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A conversational interview is built from a list of items in the Topics & questions section of the interview’s settings page (under Interview Configuration). Each item is one of three content types: a Question, a Topic, or a Scenario. You can mix all three in a single interview.
Use a Question when the exact wording matters, a Topic when you want the AI to probe an area in its own words, and a Scenario when the candidate needs reference material such as code or a case study to react to.

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Choosing a Content Type

The Add item menu on the Topics & questions section offers all three types. Here is how they differ: Every item, regardless of type, shares a few common controls: a type selector, a Difficulty level, reorder arrows, and a delete action. Item text is required and can be up to 500 characters.
When you create a conversational interview, Equip’s AI drafts an initial set of topics from your job description. You can then edit, reorder, delete, or add items of any type before inviting candidates.

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Questions

A Question is the most predictable content type. The AI reads it to the candidate exactly as you wrote it and never asks follow-ups, so every candidate hears identical wording. This makes Questions the right choice when consistency across candidates matters more than depth. Typical uses:
  • Screening questions where legal or HR teams have approved specific wording
  • Logistics checks such as availability, relocation, or work authorization
  • A fixed closing question you want every candidate to answer
Because follow-ups are always zero for Questions, each one adds exactly 1 to your interview’s question count. Topics and Scenarios can add more, as explained under How Items Count Toward Limits.

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Topics and Follow-Ups

A Topic is a theme rather than a script. You describe the area to evaluate, and the AI generates its own questions around it during the live conversation, adapting to what the candidate says. Each Topic has a Follow-ups setting from 0 to 5. Follow-ups are the extra probing questions the AI may ask after the candidate’s initial answer, which is what makes the interview feel like a real conversation rather than a survey.
1

Add a Topic

In the Topics & questions section, click Add item and choose the Topic type.
2

Describe the theme

Write what the AI should explore, for example a skill, a project type, or a behavioral trait. Keep it within 500 characters.
3

Set follow-ups and difficulty

Choose 0 to 5 follow-ups and pick a difficulty level. Higher follow-up counts consume more of your total question limit.
You can also steer how the AI handles every item at once with the Instructions for AI Interviewer field (up to 4,000 characters). For example: “Start with easier questions, and then make them harder.”

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Scenarios

A Scenario presents reference material that the candidate can see in a side panel while they discuss it with the AI. Scenarios appear to the candidate numbered in order as Q1, Q2, and so on. A Scenario has two parts: Use AI context to describe anything the AI cannot parse from the candidate view, such as what an image or diagram shows. The Scenario’s title is taken automatically from the first Markdown heading or first line of the candidate view. Like Topics, Scenarios support 0 to 5 follow-ups, so the AI can dig into the candidate’s reasoning about the material.
Scenarios are rolling out gradually and may not yet appear in your Add item menu. Scenarios pair well with the Interview Workspace, where candidates can write code or text answers instead of speaking them.

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Difficulty Levels

Every item carries a Difficulty setting of Medium, Hard, or Expert. Difficulty determines how much the item weighs in the candidate’s score: An Expert item therefore influences the overall result three times as much as a Medium item. Topics generated by Equip’s AI from your job description arrive with a difficulty already assigned, which you can change at any time.
Mix difficulties deliberately. A few Medium items early in the list let candidates settle in, while Hard and Expert items later separate strong candidates from average ones.

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How Items Count Toward Limits

Each item counts as 1 topic, and the total question count is the number of items plus all their follow-ups. Your interview type sets the limits: A footer counter shows your running total, for example “4 topics, 9 questions added”. When you hit a limit, the Add item button is disabled and the follow-up selector blocks values that would exceed the cap. Remove follow-ups or items to free up room.
Every interview must contain at least one item. You cannot delete the last remaining item, and deleting any item is permanent once confirmed.