I'm skeptical of that but not for those reasons. When you memorize data points, you actually become more familiar with it, and you can say it with more confide

I'm skeptical of that but not for those reasons. When you memorize data points, you actually become more familiar with it, and you can say it with more confidence, more naturally. You've said it so many times it's like walking. I just object to the whole 'study study study' BS that is now normative for interviewing, because it's encouraging 'gaming the system'. YC had their biggest hits with the 'loose' style, maybe they should go back to that. I'm lucky to have largely avoided it, but having to create and do pitches all the time is utterly annoying. If it were for customers yes , then essential. But for others ... One approach would be to give no advice at all, to be totally quiet about intent and motivations, so you catch people in their natural states. Finally, I would hope they are collecting data on all of this. I'd love to see the A+B test on 'interviewed but passed and interviewed but rejected'.