Schedule and time zones
Schedule windows, the validation rules, and how the chosen timezone flows through invitations, reminders, and the candidate experience.
Schedule and time zones
The schedule window defines when candidates may start and finish an assessment, and the timezone makes the window unambiguous regardless of where the candidate lives. This page covers the rules and how the choices flow through the rest of the product.
The schedule window
The window has two values: a start and an end datetime, in the workspace timezone.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Start must be in the future | At least 30 minutes ahead of "now" at submit time |
| Minimum window length | At least 30 minutes |
| Maximum window length | 21 days |
Candidates may open their private link any time within the window. If the window closes before they finish, the test auto-submits with their latest code.
The timezone
The timezone is set on the Configuration step and defaults to the browser timezone. The window is recorded as a UTC instant, so the displayed wall-clock time depends on who is reading it.
The chosen timezone flows through three places:
- Invitation email — variables like
{start_time},{end_time},{window}and{timezone}render in the workspace's timezone, with the IANA name shown so candidates can convert. - Schedule window labels on the assessment detail page render in the workspace timezone.
- Pricing — the region used for payment gateway selection is derived from the timezone, so changing the timezone changes the available gateway.
| Workspace timezone | Example zones | Region used for pricing | Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Asia/Kolkata, Asia/Calcutta | IN | Razorpay |
| Middle East | Asia/Dubai (AE), Asia/Riyadh (SA) | AE, SA | Stripe |
| East Asia | Asia/Tokyo (JP), Asia/Seoul (KR), Asia/Singapore (SG), China (CN) | JP, KR, SG, CN | Stripe |
| Europe | Europe/London (GB), Europe/Dublin et al. (EU) | GB, EU | Stripe |
| North America | America/New_York et al. (US), America/Toronto et al. (CA) | US, CA | Stripe |
| Latin America | America/Sao_Paulo et al. (BR), America/Mexico_City et al. (MX) | BR, MX | Stripe |
| Oceania | Australia/Sydney et al. (AU) | AU | Stripe |
| Africa | Africa/Lagos (NG), Africa/Johannesburg (ZA) | NG, ZA | Stripe |
The region is derived from the timezone to choose the gateway: India settles through Razorpay; every other region settles through Stripe. Where a timezone does not map to a known region, the platform resolves your region automatically — you are still shown the correct gateway for where you are.
Schedule-related variables in the invitation email
The invitation email exposes the schedule through a fixed list of variables. See Customize the invitation email for the full table.