Talkpush is a recruiting platform built for high-volume hiring, above all in call centres and BPO companies, and its AI voice interviewer, sold as Sam and graded with TalkScore, calls applicants or sends them a browser link right after they apply. Talkpush says most interviews take 5 to 15 minutes, and they grade both what you say and your spoken English. This page explains what Talkpush is, what the interview is like, what it scores, the rules and practicalities, and how to prepare. We researched Talkpush's own candidate pages and independent reports on November 12, 2026; employers configure these tools differently, so your invitation has the final word.
What Talkpush is
Talkpush was founded in Hong Kong in 2014; its first customer was a Philippine BPO, and it opened teams in the Philippines in 2015 and Costa Rica in 2016. It launched TalkScore as an English assessment in 2022 and Sam, its generative-AI voice interviewer, in 2024, according to its About page. The interview is triggered by the employer's workflow, often the moment you pass the pre-screening questions, and every conversation is recorded and transcribed for the recruiter. Do not expect the voice to call itself Sam: employers choose personas such as Sarah, Maria, Samuel, Max, Richard, George or John, and if several are selected, each call gets one at random.
Who uses it: Alorica, TaskUs, Concentrix, iQor, Foundever, Accenture, McDonald's Philippines and 7-Eleven, among customers Talkpush names. Talkpush says Concentrix offers screening to every applicant at its South African sites the moment they apply.
What the interview is like
| What to expect | |
|---|---|
| How you get it | An automatic phone call, a number to call in, or a browser link by email (or SMS for US numbers); if it follows pre-screening, you go straight into it with no link to click |
| Format | A live voice conversation: introduction and identity confirmation, behavioral and situational questions, follow-ups on vague answers, your questions, then a close. Employers can add role plays and optional video with a consent tickbox |
| Length | Typically 5 to 15 minutes; employers choose maximums from 3 to 20 minutes, and a short phone-call format runs about 2 |
| Languages | 28 languages and 64 voices in Talkpush's help centre (other Talkpush pages say more than 50); it can interview you in your own language while assessing your English |
| Timers | Per-question timers with a visible clock are optional |
| Results | Usually processed within a few minutes; you may be able to book a recruiter interview before the results are ready |
What it scores
- Your overall score is the average of 5 to 12 skill scores, each from 0 to 5, chosen by the employer.
- English is graded on fluency, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and comprehension, each from 0 to 10, then mapped to a CEFR level from A0 to C2; Talkpush's help centre maps 7.4 to 8.2 to B2 and 8.8 to 9.4 to C1.
- Recruiters see a verdict band: Exceptional (4.5 to 5.0), Strong Candidate (3.5 to 4.4), Consider (2.5 to 3.4) or Not Recommended (below 2.5).
- Integrity flags: reading detection (Clear, Suspected or Likely) in English interviews, face verification in video interviews, and voice verification that checks your voice matches across answers and notes extra voices. Talkpush stresses that a voice match is not an ID check.
- Talkpush says its rubrics penalize fluency without substance, that TalkScore does not make hiring decisions, and recruiters can override scores.
Rules and practicalities
- If you miss the call or it ends early, the employer's workflow can schedule another attempt, and you can usually still reach the recruiter's booking calendar.
- In the browser version, Start Call runs an audio check, and an I need help button offers troubleshooting and a pre-filled email to support.
- Employers can turn on camera checks, photo ID and tab-switch monitoring; you are told what is checked before you start.
- Reading answers aloud is flagged, and a second voice lowers the voice-match result, so outside help works against you.
- Retakes and link expiry are not published; ask the recruiter if something went wrong.
- Talkpush's privacy policy says the platform itself makes no automated decisions, though employers can set filters. Reply STOP to its text messages to stop them.
The live interview versus the older recorded test
| Live AI interview | Recorded TalkScore assessment | |
|---|---|---|
| How it runs | A real-time conversation with follow-ups | Recorded answers in the app, one prompt at a time |
| Answer types | Open conversation, role plays and your questions | Open-ended answers, listen-and-repeat and listen-and-speak items |
| Timing | Usually 5 to 15 minutes in total | Each answer at least 30 seconds |
| What you get graded on | Skills chosen by the employer plus English | Mainly English on the CEFR scale |
Some employers still use the recorded format, so read the invitation: if it asks you to install or open an app and record answers, you have the older assessment, and the minimum answer length matters.
How to prepare
- Keep your phone close after you apply. TaskUs, in a Talkpush case study, calls applicants immediately after they apply.
- Take the call somewhere quiet, off speakerphone and ideally with a headset; extra voices hurt the voice-verification result.
- Prepare three customer-service stories: a difficult customer, a mistake you fixed and a target you met. Behavioral and situational questions are the core.
- Rehearse a short role play out loud: greeting, empathy, solution and close, in clear full sentences.
- Answer fully at a steady pace; a two-word answer gives the rubric nothing, and fluent answers without substance are penalized.
Answering well when an AI is asking
- Find a quiet spot with a strong signal and avoid speakerphone, which causes echo.
- Answer every question fully; a skipped question usually scores as missing.
- Keep answers specific: what you did, when, and the result.
- Speak at a steady pace and avoid long silences, which some systems flag or treat as the end of an answer.
For a free practice routine, see how to practice for an AI interview for free. Other platforms work differently, so compare the call-centre voice and accent assessment, the mock call interview and the wider AI recruiter phone screen.
Your rights and what happens next
After a Talkpush interview, a recruiter usually reviews the scores, transcript or recording, often within days, and decides whether to move you forward; most vendors say a human makes the decision. If you hear nothing in a week or two, a short, polite follow-up to the recruiter is reasonable.
Depending on where you live, the law may give you rights over automated interviews. Illinois requires employers to explain and get consent before using AI to analyze video interviews, New York City requires bias audits and advance notice for automated hiring tools, and the EU AI Act treats AI used in recruitment as high risk. You can ask the employer how your recording is stored and who reviews it, and request an alternative if you need an accommodation.
Where CoPilot Interview fits
AI-led interviews are screening rounds you take on your own, and they almost always forbid outside help; some log tab switches, pasted text or a second voice. So the useful preparation is practice. CoPilot Interview is an AI interview assistant; its free AI mock interview builds questions from your résumé and the job description, reads them aloud and scores each spoken answer out of ten, which is close to how many automated interviews work. The free plan gives 15 minutes a day of live help in sessions of up to 15 minutes, with AI mock interviews included. On the day, follow your employer's rules and the instructions in your invitation.
Disclosure: CoPilot Interview is our product, so weigh what we say about it accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sam from Talkpush?
Sam is Talkpush's AI voice interviewer. It calls applicants or meets them in the browser, asks screening and behavioral questions and grades spoken English; it may introduce itself with another persona name.
How long is the Talkpush AI interview?
Typically 5 to 15 minutes, according to Talkpush; employers set maximums between 3 and 20 minutes.
What is a good TalkScore?
Talkpush maps English scores to CEFR levels: 7.4 to 8.2 out of 10 is B2 and 8.8 to 9.4 is C1. Each employer decides what level a role needs.
What if I miss the Talkpush call?
The employer's workflow can schedule another attempt, and you can often call in or use the browser link instead; ask the recruiter if nothing arrives.
Can I use an AI assistant during my Talkpush interview?
No. AI-led screening interviews are meant to be answered on your own, and many log signals such as tab switches, pasted text or another voice. Practice beforehand instead, and follow your employer's rules.
Practice this interview before the real one
The AI mock interview builds questions from your resume and the job description, reads them aloud and scores each spoken answer out of 10. Included on the free plan.
Start a mock interview