Applications: Auto-Grading Questions

Juan Burgos

Edited December 05, 2025 18:26

Auto-grading questions allow you to automatically score candidates based on their answers before you review an application or conduct interviews. This helps you quickly identify your A-Players and prioritize the most qualified applicants. Auto-grading is a great alternative to knockout questions, which remove unqualified candidates from the process entirely.

In this article:
What are Auto-Grading Questions
How Auto-Grading Works in Applications
Add Auto-Grading Rules
Additional Resources

What are Auto-Grading Questions

Auto-grading questions are application questions that allow you to assign a grade to a candidate based on their responses. This helps you highlight top performers as soon as they apply.

Unlike knockout questions, which eliminate candidates, auto-grading scores, categorizes, and can trigger workflow assignments based on the grade a candidate receives.

Learn More:

To learn more about the differences, refer to: Knockout Questions & Auto Grading.

How Auto-Grading Works in Applications

Rules are applied in the order they are listed. Rules at the bottom of the list will override rules above them. To achieve the correct grading outcome, arrange your rules in reverse order.

Incorrect Example: Rules Ordered Improperly

In the example below, all candidates with a section score of 9 or higher will be graded as C, while all others will be ignored. This is because the Grade to C appears last, overriding the others.

(click image to enlarge)

Correct Example: Rules Ordered Properly

The rules should be arranged as follows:

Section score is Less Than 9 --> Grade to X
Section score is Greater Than or Equal To 9 --> Grade to C
Section score is Greater Than or Equal To 14 --> Grade to B
Section score is Greater Than or Equal To 17 --> Grade to A

Adding Auto-Grading Rules

To begin, add the appropriate questions to a separate section in your process. In this example, we will add a Screening section to the Initial Stage of the application.

Pro-tip:

Auto-grading questions can be placed in the Initial or Detailed sections of an application. They cannot be added to the Pre-Screen section, which houses only knockout questions.

After adding your questions, click Save and Exit.
On the Apply Process List page, click Rules for the application process you are editing.
Use the dropdown in the upper left-hand corner to select the section you created.
Click Add under Rules. In this example, we use a single question with the "Options" condition.
Since we want to grade based on candidate selection, set the Operation to "Equal."
The Value should be set to whichever selection you would like to grade. For this example, we would like them to be graded if they select 30-50 or 50+.
Under Actions, choose the Grade the candidate should receive if they select the value.
You can add more rules by clicking Add. For example, if a candidate selects "0-15", you may want them to be graded a C.
What should happen here: if a candidate selects the option "0-2" when they have completed their application, the system should automatically grade them to a C.
In this example, we will also want to set rules for grading candidates into A and B.
When you are finished, scroll to the bottom and click Save.
Before assigning this application to a live requisition, be sure to test your rules.

Additional Resources

Introduction to Job Applications
Adding and Editing Application Questions
Knockout Questions & Auto-Grading
Applications: Rules (Overview)