For employers

How to send an
assessment.

Once you've built your assessment, you're ready to send it to candidates. This guide walks through the full send flow , adding candidates individually or via CSV, customizing the invitation email, and sending through your ATS.

6 min read Updated May 2026

Before you begin

From the Tests section of your dashboard, open the assessment you want to send. Inside the assessment, click into the Candidates tab.

This is where every invitation for this assessment is managed , from adding candidates to sending invitations and tracking responses over time. You can return to this tab anytime to add more candidates to an existing assessment. There's no limit to how many invitation batches you can send from a single assessment.

Add candidates to your assessment

Click Add Candidate to open the candidate-adding flow. You'll have two options for getting candidates into the system.

Option 1 · Add individually

Enter first name, last name, and email directly. Fastest path for small batches.

Option 2 · Bulk upload via CSV

Drop a CSV with your full candidate list. Best for larger groups.

Adding candidates individually

Enter the candidate's first name, last name, and email address directly into the form fields. This is the fastest path when you only have a few candidates to send to.

Add candidates
×
+ Add another candidateContinue
FIG 1The Add Candidate modal , individual entry view.

Bulk upload via CSV

If you're sending an assessment to a larger group, upload a CSV with your candidate list. The required format is simple:

  • email , required
  • firstName or first_name , optional
  • lastName or last_name , optional

Column names are case-insensitive, and any extra columns in the CSV will be ignored. If a row has formatting issues or invalid data, that row will be skipped during the upload , and the rest of the candidates will still be added.

Drop your CSV here, or click to browse

Up to 10,000 rows · max 5 MB

emailcandidate's email addressRequired
firstName / first_namecandidate's first nameOptional
lastName / last_namecandidate's last nameOptional
FIG 2The CSV upload pane and required column spec.

Preview and customize the invitation email

Once your candidates are added, click Preview and Send to review the invitation email before it goes out. The Preview Invitation screen lets you customize the email candidates will receive.

You'll see the following fields:

  • Subject. The subject line of the invitation email. The default is "Your Invitation to Complete a Hiring Test."
  • Email body. The Colare logo, greeting, "Start Assessment" button, and footer are always included as fixed elements. You can edit the sections directly above and below the Start Assessment button.
  • Above "Start Assessment" button. Your opening message. Default text thanks the candidate for applying and explains the purpose of the assessment.
  • Below "Start Assessment" button. Practical instructions and expectations , completion deadline, internet stability, time required, the no-pause-and-resume rule, and the requirement to complete on a computer.
FIG 3Editable fields on the left, candidate-side preview on the right. Dashed boxes are fixed.

Customize any of these fields to match your team's voice or to add specific instructions for the role. When the email looks the way you want it, click Send invites. After sending, you'll see a confirmation showing the number of candidates invited.

27 candidates invited

Invitations were sent to 27 of 27 candidates. Track progress in the Pipeline Insights tab.

Send assessments through your ATS

If your team uses an ATS, Colare integrates directly with Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday, and others.

GreenhouseGreenhouseAvailable
LeverLeverAvailable
AshbyAshbyAvailable
WorkdayWorkdayAvailable
FIG 4ATS integrations are managed by the Colare team.

With an integration in place, candidates flow into Colare directly from your hiring pipeline, and Colare scores sync back into the candidate's profile in your ATS. To get started, contact support@colare.com with the ATS your organization uses, and the Colare team will handle the configuration. For full details, see ATS integrations.

Resending an assessment

If you've made changes to an assessment after candidates have already been invited, those candidates will need a fresh invitation to see the updated version. Return to the Candidates tab of the assessment and resend the invitation using the mail icon next to the relevant candidates so they receive the most current version of the test.

What's next

Once your invitations are out, candidates begin moving through the pipeline. You can track their progress , who's been invited, who's started, who's completed, and who's ready for review , from the Pipeline Insights page of your assessment.

For more on reviewing candidate scores and understanding their performance, see How to review candidate scores.

Up next How to customize assessment questions
→