Mock interviews that feel like the real thing
Grinding problems alone doesn't prepare you for a human watching you code. Run your mock interview in a live shared pad with a friend or mentor — real follow-ups, real pressure, and a playback you can review together afterwards.
What is a mock interview?
A mock interview is a practice interview that simulates the real thing — the same format, time limit, and pressure, but with nothing at stake. For coding roles, that means solving a problem in a shared editor while a practice interviewer asks follow-up questions, then gives you honest feedback at the end. It's the single most realistic way to prepare, because it rehearses the part that fails most candidates: performing under observation, not the algorithms themselves.
Why practice with a real person
LeetCode teaches you algorithms. It can't teach you to explain a binary search while someone watches you type.
| Solo practice | Mock with a real person | |
|---|---|---|
| Interview pressure | None — you can pause, peek at solutions, and never explain out loud | A real person watches you code and asks you to justify decisions |
| Follow-up questions | The problem ends when the code passes | “What's the complexity? What breaks at scale?” — like the real round |
| Communication practice | You think silently, which is exactly what fails candidates | You narrate your reasoning the whole session, on a shared pad |
| Feedback | A green checkmark, no read on how you came across | Honest notes from someone who watched the whole session |
| Review afterwards | Whatever you remember | Session playback replays every keystroke and chat message |
How to run a mock interview on Codex
The 45-minute structure that works
5 min — setup
Quick intros in character, then the interviewer presents the problem. You ask clarifying questions before writing any code.
30 min — coding
Work the problem in the shared pad, narrating your approach. The interviewer probes: complexity, edge cases, trade-offs.
10 min — feedback
Honest notes while it's fresh: what read well, where you stalled, what to drill next. Replay the session to see it yourself.
Pick your practice format
Three step-by-step guides, depending on who you're practicing with and what round you're preparing for.
Mock coding interview
The classic 45-minute algorithm round: one interviewer, one problem, thinking out loud from clarification to complexity analysis.
Read the mock coding interview guidePair programming interview
Collaborative rounds where you build something together. Practice driving, narrating, and taking hints without losing the thread.
Practice a pair programming interviewMock interview with a friend
No mentor on hand? A structured script turns any friend into a useful interviewer — question bank, timing, and feedback prompts included.
Run a mock interview with a friendInterviewing on a specific platform? Simulate the real pad with our CoderPad interview guide or HackerRank interview guide, and warm up with real coding interview examples.
Which platforms does Codex Interview support?
Codex Interview runs as a separate desktop app alongside your call, so it works reliably across these browser-based meeting platforms. Below is an up-to-date list of platforms where Codex Interview performs reliably. We recommend running through our basic checks before your actual interview to make sure everything works.
Mock interview FAQ
Everything you need to know before your first practice session.
Your next interview shouldn't be your first rehearsal.
Start a free mock interview in a live coding pad today.