How Thinking Time and Retakes Work in Interviews

Overview

When setting up your interview, you can control how much time candidates have to think or answer questions, and whether they can re-record their responses. Understanding how thinking time and retakes work together will help you create the best candidate experience.

What is Thinking Time?

Thinking time gives candidates a set amount of time to read and prepare before they must respond to a question.

• For recording questions (video, audio, screen): Candidates see a countdown timer to prepare. When time expires, recording starts automatically and they cannot restart.

• For standard responses (text, date, number, etc.): Candidates must submit their answer within the time limit, or the response becomes locked and uneditable.

What are Retakes?

Retakes allow candidates to re-record their video or audio responses if they're not satisfied with their first attempt. You can configure how many retakes are allowed at the job level.

The total number of attempts a candidate gets equals: retakes + 1 (the initial attempt).

For example:

• "2 retakes" = 3 total attempts (1 initial + 2 retakes)

• "Unlimited" = infinite attempts

How Thinking Time and Retakes Work Together

The interaction between these two settings depends on the question type:

Recording Questions (Video, Audio, Screen)

With thinking time enabled (finite minutes):

• Retakes are automatically disabled for that question

• Recording starts automatically when thinking time expires

• Candidates cannot restart if they navigate away and return

• The candidate will see: "Retakes are disabled for this question" if they try to retake

With thinking time set to "No limit":

• The question behaves like a regular recording question

• Retakes are controlled by your job-level "Question Retakes" setting

• Candidates can navigate freely and retake according to your settings

Standard Response Questions (Text, Numbers, Dates, etc.)

For non-recording questions, you can set an answering time limit. When time expires, the response becomes locked and uneditable. This doesn't conflict with retakes since standard questions don't use the retake feature.

Configuring Thinking Time

You can set thinking time in two places:

Per-Question Thinking Time

1. Go to your job editor (when creating a new job or editing an existing one)

2. Navigate to the Questions section

3. For each question, find the line that shows:

   • "Thinking time: [value]" for recording questions

   • "Answering time: [value]" for standard questions

4. Click the edit icon (pencil) next to the time display

5. In the modal:

   • Enter a number in the Minutes field, OR

   • Toggle No limit to allow unlimited time

6. Click Save

Here's how thinking time and answering time appear in your question editor:

Global Answering Time for Standard Responses

You can set a default answering time for all standard (non-recording) questions at once:

1. In the Questions section of your job editor, look for the alert that reads: "Answering time for all standard responses: [time]"

2. Click the edit icon next to this alert

3. Set your desired time or toggle "No limit"

4. Click Save

When configuring answering time for file upload or text questions, you'll see this modal:

What Candidates Experience

With Thinking Time (Recording Questions)

1. Candidate clicks to start the question

2. They see a countdown timer showing remaining thinking time

3. When the timer reaches zero, recording begins automatically

4. They cannot pause or restart the recording

5. If they navigate away and return, they see: "Retakes are disabled for this question"

If time expires before recording starts, candidates see a timeout screen:

When a question is skipped due to timeout, it appears marked as "Skipped" in the application:

With Retakes Enabled (No Thinking Time)

1. Candidate records their response

2. They can preview their recording

3. They see a "Retake" button showing remaining attempts, e.g., "Retake (2)"

4. They can re-record until they run out of attempts or choose to submit

5. When attempts are exhausted, the retake button is disabled

After Submission

Once a candidate submits their entire application, they cannot modify any answers. If they try to access the application link again, retakes are not available.

Common Scenarios and Best Practices

When to Use Thinking Time

• Complex technical questions: Give candidates 2-3 minutes to organize their thoughts

• Behavioral questions: Allow 1-2 minutes to recall specific examples

• Time-pressure simulation: Test how candidates perform under tight deadlines

When to Use Retakes

• Reducing candidate anxiety: Multiple attempts help nervous candidates perform better

• Technical issues: Allow retakes to account for connection problems or mistakes

• Polished responses: Let candidates perfect their answers for important questions

Recommended Configurations

For screening interviews:

• No thinking time (or "No limit")

• 2-3 retakes allowed

• Gives candidates flexibility while keeping the process efficient

For skills assessments:

• Set thinking time (3-5 minutes for complex questions)

• Retakes automatically disabled

• Tests candidates' ability to think quickly and perform under pressure

For casual applications:

• No thinking time

• Unlimited retakes

• Reduces drop-off by making the process low-pressure

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Retakes are disabled for this question"

Candidates see this message when:

• You've enabled thinking time on a recording question

• They've exhausted their allowed retakes

• They've already submitted their application

Solution: If you want retakes available, set thinking time to "No limit" for that question and configure retakes at the job level instead.

Timer Shows Different Time Than Expected

If a candidate navigates away from a question and returns, the timer continues from where it left off—it doesn't reset. The timer starts the first time they view the question.

Solution: Advise candidates to complete questions in one sitting when thinking time is enabled.

Candidate Ran Out of Time

When answering time expires on standard responses, the answer becomes locked. For recording questions with thinking time, recording auto-starts when time expires.

Solution: You cannot extend time for individual candidates. Consider adjusting your time limits if multiple candidates are affected, or ask the candidate to start a new application.

Quick Reference Table

Related Articles

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