This AI interview glossary defines 60 terms job candidates run into in 2026, in plain English and in alphabetical order. It covers interview formats (phone screen, panel, onsite loop, superday), AI terms (AI interviewer, AI interview assistant, speech-to-text, hallucination), hiring-process terms (ATS, scorecard, debrief, leveling) and answer frameworks (STAR, CAR, SOAR).
Each entry is one to three sentences and links to a full guide where one exists. The definitions describe how each term is generally used; companies name their own stages and formats, so if a recruiter describes a round differently, follow the recruiter's description.
How to use this AI interview glossary
Look up a term when it shows up in a recruiter email or a job posting, or read the terms by stage of the hiring process:
- Before you apply: applicant tracking system, job description, referral, sourcer.
- Screening: recruiter screen, phone screen, online assessment, one-way video interview, AI interviewer.
- Main interviews: behavioral, technical, system design, case, panel and Bar Raiser interviews, onsite loop, superday.
- Decision and offer: scorecard, debrief, hiring committee, leveling, team matching, offer, total compensation.
- Preparing with AI: AI mock interview, AI interview assistant, prompt, hallucination, rubric, model answer.
Some terms get mixed up often. The table below gives the difference in one line each. Disclosure: we make CoPilot Interview, an AI interview assistant, and we say so wherever it appears below.
| Term | Often confused with | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| AI interviewer | AI interview assistant | An AI interviewer works for the employer and asks or scores the questions; an AI interview assistant works for the candidate, for practice or help. |
| Recruiter screen | Technical phone screen | A recruiter screen checks background, logistics and pay expectations; a technical phone screen tests skills, often with a coding problem. |
| Behavioral interview | Situational interview | Behavioral questions ask what you did ("Tell me about a time…"); situational questions ask what you would do in a hypothetical case. |
| Competency-based interview | Behavioral interview | Similar questions, but a competency-based interview ties each one to a named competency in the employer's framework and scores it against set criteria. |
| Onsite loop | Final round | Often the same stage: "onsite loop" describes the format (several back-to-back interviews), "final round" describes its place in the process. |
| Superday | Onsite loop | Both pack several interviews into one day; "superday" is the usual name in investment banking recruiting. |
| STAR | CAR and SOAR | All three structure a story. STAR separates Situation and Task, CAR folds them into Context, and SOAR adds the Obstacle. |
| Structured interview | Unstructured interview | A structured interview uses the same questions and scoring for every candidate; an unstructured one is a free-flowing conversation that varies by interviewer. |
A–B: AEDT to Big-O notation
AEDT (automated employment decision tool)
A legal term in New York City for a computer-based tool that uses machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics or AI to help make employment decisions and that substantially assists or replaces human judgment. Under the city's Local Law 144, an employer or employment agency may use one only if it has had a bias audit within the past year, information about the audit is public and candidates or employees have been given notice; the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection began enforcing the law on July 5, 2023.
AI-enabled coding interview
A coding round in which the employer builds in or permits an AI assistant, so the interview looks more like everyday engineering work. The employer sets the rules for how you may use the assistant; our guide to Meta's AI-enabled coding interview covers one reported example.
AI interview assistant
Software that helps a candidate before or during interviews, usually by turning the interviewer's speech into text and having a language model draft a structured answer (we make one, CoPilot Interview, a desktop app for Windows and macOS; the full definition is in what is an AI interview assistant?). Follow the rules of the employer or assessment you're in — many people use it only to practice, which works on CoPilot Interview's free plan.
AI interview copilot
Another name for an AI interview assistant, borrowing the idea of a copilot who supports the pilot rather than flying the plane. CoPilot Interview is a product name and is not affiliated with Microsoft, Microsoft Copilot or GitHub Copilot. See what is an AI interview copilot?
AI interviewer
Employer-side software that runs part of the interview itself, for example a voice or chat bot that asks screening questions or a system that scores recorded video answers. Take the assessment yourself and follow the employer's rules — use CoPilot Interview to practice beforehand. More in what is an AI interviewer? and AI interviewer vs AI interview copilot.
