AI can compress weeks of interview preparation into a few focused sessions. For behavioural interviews, Claude Sonnet 5.5 gives the most specific feedback on STAR answers — vague claims, missing results, weak openings. For technical interviews, Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6.1 Sol explain algorithm and system-design problems clearly and review your code. To research the company, give Gemini or Claude the annual report, recent earnings call and the job description and ask what the role is really for.
The safest job interview preparation default, the cheaper option worth trying first, and the specialist pick — before you read the detail below.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is the strongest answer here for job interview preparation — pick it when quality of output matters more than the $2.00/1M/1M input you pay for it.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is the cheaper way in for job interview preparation, at $2.00/1M/1M input against Claude Sonnet 5.5's $2.00/1M/1M.
GPT-6.1 Sol is the fastest of these for job interview preparation — worth it when latency is what the reader notices, not the last few points of reasoning depth.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 gives the most useful feedback on behavioural answers — specific and direct.
GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Opus 5.5 are strongest for technical interviews, from algorithms to system design.
Feed a long-context model the company's annual report and earnings call to prepare informed questions.
Use Claude Sonnet 5.5 to rehearse behavioural questions and tighten your STAR answers.
Use GPT-6.1 Sol or Claude Opus 5.5 for mock technical interviews, coding problems and system design walkthroughs.
Use Gemini 3.1 Pro or Claude to summarise the company's strategy, results and culture from its own documents.
Switch the scoring lens to see whether the job interview preparation answer changes when cost, speed, or long-document depth leads the decision.
Anthropic / Balanced / Oct 10, 2026
Near-Opus 5.5 quality on scoped work at half the price.
Ranks models by the broadest mix of coding, writing, research, and long-context usefulness.
The work is long, ambiguous and multi-step — Anthropic positions Opus 5.5 for exactly that — or you need the lowest possible price, where Haiku 5.5 costs a twentieth as much.
Where the job interview preparation recommendation shifts once you weigh price or latency differently.
Near-Opus 5.5 quality on scoped work at half the price.
Near-Astra capability at Sol pricing — OpenAI's value pick.
Anthropic's new coding default — top SWE-bench Pro score at a lower price than Opus 5.
Best for research and deep document analysis — 2M context at the best premium price.
List prices and published scores — the numbers this page's pick is built from.
| Model | Input | Output | Est. month | Context | Speed | Coding | Writing | Research |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5.5Anthropic | $2.00/1M | $10.00/1M | $40 | 1M tokens | Fast | 98 | 98 | 95 |
| GPT-6.1 SolOpenAI | $2.00/1M | $10.00/1M | $40 | 1.1M tokens | Balanced | 98 | 94 | 97 |
| Claude Opus 5.5Anthropic | $4.00/1M | $20.00/1M | $80 | 1M tokens | Deliberate | 100 | 97 | 99 |
| Gemini 3.1 ProGoogle | $2.00/1M | $12.00/1M | $44 | 2M tokens | Balanced | 80 | 82 | 99 |
Scores out of 100 — how we evaluate models. “Est. month” is 10M in / 2M out at list price: a ceiling, no discounts.
Why each one is on the shortlist for job interview preparation, what it is genuinely good at, and where we would steer you away from it.
Our pick for job interview preparation. It scores 98/100 on the coding axis we weight this page by, and nothing else in this shortlist matches it on output quality.
Anthropic's September 28, 2026 Sonnet — built for well-scoped everyday work like features, bug fixes, documents, slides and spreadsheets, priced at $2/$10 and close to Opus 5.5 on most of Anthropic's launch rows.
The work is long, ambiguous and multi-step — Anthropic positions Opus 5.5 for exactly that — or you need the lowest possible price, where Haiku 5.5 costs a twentieth as much.
The model most people should default to in the Claude lineup. Sonnet 5.5 lands within a few points of Opus 5.5 on most of Anthropic's launch rows, beats it on Terminal-Bench 4.0, and costs half as much. Step up to Opus 5.5 only when the task is open-ended and long.
Full pricing, benchmark table and release notes on the Claude Sonnet 5.5 page.
The fastest model in this shortlist for job interview preparation. Pick it when turnaround is what your readers or users notice.
OpenAI's September 29, 2026 DevDay release — a Sol-tier reasoning model that OpenAI says comes close to GPT-6 Astra on agentic coding, computer use and professional work at one fifth of Astra's price.
You need it inside ordinary ChatGPT chats today, or your prompts regularly pass 272K tokens where the rate doubles.
OpenAI's best value for serious work. GPT-6.1 Sol replaces both GPT-6 Sol and, for most teams, GPT-6 Astra: independent testing has it a point behind Astra at a fifth of the list price. Pick Astra only when the last point of capability is worth five times the bill.
Full pricing, benchmark table and release notes on the GPT-6.1 Sol page.
The alternative to check next for job interview preparation — 100/100 on coding.
Anthropic's new coding default — top SWE-bench Pro score at a lower price than Opus 5. Full Claude Opus 5.5 review →
Also worth a look for job interview preparation, at 80/100 on the coding axis.
Best for research and deep document analysis — 2M context at the best premium price. Full Gemini 3.1 Pro review →
UseRightAI recommendations are based on practical decision factors people actually feel in day-to-day use.
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Claude Sonnet 5.5 for behavioural practice — ask it to act as the interviewer, answer aloud or in writing, and request feedback after each answer. GPT-6.1 Sol is a strong alternative, especially for technical rounds.
Yes. Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6.1 Sol can simulate coding and system-design interviews, explain solutions and critique your approach. Ask them to interview you as a specific company type would, and to withhold the answer until you have tried.
Paste the company's latest annual report, earnings call transcript and the job description into a long-context model such as Gemini 3.1 Pro or Claude Sonnet 5.5, and ask for its strategy, current challenges and what this role is meant to fix.