1 / 5
The mentoring programme uses a structured approach — what is the difference between formal and informal mentoring?
A Formal mentoring involves written contracts; informal is verbal only B Formal mentoring is for senior engineers; informal for junior engineers C Formal mentoring requires certification; informal is experience-based D Formal mentoring involves defined sessions, agreed goals, documented progress, and intentional matching — informal mentoring is ad-hoc guidance that happens naturally through working relationships, often more influential but harder to scale or measure
Formal vs. informal: formal = scheduled, goal-tracked, deliberately developmental. Informal = "I just go to X when I have a question". Both valuable.
Key vocab: "formal mentoring", "informal mentoring", "mentoring agreement", "mentoring cadence", "organic vs. structured development".
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2 / 5
The mentor is conducting a structured mentoring session — what should it cover?
A Progress against agreed development goals (since last session) → current challenges/blockers → specific skill or topic focus for this session → actions committed to before next session → relationship check (is this working for both parties?) B Code review of the mentee's most recent pull requests C A deep dive into one technical topic chosen by the mentor D Performance feedback on behalf of the mentee's manager
Mentoring session structure: progress check-in → challenges → focus topic → actions → relationship feedback. Mentor ≠ manager: mentors don't do performance reviews.
Key vocab: "mentoring session structure", "development goal tracking", "committed actions", "mentor vs. manager distinction".
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3 / 5
The mentor uses a coaching approach rather than advising — what is the difference?
A Coaching is for performance improvement; advising is for career development B Coaching uses formal assessment tools; advising is conversational C Coaching = asking questions to help the mentee arrive at their own insight ("What have you tried so far?", "What's holding you back?"); Advising = sharing your experience and recommendations directly ("When I was in a similar situation, I...") D Coaching is for technical skills; advising is for soft skills
Coaching vs. advising: coaching develops autonomy and metacognition; advising transfers knowledge faster. Good mentor uses both.
Key vocab: "coaching questions", "advising", "Socratic mentoring", "guided self-discovery", "tell vs. ask mentoring style".
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4 / 5
The mentee is stuck and the mentor needs to give constructive feedback — which approach works best?
A Give direct feedback immediately to maximise efficiency B Use SBI (Situation-Behaviour-Impact): "In [situation], when you [specific behaviour], the impact was [specific effect]" — separating observation from judgment and making feedback specific and actionable C Ask the mentee to self-assess first, then agree or disagree with their analysis D Provide feedback in written form after the session to allow reflection
SBI feedback: specific > general. "You communicate unclearly" = unhelpful. "In yesterday's design review, when you presented without context for the trade-offs, the team couldn't make a decision" = actionable.
Key vocab: "SBI feedback", "Situation-Behaviour-Impact", "specific feedback", "actionable feedback", "feedback without judgment".
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5 / 5
Setting mentoring goals at the start of a mentoring relationship — what makes a goal effective?
A Goals should match the organisation's official career ladder requirements B Goals should be set by the mentor based on observed skill gaps C Goals should focus only on technical skill development D Goals should be specific, time-bound, and self-determined by the mentee (with the mentor's guidance) — "By the end of this 6-month engagement, I will have led one system design review independently, written a technical blog post, and received 'exceeds expectations' on my performance review"
Mentee-owned goals: intrinsic motivation > externally assigned. SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Key vocab: "mentoring goals", "self-determined goals", "time-bound commitment", "SMART goals in mentoring", "mentee ownership of development".
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