AI mock interview
A practice interview run by software: it chooses the questions, takes your spoken or typed answers and gives feedback, often with a score. In CoPilot Interview's Mock Interview mode, questions come from your résumé and the job description, and each spoken answer is scored out of 10 with what to fix and a model answer, then summed up in a report card. See what is an AI mock interview?
Applicant tracking system (ATS)
The software an employer uses to post jobs, collect applications, move candidates through stages and store interviewer feedback. Recruiters search and filter applications inside it, so describing skills you really have in the job description's own words makes your résumé easier to find.
Asynchronous interview
Any interview step where you and the employer aren't talking at the same time, such as a recorded video interview or a written questionnaire. The best-known form is the one-way video interview.
Bar Raiser
At Amazon, a trained interviewer who acts as an objective third-party adviser in the interview loop and won't work with the new hire day to day. According to Amazon, Bar Raisers are trained on its 16 Leadership Principles and make the final hiring decision together with the hiring manager. See what is a bar raiser interview?
Behavioral interview
An interview built on questions about what you actually did in past situations, such as "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate." Interviewers listen for specific actions and results, and the STAR method is the usual structure. See what is a behavioral interview? and these STAR answer examples.
Big-O notation
A way to describe how an algorithm's running time or memory grows as the input grows, written like O(n) or O(log n). Coding interviewers usually expect you to state the time and space complexity of your solution; practice with the Big-O complexity visualizer and the Big-O cheat sheet.
C–H: CAR method to hiring manager
CAR method
An answer framework: Context (some versions say Challenge), Action, Result. It's a shorter cousin of STAR that suits quick answers and résumé bullet points.
Case interview
An interview in which you work through a business problem out loud: structuring it, asking for data, doing quick math and recommending what to do. It's the core format in management consulting hiring and also appears in product and strategy roles. See what is a case interview?
Coding interview
A technical interview where you solve a programming problem while explaining your thinking, in a code editor, a document or on a whiteboard. Interviewers look at your approach, whether the code is correct, how you test it and how clearly you communicate; the coding interview cheat sheet and these common LeetCode patterns are good starting points.
Competency-based interview
An interview where each question targets a named competency from the employer's framework, such as teamwork or decision-making, and answers are scored against set criteria. The term is common in the UK, the EU and the public sector. See what is a competency-based interview?
Culture fit interview
A round about how you work with others and whether your approach matches the team's stated values; companies call it many things, from "values interview" to "culture add." Prepare it like a behavioral interview, with real stories rather than general statements.
Debrief
The meeting or written review after your interviews in which interviewers share feedback and ratings and agree on a recommendation. At some companies the debrief decides; at others it feeds a hiring committee. Our guide to the full loop interview explains what happens after an onsite.
Final round interview
The last stage before a hiring decision: often an onsite or virtual loop, sometimes a conversation with a senior leader or a team-matching call. The term is unrelated to Final Round AI, a company that makes interview software. See what is a final round interview?
Follow-up question
A question that digs into your answer, such as "What would you do differently?" or "Why that data structure?" In structured interviews these probes are often written in advance, so practice answering two levels deeper than your first answer.
Group interview
An interview with several candidates at once, often built around a group exercise or discussion. It's different from a panel interview, where several interviewers meet one candidate.
Hallucination
When an AI model states something false with confidence, such as a made-up company fact, statistic or API detail. Check any AI-generated fact about a company, a salary figure or a technical detail against a primary source before you repeat it in an interview.
Hiring committee
A group, separate from your interviewers, that reviews the full interview packet (feedback, ratings, résumé) and makes or recommends the hiring decision. Not every company uses one, so ask your recruiter who makes the final call.
Hiring manager
The person who owns the open role and usually manages the team you'd join. They often hold one interview and have a large say in the decision; prepare with these questions to ask a hiring manager.
J–O: Job description to onsite loop
Job description (JD)
The posting that lists a role's responsibilities and requirements, and a strong guide to which questions you'll be asked. Paste one into the interview questions from a job description tool, or run a mock interview built from your résumé and the job description.
