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One-Way Video Interview Tips: Kira, Acuity and HireVue
A one-way video interview shows you a question, gives you a set time to think and records your answer with no interviewer present. The school or employer sets the timers and the retake rules: Kira allows one attempt per real question, while HireVue employers can allow retakes, per each vendor's help pages. Prepare with timed practice on camera, a short plan for each answer and your eyes on the lens.
Below is how Kira, Acuity and HireVue each run it, from their own help pages read October 30, 2026, then our tips for answers and setup.
How does a one-way video interview work?
The pattern is the same on every platform. You open a link before a deadline, check your camera and microphone, often answer a practice question, then get each real prompt with a short think time and a fixed answer time. Schools use Kira and Acuity in admissions, and employers use HireVue in hiring.
- Kira: a video question plays once, a countdown shows your prep and response time and your answer submits when time runs out. Written questions have no prep time.
- Acuity Video Interviews: each program sets its own prompts and timers, shown when you start, after a practice test.
- HireVue: a practice question first, and if you lose connection you can pick up where you left off with the same link.
For Kira in depth, with schools and timing, see our Kira Talent interview guide. Our medical schools with recorded video interviews list shows which schools use which platform.
Kira vs Acuity vs HireVue: what changes
| Platform | Timing | Practice | Retakes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kira Talent | Timing: Set by the school. A countdown shows your prep and response time | Practice: If the school includes it, practice questions you can redo as often as you like | Retakes: One attempt per real question. Only the school can grant a retake |
| Acuity Video Interviews | Timing: Set by each program, shown when you start | Practice: A practice test, plus 2 practice questions before the real interview | Retakes: No retake rule published |
| HireVue | Timing: Most on-demand answers are a few minutes, per HireVue | Practice: A practice question before you start | Retakes: Set by the employer: unlimited by default or a set number up to five. The employer sees your last recording |
Older guides also cover two other Acuity products. Duet: 2026-27 status not stated on Acuity's pages. Ask your program. Snapshot: 2026-27 status not stated on Acuity's pages. Ask your program. See our Acuity video interview guide for the details and the early-phase MMI that runs on Acuity Video Interviews.
Who watches a one-way video interview?
- Kira Talent: The school's reviewers, who Kira says want your authentic perspective, not a rehearsed answer.
- Acuity Video Interviews: The program's raters or Acuity's.
- HireVue: A first cut for recruiters. HireVue says the top group then moves on to person-to-person interviews.
One-way video interview tips for your answers
- Learn the format before you start. On Kira, the Assessment Details slide shows the number and type of questions and the expected length, and Kira suggests setting aside 15 to 30 minutes for check-in the first time.
- Do every practice question. It is the only place you can redo and replay. Use it to check your framing and sound.
- Use prep time to pick one point and one example. Not a script. Kira says reviewers want your authentic view, not a rehearsed answer.
- Answer, example, what it shows. Our three-part plan: say your answer in the first sentence, give one specific example, then say what it shows about how you work. For behavioral prompts, STAR (situation, task, action, result) does the same job.
- Aim for 60 to 90 seconds on a two-minute limit. Our target, not a vendor rule: about two-thirds of the limit leaves room to finish without rushing.
- Keep a few keywords near the lens. If your school allows notes, put three or four words on a sticky note beside the camera, not a script, so your eyes stay near the lens. This tip is ours.
- Stop when you are done. Kira says more words don't make an answer stronger, and you can submit before time runs out.
- Prepare stories, not answers. HireVue suggests a list of brief stories about challenges you have faced. We would prepare six to eight.
- For written questions, outline first. Kira's written questions have no prep time but often a longer response time. Spend the first minute on a three-line outline.
- If something breaks, contact the school or employer. Kira can't grant retakes, the school decides. On HireVue, if you lose connection you can pick up where you left off with the same link.
