AI interviewer formats explained: live spoken, one-way video and chat, how each is scored, what is recorded and how to prepare.
Being told that your first interview will be with an "AI interviewer" leaves most candidates unsure what kind of event they have been invited to. The phrase covers a spoken conversation with software, a set of video answers recorded with nobody on the other end and a typed exchange in a chat window, and the invitation rarely says which of these is waiting behind the link.
We wrote this for job seekers who have been sent an AI-led interview, or expect to be, and want to understand the format before they start. It covers what these interviews are, the three main formats, how they are structured and scored, what is recorded, what candidates are told, how the experience differs from talking to a person and how to prepare. We make Verve AI, an interview copilot with mock interviews, and what we say about each platform comes from its own documentation as it stood in October 2026.
Our deeper guides to individual platforms are linked along the way, so this page stays with what the formats have in common.
What is an AI interviewer?
An AI interviewer is software that asks interview questions, takes in your answers and produces an evaluation for the employer without a person in the conversation. Companies use it at the screening stage, where it stands in for the first phone call with a recruiter and lets them hear from every applicant instead of a shortlist.
The vendors describe the same job in similar terms. Mercor says its interviewer poses questions specific to the role, generates a transcript of your responses and evaluates your performance for the listing. Braintrust says its AIR product runs the screen, scores answers against a rubric for the role and sends a ranked list with evidence to people at the company. HireVue describes its interviews and assessments as replacing the screening call and the multiple-choice test that used to come first.
What are the main formats?
Three formats account for nearly everything a candidate will meet, and they feel quite different from one another.
- A live spoken conversation has the software talk to you in real time, listen to your answer and reply, as in Mercor's interview, micro1's Zara, Braintrust AIR and Ribbon.
- A recorded one-way video interview shows you a question and records your answer with nobody on the other end, which is how a HireVue OnDemand interview works.
- A chat-based interview asks its questions in text and you type your answers, as in Sapia.ai's Chat Interview.
Some vendors combine several channels for one employer, and HeyMilo lists voice, video, SMS and forms, and Alex says its interviews can happen by phone call, by video or by text. The format you get is chosen by the employer, so the invitation and the first screen of the interview are the places to look.
How is an AI-led interview structured?
A spoken interview moves through questions tied to the role, usually after a setup check like the microphone test in Mercor's waiting room. Mercor says most of its interviews take about 20 minutes. micro1's documentation shows how the length is assembled for Zara, with about five minutes for each skill the employer selects, one to four minutes for each custom question and up to 25 minutes for a coding exercise.
The conversational formats adapt as they go, and Braintrust says AIR's follow-up questions change with each answer and do not follow a fixed script, while Ribbon describes two-way conversations that adapt in real time. That is why a thin answer in a spoken interview tends to bring another question on the same subject.
A one-way interview is more fixed, and HireVue's candidate FAQ says you are presented with a question, in writing or on video, and given several minutes to respond. It adds that most video-based assessments include between five and eight questions and take under 20 to 30 minutes. The question types it lists are situational judgment, scenario-based simulation and past behavior.
A chat interview removes the clock, since Sapia.ai's guide for candidates says its Chat Interview is not timed and that you can save your answers and return later. It suggests allowing 20 to 30 minutes and writing 50 to 100 words for each question.
How are answers scored?
Scoring is done against criteria the employer sets, and a person makes the decision in every description we read. Braintrust states that humans decide who advances, and micro1 says Zara generates scores from predefined criteria while keeping a human in the loop at all decision points. Ribbon says every candidate is scored on the same rubric, and its closing screen tells candidates that a real recruiter will review their responses.
HireVue makes the same point about its own role. Its FAQ says its interviews and assessments are intended as first steps, and that the candidates who pass the first cut go on to person-to-person interviews before people make the hiring decision.
What the score is built from differs by format. A spoken or recorded interview is evaluated from what you said, and Braintrust and micro1 also report on how clearly you communicated. A chat interview is evaluated from your written responses, and Sapia.ai says every candidate is assessed on the same attributes derived from those responses.
What is recorded, and what are candidates told?
