Assessments

OpenATS assessments give every candidate the same structured evaluation. Create an assessment, attach it to a stage in a job's hiring process, and let OpenATS invite candidates automatically when they reach that stage.

Create an assessment

1. Open Assessments from the dashboard sidebar.
2. Select New assessment.
3. Enter an assessment title.
4. Add an optional description so candidates understand what the assessment covers.
5. Set the time limit in minutes.
6. Select Save and continue.

The assessment editor opens after the basic details are saved. Add questions that measure the skills the role needs.

Question type	The candidate	How it is marked
Multiple Choice	Picks one option	Automatically
Multiple Select	Picks every option that applies	Automatically, with part marks
True / False	Picks true or false	Automatically
Short Answer	Writes a few lines	By a person
Long Answer	Writes a longer answer	By a person

Give each question its points. For the first three types, mark the correct answer or answers.

A Multiple Select question gives part marks: each correct option picked adds to the mark and each wrong one takes away, and the mark for a question never goes below zero.

Use Add question to add more questions, drag questions to change their order, and save when the assessment is ready.

Attach an assessment to a job stage

Create the assessment before attaching it to a job. Then:

1. Open Manage Jobs.
2. Select the job that should use the assessment.
3. Open the job's Assessments tab.
4. Select Attach Assessment.
5. Choose the assessment.
6. Choose the Trigger Stage, which is the stage a candidate must enter to receive the assessment.
7. Select Attach assessment.

The attached assessment appears in the job configuration with the stage that triggers it. You can remove the attachment later without deleting the assessment itself.

Trigger the invitation

After the assessment is attached, open the job's Hiring Pipeline and move a candidate into the selected trigger stage. You can drag the candidate card to the stage in the pipeline, or change the stage from the candidate profile.

When the move is saved, OpenATS sends the assessment invitation automatically and shows an Assessment invite sent toast. If the candidate already has an active invitation, OpenATS keeps the existing link and does not send a duplicate email.

The candidate receives the "Assessment invite" email with a private link. The link is unique to that candidate and should not be shared.

What the candidate sees

1. Before starting: the assessment name, the position and your company, the number of questions, the time allowed, and a short list of rules. The time begins when they select Start the assessment.
2. During the assessment: one question at a time, with a clock at the top and a numbered list of all the questions. They can move between questions and change an answer until they submit.
3. Before submitting: a list of every question showing which are answered, then a final confirmation.

Things worth knowing:

• The time limit is in minutes and does not pause. When it runs out, the answers given so far are submitted automatically, and no more answers are accepted.
• Answers are saved as the candidate goes. If they reload the page or lose their connection, their answers are still there when they return.
• An assessment can be taken once. After it is submitted, nothing can be changed.
• A test that is started and left is still finished. If the candidate closes the page and never comes back, OpenATS submits it for them a few minutes after the time limit, and grades whatever they had answered. It does not stay In Progress for ever, and the candidate gets an Assessment score.

Review a candidate's answers

After the candidate submits the assessment:

1. Open Candidates from the dashboard sidebar.
2. Select the candidate who completed the assessment.
3. Open the Assessments tab in the candidate profile.
4. Find the completed assessment and select View candidate answers.

The results view shows the candidate's answers and the score. Short Answer and Long Answer questions wait for a person to mark them: enter the points for each, and the score is completed once all of them are marked.

Use the result together with the CV, interview feedback and other evidence when making a decision. See Candidate scoring for how the assessment counts towards a candidate's score.

The candidate profile can show Pending, In Progress, Completed, or Expired. Results appear only after the candidate submits a completed attempt.