A familiar experience

You know the subject. You know what you want to say. Then the interviewer asks the question and suddenly your brain starts considering every possible answer at the same time.

This is one of the less obvious challenges of interview preparation. The problem is not always lack of knowledge. Sometimes it is simply the pressure of organising that knowledge quickly.

Students can prepare very well and still experience this. They may have studied the topic, watched preparation videos and practised answers. But when the question changes slightly, the prepared response may no longer fit.

What happens in your head?

• Recall what you studied
• Think of relevant examples
• Consider different angles
• Worry about follow-up questions
• Decide how much to say
• Try to give the “perfect” answer

Why such questions are asked

Situation-based and scenario-based questions do not always test whether you remember a definition. They can explore how you approach a situation, what factors you consider and how you explain your decision.

From an industry assessor’s perspective, this can provide a different kind of information. Instead of hearing only a prepared response, they can observe how the candidate thinks through a situation when the question introduces a new factor.

There is also no requirement that every scenario has one magical answer. Different candidates may take different approaches. What matters is whether the response has a reasonable thought process and whether you can explain it.

There is no script for every situation

For students, this can initially feel uncomfortable because there is nothing exact to memorise. But that is actually the point. You are practising the ability to think when you do not have a script.