How to Add and Use Custom Questions and Qualifying Questions

Before you begin

Only Owners, Admins, and Recruiters can add Custom and Qualifying Questions to an assessment. These questions can be edited only before candidates are invited — once invitations are sent, questions are locked to ensure fairness.

What are Custom Questions and Qualifying Questions?

Testlify's standard tests measure technical and non-technical skills. Custom Questions let you collect additional context from candidates — such as their work experience, role motivation, or company knowledge. Qualifying Questions go further: they automatically screen candidates by filtering out anyone who does not meet your essential criteria (for example, required certifications, years of experience, or identification documents).

Both question types are added during the assessment creation process and appear as part of the candidate's assessment experience.

Types of Custom Questions

Testlify supports four Custom Question formats. All question types have a time limit between 2 minutes (minimum) and 30 minutes (maximum).

• Open Ended — Candidates type a written response. Use these for essay-style answers covering previous work experience, career objectives, or knowledge of a specific topic. You can format the question with images, tables, bold text, italic text, and links.
• Record Video — Candidates record a video answer directly in the assessment. Ideal for evaluating communication skills, confidence, and how candidates articulate ideas — a strong way to form an informed first impression. Supports the same rich formatting as Open Ended questions.
• Single Select — A multiple-choice question with four to six answer options where the candidate picks one correct answer. Suitable for objective questions about skills, role preferences, or personality traits.
• Multiple Select — Similar to Single Select, but the candidate can choose more than one correct answer from four to six options. Use these for questions where several responses may apply, such as listing relevant tools or programming languages.

How to Add Custom Questions

1. Open your assessment in Testlify. In the assessment creation flow, go to the Add Questions step — this is the fourth step on the assessment creation page.
2. From the list of question formats, select the type you want to add: Open Ended, Record Video, Single Select, or Multiple Select.
3. On the question editor page, enter your question text. Use the toolbar to add images, links, or tables, or to apply bold and italic formatting.
4. For Single Select and Multiple Select questions, add four to six answer options and mark the correct answer(s).
5. Set the time limit (between 2 and 30 minutes) for the question.
6. Click Add Question to save it to your assessment.
7. To add another question of the same type, click that question type again from the list and repeat the process.

Tip: Pair question types strategically. Use an Open Ended question to capture nuanced, free-form answers (such as a candidate's approach to a challenge), and a Single Select question for quick, objective screening. This combination gives you both depth and efficiency in candidate evaluation.

How to Add Qualifying Questions

Qualifying Questions are Single Select questions, typically formatted as Yes/No. Testlify uses the answers to automatically flag or filter candidates who do not meet your defined criteria. Common examples include confirming a valid passport or driving license, minimum years of experience, or required skill levels.

1. On the assessment creation page, click Add qualifying questions — this is the first option in the question setup area.
2. Enter your qualifying question. Testlify provides suggested question topics for common use cases — click one to use it, or type a custom question of your own.
3. Set the answer options (typically Yes and No) and mark which response qualifies a candidate to proceed.
4. Click Add Question to save. Repeat for any additional qualifying criteria you need.

Reviewing Candidates' Answers

After candidates complete the assessment, review their Custom Question and Qualifying Question responses in the Candidates section.

1. Go to the Candidates section in Testlify.
2. Open the answer page for the candidate you want to review.
3. Scroll below the candidate's snapshot and test scores — Custom Question and Qualifying Question answers appear in this section.
4. A green tick mark beside a question confirms the candidate answered it.
5. Click the small arrow next to any question to expand and read the candidate's full response.
6. Use the answers alongside test scores to make your evaluation decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change Custom or Qualifying Questions after creating an assessment?
Yes — as long as you have not yet invited candidates to take the assessment. Once invitations are sent, questions are locked to ensure every candidate is evaluated on the same criteria.

How do I edit Custom or Qualifying Questions?
Go to the Assessments page, find the assessment you want to update, and click the arrow button at the far right of the row (next to the three-dot menu). This opens the assessment editor where you can modify your questions.

Need help? Contact support.