Conduct a Test Sitting
Five steps, one page. Language Tests → Testing Center → pick an organization → Conduct a test.
1. Name the sitting and set the window
Give the event a name your colleagues will recognise months later — "Feb intake placement — Campus B" beats "Test 3".
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Opens | Before this time, a candidate's link or code will not start the test |
| Closes | After this time, the sitting is closed |
| Leave Opens empty | Candidates can start as soon as they are invited |
| Leave Closes empty | The sitting stays open until you close it |
The window is per event, so two sittings on the same day can have different hours.
2. Choose the paper
Two options:
- One fixed test — everyone sits the same paper. Simplest, and right for most sittings.
- A pool — the system gives each candidate a paper from a set you choose. Use this when candidates sit side by side. See Test pools.
3. Decide how results are released
| Policy | What happens when a candidate finishes |
|---|---|
| Release immediately | The candidate sees the score straight away |
| Hold for examiner review | The result waits in the review queue. An examiner checks it, can adjust the score, and releases it |
Choose review for anything that goes on the record — admissions, employer reports, certificates you sign. Choose immediate for quick internal placement.
Writing and speaking are marked by AI either way. Review is about whether a human sees it before the candidate does.
4. Load the roster
| Method | Best for | How |
|---|---|---|
| Paste | A handful of people | One per line: Name, email |
| CSV upload | Hundreds or thousands | Download the template from the event page, fill it in, upload it. Up to 5,000 rows and 5 MB per upload |
| Codes only | Candidates with no email | Supply names (and optionally a reference number). The system generates a printed access code for each |
A large upload does not run while you wait. The event page shows a progress bar and you can leave and come back — invitations go out steadily in the background rather than all at once.
If some rows fail — a malformed email, a duplicate — the import tells you exactly which lines and why. The rest still go through.
5. Let them sit
Invited by email: the candidate gets an account and a personal link. They only ever see their own test.
Given a code: the candidate goes to /language-tests/start/, types the code, and
begins.
Either way it is one timed attempt with AI help switched off. If the timer runs out, the attempt is submitted automatically and the result is still produced — a candidate is never locked out of their own result.
After the sitting
The event page is the control room:
- Roster — who has been invited, started, finished, or is awaiting review
- Resend an invitation, or reissue a lost access code
- Cancel a candidate who is not going to sit — cancelling before they take the test means you are not charged for it
- Export CSV of the whole roster
- Certificates ZIP — every certificate for the event in one download