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Create Your First Contest

A Contest in CoderScout is designed for large-scale, coordinated hiring, where many candidates participate in the same stages at the same time.

Contests are commonly used for:

  • Campus hiring
  • Off-campus hiring drives
  • Walk-in and mass recruitment
  • Hackathon-style evaluations

This guide walks you through creating your first Contest using the same four-step flow you see in the product.

Overview of the contest creation flow​

Creating a Contest consists of four steps:

  1. Job Opening
  2. Setup Stages
  3. Basic Details
  4. Candidates

While the overall flow is similar to creating an Assessment, there are a few important differences that are highlighted in each step.

Step 1: Define the Job Opening (optional)​

The first step allows you to define details about the job role associated with the Contest.

The fields and experience are identical to Assessments.

Create Contest – Job Opening

Key difference from Assessments​

  • Creating a Job Opening is optional for Contests
  • Some organizations use Contests purely as screening events (for example, campus drives)

You can either:

  • Fill in job details manually, or
  • Use Generate Job Opening to auto-fill fields using AI from a job description

The AI-assisted flow works exactly the same as in Assessments.

Step 2: Setup contest stages​

In this step, you configure the stages that candidates will go through, in sequence.

Create Contest – Setup Stages

Pre-placement Talk (Contest-only stage)​

Contests support a special stage type called Pre-placement Talk, which is only available in Contests.

What is a Pre-placement Talk?​

  • A live briefing conducted by the organization
  • Used to introduce:
    • The company
    • The role(s)
    • The selection process
    • Expectations from candidates

How it works​

  • You configure a tentative duration (in minutes)
  • All invited candidates can join this stage
  • Organization representatives can:
    • Share webcam
    • Share screen (present slides or demos)
    • Speak to candidates
    • Answer questions via chat or voice

This allows you to conduct the briefing without switching platforms (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) before starting the actual evaluation stages.

Other stages in a Contest​

Apart from Pre-placement Talk, you can add all other stage types available in Assessments, such as:

  • MCQ
  • Programming
  • Application
  • AI Interview
  • Technical / HR interviews

Stage configuration, difficulty, duration, and progression rules work the same way as they do in Assessments.

You can:

  • Add or remove stages
  • Reorder stages
  • Customize each stage independently

Step 3: Configure contest basic details​

In this step, you configure contest-level settings.

Create Contest – Basic Details

Contest details​

  • Contest name
  • Contest URL (used for sharing with candidates)

Proctoring and system requirements​

You can enable:

  • Webcam sharing
  • Screen sharing
  • Full-screen mode
  • Copy-paste restrictions
  • Dual screen restrictions
  • System checks before participation

Key differences from Assessments​

  • There is no Recruiter selection in Contests
  • Email notifications for individual stage start/end are not required

This is because:

  • Contests are actively supervised
  • Stages are started and ended by the hiring team
  • All candidates participate in a stage at the same time

Contest start time​

You must set a Contest Start Time.

This represents the scheduled start of the Contest and is important because:

  • All stages are coordinated events
  • Candidates must be informed in advance
  • The schedule is often communicated externally (campus TPOs, job boards, social media, etc.)

Examples:

  • Campus drive scheduled with a university
  • Off-campus hiring drive announced online

Step 4: Invite candidates or accept registrations​

The final step is bringing candidates into the Contest.

Create Contest – Invite Candidates

Option 1: Invite candidates directly​

  • Add candidate email addresses manually
  • Customize and preview the invitation email
  • Send invites in bulk

Option 2: Enable Direct Applications (optional)​

You can also allow candidates to apply directly using a public Application Form.

When Direct Applications are enabled:

  • You select an Application Form template
  • A public application URL is generated
  • Candidates can register themselves

Submission deadline (Contest-specific)​

For Contests, you must set a Submission Deadline for the Application Form.

Important rules:

  • The submission deadline must be before the Contest Start Time
  • Once the deadline passes, no new registrations are accepted

This allows you to:

  • Collect registrations until close to the event
  • Freeze the participant list before the Contest begins

Learn more about Application Forms here:
👉 Application Forms

What happens during the Contest​

Once the Contest starts:

  • Stages are started simultaneously for all candidates
  • Timers are global for each stage
  • Results are evaluated between stages
  • Qualified candidates are promoted to the next stage
  • Question randomization and controls help prevent leakage

This makes Contests ideal for fair, large-scale evaluations.

When should you use a Contest vs an Assessment?​

Use a Contest when:

  • Many candidates participate together
  • Stages must start and end at the same time
  • You want strong control to prevent information leakage

Use an Assessment when:

  • Candidates can take stages at their convenience
  • You want automated progression with minimal supervision
  • Hiring Managers review evidence before interviews

Next steps​