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. You can edit these questions only before inviting candidates — once invitations are sent, questions are locked so every candidate is evaluated on the same criteria.

What are Custom Questions and Qualifying Questions?

Custom Questions let you collect additional context from candidates — such as their work experience, role motivation, or knowledge of your company. Qualifying Questions automatically screen candidates by filtering out anyone who does not meet your essential criteria (for example, required certifications, years of experience, or specific documents).

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

Types of Custom Questions

Testlify supports four Custom Question formats. All types have a configurable time limit between 2 minutes and 30 minutes.

• Open Ended — Candidates type a written response. Use for essay-style answers covering work experience, career goals, or topic knowledge. Supports rich formatting (images, tables, bold, italic, links).
• Record Video — Candidates record a video answer inside the assessment. Ideal for evaluating communication skills, confidence, and how candidates articulate ideas. Supports the same rich formatting as Open Ended.
• Single Select — A multiple-choice question with four to six options where the candidate picks one correct answer. Suitable for objective questions about skills, role preferences, or personality traits.
• Multiple Select — Like Single Select, but the candidate can choose more than one correct answer. Use when several responses may apply, such as listing relevant tools or programming languages.

How to Add Custom Questions

1. Open your assessment in Testlify and navigate to the Add Questions step (the fourth step in the assessment creation flow).
2. Select the question type you want to add: Open Ended, Record Video, Single Select, or Multiple Select.
3. Enter your question text in the editor. 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 (2–30 minutes) for the question.
6. Click Add Question to save it to your assessment.
7. Repeat for any additional custom questions you want to include.

Tip: Combine question types for broader coverage. Use an Open Ended question to capture how a candidate approaches a challenge, and a Single Select question for quick, objective screening. This gives you both depth and efficiency in your 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 remove candidates who do not meet your criteria. Common uses include confirming a valid passport, minimum years of experience, or required skill levels.

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

Reviewing Candidates' Answers

After candidates complete the assessment, review their 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 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. Once invitations are sent, questions are locked so every candidate is evaluated on the same criteria.

How do I edit Custom or Qualifying Questions?
Go to the Assessments page, find the assessment, 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.