How we score
What your score means, and what it doesn't.
Every practice interview gets a score out of 100 and notes on each answer. It's AI practice feedback to show you what to work on next. It isn't a hiring verdict.
Three scores, one overall
The overall score combines what you said, how you said it and how you came across on camera. If the camera is off, the overall is made from the other two.
Content
55% of the overall
Each answer is scored from 0 to 100 by an AI grader writing notes like a demanding but fair interviewer for your field. It checks the answer against a rubric for your job family, and whether you answered the question that was asked.
- Around 85 and up would impress a real interviewer; around 70 is solid.
- Around 50 means vague or generic; below 40 is off-topic or barely an answer.
- Not answering the question scores low, however well it's said.
- Filler words never count against content.
- Notes describe what you said and did, never your personality or emotions.
Delivery
20% of the overall
How you said it, measured from your answers' timing. Each answer starts at 100 and loses points for:
- A pace outside about 120 to 175 words a minute.
- More than 5 filler words a minute (um, uh, you know, basically…).
- Pauses of 3 seconds or longer.
On camera
25% of the overall
Measured on your device while you talk, never uploaded. Optional: turn the camera off and it isn't scored.
- Looking at the interviewer: full marks at 70% of the time.
- Holding your head steady and staying in the picture.
- A natural smile now and then.
- A hand coming to your face or mouth costs a few points each time.
On camera under 60 keeps the overall at 77 or below, so it can't reach the top band. Interviewers notice how you come across, so the score does too.
The three bands
- 78 and upReady for the real one
Your answers were clear, specific and well delivered in this practice round. Keep them fresh.
- 60 to 77Almost there
The material is there. Your three things to work on are the fastest way up.
- below 60Keep practicing
Start with the answers that scored lowest and try them again with Cal's stronger version as a guide.
What the grader listens for
Every job family has its own rubric, and two rounds have their own. A few examples:
- Healthcare rolesPatient safety · Clinical reasoning · Communication · Compassion · Specifics · Level fit
- Software rolesTechnical accuracy · Depth · Specifics · Structure · Clarity · Level fit
- Sales rolesResults · Discovery · Handling objections · Persuasion · Resilience · Level fit
- Recruiter screenClarity · Motivation · Specifics · Fit · Professionalism
- Salary talkAnchoring · Value · Composure · Whole package · Tone · Closing
Where the questions come from
- 1
Your role, matched to O*NET
Your résumé's job title is matched to one of 1,016 occupations in O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's job database. That sets your job family and its rubric.
- 2
Commonly asked in your field
About half of the questions are ones people in your role are asked most in recent interviews, found by web research and refreshed every 30 days.
- 3
From your résumé
The rest come from your own résumé: your roles, projects and results. Add a job posting and some questions tie to it.
- 4
Follow-ups and repeats
The interviewer may follow up once when an answer is thin. Questions from earlier interviews aren't repeated, except one you found hard.
The limits, plainly
- It's an AI. It can misjudge an answer, and two similar answers can score a few points apart.
- Your words are written out by speech recognition first. A noisy room or a strong accent can cause mistakes, and the score can follow them.
- It doesn't know a specific company's bar or a specific interviewer's taste.
- Scores aren't comparable across roles or rounds; a salary talk is graded on different things than a hiring-manager interview.
- On camera measures behaviour, like where you look, not what anyone thinks of you.
- A score is not a prediction of a real interview's outcome. Use it to choose what to practice next.
This is practice feedback from an AI, not an assessment of you and not a hiring decision. Nothing is shared with employers.
Rehearse it out loud
Your first practice interview takes about 10 minutes.
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