STAR Answer: Tell Me About a Mistake You Made
The short answer
Pick a real mistake of modest size, own it plainly without excuses, explain what you did to fix it, and spend most of the answer on what you learned and changed afterwards. Interviewers use this question to see honesty and growth, not to catch you.
Pick a question, think of one real story, then fill in the four parts.
One or two sentences. Do not spend your answer here.
Example: In my final year, our team of four had two weeks to build a library app for a college contest.
Say what you were responsible for, not what the team did.
Example: I was responsible for the database and for making sure the app loaded quickly.
This is the longest part. Use “I”, and say what you did and why.
Example: I redesigned the tables, added an index on the search column, and wrote a script that tested the app with 5,000 records.
Numbers make results believable: time saved, marks, users, percent.
Example: Search time fell from six seconds to under one, and we won second place out of 40 teams.
Your answer
Words
0
Time to say it
0 s
Good length
1 to 2 minutes
To make it stronger
- Add the Situation, Task, Action, Result part to complete the answer.
Do not learn it by heart: remember the four parts and speak naturally. Your writing stays in your browser.
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How to: STAR Answer: Tell Me About a Mistake You Made
- 1Choose a real mistake that taught you something, such as a missed step in a project.
- 2Write what happened and your part in it without blame.
- 3Describe how you fixed it and what you do differently now.
- 4Check the hints and the speaking time.
At a glance
- Question
- Tell me about a mistake you made and what you learned.
- Spend most time on
- The fix and the lesson
- Avoid
- A fake weakness or blaming others
Frequently asked questions
How big should the mistake be?
Real but not disastrous. A missed deadline, a wrong assumption or a bug that reached users all work, as long as you show what changed afterwards.
Can I say I have never made a mistake?
No. It sounds untrue, or as if you do not reflect. Choose a small, true example.
More quick answers
- STAR Answer: Tell Me About a Time You Worked in a Team
- STAR Answer: Describe a Time You Faced a Difficult Deadline
- STAR Answer: Tell Me About a Time You Took the Lead
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