The more you practice, the fewer bad days you have.

Back in middle school a band teacher told me "when you can play it ten times through without a mistake, or hesitation, you're ready." As a middle aged performing musician and pilot, that advice continues to serve well.

There is some pretty accurate guidance on the cog test out there. I made several little games of the test using flash cards and post it notes. My wife and I spent a couple of afternoons "playing" while I drank beer and enjoyed myself at a local pub which has a number of distractions. Scoring myself I was able to go from 20% to 80% on the memory tests with just an hour or two of practice. You'll figure out your own tricks pretty quick, whether they be word associations, or mathematical logic. I used a version of the PEG system, where numbers are turned into consonants, which can be used to build a word. Words are easier to memorize for longer periods of time and can come back after distractions. Sometimes the words make entire sentences, or stories. Here's the system I used:

0 -z,s
1 - t or,d
2 - n
3 - m
4 - r
5 - L
6 - j, ch, sh
7 - k, g, or c
8 - ƒ, v
9 - b, p

( My father used this system to remember 747-200 capacities and limitations in about 30 minutes, he was really good at it! )

Further it is easier to recall two digit numbers than single digit numbers:

IE 482516 is much easier recalled as 48 25 16

You will find what works for you the more you play with it.

Further, the more you practice your interview, the better you'll be. Spend your time on the really tough questions like, "what is the part of being a pilot you struggle with?" "What do you really need to work on ?" etc ... . Fluff answers like "being too organized" are fluff. I'm not saying it is fatal to provide fluff, but if you can answer truthfully in a way that acknowledges a real issue we face, your answer can win some major points.

My interview experience was very relaxed, fun even. For me (and I'm far from the smartest guy) it boils down to practice.