Fill in the blank with the correct phrasal verb. 5 exercises from real IT job interview scenarios.
Key verbs in this exercise
bring up: introduce a topic or experience into the conversation
follow up: make subsequent contact to provide information or next steps
go over: review or revisit something to check understanding
walk through: explain step by step, guiding the listener through a process
come across as: give the impression of being a certain way to others
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
"During the interview, she decided to ___ her experience leading a cross-functional team, since it was directly relevant to the role."
Correct: bring up — introduce a topic or piece of information into the conversation
bring up means to introduce something into a discussion — a topic, point, experience, or concern. In job interview contexts it is used when a candidate proactively introduces a relevant piece of information.
In interview contexts:
"She decided to bring up her open-source contributions." ✓
"I'll bring up the leadership example when they ask about teamwork." ✓
"He brought up his international experience to differentiate himself." ✓
Why B is wrong: "bring in" means to introduce a person or resource into a situation — "We brought in a consultant." It is not used for introducing a topic in conversation.
Why C is wrong: "bring on" means to cause something to happen, often negative — "What brought on the system failure?" It is not used for introducing topics.
Why D is wrong: "bring out" means to highlight or reveal a quality — "The pressure brought out his leadership skills." It implies something is revealed by circumstance, not deliberately introduced.
Interview vocabulary:
"I wanted to bring up an example from my previous role."
"Could I bring up something that's directly relevant here?"
"He brought up the project proactively — the interviewer hadn't asked."
2 / 5
"The interviewer said she'd ___ after the panel discussion to let me know the next steps."
Correct: follow up — make a subsequent contact to provide information, give an update, or continue a previous conversation
follow up is one of the most common phrasal verbs in professional communication. After an interview, it means the interviewer will contact the candidate with the decision or next steps. Candidates also "follow up" with a thank-you email or a status check.
In interview and professional contexts:
"I'll follow up with you by Friday." ✓
"She sent a follow-up email to thank the panel." ✓
"Can I follow up if I don't hear back within two weeks?" ✓
Why B is wrong: "follow through" means to complete an action that was started or promised — "He always follows through on commitments." It describes completing something, not making subsequent contact.
Why C is wrong: "follow on" is used in cricket and some British English contexts for sequential events, but is not standard in professional communication for contact follow-ups.
Why D is wrong: "follow out" is not a standard phrasal verb in professional English.
Interview process phrases:
"I'll follow up within the week." (interviewer to candidate)
"Should I follow up if I haven't heard back?" (candidate asking)
"I sent a follow-up email after the interview." (candidate action)
3 / 5
"Before giving my answer, I asked the interviewer if we could ___ the requirements of the role one more time."
Correct: go over — review or revisit something to check understanding or clarify details
go over means to review something — a document, a set of requirements, a plan — often to confirm understanding or check for accuracy. In interviews, it is used when a candidate wants to revisit the question or the role description before answering.
In interview and professional contexts:
"Could we go over the requirements one more time?" ✓
"Let me go over what I understood from the question." ✓
"She asked to go over the job spec before answering." ✓
Why B is close but different: "go through" means to examine something in detail or to experience a process — "Let me go through the steps." It implies more detailed examination than "go over," which is more about a high-level review or check. In this context, either works but "go over" is more natural for a quick clarification.
Why C is wrong: "go into" means to discuss something in depth — "I don't want to go into the details now." It implies depth, not review.
Why D is wrong: "go back" means to return to a previous point in time or location — "Let's go back to the beginning." It implies reverting, not reviewing.
Interview clarification phrases:
"Could we go over the question? I want to make sure I understood it correctly."
"Let me go over what the role involves before I answer."
"Can you go through the technical requirements?" (more detailed)
4 / 5
"He asked me to ___ my experience with distributed systems, starting from the earliest project."
Correct: walk through — explain something step by step, guiding the listener through a process or narrative
walk through means to explain something sequentially — a process, a project, a decision, or a piece of code — guiding the listener from start to finish. It is extremely common in technical interviews and code reviews.
In interview and technical contexts:
"Can you walk through how you approached the problem?" ✓
"Walk me through your resume." ✓
"She walked through the architecture diagram component by component." ✓
Why B is wrong: "walk over" means to physically walk to a place — "She walked over to the whiteboard" — or informally to treat someone dismissively. It is not used for explaining processes.
Why C is wrong: "walk into" means to enter a place or, idiomatically, to encounter a problem unknowingly — "He walked into a difficult situation." Not used for explanations.
Why D is wrong: "walk back" means to retract or reverse a statement or decision — "The company walked back its policy." It implies reversal, not explanation.
Interview explanation phrases:
"Walk me through your decision-making process." (interviewer)
"Let me walk you through what I built and why." (candidate)
"Can you walk through the code you wrote for this function?" (technical interview)
5 / 5
"She was nervous about how she might ___ to the panel — she wanted to project confidence without arrogance."
Correct: come across as — give the impression of being a certain way to others
come across as describes the impression you make on others — how you are perceived. In interview contexts it is critical because candidates manage their impression carefully. "Come across as" is followed by an adjective describing the perceived quality.
In interview and professional contexts:
"I wanted to come across as confident but approachable." ✓
"He comes across as very technical and precise." ✓
"She was worried she might come across as overqualified." ✓
Why B is similar but less formal: "come off as" is used in the same sense — "He came off as arrogant" — and is slightly more informal/colloquial than "come across as." In interview preparation contexts, "come across as" is the more standard phrase.
Why C is wrong: "come out as" means to publicly disclose something personal — "He came out as gay." It is not used for professional impression management.
Why D is wrong: "come across with" is not a standard English phrasal verb construction.
Interview impression management phrases:
"I want to come across as enthusiastic but measured."
"How do I come across when I talk about my previous employer?"
"He came across as very organised and detail-oriented."