS notes that some employers interview by phone, and targetjobs says pre-recorded answers are usually timed (Indeed UK, Scope, Prospects, UCAS, targetjobs).
5. Run it to a realistic length. Prospects says face-to-face interviews usually last 45 minutes to two hours and telephone and video interviews around half an hour, and the Civil Service says its interviews usually last 45 to 60 minutes (Prospects, Civil Service Careers). Evident's view: a first run with one or two questions from each stage is a reasonable way to find the weak spots, and one full-length run closer to the date shows how you cope with the pace.
6. Record it. Indeed UK says recording lets you keep track of feedback and check body language, facial expressions, and the speed and tone of your voice (Indeed UK). See the recording section below.
7. Ask for feedback straight away. Make Happen says not to hesitate to ask for feedback on the spot, then to compare your own view of how it went with what you are told (Make Happen). The T Levels support page for providers says feedback should be constructive and specific, and that self-reflection makes practice valuable (T Levels support). Use the checklist below.
8. Change something, then run it again. Evident's view: pick one or two changes from the feedback rather than rewriting everything, then repeat the questions you found hardest.

On how many runs to do, Prospects says it is a good idea to do at least one mock interview before the real thing (Prospects). In a 2017 review of events in UK schools and colleges for the Careers and Enterprise Company, a survey of 183 students aged 14 to 18 found that those who took part in the most mock interviews and CV workshops found them most helpful, and the review recommends feedback and time to prepare beforehand (Education and Employers). That is how they rated the events, not a measure of later results, and it concerns students in schools and colleges.

Mock interview questions by stage

No source gives a definitive question list, and employers choose questions to match the advert. Manchester's types of question include warm-up, motivation, competency, strengths-based, weaknesses, situational and "do you have any questions", as well as commercial awareness, technical, case study and reasoning questions, and targetjobs lists motivational, employer-focused, CV and career, hypothetical, competency or values-based, and strength-based questions (Manchester, targetjobs). The questions below are Evident's selection from questions that these and other UK pages list. Where an Evident guide covers a question, it is linked.

1. Opening and warm-up

Manchester says warm-up questions usually come at the start and are about you, such as "tell me about yourself" or "why did you choose to study this course" (Manchester).

• Tell me about yourself. (Reed, Prospects, Robert Walters, Reading) See our guide to answering tell me about yourself.
• Why did you choose your course, or your line of work? (Manchester gives the course version. The work version is Evident's adaptation.)
• What do you do in your spare time? (National Careers Service)

2. Motivation and the organisation

• Why do you want to work for us? (National Careers Service, Totaljobs, Prospects, Manchester) See why do you want to work for us.
• What do you know about our organisation? (National Careers Service, Totaljobs, Prospects)
• What led you to apply for this job? (Reading)
• What motivates you? (Totaljobs) See what motivates you.
• Where do you see yourself in five years? (Reed, Robert Walters, Prospects, Manchester, Reading)

3. Your experience, strengths and gaps

• What skills or experience do you bring to this role? (Robert Walters)
• What are your strengths? (National Careers Service, Prospects, Totaljobs)
• What are your weaknesses? (Reed, National Careers Service, Prospects, Robert Walters) Reading calls this question quite rare, while Reed, the National Careers Service, Prospects and Robert Walters list it among common questions (Reading). See what are your weaknesses.
• What is an achievement you are proud of? (Prospects, Totaljobs)
• Why did you leave your last job? (National Careers Service, Reed) Why is there a gap in your work history? (Reed, Totaljobs) See our guides to a gap in employment and returning to work after a career break.

4. Behavioural: tell me about a time

These ask for a real past example. Manchester and Reading give the sample questions below, and the National Careers Service gives work-history prompts (Manchester, Reading, National Careers Service). Our STAR method guide and guide to competency-based interview questions show how to structure and prepare the stories.

• Tell me about a time you solved a problem as part of a team. (Reading)
• Give an example of a time you worked well under pressure. (Reading)
• Give me an example of a time you had to deal with conflict in a team. (Manchester)
• Can you give an example of when you have effectively led others? (Manchester)
• Have you ever taken the initiative? Have you ever failed at a task? (National Careers Service)

5. Situational and quick-fire

Reading describes situational questions as asking what you would do in a hypothetical, usually challenging, scenario, and Edinburgh says strengths-based questions come in quick succession on varied topics (Reading, Edinburgh). See our guides to situational interview questions and what motivates you.

• If a project could be delivered on time but only 80% complete, or two days late but 100% complete, what would you do? (Reading)
• What would you do if a colleague you were relying on was taken ill the week before an important deadline? (Edinburgh)
• What energises you? Describe a successful day you have had. (Edinburgh)
• Do you prefer to work on your own or in a team? (Edinburgh. Manchester asks a similar question about working on your own or in a team.)

