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What to ask before starting a take-home assignment

Clarify the time limit, deliverable and deadline before you start an interview task.

Ghosted editorialPublished 11 min read

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Read the brief

Write down what you’re handing in

Before you open a single file, turn the brief into four fields. Here’s a made-up one, filled in from a brief for a support role:

Task
Test the checkout of a demo shop and report what you find
Time budget
Two hours
Hand-in format
Not stated: a report, or a set of test cases?
Deadline
Thursday 14 May, no time given

Three of the four are clear enough to start. The fourth decides what you spend the two hours on, so that’s the one to ask about. If you can finish the sentence “By Thursday I’ll send…” without guessing, you don’t need to ask anything.

The unanswered question

A short report on the three biggest risks, or a broader set of test cases? Both fit in two hours, but not together. Ask which they’d prefer, and offer to send either.

The email

Ask one clear question

Reply in the thread the brief came in. Replace everything in square brackets.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

I’ve read the [task] brief. Within the [time limit], would you prefer [option one] or [option two]? I can send either as a [format] by [day].

Thanks, [Your name]

Filled in, it reads like this:

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi Jo,

I’ve read the checkout testing brief. Within the two-hour limit, would you prefer a short report on the three biggest risks or a broader set of test cases? I can send either as a PDF by Thursday.

Thanks, Alex

Made-up details

Two options they can choose between in a word, the time limit said back so they know you’ll keep to it, and the format and day you’ll hand in. A question like this is quick to answer, and it shows the reviewer you’re thinking about their time as well as yours.

No size given

If the brief leaves the size open

Suggest a stopping point. “I can spend two hours testing the main checkout flow and write up the issues I find. Would that give you enough to review?” Keep their answer with the brief.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

Thanks for sending the brief. I can spend [number] hours on [the part you’ll focus on] and write up [what you’ll hand in]. Would that give you enough to review?

Thanks, [Your name]

A brief with no limit isn’t asking for a weekend of your time. More often, nobody thought to write one down. Naming a size you’re happy with turns an open task into a fair one, and gives the team a chance to say if they expected something different.

How long interview tasks take

About 2 hours

Workers in Indeed’s Interview Tasks 2026 survey in Australia said an interview task takes about two hours on average. 55 per cent said they’d been asked to do one at some point.

Source: Dynamic Business, on Indeed’s Interview Tasks 2026 survey (Australia)

Start here

A question now saves an evening later

A take-home task is the closest an interview gets to the job itself. Working out what’s being asked, before you do the work, is part of that job. Teams that set these tasks expect a question or two. What they don’t want is a polished answer to a question they didn’t ask.

  1. It sets the size of the work

    Two hours on a report and two hours on test cases produce very different things. Knowing which they want means every minute counts toward it.

  2. It shows how you work

    In most jobs, the first step on an unclear request is a short, specific question. Asking one here is a small, real example of that.

  3. It gives you something to point to

    Their answer, in writing, settles what “done” means. If the review goes another way, you can say what you agreed and why you stopped where you did.

One email with every question in it is the right amount. Five emails over two days is the version that starts to cost you.

The four fields

What each field should tell you

Task

What you’re working on and the question you’re answering. “Test the checkout” is a task; “find the three biggest risks in the checkout” is a task with a question in it. If you can only write the first kind, the hand-in format often settles the rest.

Time budget

How long they expect you to spend. A limit is a guide to scope, not a dare. If there isn’t one, decide your own before you start and say what it is.

Hand-in format

A document, a set of files, a link, slides to present? How long? If they want a PDF, they probably plan to read it before a call; slides usually mean you’ll walk them through it.

Deadline

A day and a time, with a time zone if the team is somewhere else. “Thursday” could mean first thing or before midnight. If it matters for your week, ask.

Access

If your work needs a login

Ask for a test account or a sample dataset before starting. Confirm how the reviewer will open your submission, especially if you plan to share a private link.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

Before I start the [task], could you send [a test account or a sample dataset]? And would you like the finished work as an attachment, or as a link you can open without signing in?

Thanks, [Your name]

Use what they give you

Never use your current employer’s data, code or tools for an interview task, even to save time. If you need something to work with, ask them for it.

Check the link from outside your account

Open a shared link in a private window before you send it. A document only you can see is a blank page to the reviewer.

Send the file as well, if it’s small

A PDF in the email still opens if a link expires or a company network blocks the site you used.

Other situations

Three more questions you can copy

Each is a reply in the thread the brief came in. Ask everything you need in one email: if two of these apply, put both questions in the same message.

