Mercor · Strategic Project Lead

Mercor Strategic Project Lead (SPL) interview: the case study and how to practice it

Updated November 2026

Candidates for Mercor's Strategic Project Lead (SPL) role report a take-home case study, sent with a dataset about 24 hours ahead, then a live round where interviewers question the proposal. You can practice the same shape here: an original brief, a memo and a model, then a defense against an AI interviewer.

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At a glance

Format
A take-home case with a dataset, then a live round on your proposal.
Prep window
About 24 hours, as candidates report it.
Process
Four reported steps, about 11 days end to end on Glassdoor.
Pay
A posting listed a $120K to $200K base, plus equity.

From Glassdoor interview reports and a public posting. Details below.

The process, step by step

This is the order candidates describe on Glassdoor. The role shows up as both Strategic Project Lead and Strategic Projects Lead in postings and reports.

  1. Step 1: Recruiter screen

    A first call about your background and the role.

  2. Step 2: Case study interview

    A case and a dataset arrive about 24 hours before the interview. You prepare a proposal, then talk it through live.

  3. Step 3: Onsite in San Francisco

    Candidates report an in-person round at the San Francisco office.

  4. Step 4: Final round with operations leadership

    The last conversation is with the operations leaders.

The take-home case

Reports describe a client proposal for an expert data project: an AI lab needs data made by experts, and you plan how to deliver it. The proposal covers how you would keep quality high, how you would ramp up the number of experts, and how you would bill the client and at what margin.

A second part is about running a project that is already live. You judge whether it will hit its task target and say what you would change.

The clock is tight. The case and data arrive about 24 hours before the interview. One candidate reported using 23.5 hours on work described as 5 to 6 hours, so plan your time before you start building.

The live round

Most of the live round is questions about your own case. Some candidates report one case sent ahead and a second one given on the spot. Expect a fast pace and pushback on your numbers.

  • Which data type fits which need, for example prompt and rubric pairs.
  • How you would tell whether a project is going well.
  • How long it takes to source experts, and what that does to the plan.
  • How you stay inside the client's budget.

One candidate advised knowing how AI models are trained before the onsite. Our defense round is the closest practice for this part: an AI interviewer questions your own memo and model, live, with no hints. It does not hand you a second unseen case; for that, a live voice case is the closest practice.

What gets tested, and where we grade it

Each theme candidates report maps to a part of our SPL case. One does not, and we say so.

  • Reported: Which data type fits the client's needCovered: Memo: Data type
  • Reported: Finding experts, and how long sourcing takesCovered: Memo: Expert sourcing and vetting
  • Reported: How you would ensure qualityCovered: Memo: Quality control
  • Reported: A ramp plan for expert volumeCovered: Memo: Ramp plan, plus checks on your model
  • Reported: Billing model, target margin and budgetCovered: Memo: Billing and margin, plus checks on your model
  • Reported: Whether a live project will hit its task targetPartly covered: Partly. Your ramp plan is graded and the defense can question it. There is no separate exercise on a project already underway.
  • Reported: Live questions on your own numbersCovered: The defense, scored on 4 dimensions
  • Reported: A second case given on the spotNot covered: Not in the SPL case. Use a live voice case for this.

CoveredPartly coveredNot covered

What our SPL case grades

The memo6 dimensions

  • Data type
  • Expert sourcing and vetting
  • Quality control
  • Ramp plan
  • Billing and margin
  • Writing

The defense4 dimensions

  • Holding ground with evidence
  • Conceding well
  • Numbers under pressure
  • Operational realism

Scores stay hidden until the defense is over. Then one report shows:

  • your memo scores
  • spreadsheet issues, with cell references
  • moments from your defense, with quotes
  • one thing to fix

Your report

Submitted after 21 h

  • Data type4/5
  • Sourcing and vetting3/5
  • Quality control4/5
  • Ramp plan2/5
  • Billing and margin4/5
  • Writing5/5

Summary!C14 · Experts at week 7 do not cover the week 7 task volume.

Held with evidenceDefense, question 1

You: “It is 2.4 author hours and 0.6 review hours per accepted task, at the pilot pay rates on the data tab.”

One thing to fix: your ramp hires for week 1 volume. Size the team for week 7 and work back to the start date.

How to practice it here

Our version follows the format candidates describe: a brief and data, a memo and a spreadsheet model in about 24 hours, then a live defense. The clients and numbers are invented, and none of it comes from Mercor.

How practice works

  1. Step 1

    Get a client brief and data.

    Pick one of two original cases. You get the client's brief, the data and a spreadsheet template.

  2. Step 2

    Write the memo and build the model in about 24 hours.

    Write the memo in the editor, or upload a .docx or .pdf. Build the model in the .xlsx template, in Excel or Google Sheets. Plan for 4 to 6 hours of work.

  3. Step 3

    Defend it to an interviewer who attacks your numbers.

    The interviewer is AI. It questions your own numbers and assumptions, live, and it gives no hints.

The two cases

A mid-size model labOriginal case

Quillmoor Labs

Training tasks for a spreadsheet agent

Scope, staff and price 6,000 expert-written tasks in 10 weeks, inside a fixed budget.

A voice AI startupOriginal case

Saltmarsh AI

Preference data for a six-language voice agent

Price and staff 180,000 rated comparisons in six languages in 8 weeks, with one language short of raters.

Both clients are invented. In each case you play a Strategic Project Lead at Ashgrove Data, a fictional data vendor.

The role in short

Pay
A Mercor posting listed a $120K to $200K base, plus equity and a twice-yearly performance bonus.
Hours
The posting says in person five days a week, with responsiveness on weekends.
Locations
The posting lists offices in San Francisco, New York and London.
Background
The posting asks for consulting, finance, startup or other operationally intense experience.

Pay and terms change between postings. Check Mercor's current openings before you rely on them.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the real Mercor case?

No. Our cases are original and the clients, data and numbers are invented. They follow the format candidates describe: a brief, a memo, a model and a live defense.

How long is the Mercor take-home case?

Candidates report that the case and dataset arrive about 24 hours before the case interview. One candidate reported using 23.5 hours on work described as 5 to 6 hours. Our practice case suggests about 24 hours and 4 to 6 hours of work.

What does the case study ask for?

Reports describe a client proposal for an expert data project: how you would ensure quality, a ramp plan for expert volume, and the billing model and target margin. A second part asks whether a live project will hit its task target and what you would change.

Is the interview live or take-home?

Both. The case is a take-home, then a live round questions you on it. Some candidates report a second case given on the spot during the live round.

Do I need consulting experience?

It helps, but it is not the only route. The posting asks for a background in consulting, finance, startups or other operationally intense work.

Do I need to code?

The posting we cite does not list coding, and the reports summarized here do not describe a coding round. You do get a dataset, so be comfortable building a model in Excel or Google Sheets.

How long does the Mercor SPL process take?

Glassdoor lists a hiring process of about 11 days. The reported steps are a recruiter screen, the case study interview, an onsite in San Francisco and a final round with operations leadership.

What does a Mercor Strategic Projects Lead earn?

A Mercor posting listed a $120K to $200K base, plus equity and a twice-yearly performance bonus. Check current postings, since ranges change.

Do the case once before the real one

Write the memo, build the model, then defend it to an interviewer who pushes back. Open to CaseTutor members, free trial included.

Start the SPL case

Former SPLs from Mercor, Scale AI, Handshake, Turing and other AI data companies helped build these cases.

CaseTutor is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mercor, Scale AI, Handshake, Surge AI, Turing, micro1 or Labelbox. The cases are original and do not reproduce any company's interview material.

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