The best ChatGPT mock interview prompts do four things: give the model a specific interviewer role, feed it your résumé and the job description, make it ask one question at a time and wait for your answer, and tell it exactly how to score you. Below are 12 prompts for ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Gemini, covering behavioral, coding, system design, product, case and salary rounds, plus voice mode setup and where general chatbots fall short.
Replace anything in [square brackets] before you send a prompt.
What makes a mock interview prompt work
A vague prompt such as "interview me for a software job" usually returns questions with model answers: reading practice, not interview practice. A prompt that works has five parts:
| Part | Why it matters | Example wording |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Sets the interviewer's seniority and style | "You are a senior engineering manager at a fintech company." |
| Context | Makes questions match your background and the job | "Here is my résumé: [paste]. Here is the job description: [paste]." |
| Rules | Stops it from answering for you | "Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer. No hints unless I ask." |
| Rubric | Keeps scoring consistent from answer to answer | "Score each answer 1 to 5 on structure, specificity and impact, with evidence." |
| Wrap-up | Turns the session into a plan | "After the last question, list my three weakest answers and what to fix." |
The rules line matters most. Without it, chatbots often answer their own question.
Behavioral interview prompts
1. Behavioral round with STAR scoring
You are a hiring manager interviewing me for [role] at [company]. My résumé: [paste]. The job description: [paste]. Run a 30-minute behavioral interview: ask 6 questions, one at a time, based on the competencies in the job description. After each answer, ask one realistic follow-up, then score my answer 1 to 5 for Situation, Task, Action and Result, quoting the words that earned or lost points. Don't suggest answers until the end.
Follow-ups are where weak stories fall apart, and quoting your words ties each score to what you said. Draft stories first with the free STAR story builder, then test them here.
2. Recruiter screen that opens with "Tell me about yourself"
Act as a recruiter on a 20-minute phone screen for [role]. Start with "Tell me about yourself." Then ask about my current role, why I'm leaving, why this company and my availability, one at a time. Tell me if any answer would take more than about 90 seconds to say out loud. Afterwards, tell me which résumé detail I should have mentioned but didn't. My résumé: [paste].
Test it against our "tell me about yourself" structure for engineers.
3. Company values deep dive
You are an interviewer at [company]. Here are its published values or leadership principles: [paste from the careers site]. Ask me one behavioral question per value, one at a time. For each answer, push with two follow-ups that test ownership and measurable results, such as "What did you do personally?" and "How do you know it worked?" Rate each answer strong, mixed or weak, and say why.
Paste values from the company's careers pages rather than trusting the chatbot's memory.
Technical interview prompts
4. Coding round, explained out loud
You are a software engineer running a 45-minute coding interview for a [level] [language] role. Give me one medium-difficulty problem on [topic, for example graphs]. Do not show a solution. Let me ask clarifying questions first. While I explain my approach, ask about complexity, edge cases and my choice of data structure. If I'm stuck twice in a row, give one small hint. When I paste my code, review correctness, complexity and naming, then show an optimal solution.
Write the code in your own editor and paste it in. The free coding interview cheat sheet lists the patterns worth drilling first.
5. System design in 45 minutes
You are a staff engineer interviewing me for a [level] backend role. Ask me to design [system, for example a URL shortener]. Answer clarifying questions with realistic numbers, but don't volunteer requirements. Follow this order and move on when I say time is up: requirements (5 min), estimates (5 min), API and data model (10 min), high-level design (10 min), a deep dive on one component you choose (10 min), trade-offs (5 min). Then score me 1 to 5 on requirements, scalability, data modeling, trade-offs and communication, with one improvement each.
The model can't watch a clock, so run your own timer. Keep the system design cheat sheet nearby for numbers and building blocks, and check your design afterwards against our URL shortener walkthrough.
6. SQL or data round
You are a data team lead interviewing me for a [data analyst or data engineer] role. Describe two related tables with a few sample rows, then ask me 4 SQL questions, one at a time, from joins to window functions. Check my query against your sample data, tell me exactly where it would fail, and ask how I'd make it faster on a large table.
Product, case and salary prompts
7. Product sense for PM interviews
You are a group product manager interviewing me for a [level] PM role at [company]. Ask one product sense question, such as improving a product for a specific group of users. Let me structure my answer, then challenge my prioritization and my success metric with follow-ups. Score me 1 to 5 on user insight, prioritization, solution quality and metrics.
8. Consulting case
You are a consulting interviewer running an interviewer-led case. Give me a profitability or market-entry case for a [industry] client. Share data only when I ask, in short tables. Include one market-sizing estimate. Correct math mistakes as soon as I make them. End by asking for a 60-second recommendation, then grade my structure, math, insight and synthesis 1 to 5.
9. The salary expectations question
Act as a recruiter for [company] hiring a [role] in [city or remote]. At a natural point in a short screen, ask for my salary expectations, and push back once whether I give a number or deflect. My target range is [range], based on [where I researched it]. Afterwards, tell me whether I gave away leverage and rewrite my answer two ways: a researched range and a polite deflection.
10. Offer negotiation role-play
Role-play a recruiter who has just made me a verbal offer of [base, bonus, equity] for [role]. My goal is [target] and I have [a competing offer or no competing offer]. Use realistic tactics, such as budget limits and a short deadline. Stay in character for five exchanges, then step out and tell me where I conceded too early.
Before either salary prompt, work out your numbers with the salary negotiation calculator, so the role-play tests your delivery rather than your research.
