HireVue AI explained: how HireVue scores your interview, and what it doesn't look at

When an employer turns on AI scoring, HireVue turns your spoken answer into text. It then scores that text against the competency the question was written to test, such as teamwork or problem solving. According to HireVue's 2025 AI Explainability Statement, the AI does not look at your face, body language, background or tone of voice. What you say is what gets scored. Below, each step in turn, and what it changes about how you prepare. For the questions themselves, see the most common HireVue questions.

• Only what you say is scored. Facial expressions, body language, background and tone are not.
• Each question targets one competency, so an answer that doesn't address it scores poorly however polished it sounds.
• The model reads meaning, not keywords, so buzzwords alone don't raise your score.
• Recruiters see your results and make the decisions; candidates can opt out of AI scoring.

Is every HireVue interview AI-scored?

No. HireVue sells video interviewing that recruiters watch themselves, and separate AI-scored assessments. The employer chooses the setup. HireVue's candidate FAQ describes its interviews and assessments as "first steps in the overall interviewing process", with recruiters and hiring managers reviewing results. In practice, you usually can't tell from the invitation which kind you have. Prepare as if every answer will be scored on its content, because that's true either way.

How HireVue's AI scores an answer, step by step

HireVue describes three stages:

1. Speech to text. Your recording is transcribed by a third-party system, Rev.ai. HireVue reports a word error rate under 10% for US English, compared with 15 to 25% for other systems it tested.
2. Understanding the text. A language model HireVue calls CUSTARD, built on the RoBERTa model, converts your answer into a numerical representation of its meaning. HireVue says this lets it understand an answer "regardless of the specific vocabulary used".
3. Scoring against a competency. A separate model for each competency compares your answer with thousands of answers that expert human raters have already scored, and produces a score.

What HireVue's AI does not look at

The 2025 statement is direct about this: the AI "relies only on what is said by the candidate and does not use any video analysis or other audio characteristics". That rules out:

• facial expressions and eye movement
• body language
• your background and surroundings
• tone of voice

This wasn't always the case. HireVue used to include facial analysis. It stopped in 2020 and announced the change in January 2021, after an independent audit and public criticism. Advice about smiling for the algorithm or keeping still for it is out of date.

The 19 competencies and the five-level scale

HireVue says it can measure 19 interview competencies and builds a separate model for each one. The examples it gives include adaptability, problem solving, communication and willingness to learn. Before the interview, HireVue's psychologists work with the employer to decide which competencies the role needs, and each question is written to draw out one of them.

Answers are scored on a Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS). A BARS describes what an answer looks like at each level, across five levels from "novice" to "expert". To train the models, HireVue says about 60 expert raters scored real interview answers, with two or three raters scoring each response, producing 99,411 ratings across the 19 competencies.

What this means for you: work out which competency each question is testing, and give evidence for exactly that. "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate" is testing how you handle conflict and work with others. A story about winning an argument on your own misses the point.

How HireVue games are scored

Many AI-scored HireVue assessments add short games. HireVue's example setup is 4 to 6 video questions plus 2 to 3 games, about 15 to 25 minutes in total. The games measure either general mental ability, such as numerical reasoning, or personality traits, such as conscientiousness. HireVue says the score comes from your performance data, including levels won and lost, levels played, answers chosen and the highest level reached. Its cognitive games get harder as you complete each level. More in our HireVue games guide.

What the employer sees

Recruiters get a report showing how you scored on each competency and an overall result compared with everyone else who took the same assessment. HireVue recommends that employers show results in tiers, such as top, middle and bottom, and keep the numeric scores hidden. Employers can also send you a Candidate Feedback Report, which HireVue recommends switching on. If you don't receive one, it's reasonable to ask the recruiter.

What employers can configure

Source: HireVue 2025 AI Explainability Statement. These are HireVue's recommendations; each employer chooses its own settings, so your retakes and timings may differ.

Fairness checks and opting out

HireVue says it tests its models for adverse impact using the four-fifths rule. Under that rule, if one group's pass rate is less than four-fifths of the highest group's pass rate, that is evidence of adverse impact. HireVue says it checks across gender, age and race or ethnicity, using a sample of more than 900,000 applicant records. These are HireVue's own claims, and outside groups such as the Center for Democracy & Technology have argued its explanations don't go far enough.

Before an AI-scored assessment, you see a consent statement and can opt out of AI scoring. HireVue says opting out means you complete the same interview, but a recruiter reviews your answers manually instead.

How to prepare, given how the scoring works

1. Answer the question that was asked. Each question targets one competency. Say your answer in the first sentence.
2. Use evidence. One real situation with your actions and a result beats any number of general claims.
3. Speak clearly. The transcript is all the AI sees. Mumbling or talking over yourself makes the transcript less accurate.
4. Fill the time sensibly. A 20-second answer to a 2-minute question rarely shows enough evidence. A rambling one buries it.
5. Still look the part. A recruiter may watch the recording even if the AI doesn't score your appearance.

Try it: answer for the competency

Each drill question below targets one competency. Before you start, name the competency to yourself (teamwork, prioritising, motivation…), then make sure your answer gives evidence for exactly that.

Related HireVue guides

• Video interviews: the complete guide
• The most common HireVue questions (646 analysed)
• HireVue sample answers
• HireVue games guide
• HireVue interview guide: format and preparation

Source notes

Scoring stages, competencies, rating scale, rater numbers, transcription accuracy, fairness checks, configuration options and opt-out come from HireVue's 2025 AI Explainability Statement (prepared with Best Practice AI, Simmons & Simmons and Jacob Turner of Fountain Court Chambers). Question counts and timings come from HireVue's candidate FAQ. For a critical view, see the Center for Democracy & Technology's analysis. forge is independent and not affiliated with HireVue.

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