6. Closing

• Do you have any questions for us? (National Careers Service, Reed, Totaljobs, Prospects, Manchester) See questions to ask at the end of an interview.
• What are your salary expectations? (Reed, Robert Walters, Prospects, Totaljobs)
• Is there anything else you would like us to know? (Evident's addition, not taken from a source, so that the practice has a proper ending.)

For a particular role or stage, add questions from the advert and see our guides to second interview questions and care assistant interview questions. Evident's view: for a first run, take one or two questions from each stage rather than all of them, and you could put the ones you dread near the start, since they are the ones to learn from.

A feedback checklist

Ask your helper to mark you against a few criteria. targetjobs suggests giving a helper with little interviewing experience a checklist that includes body language, greeting and goodbye, how clearly you can be heard and seen through the device, and the strength of your answers (targetjobs). The items below mark which come from sources and which are Evident's view.

From sources

• Was it specific? Make Happen says to be specific, using a real situation and what you did. For opening questions, Reading advises that your selling points include facts, not just assertions (Make Happen, Reading).
• Did it answer the question asked? Cambridge says to listen carefully to the question and make sure you are really answering it (Cambridge).
• Voice. The National Careers Service says to be clear and not talk too fast, Indeed UK mentions the speed and tone of your voice, and Prospects says not to speak too quickly. Manchester's practice tool counts rate of speech and filler words (National Careers Service, Indeed UK, Prospects, Manchester).
• Body language and eye line. targetjobs asks whether you slouch, pull faces or fidget, mutter or gabble, and the National Careers Service says to look at the camera rather than the screen on video (targetjobs, National Careers Service).
• Length. For pre-recorded interviews, targetjobs says to time yourself when practising so you are not cut off, and says the time allowed per answer is usually between one and three minutes (targetjobs).
• Honesty when you do not know. Scope says to be honest if you do not know something, because if you pretend to, the interviewer may ask another question about it (Scope).
• Could the helper name your strong points? Make Happen suggests testing this with someone who did not help write your CV (Make Happen).
• Two or three things that went well and two or three to improve. The National Careers Service suggests writing these down after a real interview, and Cardiff suggests noting the questions you struggled with or did not expect. The same habit works after a mock (National Careers Service, Cardiff).

Evident's view

• Evident's view: ask the helper to pick one claim in your answer and probe it, with "What exactly did you do?" and "What happened as a result?". A real interviewer may do the same, and you should be able to point to the claim on your CV.
• Evident's view: ask for a judgement on each answer, such as keep, tighten or rewrite, so that the feedback turns into a short to-do list.
• Evident's view: if the feedback is only encouragement, ask the helper to name the weakest answer.

Recording and watching yourself

Several pages say to record yourself. The National Careers Service says to do practice runs, record yourself and watch the recording back, checking that you are clear, not talking too fast, pausing at the end of a question because of the delay online, smiling, sitting up straight and looking at the camera (National Careers Service). Indeed UK says video lets you see whether you took too long to answer or sounded nervous (Indeed UK). T Levels support suggests reviewing recordings with a helper to point out strengths and areas to improve, and jobs.ac.uk says to get feedback from someone you trust or look back at yourself on video (T Levels support, jobs.ac.uk). Evident's view: watch twice, once for what you said and once for how you said it, since it can be hard to judge both at once.

Setting up for video. The National Careers Service says to find a quiet space with no distracting background, use natural light or a lamp, and put the camera at eye level. Prospects suggests a clean, simple background, natural light from a window or a lamp in front of the camera, and avoiding busy patterns and stripes (National Careers Service, Prospects). Sources differ on the device. The National Careers Service says to use a computer or laptop rather than a tablet or phone if you can, targetjobs usually advises a laptop, and Prospects says many people interview on a phone and lists the trade-offs, such as a smaller screen and steadying the phone (National Careers Service, targetjobs, Prospects). Evident's view: practise on the device you will use. For clothes, see our guide to what to wear to an interview.

Pre-recorded interviews. targetjobs says you usually get between one and three minutes per answer with a timer on screen, retake rules vary, and it suggests writing out and timing practice answers. The National Careers Service suggests using any practice questions to find out whether you can stop or re-record, and practising in front of a mirror or with a friend. Prospects says recording yourself can feel awkward, which makes practice even more important (targetjobs, National Careers Service, Prospects).

Your recordings. Check what an online tool keeps. Manchester's page says Shortlist.Me records older than 12 months are removed each December, and Edinburgh warns against submitting personal data to general AI tools (Manchester, Edinburgh).

