[Jonnadiah]

For my team's interview, we had a team of three students (2 juniors and 1 senior). Our mentor did not accompany us, but he did coach us beforehand. In fact, I believe in my regional that mentors were expected to be completely absent from the room during the interview. (I didn't observe any mentors entering the room during the regional OR Nationals)

The interview itself isn't only 5 minutes. You get 5 minutes straight of presentation, where you basically talk about what you feel are the most important points in your Team's submission. Then for the next 5-10 minutes the judges will ask you questions.

My advice? Get a well rounded presentation team, preferably of people who've been around 2 or more years. Avoid the use of negative language while speaking, for example, avoid saying things such as "The program was threatened by budget issues". You're more than welcome putting that in your essay. Use your interview to touch on things that aren't in your 10,000 characters. If they have any questions about your written presentation, they'll ask you.

Other than that, just keep your cool. Mind your Ps & Qs, speak with articulation, make eye contact, have a firm handshake etc. Best of luck to you!