I just thought of putting down my thoughts on this topic. I feel like discussing what a sotapanna would feel after attaining the sotapanna stage is similar to a man (who has never seen a tree or fruit in his life) staring at a bare block of land and discussing what kind of fruits he would get if he planted some seeds. If he does not plant any seeds he will not have any fruits however much he discusses about it. Other farmers who have already sown their harvest may come and tell this man what the fruits are like and this may be important for the man to know what needs to be done to get the fruits. However, each farmers explanation about his own harvest can be very different as the fruits themselves will vary depending on the skill of the farmer, the type of soil, the type of seeds he planted and also his ability of communication. So, if a man wants to get this fruit the only thing he has to do is plant the seeds and do what the others farmers have done. If this is done the fruits will come even whether the man wants it or not.
There is one sutta where one monk asks Ven. Sariputta what needs to be done to become a sotapanna. He explains that one needs to contemplate on the anicca, dukka, anatta nature of the world to become a sotapanna. And a sotapanna needs to contemplate on the anicca, dukka, anatta nature of the world to become a sakadagami and so on until one becomes an arahanth. When asked what an arahanth needs to do, he says that there is nothing more for an arahanth to do, but that he will live contemplating the anicca, dukka, anatta nature of the world. So, there is nothing else to do other than contemplate on the anicca, dukka, anatta nature of the world and the fruits will bare at the right time.
Continuing with the simile, there can be lots of people explaining what these fruits will be like and what needs to be done to get the fruits. However, if someone explains what the fruits will be like but has not got any fruits I would simply think that the methods they used were faulty and not go down that path. On the other hand, if someone says that they have got fruits then we could follow their methods, if it actually makes sense.
It is important to assess and compare the different methods used by the different people and not their explanation of what the fruit looks like. Whatever the explanation of the fruits, if the methods put forward by someone is inconsistent and does not make sense, then I will simply disregard them. Personally, I will not follow a method if there is any inconsistency anywhere in his method.