A worked example: one fictional practice session

The job, Priya, her friend Tom and the shop are all invented for illustration. Priya is practising for a fictional customer service advisor job at Fennick Outdoors. Tom plays the interviewer, asks six questions drawn from the lists above and records the session on his phone. Afterwards they watch it together and use the checklist. Priya's evidence sheet for the question "Tell me about a time you dealt with an unhappy customer" says:

• She has worked Saturdays for seven months at Kettle Lane Footwear, a shoe shop.
• A customer brought back a pair of boots with no receipt, saying the sole had split. She checked the boots and saw the split along the seam, then asked when they were bought.
• The customer had paid by card, so she found the sale on the till history using the last four digits of the card. It was 34 days earlier.
• The shop's rule is that a return after 28 days needs the manager's agreement. She explained this, asked the manager, and the manager agreed to a replacement pair.
• The customer took the replacement and left. She wrote the reason in the returns book. She does not know whether the customer came back.

Evident's reading: the first version fails the "was it specific" check: Tom cannot tell what Priya did, so a follow-up question would find nothing to hold on to. The second still sounds spoken, follows a situation, action and result order, and gives the interviewer something to probe. If you try this, use only facts that are true for you, and say each answer in your own words.

Nerves in practice and on the day

Cambridge says good preparation gives you the best chance of success and reduces interview nerves, and Indeed UK lists role-play with a friend or family member among its ways to ease anxiety, with a careers adviser as a more high-pressure option (Cambridge, Indeed UK). Scope says most people feel nervous about interviews, that the interviewer may also be nervous, and that you can say you are nervous if your hands shake. If you make a mistake, it says you can explain and ask to try the answer again (Scope).

For breathing, the two pages that give counts differ slightly but both say to breathe out for longer: Manchester says in for a count of 6 and out for 12, and the Royal College of Nursing says in for 7 and out for 11. The RCN also suggests treating nervous energy as excitement (Manchester, RCN). In the interview itself, Manchester suggests asking for the question to be repeated, asking "can I have a moment to consider that?", or asking to come back to it later, and Prospects says it is acceptable to pause before a difficult question (Manchester, Prospects). A personal account on the University of Nottingham's careers site describes pausing, slowing down and noting afterwards what went well, which is one person's experience, not a method (Nottingham).

If you need adjustments, Prospects says you can ask at any point and many candidates do so when they receive the invitation, and Manchester's page says students and graduates with a disability or learning difficulty can request a practice session on Shortlist.Me with added thinking and answer time (Prospects, Manchester). Evident's view: telling your helper beforehand what you want practised, such as starting cold or being interrupted, makes the session fairer to you.

FAQs

What is a mock interview?

Indeed UK describes it as a simulated job interview in which someone, such as a friend or family member, acts as the hiring manager and asks questions you might meet, so that you can practise your answers and get feedback. It can be run by a careers service, a mentor, a friend, an online tool, or by you alone with a recording.

Who can run a mock interview for me?

Indeed UK lists online platforms, a career counsellor, a mentor and a friend or family member. Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bath, Manchester and Loughborough provide practice interviews or interview coaching to their own students, and Bath, Manchester and Loughborough say graduates can use theirs, but availability varies. Make Happen suggests choosing someone who did not help write your CV. The pages we read are mostly written for students and graduates, and the National Careers Service video tips page says how to reach a careers adviser, depending on your age and whether you are in education.

How many mock interviews should I do?

No page we read says how many are enough. Prospects says to do at least one before the real thing. In a 2017 survey of 183 students aged 14 to 18 in UK schools and colleges, those who took part in the most mock interviews and CV workshops found them most helpful, which reports their opinion, not later results. Loughborough limits its AI practice tool to five sessions in 12 months, which is a platform rule, not advice. Evident's view: repeat a run until the answers you worry about come out clear and true, and do one full-length run near the interview.

Should I memorise my answers?

Sources differ. Indeed UK says it can be best not to memorise exactly, Edinburgh warns that over-rehearsed answers sound stilted and robotic, and Reed says answers do not need to be scripted but should not be improvised on the spur of the moment. UCAS tells apprenticeship applicants not to worry about sounding rehearsed. Evident's view: learn the key points and the evidence, and say them in different words each run.

How do I practise for a video interview?

The National Careers Service suggests recording yourself and watching it back. targetjobs says to review how you look on screen and to time your answers, with the time allowed per answer on pre-recorded platforms usually between one and three minutes. Check whether the platform lets you re-record. Prospects says practice matters even more because recording yourself can feel awkward. Our guide to preparing for an AI interview covers AI practice tools.

What if I freeze or ramble in a mock interview?

Evident's view: a freeze in practice shows you where to work before the real interview, so note the question and run it again. Manchester suggests asking for the question to be repeated, asking for a moment to consider it, or asking to come back to it. The RCN says you are unlikely to lose points for taking longer to think, and Scope says you can explain a mistake and ask to try the answer again.

How Evident approaches this

Evident reads your CV and the job advert, then asks up to five targeted questions. It drafts wording only from your answers, and you approve it line by line. You can also try the CV scan.