The Exact Prompts to Use When Preparing for a Technical Interview With AI

Welcome to this Issue of the ElevateX Newsletter. Each week, one practical AI skill to help you get ahead. Takes about 4 minutes to read.

Here is how most people prepare for technical interviews. They Google "top 50 [role] interview questions," read through the list, mentally rehearse answers, and hope for the best.

That is like preparing for a cricket match by reading about cricket. You need to actually face the ball.

AI can simulate an interview in ways that a list of questions never will. It asks follow-up questions. It challenges your answers. It adjusts the difficulty based on how you respond. But only if you prompt it correctly.

Here are the exact prompts I would use. Copy them directly.

"You are a senior technical interviewer at a mid-size Indian IT company. I am applying for a [your role] position. I have [X years/months] of experience. Conduct a 30-minute technical interview with me. Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer before asking the next one. If my answer is wrong or incomplete, tell me, explain the correct answer, and then move on."

This is your starting point. The key instruction is "ask one question at a time and wait." Without this, AI will dump 10 questions at once, which is useless for practice.

"You are an interviewer who asks tough follow-up questions. I will give you a topic: [e.g., REST APIs / SQL joins / testing strategies]. Ask me a basic question first. When I answer, ask a harder follow-up. Keep going deeper until I cannot answer. Then explain what I should have known."

This is where real learning happens. Most interviews are not about knowing the textbook answer. They are about how deep your understanding goes. This prompt tests exactly that.

""I am going to explain a technical concept to you. You are not a technical person. Tell me if my explanation makes sense, where I lost you, and how I could explain it better. The concept is: [e.g., how an API works / what is version control / how databases store data]."

Many interviews include a question like "explain this to a non-technical stakeholder." This prompt helps you practise that. If AI tells you it got confused, a real interviewer would too.

"You are an HR manager at an Indian company conducting a behavioural interview. Ask me questions like 'tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult team member' or 'describe a situation where you failed.' After each answer, rate it on a scale of 1-10 and tell me what was missing. Focus on the STAR method."

Behavioural questions trip up most freshers because they have not practised articulating real experiences. This prompt forces you to practise out loud (or in text) and get feedback on structure.

""I am preparing for a [role] interview. Here are the topics I think I know well: [list topics]. Here are the ones I am weak on: [list topics]. Create a 20-question quiz focusing 70% on my weak areas and 30% on my strong areas. Grade me at the end and tell me where to focus my remaining study time."

This is the most efficient use of your prep time. Instead of studying everything equally, you focus on the gaps that are most likely to cost you the job.

"Answer out loud, not just in your head. Even if you are typing responses into AI, say the answer out loud first. Interviews are verbal. Your brain processes spoken answers differently from typed ones.

Do at least 3 full mock sessions before your interview. One is not enough. Your answers improve significantly between session 1 and session 3.

Save the AI's feedback. After each session, copy the areas where AI said you were weak. Use those as your study list for the next day.

Copy Prompt 1 right now. Open ChatGPT or Claude. Do a 15-minute mock interview for whatever role you are targeting. You will know within 5 questions exactly where your gaps are. That clarity alone is worth more than 10 hours of passive reading.

If one of these prompts helped you crack an interview, reply and tell me the role and the prompt you used. I will share the best stories in a future issue.

Until next week,

Vicky