Large language model (LLM)
The type of AI model behind chatbots and AI interview tools. It's trained on large amounts of text and writes answers by predicting likely next words from your prompt, which makes it fluent but not always correct (see hallucination).
Latency
The delay between the end of a question and the moment a tool shows its answer. CoPilot Interview's answers appear in about 2 seconds; in any tool, network speed and the AI model chosen affect it. Details in do AI interview assistants add latency?
Leadership Principles
Amazon's published set of principles, 16 as of October 2026, that its behavioral interview questions focus on; Amazon's interview prep pages recommend answering in the STAR format. See all 16 Amazon Leadership Principles explained.
Leveling
How a company sets the seniority of a role and of your offer, such as junior, mid-level, senior or staff, based on your experience and interview performance. Level names differ by company and the level usually decides the pay range, so ask which level you're being considered for.
Live coding interview
A coding interview done in real time while the interviewer watches you write and run code in a shared editor, usually over a video call. Setup advice is in our live coding interview tips for Zoom and Teams.
Mock interview
A practice interview with a friend, peer, coach or AI that copies the real format so you can rehearse under realistic pressure. Options are compared in best free mock interview websites and mock interview practice without a partner.
Model answer
An example of a strong answer, shown after you've given your own so you can compare. Use it to spot what you left out, then say the improved version in your own words rather than memorizing it.
Offer
The employer's formal proposal to hire you, usually covering title, level, base salary, any bonus or equity, start date and a deadline to respond. A verbal offer often comes first, followed by a written offer letter, and the terms are often open to negotiation before you sign.
One-way video interview
A recorded interview: questions appear on screen and you record your answers alone, with the preparation time, answer time and number of retakes set by each employer. See what is a one-way video interview?
Online assessment (OA)
A test sent before or between interviews, such as a timed coding test, an aptitude test or a personality questionnaire, that you complete on your own by a deadline. Take the assessment yourself and follow the employer's rules — use CoPilot Interview to practice beforehand. See what is an online assessment?
Onsite loop
A block of back-to-back interviews, held in person or by video in one day or over a few days, each covering a different area such as coding, system design or behavioral questions. Also called a full loop; see what is a full loop interview?
P–R: Panel interview to rubric
Panel interview
One interview with two or more interviewers at the same time, often from different teams or functions. Answer the person who asked, then bring the others in with eye contact. See what is a panel interview?
Phone screen
A short early-stage call, usually with a recruiter, to confirm your background, interest, logistics and pay expectations before the main interviews. Technical roles may add a separate technical phone screen. See what is a phone screen?
Prompt
The instruction you give an AI model. For interview prep, a useful prompt names the role, the level, the interview type and the kind of feedback you want; our ChatGPT mock interview prompts are copy-paste examples.
Recruiter screen
The first conversation with a recruiter, by phone or video, about your background, the role, timing and pay. Some employers now run this step with an AI voice bot; our guide to the AI recruiter phone screen covers how those calls work.
Reference check
Calls or questionnaires sent to people who have worked with you, usually near the end of the process. Tell your references about the role in advance so they can speak to your most relevant work.
Referral
A recommendation from someone who works at the company, usually submitted through its internal referral system, which can get your application in front of a recruiter sooner. See how to ask for a job referral.
Rubric
The criteria an interviewer or AI tool uses to score an answer, such as structure, specific evidence, results and relevance to the question. Our guide to what an AI score out of 10 means shows how AI feedback applies one.
S: Scorecard to system design interview
Scorecard
The form an interviewer fills in after an interview: ratings on the skills assigned to that round, written evidence and a hire or no-hire recommendation. Scorecards feed the debrief.
Situational interview
An interview built on hypothetical questions, such as "What would you do if a deadline slipped a week before launch?", rather than on past experience. See situational interview questions for software engineers.
SOAR method
An answer framework: Situation, Obstacle, Action, Result. It puts weight on the obstacle you overcame, which suits stories about problems and setbacks.
Sourcer
A recruiting team member who finds and first contacts potential candidates, for example on LinkedIn or at events, then passes interested people to a recruiter. A message from a sourcer is an invitation to talk, not yet an interview.
