umop apisdn,
your discussion on the process is a bit idealistic. The whole video interview process is so synthetic that it has very little to do with what's required to be a pilot. Probably relevant to in flight announcements.
The whole faking it thing is a fine line. Being completely honest can also work against you.
As far as pre-knowledge is concerned, there are many exams where we are told what will be on the test and a large percentage of people still fail.