# Take-home assessment

A take-home assessment is a project or set of problems a candidate completes on their own, at their own pace, and submits by a set deadline instead of solving it live in front of an interviewer.

It's most common for technical and design roles, where a realistic piece of work reveals more than a timed exercise under observation.

**Take-home assessment** — A take-home assessment is a project or set of problems a candidate completes on their own, at their own pace, and submits by a set deadline instead of solving it live in front of an interviewer. The scope ranges from a small exercise to a multi-day project, using normal tools and references.

Employers use take-home assessments to see a more realistic sample of a candidate's work than a live, observed exercise allows, since there's no audience watching every keystroke. The format has real downsides: it takes unpaid candidate time, which can disadvantage people with less flexibility, like those balancing a job or caregiving, and completion rates tend to drop the longer an assessment runs, so many teams cap it at a few hours.

## Frequently asked questions

### How long should a take-home assessment take?

Well-designed ones state an expected time up front, often two to four hours, though actual time can run longer. If an assessment doesn't state a time expectation, it's reasonable to ask before starting.

### Is a take-home assessment paid?

Rarely, though some companies compensate candidates for longer assessments, especially ones resembling real project work. It's a fair question to ask before committing significant time.

### How is a take-home assessment different from a coding challenge?

A coding challenge can be delivered live or as a take-home; take-home assessment specifically describes the delivery format, completed independently and submitted by a deadline, rather than the content of what's being tested.

## Related pages

- [Browse open roles](/jobs)

## Combine it with live practice too

A take-home project is only part of most pipelines. Practice the live interview side on Intervieux as well.

Start practicing free: https://www.intervieux.ai/register · Hire with Intervieux: https://www.intervieux.ai/employers/signup