HireVue interview tips and how its AI scores you

What does HireVue's AI score in a video interview?

It scores the words you say. HireVue's 2025 Explainability Statement says its AI "relies only on what is said by the candidate." It adds that the system does not assess facial expressions, body language, background and surroundings, or tone of voice. Your answer is turned into text, and the text is what gets scored.

The statement describes three stages. First, a third-party service called Rev.ai converts your speech to text. Second, a language model HireVue built, called CUSTARD and based on a model called RoBERTa, reads the meaning of the transcript. Third, a scoring model rates the answer against the competency the question was written to measure.

HireVue also runs other kinds of assessment, including short game-based tests of reasoning and personality. Those are scored on how you play, which is a separate system. This guide covers the recorded video questions. The companion guide on how one-way video interviews work covers the format in general, across platforms.

Does HireVue still use facial analysis?

According to HireVue, no. A February 2021 SHRM article reported that HireVue announced in January 2021 that it had removed facial analysis from its screening assessments. The company said it had stopped in March 2020, after internal research found that "visual analysis no longer significantly added value to the assessments."

The 2025 Explainability Statement repeats the point in its own words: no video analysis and no other audio characteristics are used. Anything you read online about smiling more or holding eye contact to raise a HireVue score is out of date, by HireVue's own account. The person who watches your recording later may still notice those things.

That last point matters. HireVue offers traditional interviews as well as AI-scored ones, and recruiters and hiring managers review the results. So present yourself as you would on a live video call, and put your effort into the content of each answer.

How are HireVue answers turned into scores?

Each question targets one competency, and each competency has its own model. HireVue says it can measure 19 interview competencies, including adaptability, problem solving, communication and willingness to learn. Answers are rated on a five-level scale, from novice to expert, built from guides that describe what weak and strong answers to that question sound like.

The statement says the models were trained on ratings by teams of around 60 expert raters, with 2 to 3 raters scoring each answer. It says that work drew on more than 900,000 applicant video interviews over six years. The models learned to predict how those trained raters would score an answer.

HireVue also says its model reads meaning, and that this makes it harder to "game" the interview by mentioning particular words or phrases. Stuffing an answer with words from the job posting is a weak plan. A clear example with a result is a stronger one, which is what the scale's top levels describe.

What settings will your HireVue interview have?

The employer decides most of the experience. HireVue's statement lists the main settings a customer can choose, along with what HireVue recommends. A typical AI-scored assessment has 4 to 6 recorded questions plus 2 to 3 games, and takes 15 to 25 minutes in total. Your invitation may tell you some of these settings.

Read every screen before the first real question. The settings are usually shown there, and they decide your strategy. If retries are allowed, use one when your first answer drifts or runs out of time.

What HireVue interview tips follow from how it scores?

Since the transcript is scored, structure matters most. Open with a one-line summary, give a specific example, and say what you did and what happened. The STAR method gives a simple shape: situation, task, action, result. Keep the situation short and spend most of your time on your own actions and the result.

Other tips follow from the same facts:

• Speak clearly at a normal pace, because the scoring starts with a speech-to-text transcript.
• Name the result, with a number if you have one, so the answer reaches the top of the rating scale.
• Answer the question asked, because each question is matched to one competency.
• Use the practice question to test your sound, camera and lighting.
• Take the preparation time if it is offered, and jot down three words for your example.

HireVue's own interview tips page adds practical points. It says most on-demand interviews ask you to answer "in just a few minutes," and that you'll have the chance to do a practice question. It suggests a quiet spot, the strongest wifi you can get and light in front of you. It also says not to worry about eye contact with the camera.

Most HireVue questions are behavioural. The guide to behavioral interview questions lists common ones, and the free interview question generator builds a practice set from any job posting. Rehearse each answer out loud at least twice before the real thing.

Can you opt out of AI scoring or ask for an accommodation?

HireVue says yes to both. Its statement says candidates review an AI consent statement first and can opt in or out of AI evaluation. Those who opt out complete the same interview, and recruiters rate their answers by hand on the same rating scales. HireVue says opting out will not exclude a candidate from the hiring process.

For accommodations, the statement says the system is set up with "well-defined alternative assessments" for candidates who need them. Ask the employer's recruiter, in writing, before you start. The employer makes the hiring decision, and HireVue says any challenge to a decision goes to the hiring company.

What laws cover AI video interviews in the US and Canada?

Illinois and New York City have specific rules. Illinois's Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act, in effect since January 1, 2020, says employers using AI to analyze recorded interviews for Illinois jobs must tell you beforehand, explain how it works and get your consent. They must delete your videos within 30 days of your request.

The Illinois law also limits sharing. An employer may share your video only with people whose expertise or technology is needed to evaluate you. If an employer relies only on AI to decide who gets an in-person interview, it must report race and ethnicity data on applicants to the state each year.

In New York City, Local Law 144 bars employers from using an automated employment decision tool unless it had a bias audit within the past year and the audit information is public. The city's consumer and worker protection department says candidates must get notice 10 business days before the tool is used. Enforcement began July 5, 2023.

In Ontario, since January 1, 2026, the province's Employment Standards Act changes require employers with 25 or more employees to disclose in public job postings the use of artificial intelligence in hiring. The guide to employer AI interview policies covers what employers allow candidates to use.

How should you practise for a HireVue interview?

Practise the way you will be tested: alone, out loud, on a timer and on camera. Record answers to five likely questions, then play them back and check whether each one has a clear example and a result. Fix the answer before you fix your delivery.

The mock interview questions guide has a practice set, and the guide to tell me about yourself covers the opening question many employers use. Prept's Mock room gives you questions to answer out loud on a clock, scores each answer out of 10 and checks it against your resume, and it is in the free plan.