What is an AI interview? What gets scored and how to prepare

An AI interview is a hiring round where software asks the questions, scores your answers, or both. It usually comes before any person decides on you. The companies that explain their scoring say they grade what you say, turned into text, more than how you look saying it.

If the invite left you unsure what you signed up for, you're in big company. In Greenhouse's 2026 Candidate AI Interview Report (April 2026, 2,950 job seekers), 63% of US candidates said they had already sat an AI interview. And 70% said nobody clearly told them AI was involved. One in five only found out after the interview had started.

What are the types of AI interview?#

How is an AI interview scored?#

One-way video is scored on your words. HireVue dropped facial analysis in early 2021. Its CEO, Kevin Parker, told SHRM the system now works by "transcribing the responses to specific questions asked to all candidates at that company into text and understanding the content of the answer." So the messy bookshelf behind you doesn't cost points. A vague answer does.

Live AI interviewers change course as you talk. Mercor's candidate help page says its interviewer asks role-specific questions and scores you from the transcript. It also calls its AI interview "the standard and only method for screening candidates."

AI-assisted coding rounds flip the usual rule. HackerRank's AI Assistant documentation says interviewers judge "how candidates request assistance, review AI-generated output, and apply suggestions." Pasting the AI's code without reading it is how you lose.

How do you answer differently for an AI?#

Clear beats charming. A transcript can't hear your warm smile. Start each answer with the answer itself, in one sentence. Then give the example. Then the result, with a number in it. "I cut onboarding time from three weeks to eight days. Here's how" scores better than two minutes of setup.

Stay on the question. If they ask about a conflict, don't drift into your proudest project.

Slow down for the machine. A live voice AI can take a long pause as the end of your turn and cut in. If you need to think, say so ("Give me a second to pick the best example"). Skip "Great question, thanks so much for having me". It spends seconds of a timed answer on nothing.

Want to look around first? See how UnchartedCareer works.

No practice tool is the exact system you'll face. The habit of answering first and stopping carries over to all of them.

What kind of questions are asked in an AI interview?#

What a human screener would ask, minus the small talk:

• "Walk me through your background and why this role."
• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver with incomplete information."
• For live AI interviewers, a follow-up pulled from your last answer: "You said you rebuilt the reporting pipeline. What broke first?"
• For phone screens: work authorization, start date, shift availability, years with a specific tool.

AI phone screens are the simplest, and they also break. Bloomberg reported in May 2025 on candidates hitting voice agents that glitched mid-interview. If that happens, email the recruiter the same day.

Are AI interviews a red flag?#

Not on their own. Companies use them to sort big piles of applicants. And depending on where the job is, the law gives you some rights.

• Illinois: the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (in force since January 1, 2020) covers employers that use AI to judge video interviews. They must tell you first, explain how it works and what it looks at, and get your OK. You can ask for the video to be deleted, and they have 30 days to do it.
• New York City: Local Law 144 requires a yearly outside bias check of automated hiring tools. You must get notice at least 10 business days before the tool is used, including how to ask for another option.

Can you use AI during an AI interview?#

Only when the employer says so, like in those AI-allowed coding rounds. Anywhere else, a hidden helper feeding you answers can get you disqualified, same as with a human. See which companies ban AI in interviews and whether it's safe to use AI in an interview.

Your prep checklist#

1. Ask the recruiter which platform it is, how long it runs, and whether retakes are allowed.
2. Test camera and mic on the device you'll use. Mercor wants your full face visible.
3. Write six stories from your last two roles, each with a number in it.
4. Practice the answer-first opening out loud until it's automatic.
5. Read the job post again and list the four requirements it repeats most.
6. Sit somewhere quiet. Background noise makes the transcript worse.

Facing a one-way video? Our HireVue guide covers the timer and prep window.

FAQ#

Does an AI interview watch my face or eye contact?#

HireVue said in 2021 that it stopped facial analysis and scores the transcribed content of your answers. Live tools like Mercor's still want your camera on with your full face visible.

Does a human ever see my AI interview?#

It depends on the employer. Mercor says its AI interview is its only screening method, so ask before you start.

Can I retake an AI interview?#

Sometimes. Mercor allows up to three attempts, counts only the latest, and offers an unscored practice interview.

Tonight, record yourself answering "Walk me through your background" in under 90 seconds. Play it back and cut every sentence that doesn't answer the question.