Engineering roles ask civil, electrical, chemical and mechanical engineers, along with CAD, CFD, simulation and hardware specialists, to create and check design data and judge model output on engineering problems. Tools named in current postings include SolidWorks and FreeCAD. These practice questions focus on design intent and verifiable results.

Practice questions

These are practice questions written for this site to help you prepare. No platform has said it asks these exact questions.

  1. Describe how you would model this part so later changes are easy.

    A good answer covers: Design intent: sensible sketch constraints, feature order, parameters for key dimensions, and no fragile references.

  2. A model proposes a design that cannot be manufactured. How do you explain why?

    A good answer covers: Name the process limit (tool access, draft angles, wall thickness, tolerances) and suggest a change.

  3. How do you check a CFD result is believable?

    A good answer covers: Mesh independence, convergence, boundary conditions, comparison with hand calculations or data.

  4. Write a mechanical engineering problem with a single numeric answer.

    A good answer covers: Clear geometry, loads, materials and units, and a full solution.

  5. Explain GD&T to a new engineer in plain terms.

    A good answer covers: A way to define allowed variation of form and position so parts fit and function.

  6. Which CAD and simulation tools can you use at expert level?

    A good answer covers: Honest list matching the posting.

  7. How would you validate a CAD dataset generated for AI training?

    A good answer covers: Valid geometry, correct units, consistent feature trees, and checks against the spec.

  8. Describe a failure analysis you did.

    A good answer covers: Symptom, investigation, root cause and design change.

  9. How would you rate an AI explanation of a stress calculation?

    A good answer covers: Correct formula, assumptions stated, units, and a sanity check on magnitude.

What the platforms say about the assessment

In the 9 October 2026 data, roles in this group came from micro1, Meridial, SME Careers, Mindrift, Terac, xAI and Innodata. Each platform runs its own process, and steps can differ by role. Below is what each platform's public pages or postings say, followed by lines quoted from current postings in this group.

micro1

  • micro1's experts page describes four steps: apply for opportunities, take the AI interview, get onboarded, start earning.
  • Postings commonly list screening questions, then an AI interview, then in some roles a technical assessment, then a review by the hiring manager. Interview lengths stated in postings range from about 10 to 30 minutes.
  • Some postings ask you to complete the interview and assessment without outside assistance.
  • micro1's FAQ says certification does not guarantee immediate placement on a project.

Source: www.micro1.ai

Meridial

  • Meridial postings describe the work and requirements but do not describe the screening steps.
  • Postings say contractors supply their own secure computer and internet connection, and recording roles add a high-quality microphone and recording setup. Company benefits such as health insurance do not apply.
  • We could not confirm Meridial's selection steps from a public page; treat the posting itself as the guide.

Source: boards-api.greenhouse.io

SME Careers

  • Many SME Careers postings state: 'Selection process involves an AI interview, a domain-specific task, and an interview with a recruiter.'
  • Many postings also say there is no immediate project for the role, and that qualified applicants will be contacted first when relevant opportunities arise.

Sources: sme.careers, api.sme.careers

Mindrift

  • Mindrift's how-it-works page describes the specialist track as: apply with your CV, complete assessments and verify your identity, then join a project or a talent pool.
  • Postings say the rate depends on the qualification tier you reach.

Source: mindrift.ai

Terac

  • Terac's expert docs describe signing in with LinkedIn, verifying your phone, connecting LinkedIn or adding a resume, and a short voice conversation of about 10 minutes that the docs say you can skip and take later.
  • Each opportunity then has its own steps, usually screening questions followed by the tasks themselves. Research postings describe remote video or voice interviews of 30 to 90 minutes.

Source: terac.com

xAI

  • xAI postings say role-specific details are given during the interview process. They do not describe the steps publicly.
  • Basic qualifications in postings include native proficiency for language roles and a portfolio for video and creative roles.

Source: boards-api.greenhouse.io

Innodata

  • Innodata postings describe the work and the hourly range but do not describe the screening steps.
  • Postings state that Innodata will never ask for payment, banking details or sensitive personal information during the application process.

Source: boards-api.greenhouse.io

Quoted from current postings

"Apply to the role and complete the screening questions."

Mechanical Engineering Expert, micro1

"You will participate in a remote video interview to discuss how your firm handles operational data."

Architecture Operations Specialists: Structured Data for Post-Training Evaluation, terac

"Specific details and role specific information will be provided to you during the interview process."

Expert Team Lead, Engineering, xai

"Selection process involves an AI interview, a domain-specific task, and an interview with a recruiter."

Biomedical Engineering Quality Assurance Lead (QAL), sme

"Complete an AI interview of approximately 30 minutes."

Mechanical Engineering Expert, micro1

"Comfortable discussing technical workflows in a remote video interview."

Architecture Operations Specialists: Structured Data for Post-Training Evaluation, terac

Steps were read from public pages and postings, not tested first-hand. Passing a screening does not guarantee a project, hours or pay.

Terms to know

Domain expert

Someone hired for professional knowledge in a field, such as law, medicine or engineering, to write or judge expert-level tasks.

Stump the model

A task where you write a hard question the model gets wrong and record the correct answer, often used in expert STEM and coding projects.

Model evaluation

Testing how well a model performs on a set of tasks, often by people scoring answers against a rubric.

Rubric

A written list of criteria and scores used to judge a response, for example accuracy, instruction following and tone, each with clear pass or fail descriptions.

Sources