Yes, I have put it off as long as I can but the time has come. Submitting my thesis (Life Sci) in August and looking for a job. For me an employment gap is not really a viable option (I've got dependants) so between this, my thesis and finishing my papers really feeling the pressure.

My supervisor's strategy is publish at the last possible minute to maximise the journal we can get into. I see the logic but "I will have some papers" seems a major disadvantage in finding an academic job when competing with people who can say "I have got some papers." I am also trying to career switch from academia into clinical science but the competitiveness of this field and the drawn out application process is wearing me down a bit.

Is/was anyone else at this stage and able to share experience?

Oddly I met mine at church :P

You poor people- you're missing out! ;)

Tried to answer but couldn't really because despite getting along very well with my supervisor I really don't know him that intimately! lol.

Lettuce-brain happens to all of us from time to time, and even if its as bad as you think (it probably isn't!) your supervisor is not going to write you off on the basis of one meeting. Take every opportunity (lab meetings, one to one meetings etc) to show off what you can do.

What happened was you got nervous and panicked, in a situation that in this case isn't going to do any permanent damage (once happened to me in an undergrad viva with the result of a permanently lower degree class!) You're a human being and will not be able to get through a minimum 3 years without tripping up a few times, I promise your supervisor has seen worse.

Congrats on getting your thesis ready! Its normal to want to fiddle around with something as important as this (just beware of introducing new typos!)

Could be a teamwork exercise if multiple candidates are interviewing on the same day. Could also by a psychometric test like maths or non-verbal reasoning?