Our answer plan, worked through
Prompt: “Tell us about a time you disagreed with a teammate.” With 30 seconds to prepare, write three words: the answer, the example and the lesson. Then say: “I disagree openly but early.” Tell the one moment, in four or five sentences. Close with what it shows: “Now I raise a concern in the first meeting, not the last.” Stop there, even if time is left. That lands near our 60 to 90 second target on a two-minute limit.
STAR gives the same shape for behavioral prompts: the situation, your task, the action you took and the result. Use whichever you can recall under a timer.
Setup checklist for a recorded interview
- Check your connection. Kira's minimum is 10 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up, cellular data included.
- Close tabs and turn off extensions. Kira asks you to disable extensions such as Grammarly and ad blockers before you start.
- Put the light in front of you. Kira and HireVue both say to light your face from the front. Light from behind makes you hard to see.
- Frame face and shoulders. Center yourself with the screen just below eye level.
- Look at the lens. Not at your own video. Kira says it creates the effect of eye contact.
- Silence every device. Phone, watch and computer notifications can show up in your recording.
HireVue lists its device and browser requirements, and recommends Chrome, on its technical requirements page, and Acuity explains its practice test in its help center.
Prompts worth practicing
These are ours, not from any vendor's question bank, and they cover the common types:
- Tell us about yourself.
- Why do you want to join this program?
- Tell us about a time you worked on a team that disagreed.
- Describe a mistake you made and what you did next.
- What would you do if a classmate took credit for your work?
- Tell us about a time you had to adapt quickly.
Practice a one-way prompt
Record your answer to this prompt with a 30-second think and a two-minute limit, then watch it back. For timed practice with feedback, try our one-way interview practice.
“Tell us about a time you had to adapt quickly to a change you didn't expect.”
A typical one-way prompt. Use the prep time to pick one story. Answer in the first sentence, tell the moment, then say what it shows about you.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
Two days before our clinic's flu shot event, half our volunteers dropped out because of an exam change. I was the scheduler, so I rebuilt the plan around the people we still had.
I split the event into two shorter shifts, asked the nursing students' club to cover the check-in table and moved our sign-up to text messages so people could confirm in minutes. We ran both shifts and vaccinated more people than the year before. It showed me that I adapt best when I tell everyone the new plan quickly and clearly.
Sources: the Kira Talent Applicant Help Center, the Acuity Insights Help Centre and applicant platform, and HireVue's candidate pages, linked throughout and checked as of October 30, 2026. The answer plan and tip wording are ours.
Frequently asked questions
Who watches one-way video interviews?
People, at some point. Kira says the school's reviewers want your authentic perspective. Acuity Video Interviews are rated by the program's raters or Acuity's. HireVue says its interviews help recruiters make a first cut, and the top group then has person-to-person interviews. Read HireVue's candidate FAQ.
How does a one-way video interview work?
You see or hear a question, get a set time to think and record your answer with no interviewer present. On Kira, a video question plays once, a countdown shows your prep and response time and your answer submits automatically when time runs out. Read Kira's question types.
Can you redo answers in a one-way video interview?
It depends on the platform. Kira lets you redo practice questions only, with one attempt per real question. On HireVue the employer sets retakes, unlimited by default or up to five, and sees your last recording. See Kira's practice rules.
How long should a one-way interview answer be?
Our target is 60 to 90 seconds on a two-minute limit, about two-thirds of whatever limit you get. The school or employer sets the limit. Kira says more words don't make an answer stronger, and HireVue says most on-demand answers are a few minutes. Read Kira's tips.
Are Acuity Duet and Snapshot still used?
Acuity's pages don't state whether Duet or Snapshot runs in 2026-27, so ask your program. Acuity also offers Video Interviews, where each program sets its own prompts and timers. Read our Acuity video interview guide.
How do I practice for a one-way video interview?
Do the platform's practice questions if your school includes them. Before that, record yourself answering common questions with a timer, watch it back and try again. Kira suggests the same. Practice one-way interviews with Confetto.