The deadline doesn’t fit your week. Offer a specific later day, not “a bit more time”.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

Thanks for sending the [task]. I’m working full days until [day], so I could send it by [later day] rather than [their day]. Would that still work for you?

Thanks, [Your name]

You’d like to know how it’ll be judged. Give two things they might care about and let them pick.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

I’ve read the [task] brief. To use the time well, could you tell me what the reviewers will look at most: [one thing] or [another thing]?

Thanks, [Your name]

You don’t know whether you’ll present it. The answer changes how much the write-up has to explain on its own.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the brief. Will we go through my [task] together in the next interview, or should the write-up stand on its own?

Thanks, [Your name]

Before you start

Four things to decide for yourself

Whether it’s worth your time

A task for a role you’re keen on is usually worth a couple of hours. If it looks like days of unpaid work for a job you’re lukewarm about, it’s fine to say so, or to step back.

How long you’ll actually spend

Keep to their limit, or the one you named. If you see more to do, write it down as “what I’d do next” rather than doing it.

When you’ll do it

Put the hours in your calendar as soon as you have the brief. A task left for the night before the deadline is the one that runs over.

What you’ll keep

Save the brief, their answers and your finished work together. You’ll want them before the next interview, whatever happens.

When a task is too much

66 per cent

Two-thirds of workers in the same Australian survey said they’d withdrawn an application, or decided not to apply at all, because of an interview task. Deciding a task isn’t worth it is a common choice, not a rare one.

Source: Dynamic Business, on Indeed’s Interview Tasks 2026 survey (Australia)

What goes wrong

The mistakes that cost an evening

Starting before you know what to hand in

Two hours of test cases when they wanted a one-page report. The work is good; it just answers a different question.

Five questions in five emails

Each one is reasonable. Together, they make a small task look like a lot of management. Read the brief once, then ask everything at once.

Going far over the limit, quietly

A submission that clearly took eight hours sets an expectation you’d have to keep in the job, and makes the comparison with other candidates unfair to you as well as them.

Polishing the wrong part

An hour on formatting and twenty minutes on the thinking. Reviewers usually read for the decisions you made.

Missing the time on the deadline

“Thursday” in their time zone may be Wednesday night in yours. Check, and send it with time to spare.

A link they can’t open

Shared from your own account, behind a login, or expired by the time they read it. Test it first, and attach a copy if you can.

Last look

A checklist before you start

When you hand it in

Send it with a short note

Hand it in the way they asked, in the same thread, with a few lines that frame what they’re about to read. Say what you focused on, how long you spent, and what you’d look at next. That last line is often what the next conversation picks up.

SubjectRe: their thread

Hi [Name],

Here’s my [task], attached as a [format]. I spent about [time] on it and focused on [what you focused on]. With more time, I’d look at [the next thing] next.

Thanks, [Your name]

Then get ready to talk about it. Reviewers often ask why you chose what you did, and what you left out. The one-page interview prep sheet has room for the decision you’re proudest of and the question you want to ask them. If you hear nothing after handing it in, the follow-up email after an interview works for a task too.

Questions

Questions people ask about take-home assignments

Is it OK to ask questions about a take-home assignment?

Yes. A short, specific question about scope or format is normal, and most teams would rather answer it than review work aimed at the wrong target. Ask everything in one email.

What if they don’t reply before I need to start?

Pick the reading that fits the time limit, say which one you chose at the top of your submission, and keep to it. “I focused on the three biggest risks rather than a full set of test cases” is a fair way to begin.

Should I go over the time limit?

Keep to it. If there’s more you’d do, list it as next steps rather than doing it. Going far over sets an expectation you’d have to keep, and the reviewer can’t tell what you could do in the time everyone else had.

What if my work needs a login?

Ask for a test account or a sample dataset before starting. Confirm how the reviewer will open your submission, especially if you plan to share a private link.

Can I ask for a later deadline?

Yes, if you ask early and name a day. “I could send it by Monday rather than Friday. Would that still work?” is easy to answer. Asking on the day it’s due is much harder.

Should I be paid for a take-home task?

Some employers pay for longer tasks; many don’t. It’s fair to ask how long they expect it to take, and to decide whether it’s worth it to you. If a task looks like days of real work, you can say so politely, or step back.

What if I think they’ll use my work?

If the task looks like real work the team could ship, it’s fair to ask how submissions are used. You can also keep the task to the time limit and hand in a write-up of your approach rather than a finished product.

Keep the brief with the job.

Keep each interview task with its application: the deadline, your notes and what you agreed.

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