> ## 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.

# How Tests Are Graded on Equip

> Which test types are auto-graded, which use AI grading, and which need manual grading, plus how to spot and clear ungraded submissions.

<Tip>
  Most tests on Equip are graded automatically the moment a candidate submits. A few question and test types, such as video responses and CSS challenges, wait for you: they show an **ungraded** label until you award points, and the candidate's overall score stays ungraded until every test is graded.
</Tip>

Equip offers a variety of [test types](/test-types), and each test type can contain multiple question types. How a test is graded depends on both: some are scored instantly by Equip, some are evaluated by AI, and some need a recruiter to assign points.

## Auto-Graded Tests

**Auto-graded tests** are scored by Equip as soon as the candidate submits. You do not need to do anything; points appear in the results immediately.

| Test type                    | Graded automatically?                    |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Quiz                         | Yes, for most question types (see below) |
| Programming Test             | Yes                                      |
| SQL Test                     | Yes                                      |
| English Communication (CEFR) | Yes                                      |
| Attention to Detail          | Yes                                      |
| Excel Test                   | Yes                                      |
| Typing Test                  | Yes, but excluded from the overall score |
| Psychometric                 | Not scored (see note below)              |
| Video Response               | No, graded manually                      |
| CSS Challenge                | No, graded manually                      |

<Note>
  **Psychometric tests** are subjective, so they carry no points and no weightage. Candidates get a personality graph instead of a score, and the test is excluded from the overall score. See [Psychometric Scores](/psychometric-scores) for how to read the results.

  **Typing Tests** are scored automatically for speed and accuracy, but like psychometric tests they carry no weightage in the overall score.
</Note>

### Grading by quiz question type

Within a quiz, grading depends on the **question type**. Auto-graded question types include:

* **MCQ** (single correct answer)
* **MCA** (multiple correct answers)
* **Categorize**
* **Transcription**
* **Autograded Text** (exact-match expected answer)

These quiz question types are graded manually by the recruiter:

* **Voice Input**
* **Short Text** (essay-style answers)
* **Single-line Input**

<Tip>
  MCQs in Equip's own quiz content always carry **negative marking**, and it cannot be turned off. For custom quizzes, negative points are optional. See [Negative Marking](/negative-marking) for the details.
</Tip>

## AI-Graded Answers

**AI-graded questions** sit between the two: Equip's AI evaluates the response and assigns points, and you can override the result whenever you disagree.

AI grading applies to open-ended answers in AI-graded tests and AI interviews, across three answer formats:

| Answer format | What the AI evaluates                              |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Text**      | The written answer, within the word limits you set |
| **Audio**     | The candidate's recorded spoken response           |
| **Video**     | The candidate's recorded video response            |

You can steer the evaluation with an optional **per-question AI evaluation prompt**, and provide test-level evaluation context that applies to the whole test. The AI grades each response against your criteria.

<Note>
  AI scores are not final. Open any response and adjust the awarded points manually; the test score and overall score recalculate automatically. See [AI-Graded Questions](/ai-graded-questions) for setup details.
</Note>

## Manually Graded Tests

Two test types always need a recruiter to grade them: **Video Response** (video interview) tests and **CSS Challenges**. Quizzes containing Voice Input, Short Text, or Single-line Input questions also need a manual pass for those questions.

### Finding ungraded submissions

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the assessment results">
    Tests that still need grading are labeled **ungraded** on the results page. A candidate's overall score also shows as ungraded until every one of their tests is graded.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Filter with Show Ungraded">
    Use the **Show Ungraded** filter on the Dashboard to list every submission in the assessment that still needs grading.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Grade each pending question">
    Inside a test, ungraded questions are clearly labeled. Review the candidate's response, then click the **pencil icon** to assign points.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once you grade a test, its ungraded label disappears for that candidate. When all of their tests are graded, the ungraded label clears from the overall score too.

### Editing points after grading

Grading is never locked in. Wherever you see the **pencil icon**, you can change the points for a question, even if it was already graded automatically or manually.

<Note>
  When you change a question's points, Equip recalculates the test score and the candidate's overall score automatically. Weightages you set in the Test Order tab still apply; see [Test Scores and Overall Score](/test-scores-and-overall-score) for how the overall score is computed.
</Note>

For step-by-step walkthroughs of grading video responses and CSS challenges, including the question filters that speed up bulk grading, see [Manual Grading](/manual-grading).

## Related Resources

* [Manual Grading](/manual-grading) - Step-by-step guide to grading video responses and CSS challenges
* [Test Scores and Overall Score](/test-scores-and-overall-score) - How per-test scores and weightages combine into the overall score
* [AI-Graded Questions](/ai-graded-questions) - Configure text, audio, and video questions evaluated by AI
* [Negative Marking](/negative-marking) - How negative points work in Equip and custom quizzes