AI interviews: how they work and how to prepare

What an AI interview is

An AI interview is a job interview where an AI asks the questions. You answer out loud, and the company records your answers to decide if you fit the job.

At the companies below, it comes after you apply and before any project. micro1 started as an AI recruiting company, with Zara as its AI interviewer.

How the AI interview works at each company

These are the facts each company publishes about its interview.

micro1 and Zara

Zara is micro1's AI recruiter, and it interviews every candidate. The questions follow the skills the role needs, and you answer open ended questions out loud, in real time.

The interview takes twenty to forty minutes, depending on how many skills the role needs. micro1 says one skill takes about seven minutes. Zara records it so human recruiters can review it.

micro1 says the interview can include:

• Open ended technical questions for the role.
• Scenario questions.
• A coding challenge, for technical roles.
• A human data exercise, for annotator roles.

You can start the interview whenever you want. At the end, you see right away if you meet micro1's certification criteria, and you can ask for feedback if you don't.

Certified skills carry over. For your next application, Zara can skip the skills you already certified, test only the missing ones, or skip the interview entirely.

1. 1Apply to a job on the micro1 job board.
2. 2Do a spoken AI interview with Zara, 20 to 40 minutes. Human recruiters review it.
3. 3When a project picks you, sign the contract and verify your identity in Deel, then pass a background check.
4. 4Most projects ask for about 15 to 20 hours a week. Hourly projects track time with Hubstaff.

Mercor

Mercor's AI interviewer asks questions about the role, makes a transcript, and rates you for the job. Most interviews take about twenty minutes, and some are shorter or longer. Before it, you answer a short written or multiple choice assessment.

One interview counts for many applications. If another application needs the same interview, your result carries over. Completed steps never expire, but you still have to click Submit on each new application.

Mercor allows up to three retakes of an interview, across all your applications for it. Read the retake rules before you start:

• Hiring managers can see how many times you retook it.
• A retake resets your progress on the application.
• Mercor considers only your most recent attempt.
• An attempt that ends much earlier than planned does not count, and you have to retake it.
• When you use up your retakes, you don't get more automatically. Support may grant one for a technical problem, but Mercor does not promise it.

Mercor also has a free practice interview. It is not tied to any application, it does not affect your chances, and you can take it as often as you like.

1. 1Create an account and upload your resume.
2. 2Answer a short written or multiple-choice assessment.
3. 3Do a 20-minute AI video interview on a desktop computer. You can retake it up to 3 times.
4. 4After an offer, verify your ID and pass a background check, which takes 1 to 2 weeks.

Terac

Terac asks you to verify your identity first, for example with a government ID or LinkedIn. Then you talk with its AI interviewer about your background. Reviewers on Trustpilot call the interview short.

After Terac approves you, many of the paid studies are interviews too. Terac says an AI moderator leads most of them. Read more on the Terac company page.

Rise Data Labs

Rise Data Labs lists an AI interview as its second step. You meet the team or take a short asynchronous interview about your experience and goals. After it, Rise checks your background and gives you a short skills assessment. See the Rise Data Labs company page.

AI interviews compared

This table compares what each company publishes about its interview. "Not published" means the company does not say.

Company	Format	Length	Retakes	What it tests
micro1	Spoken video interview with Zara, recorded for human recruiters	Twenty to forty minutes	Not published	The skills the role needs, scenarios, and a coding or data exercise for some roles
Mercor	AI video interview with a transcript	About twenty minutes	Up to three for each interview	Questions about the role
Terac	A talk with an AI interviewer	Not published	Not published	Your background
Rise Data Labs	Short asynchronous interview, or a meeting with the team	Not published	Not published	Your experience and goals

How to prepare for an AI interview

Check your device and browser first, then practice.

Device and browser by company

Use the device and browser the company names:

Company	Device	Browser	Setup steps
micro1	Desktop or mobile	Latest Google Chrome or Safari	Allow your webcam and microphone
Mercor	Desktop	Google Chrome	Allow your camera and microphone, test them in the waiting room, and share your whole screen if the interview asks
Terac	Not published	Not published	Verify your identity before the interview
Rise Data Labs	Not published	Not published	Not published

Setup checklist

Run through this list before you click start:

1. Open the interview in the right browser on the right device, from the table above.
2. Allow camera and microphone access when the browser asks.
3. Test your microphone and speakers. Mercor's waiting room has a test for each.
4. Close tabs and apps you don't need. Mercor may ask you to share your whole screen.
5. Sit in a quiet room with light on your face and a steady internet connection.
6. Plug in your laptop so it doesn't run out of power halfway.

Practice before the real interview

micro1 and Mercor both give you a way to practice:

• Mercor's practice interview is free and unlimited, and it does not affect your chances.
• micro1's Interview Prep tool simulates an interview. You can also write your own practice questions and watch micro1's demo video.

micro1 advises you to pick one core skill to focus on before you start.

AI trainer interview questions

The companies publish the types of questions, not the questions themselves. Expect these:

• Questions on the skills the role needs, such as coding, law, or a language. micro1 and Mercor both shape questions to the role.
• Scenario questions about what you would do in a work situation, at micro1.
• A coding challenge for technical roles at micro1.
• A human data exercise, such as rating or labeling, for annotator roles at micro1.
• Questions about your background, experience, and goals, at Terac and Rise Data Labs.

To prepare, pick a real example from your work for each skill in the job post, and say it out loud once.

During the interview: tips and common mistakes

Treat it like a real interview with a person. The company decides from your recorded answers.

Tips

These tips apply to any AI interview:

• Answer in full sentences. micro1's questions are open ended, so a yes or no is not enough.
• Give a concrete example from your own work for each skill.
• Stay to the end. At Mercor, an attempt that ends much earlier than planned does not count.
• Report technical problems right away. micro1 has a "Having Trouble?" button at the bottom right of the screen for camera, microphone, screen share, and lag problems. After that, email help@micro1.ai.
• Keep proof of the problem at Mercor. Email support@mercor.com with a screenshot or screen recording and the name of the interview or listing.

Common mistakes

Avoid these mistakes:

• Using the wrong browser or device, such as a phone for Mercor.
• Retaking a Mercor interview just to improve an answer. The waiting room asks you to save retakes for technical problems.
• Ending early because you think you have said enough.
• Forgetting to click Submit at Mercor after your interview result carries over.

After the interview

What happens next depends on the company:

• micro1 shows right away whether you meet its certification criteria. A passed interview does not guarantee a project, and some reviewers say they waited weeks.
• Mercor carries your result over to other applications that need the same interview. After an offer, you verify your ID and pass a background check, which takes one to two weeks.
• Terac shows you paid studies that match your skills after it approves you.
• Rise Data Labs checks your background and gives you a short skills assessment.

Red flags in an AI interview invite

A real AI interview invite sends you to the company's own site. Scammers copy real job offers, so check any invite before you click.

To check a recruiter and spot task scams, read is AI training legit.

Next steps

1. Pick a company and read its page: micro1, Mercor, Terac, or Rise Data Labs.
2. Check the device and browser it needs, and run the setup checklist.
3. Practice with Mercor's practice interview or micro1's Interview Prep tool.
4. Take the interview once, in a quiet room, and stay to the end.

For the whole hiring path, from skills to pay, read how to become an AI trainer. To find a job to apply to, browse the companies that hire AI trainers.