Speech-to-text (STT)
Technology that turns spoken audio into written text, also called automatic speech recognition (ASR). AI interview tools use it for live captions and transcripts, and its accuracy depends heavily on audio quality; see how real-time AI transcription works.
STAR method
The standard framework for behavioral answers: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep the setup short, spend most of the answer on what you did and end with a measurable result; read what is the STAR method? or draft a story with the STAR story builder.
Structured interview
An interview in which every candidate gets the same planned questions and follow-ups and answers are scored against defined benchmarks. The US Office of Personnel Management describes structured interviews as using rules for eliciting, observing and evaluating responses, which helps interviewers agree on their evaluations.
Superday
The usual name for the final round in investment banking recruiting: several back-to-back interviews packed into one day. Other firms run a similar day but simply call it the final round.
System design interview
An interview where you design a large software system, such as a URL shortener or a chat app, talking through requirements, components, data storage, scaling and trade-offs. It usually carries more weight at senior levels. See what is a system design interview? and the system design cheat sheet.
T–Z: Take-home assignment to whiteboard interview
Take-home assignment
A task you complete on your own time, such as a small app, a data analysis or a written plan, which is reviewed and often discussed in a later interview. See what take-home reviewers look for.
Team matching
A stage at some large companies where, after you pass the general interviews, you talk with hiring managers to find a specific team before the offer is final. It can add time to the process, so ask your recruiter whether it applies to you.
Technical interview
Any interview that tests job-specific skills: coding, system design, domain knowledge, case problems or a review of past work. It exists in many fields beyond software, including finance, data, engineering and design. See what is a technical interview?
Technical phone screen
An early technical round, by phone or video, usually one or two coding or domain problems in a shared editor, used to decide who moves on to the onsite loop. See the technical phone screen guide.
"Tell me about yourself"
The usual opening question. A strong answer is a short summary of who you are now, the most relevant things you've done and why you want this role; draft yours with the tell me about yourself builder.
Thank-you email
A short note sent after an interview, usually within a day, thanking the interviewer and briefly restating your interest. See these thank-you email templates.
Total compensation (TC)
The full yearly value of an offer: base salary plus bonus, equity such as stock grants that vest over time, and one-time items like a sign-on bonus. Compare offers on total compensation, and model a counteroffer with the salary negotiation calculator.
Transcript
The written record of what was said in an interview or practice session. Reading the transcript of your own mock interview shows filler words, rambling and parts of the question you missed, which are hard to notice while speaking.
Whiteboard interview
A coding or design interview on a physical or virtual whiteboard instead of a code editor, so you can't run your code and explaining your reasoning matters even more.
Practice the formats, not just the vocabulary
Knowing what a behavioral or system design round is helps; answering one out loud helps more. In your browser, with nothing to install, pick from 113 real questions across 9 tracks and get an instant grade, or use Mock Interview mode in the free desktop app for questions built from your résumé and the job description.
Try a free AI mock interviewFAQ
What is the difference between an AI interviewer and an AI interview assistant?
An AI interviewer is employer-side software that asks the questions or scores your answers, such as a voice bot or a system that rates recorded video. An AI interview assistant is candidate-side software that helps you practice or, where the employer allows it, helps during a live interview. Follow the rules of the employer or assessment you're in.
What does STAR stand for in an interview?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. It is the standard way to structure answers to behavioral questions: set the scene briefly, explain your responsibility, spend most of the time on what you did and finish with a measurable result.
What is an ATS in hiring?
An ATS, or applicant tracking system, is the software employers use to post jobs, collect applications, move candidates through interview stages and store feedback. Recruiters search and filter applications in it, so describe skills you really have in the job description's own words.
Is a superday the same as an onsite loop?
They are similar: both are several back-to-back interviews, usually in one day, near the end of the process. "Superday" is the usual term in investment banking recruiting, while "onsite loop" or "full loop" is more common in tech hiring.
Is CoPilot Interview the same as Microsoft Copilot?
No. CoPilot Interview is a desktop AI interview assistant for Windows and macOS made by NeuraSense AI LLC. It is not affiliated with Microsoft, Microsoft Copilot or GitHub Copilot.