Shadowing is considered a controversial training tool for conference interpreter training. Its effectiveness is still the subject of debate. Thanks to a survey conducted among students at the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting of the University of Geneva, data was collected that allowed a meaningful contribution to understanding the perception of the effectiveness of shadowing among interpreter trainees. The study helped establish that, on the whole, interpreter trainees consider shadowing a useful training method; however, they mainly use it at the early stages of their training, prior to the introduction to simultaneous interpreting. Students consider this method most useful for developing skills like the ability to listen and speak simultaneously, coping with speed, as well as for improving delivery. They do not consider shadowing effective for targeting the more challenging aspects of SI, such as the capacity to reformulate and condense, short-term memory, the ability to anticipate and perform self-correction, etc. The study also established that shadowing is not used by the students in a systematic and consistent manner. Trainees mainly resort to shadowing without having a specific objective in mind. Their use of shadowing appears to be rather intuitive and spontaneous. This in turn makes it harder for them to pinpoint noticeable improvements that can be attributed to shadowing practice.