Review prompts for after a practice session
11. Score a transcript
Below is a transcript of my answer to the interview question "[question]". Score it 1 to 5 on structure, specificity, evidence of impact and length. Quote the sentence that hurt the answer most. Then list the two follow-up questions an interviewer would most likely ask next. Don't rewrite the whole answer; give me three specific edits instead. Transcript: [paste].
12. Stress-test your stories
Here are my four main interview stories in STAR format: [paste]. For each one, ask the three hardest follow-up questions a skeptical interviewer would ask, one at a time, and wait for my answers. Flag any claim I can't back with a number, a decision I personally made or a lesson I learned. Never invent details for me.
The last line matters: an invented detail falls apart on the second follow-up. Our STAR answer examples show what a well-evidenced answer looks like.
How to run these prompts in voice mode
Typed answers hide what interviews test: pace, filler words and recovering after you blank. Voice mode fixes part of that.
- ChatGPT. Select the Voice icon in the message bar on iOS or Android, or in the prompt window on ChatGPT.com. OpenAI's ChatGPT Voice help page says voice works inside a chat, so you can read along in text. Its Live option can listen and speak at the same time, so interrupting feels natural. Free accounts get limited voice access.
- Microsoft Copilot. Press the microphone icon in the composer to start Copilot Voice. Microsoft's Copilot Voice support page says conversations may be time-limited, with a transcript afterwards. CoPilot Interview is not affiliated with Microsoft Copilot.
- Gemini. Gemini Live runs in the Gemini mobile app; Google's Gemini Live support article says it isn't available in the Gemini web app for now. You can talk over its answers, and ending a Live chat gives you a transcript.
Three habits help: paste the full prompt as text before you switch to voice, ask the model to keep each question under two sentences, and time every answer with your phone, aiming for about two minutes on behavioral questions.
Where general chatbots fall short
- No real clock. A chat doesn't enforce time limits, so a 45-minute design round can drift well past an hour. You have to keep time yourself.
- Scoring drift. Scores can shift with your wording and the length of the chat, and feedback tends to be generous. A fixed rubric with quoted evidence helps, but cross-session comparisons stay rough.
- Instructions fade. In a long chat, a model may start answering for you. Restate the rules or start a fresh chat per round.
- It never hears a real interviewer. A chat app isn't a video call with your camera on and a coding pad open. Rehearse that setting separately.
- Outdated company details. A model may describe an old interview format with confidence. Check the company's careers pages.
- Privacy. Don't paste a current employer's confidential details into any chatbot.
When a dedicated mock interview helps
General chatbots are flexible and good for unusual formats. A dedicated mock interview helps when you want the same structure every time, so your scores mean something week to week. CoPilot Interview's Mock Interview, in its desktop app, builds the interview from your résumé and the job description. You choose the level, 3, 5 or 8 questions, the mix of question types, your coding language and an optional focus. It reads each question aloud and scores your spoken answer out of 10 with what to fix and a model answer, then gives you a report card. Coding questions never auto-submit, so you can think in silence.
| Task | CoPilot Interview Mock Interview | General chatbot with these prompts |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Add your résumé and job description, then pick level, length and mix | Paste a prompt, your résumé and the job description into the chat |
| Questions | Read aloud, drawn from both documents | Typed, or spoken in voice mode |
| Scoring | Best choice: every spoken answer out of 10, with what to fix and a model answer | Whatever rubric you write; can drift between sessions |
| Unusual formats | Preset question mixes and tracks | Anything you can describe, such as a niche case or a custom role-play |
| Cost | 15 free minutes a day, no credit card | Free tiers with limits; paid plans for more voice use |
Disclosure: we make CoPilot Interview.
You don't need to install anything to start: the browser version of the free AI mock interview has 113 real questions across 9 tracks, from behavioral and system design to SQL and security. Use prompts like these for role-play and odd formats, and a dedicated mock for scored, repeatable rounds. For a weekly routine, see mock interview practice without a partner, and see CoPilot Interview vs ChatGPT for how the two divide the work.
Hear the questions out loud and get every answer scored
CoPilot Interview's free AI mock interview builds questions from your résumé and a job description, listens to your spoken answers and scores each one out of 10 with what to fix. 15 free minutes a day, no credit card.
Try a free AI mock interviewFAQ
What is the best ChatGPT prompt for a mock interview?
One that sets an interviewer role, includes your résumé and the job description, asks one question at a time and waits for your answer, and scores you against a rubric you define. The behavioral STAR prompt above is a good start.
Can ChatGPT run a mock interview by voice?
Yes. Start ChatGPT Voice from the Voice icon in the app or on ChatGPT.com. Paste your prompt as text first, then switch to voice; the conversation stays in the chat, so you can read it back. Free accounts have limited voice access.
Do these prompts work in Microsoft Copilot and Gemini?
Yes. The prompts are plain text, so they work in Microsoft Copilot and Gemini too. Copilot Voice starts from the microphone icon, and Gemini Live runs in the Gemini mobile app. CoPilot Interview is not affiliated with Microsoft Copilot.
How do I stop ChatGPT from answering the questions for me?
Add a rules line: ask one question at a time, wait for my answer, and don't give hints or sample answers until I ask. If it slips later in a long chat, repeat the rule or start a new chat.
How accurate is ChatGPT's interview feedback?
Useful but inconsistent. Scores can shift with your wording and the length of the chat, and feedback tends to be generous. Ask for a fixed rubric with quoted evidence, and treat the scores as a rough guide rather than a measurement.
Is a ChatGPT mock interview enough to prepare?
It is a good start for question practice and role-play. Add timed, spoken rounds with consistent scoring, and practice with a real person or a dedicated mock interview, so you rehearse delivery as well as content.