Practise any conversation with a custom AI scenario
VirtualInterview.ai lets you rehearse a conversation that fits none of the ready-made scenarios. You describe the situation, who you will be talking to and what you want out of it, and an AI counterpart plays the other side for about 20 minutes. The report scores clarity, relevance, handling challenges and composure, and you can practise in 50+ languages.
Last updated
- Free account, no card
- Voice or typed answers
- About 20 minutes
Custom scenario: key points
- Write down what you want from the conversation before anything else. A clear goal makes every other choice easier.
- Describe the other person honestly: their role, what they want, and how they are likely to react.
- Plan your first two sentences and the one point you must not leave without making.
- Expect pushback. List the three hardest things they could say and prepare a calm response to each.
- Rehearse aloud more than once, changing the difficulty, so you are not thrown by a different reaction on the day.
Who should practise a conversation you describe
It is for the conversation you keep rehearsing in your head: one with real stakes and a specific person on the other side, where no template exists and a friend would not push back hard enough.
- Asking a landlord, a bank or a supplier for something they can refuse.
- A conversation with a co-founder, a client or a board member.
- A resignation, a boundary or an apology at work.
- An oral exam, a hearing or an interview type that is not listed.
How to prepare for a conversation you describe
Prepare by defining your goal, understanding the other person's position, planning a clear opening and key points, predicting their hardest responses, deciding what you will accept, and rehearsing the conversation aloud until you can stay calm under pressure.
Step 1: Define your goal
What does a good outcome look like? Write it in one sentence.
Step 2: Describe the other person
Their role, interests, pressures and likely mood. The more honestly you describe them, the more realistic the practice.
Step 3: List your key points
Two or three facts or arguments that support your goal.
Step 4: Plan the opening
Write the first two sentences: why you are talking and what you hope to achieve.
Step 5: Predict the pushback
Write the three hardest things they could say and a calm, specific response to each.
Step 6: Decide your limits
Know what you will accept, what you will not, and what you will do if you cannot agree.
Custom scenario questions and how to answer them
In most difficult conversations the other side will question your reasons, raise their own concerns, change the subject, get emotional or try to delay a decision. Listen, acknowledge their view, return to your goal and propose a clear next step.
"Why are you bringing this up now?"
Why it comes up: Timing questions can signal surprise or defensiveness.
How to answer: Explain briefly what prompted the conversation and why it matters to you now.
"I do not see it that way."
Why it comes up: Disagreement is normal.
How to answer: Ask them to explain their view, summarise it back, then restate yours with your strongest fact.
Example: “Help me understand how you see it. … So your concern is the cost. My view is that the delay is costing us more, and here is why.”
A change of subject.
Why it comes up: People steer away from uncomfortable topics.
How to answer: Acknowledge the new point briefly and offer to return to it, then come back to your topic.
An emotional reaction.
Why it comes up: Strong feelings mean the topic matters to them.
How to answer: Acknowledge the feeling, pause if needed, and continue when you are both ready.
"Let me think about it."
Why it comes up: It can be genuine or a way to avoid deciding.
How to answer: Agree, and ask what they need to decide and when you can talk again. Put a date on it.
"What do you want me to do?"
Why it comes up: A direct invitation to state your ask.
How to answer: State your ask clearly and specifically, and say why it would work for both of you.
How the practice conversation runs
You write two things, the situation and who you will be talking to, and optionally what you want from it. The counterpart opens, responds realistically to what you say, and the session is planned at 5 exchanges.
- Planned length
- About 20 minutes
- Planned questions
- 5
- Who speaks first
- The conversation partner
- Pressure levels
- friendly, standard, tough
- In the room
- Speak or type, redo an answer, skip a question, see a sample answer
- Languages
- 50+ languages
The AI conversation partner you practise against
The counterpart is whoever you describe: their role, their mood and what they are likely to resist. The more specific the description, the more realistic the pushback; a vague description gets a polite, generic conversation partner.
Setting up a conversation you describe
Only the situation and who you will be talking to are required, and you may attach your notes. Every other field is optional and brings the conversation closer to yours. You can also skip the form and describe the whole thing in one sentence.
For example: “Telling my landlord I am moving out two months early and asking for the full deposit back within two weeks”
Required
- The situation
- Who you will be talking to
Optional
- What you want out of it
How a conversation you describe is scored
It is scored by a communication coach who observed the conversation, on clarity, relevance, handling challenges and composure. Above 60% you kept the conversation on your goal.
Clarity · 25%
Says what they mean, in order, without hedging
Relevance · 30%
Stays on the situation and the goal they set out
Handling challenges · 25%
Responds to the other party's concerns and pushback on their merits
Composure · 20%
Calm and respectful under disagreement
Report headline: “Well prepared”, “Getting there” or “Needs more practice”.
What it tells you to drill next
- Answer the question that was asked, first.
- Add one specific detail you left out.
- Stop before you repeat the opening.
More: scoring methodology · sample report · pricing
Common mistakes in a conversation you describe
With a custom scenario the commonest mistake is in the setup, not the conversation: a description too thin for the counterpart to push back on. After that, the usual errors of any hard conversation apply.
A one-line setup
Say who they are, what they want and why they might say no.
No goal
State what you want out of it, so the report can tell you whether you got there.
Answering a different question
Answer what was asked first, then add your point.
Repeating the opening
When the first ask is refused, add a detail or an option instead of saying it again.
Checklist before a conversation you describe
Before the conversation, have your one-sentence goal, a description of the other person, your key points, an opening, responses to the hardest pushbacks, your limits and a proposed next step written down, and rehearse at least once aloud.
- Your goal in one sentence.
- An honest description of the other person and their interests.
- Two or three key points with evidence.
- Your opening two sentences.
- Responses to the three hardest things they could say.
- What you will and will not accept.
- A proposed next step and date.
What this practice is not
It is general conversation practice built from your own description. It has no specialist knowledge of your situation and gives no professional advice about it.
- The counterpart knows only what you write at setup.
- A custom scenario has no specialist scorecard, opening lines or closing decision of its own; the ready-made scenarios do.
- It is conversation practice. It is not legal, medical, financial or therapeutic advice about the situation you describe.
It also does not feed you answers during a real interview.
Custom scenario: questions people ask
The questions people ask before they practise a conversation you describe with the AI conversation partner, each answered from how this scenario is set up today.
What can I practise with a custom scenario?
Any spoken conversation you can describe in a few sentences: a request, a complaint, a negotiation outside work, an exam, a pitch to a non-investor. If a ready-made scenario fits, use it, because its questions and scorecard are written for that conversation.
What do I have to enter?
The situation and Who you will be talking to. "What you want out of it" is optional and worth filling in. You can also attach your notes.
How is a custom conversation scored?
On a general rubric: clarity (25%), relevance (30%), handling challenges (25%) and composure (20%). The report labels the session "Well prepared", "Getting there" or "Needs more practice", and lists three things to change next time.
Is practising a conversation you describe free?
Yes, on the free plan: 2 sessions a month (your first session runs full length, later ones are 5-minute sessions), with a free account and no card. Pro is $20/month, and one-time credit packs start at $9.
Rehearse a conversation you describe before the real one
A free account, about 20 minutes and the AI conversation partner on the other side.
Describe your scenario