What happens in a Crux interview, and what you are agreeing to

Version 1.0, effective September 16, 2026. Your professor asked you to take a short spoken interview about work you already did. This page explains it in full. The short version appears on the screen before you begin, and by ticking the box there you accept this notice.

What will happen

1. You read the case or brief, upload your written work if the assignment asks for it, and check your speaker and microphone.
2. An AI interviewer asks you questions, one at a time, and follows up on what you say. It speaks in the voice and manner of a persona your professor chose (for example, a skeptical portfolio manager or a neutral examiner).
3. Your spoken answers are recorded and transcribed word for word. If you type an answer or use the scratch pad, that text is recorded too.
4. Crux checks the numbers you state by recomputing them. During a graded interview it will not tell you whether a number is right or wrong; it may ask you to walk through it.
5. At the end, Crux maps your answers to your professor's rubric, suggests a band, and writes you feedback in three parts: Strong, Thin, Practice.

Who sees it

• Your professor: the transcript, the audio clips, the evidence map, the numbers check, the suggested band, and the interviewer's private notes. Your professor decides your grade. Crux does not.
• You: your written feedback, right after the interview or when your professor releases it, and your grade when it is posted. You can request your full record at any time.
• The operator of Crux (Jonathan Cooper), only to keep the service running, fix problems, or respond to a request from you or your professor.
• No one else. No other students, no advertisers, no one outside the course. Our AI vendors process the data to run the interview and may not use it for anything else, including training.

The AI, plainly

The interviewer and the evaluator are AI models (Anthropic's Claude, through its API). The voice is synthesized and the transcription is automated (ElevenLabs). The AI drafts questions, listens, follows up, checks arithmetic with a calculator, and summarizes evidence. It does not identify you by your voice or face, does not detect cheating, and does not judge your accent, pace or tone. It can misunderstand a word or misjudge an answer, which is why the audio and the professor's review exist. If you believe an evaluation is wrong, tell your professor; they can listen to the recording and decide.

Your rights

• See your record: ask your professor or write to jon@cruxcall.com.
• Correct or delete: same address. Deletion of a graded interview is coordinated with your professor, who may need to keep the grade itself.
• Accommodations: extended time (1.5x or 2x with an approved accommodation), larger text, higher contrast, text-only questions, and typing instead of speaking are available at the sound-check step. Choosing them does not change how you are assessed. If you cannot or prefer not to be recorded, tell your professor before the interview; an alternative is theirs to arrange, and Crux will not be used against you for asking.
• Stop at any time: the End Call button ends the interview. Your professor sees what you answered up to that point.

How long it is kept

Until your professor deletes it or the end of the next academic term, whichever comes first. Backups age out within 14 days after that. Details are in the Privacy Notice.

The consent you give

By ticking the box before you begin, you confirm that you have read this notice, that you understand the interview is recorded and transcribed, that an AI conducts it, that your professor, not Crux, decides your grade, and that you agree to proceed on those terms. Crux records the version of this notice you accepted, the time, and your network address as evidence of your consent.

Questions before you start: ask your professor, or write to jon@cruxcall.com.