Recording your practice is only useful if you watch it — and most people find that uncomfortable at first. The trick is to watch with a short, specific checklist, so you are looking for things you can actually improve rather than criticising yourself in general.
The five-point checklist
After each session, the review screen in the practice room asks five questions about every answer. You can mark each one Yes, Partly or Not yet.
1. Relevance — did I answer the question that was asked?
It is surprisingly common to answer a slightly different question, especially when you have prepared stories in advance. If the question was about a disagreement, does your story actually contain one? Does your first sentence address the question directly?
2. Structure — was there a clear beginning, middle and end?
For behavioural questions, check for situation, task, action and result. For other questions, check that you made a point, supported it, and finished. If someone listened only to your first and last sentences, would they know what you said?
3. Examples — did I give something specific and real?
“I am a good team player” is a claim. “In my internship I took over testing when a teammate fell ill, and we still shipped on time” is evidence. Look for at least one concrete example in most answers.
4. Clarity — was it easy to follow?
Listen to the pace. Were there long runs without a pause? Did you use jargon the interviewer might not know? Could you hear yourself clearly, or did you trail off at the ends of sentences?
5. Concision — did I stop once the point was made?
Check the answer length shown next to each recording. Many answers improve simply by cutting the last thirty seconds, where the point gets repeated.
Pick one thing per answer
You will notice several things in each recording. Don’t try to fix them all at once. Write one note for next time in the Notes for next time box — for example, “Start with the result” or “Mention the numbers” — and flag the answer to practise again. Then use Retry selected to go straight back to the flagged questions.
Delivery: what is worth noticing
- Eye contact with the lens, especially at the start and end of the answer.
- Filler words such as “basically”, “actually” or “like”. A few are completely normal. Only work on them if they get in the way of the message.
- Pace. Nervousness usually makes people speak faster. A slightly slower pace almost always sounds more confident.
- Pauses. A brief pause before answering looks thoughtful, not hesitant.
What not to judge yourself on
Your appearance, your accent, the sound of your voice and your natural facial expressions are not things to “fix”. They do not determine whether you are competent or honest, and Prepare Interviews never analyses them. Focus on what you said and how clearly you said it.
Watch, then rest
One or two answers per session is enough to review closely. Watching every recording every time can be draining. Keep the recordings that show progress — you can save them in this browser or download them — and delete the rest.
Compare over time
Every so often, repeat an interview you did a week earlier and watch the old and new versions of the same answer one after the other. The difference is usually larger than you expect, and seeing it is one of the best ways to build real confidence before the interview.