Reviews & performance
Ask how your review would go today
A midyear question that takes the surprise out of your review
Halfway through the review cycle, ask your manager how your review would go if it were today, and what would change that.
- 10 minutes
- You and your manager
- Once a cycle
- Conversation
Why this can work
The time to learn how your review will go is while you can still change it. Asking your manager to imagine the review happening today gives them an easy way to be candid now, rather than saving it for the write-up. Whatever you hear, you have months to act on it.
Read moreHow to do a midyear check-in with your manager
You’ll come away with an honest read on where you stand, and one or two things to change while there's time.
- Ask for ten minutes in a 1:1 near the middle of the cycle.
Tell your manager ahead of time, so they can think rather than improvise.
You“In our next 1:1, could we take ten minutes on how my year is going? I'd like an honest read while there's time to act on it.” - Ask the question.
The hypothetical makes it easier to answer candidly. The second half is the part that matters most.
You“If my review were today, how do you think it would go? And what would change that?” - Listen, then ask for one example.
Whatever you hear, resist explaining yourself in the moment. An example, good or bad, tells you exactly what to do more of or differently.
You“Could you give me an example of that, so I know what to do more of, or differently?” - Agree on one or two things to change.
Pick the changes that would matter most, say what you'll do, and ask how they'd notice it working.
- Confirm it in a short note.
Write down what you heard and what you'll try, and send it. It gives you both a shared memory of the midpoint and makes the next conversation easy.
Good times to repeat it: halfway through each review cycleafter a big change in your worka month or two after a new manager starts
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
If you hear you're on track, ask what would make it a standout year instead. The midpoint is the easiest time to raise your aim.
What might make this harder
Ask a narrower question: if one thing were to slip between now and the review, what would worry them most? A specific concern is easier to name than an overall judgment.
Questions people ask
How do I ask my manager how I'm doing?
Make it specific and hypothetical: if my review were today, how would it go, and what would change that? It's much easier to answer honestly than how am I doing.
What is a midyear check-in?
A conversation halfway through the review cycle about how the year is going. Some companies run them formally; if yours doesn't, you can ask for one yourself.
How do I avoid surprises in my performance review?
Ask for an honest read at the midpoint, while there's time to act, and confirm what you heard in writing. Surprises tend to come from conversations that never happened.
What should I do if my midyear feedback is negative?
Ask for one concrete example, agree on one or two things to change, and check back within a month or two. Hearing it now is far better than hearing it in the review.
Why this works, and where it comes from
The surprises in a review are rarely surprises to the person delivering them. Something had been on your manager's mind for months, a missed deadline, a pattern in meetings, and it never came up because there was no natural moment to raise it. A review is often the first time someone says out loud what they've thought for half a year. That's hard on everyone, including the person saying it.
Difficult feedback tends to wait for a formal moment, not out of unkindness, but because raising it unprompted can feel like an accusation. Your question removes that problem. You've asked, so they're answering, not attacking. The hypothetical helps too: talking about an imaginary review today is lighter than talking about the real one, and people are often more candid when the stakes feel lower.
People can shape their situation more than they think, and it often starts with saying what they need. If you want to know where you stand and you've never said so, your manager may not have realized it would be welcome. Asking once, calmly, halfway through, changes that for the rest of the cycle.
If your review is only a few weeks away, this question comes too late to change much; spend that time preparing what you want to say, and ask about next year instead. Otherwise the midpoint is the sweet spot: late enough that there's something to judge, early enough that the judgment can still move.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Reviews & performance
A few minutes that compound
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.