> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.equip.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Determining Assessment Duration

> How Equip estimates total assessment duration, and how to plan and adjust it.

<Tip>
  An assessment's duration is the sum of the timers on its tests and questions. Equip calculates this for you and shows it as the **Estimated Assessment Duration** in the Test Order tab. There is no single time limit for the whole assessment.
</Tip>

## How Duration Is Calculated

Every question in **Equip's question bank** has a timer associated with it. When you build an assessment, Equip adds up these timers across all tests and displays the **Estimated Assessment Duration** in the **Test Order** tab of the assessment builder.

Time limits apply at the test or question level, depending on the test type:

| Test type                     | Where the time limit applies |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Quiz (one question at a time) | Per question                 |
| Quiz (all questions at once)  | Whole test                   |
| Programming, SQL, CSS         | Whole test                   |
| English Communication (CEFR)  | Per question                 |
| Video Response                | Per question                 |
| Excel                         | Per question                 |
| Psychometric                  | No time limit                |

<Note>
  There is no **assessment-level time limit**. Candidates attempt tests one by one and can take breaks between tests, so the exact end time of an assessment cannot be controlled. See [Time Limits](/time-limits) for details.
</Note>

<Warning>
  If you add a **Custom Test** to your assessment without setting a timer for every question, the Estimated Assessment Duration may not match how long candidates actually take.
</Warning>

## Planning Assessment Length

Some tests have predictable durations, which helps you plan the overall length of your assessment:

| Test                          | Typical duration                                                                         |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| DISC Psychometric             | 24 questions, about 12 minutes                                                           |
| OCEAN (Big Five) Psychometric | 50 questions, about 25 minutes                                                           |
| English Communication (CEFR)  | • Fixed-duration: 1 set, about 15 minutes<br />• Adaptive: 2 to 6 sets, about 45 minutes |

For quizzes, duration scales with the number of questions you configure per skill. An **Equip Content** quiz can hold up to 25 questions, and you can add multiple quizzes if you need more. See [Question Limits](/question-limits) for the caps per test type.

<Note>
  Assessment duration is separate from the **start window**. The "Cannot Start Before" and "Cannot Start After" settings control when candidates may begin, not how long they get once they start. See [Assessment Settings](/assessment-settings).
</Note>

## Changing Test Durations

Timers on **Equip Content** are fixed and cannot be edited. Timers on **Custom Tests** are fully under your control: you set a time per question for one-by-one quizzes, or a time for the whole test for all-at-once quizzes.

To adjust the overall duration of an assessment:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the assessment builder">
    From the Recruiter Dashboard, open your assessment's settings. The builder shows the Tests, Test Order, and Settings tabs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add or remove content in the Tests tab">
    With Equip Content, change the duration by adding or removing tests, or by adjusting the number of questions per skill. Fewer questions means a shorter assessment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit timers on Custom Tests">
    For a Custom Test, set or change the timer on each question, or on the whole test for all-at-once quizzes. Saved changes apply immediately to candidates who attempt after the change.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the new estimate">
    Open the **Test Order** tab to see the updated Estimated Assessment Duration.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  You can freely mix Equip Content and Custom Tests in the same assessment. Use Equip's battle-tested questions with fixed timers, and add a Custom Test wherever you need full control over timing.
</Tip>

## Related Resources

* [Time Limits](/time-limits) - Where time limits apply for each test type
* [Custom Quiz Time Limits](/custom-quiz-time-limits) - Set per-question or whole-test timers on your own quizzes
* [Create an Assessment](/create-assessment) - The full assessment builder walkthrough
* [Assessment Settings](/assessment-settings) - Start windows, candidate login, and other options