You should expect the whole interview to be kept, and Mercor says it retains video and audio recordings and an AI-generated transcript of official interviews to evaluate you and recommend your profile to employers, and that it does not sell them. Ribbon's interview screen states that the interview will be recorded before you continue.
Disclosure normally comes in two places, in the invitation and on the consent screen at the start. Mercor's documentation describes its interview as conducted by AI and says it is the only screening method it offers. HireVue tells candidates that it never uses the video to identify them by facial recognition, and that the employer sets how long the data is kept.
Some interviews add integrity checks, and micro1 lets an employer turn on proctoring that requires your entire screen, your webcam and a single monitor. Ribbon says it flags off-screen activity and unusual response patterns, Alex says it can check a government ID against a live selfie, and Sapia.ai says it checks answers for plagiarism and for text from content generators. Read the consent screen before you agree, because it states what applies to you.
How is it different from a human interview?
The questions are familiar, and the conversation around them is what changes.
- No person is reading the room, so the content of your answer carries all the weight.
- A spoken system reacts to silence, and Mercor notes that a long pause may prompt its interviewer to step in.
- You usually choose when to take it, which HireVue and Braintrust both present as the main convenience.
- Every candidate for the role is measured against the same criteria.
- The result reaches a recruiter as a score, a transcript and a recording.
You are also allowed to manage the conversation, and Mercor says you can tell its interviewer that you had not finished. HireVue tells candidates who need an accommodation to request it from the recruiter or the hiring team.
How should you prepare?
Preparation depends on the format, and four habits cover most cases.
- Find out which format you have by reading the invitation and the first screen.
- Use the vendor's own practice option where one exists, such as Mercor's free practice interview, which is not shared with companies.
- Rehearse aloud for spoken and recorded formats, with answers built on specific examples from your own experience.
- Check your browser, camera, microphone and connection, and choose a quiet and well-lit room.
For a chat interview, write in full sentences, check your spelling and draw on real examples, which is what Sapia.ai advises.
Our platform guides go further on each one, and for Mercor you can read how the Mercor AI interview works, how to prepare for it and what Mercor records and its rules on AI. For micro1, see our guide to the Zara AI interview. For HireVue, see our HireVue interview page and what HireVue monitors.
How does Verve AI help with AI-led interviews?
The closest rehearsal for an interview run by software is another one. Verve AI's mock interviews are a spoken interview with an AI interviewer, built from a job description, your own questions or a bank of more than 5,000 real interview questions. Each one ends with a report, so you can practice being evaluated by software before the result counts.
For spoken interviews, the live interview copilot listens to the conversation and gives prompts for answers in your own words. It builds them from your resume, the job description and your own stories in STAR format. Its main strength is that it keeps the context of the whole conversation. Adaptive interviews keep returning to what you said earlier, and help with a follow-up takes your earlier answers into account. The Smart Listening mode waits until the question is finished before it responds.
Each platform sets its own rules about outside help, and the guides above describe them, so read the instructions for your interview. You can start on Verve AI's free plan, which includes five mock interviews and three live sessions.
FAQ
Is an AI interview scored by a person or by software?
An AI interview is scored by software first, and the vendors we read say people make the decision. Braintrust states that humans decide who advances, micro1 describes a human in the loop at all decision points, and HireVue says hiring decisions are made by people after later interviews.
How long does an AI-led interview take?
The length of an AI-led interview depends on the platform and the employer. Mercor says most of its interviews take about 20 minutes, HireVue says most video-based assessments take under 20 to 30 minutes, and Sapia.ai suggests allowing 20 to 30 minutes for its untimed chat interview.
Are AI-led interviews recorded?
AI-led interviews are generally recorded, and the consent screen says so. Mercor retains video, audio and a transcript of official interviews, and Ribbon's interview screen states that the interview will be recorded before you continue.
Can you practice for an interview with an AI?
You can practice for an interview with an AI in two ways. Some platforms offer their own practice session, such as Mercor's free practice interview, and Verve AI's mock interviews provide a spoken AI-led interview with a report afterwards on any job description.
Will you know that the interviewer is an AI?
The platforms we read tell candidates that the interviewer is software. Mercor describes its interview as conducted by AI in its documentation, and HireVue describes its OnDemand interview as one you complete without another person at the other end.
Verve AI Team
AI Interview Copilot
