> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.talview.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How to invite candidates to an exam
As a coordinator, inviting candidates is how you bring them into an exam workflow and trigger their invitation email. Talview's Coordinator Console lets you invite candidates directly from the assessment view, either by adding them manually one at a time, or by uploading a bulk list using a pre-formatted template.
In this article, you will learn how to invite candidates to an exam in the Coordinator Console.
**Before You Begin**
Make sure you have:
* Coordinator role access on your Talview account.
* An active exam with at least one workflow step configured. If you haven't created an exam yet, see How to create an exam using a template.
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### Step-by-Step Guide
**1. Open the exam from the Exams list**
From the Coordinator Console, navigate to the **Exams** section using the left sidebar. The Exams list shows all active exams with their name, exam code, configuration template, and creation date.
Click on the exam you want to invite candidates to. This opens the exam's assessment view.
**2. Click the Invite button**
Inside the exam, you'll see a tab for each assessment step. The tab also shows the current candidate count in brackets, when no candidates have been added yet.
In the top-right corner, click **Invite**. This opens the Invite panel on the right side of the screen.
The panel shows the following pre-filled, read-only fields at the top:
* **Workflow** - auto-populated with the current exam's workflow ID.
* **Step** - auto-populated with the current assessment step name.
**3. Set the last date to attend**
The **Last Date to Attend** field only appears in the Invite panel when the exam is configured with fixed validity windows at the exam level. If this field does not appear in your invite panel, skip this step.
If the field is visible, click the calendar icon to open the date and time picker. Select the date by which candidates must complete the exam, then select a time from the list on the right. Click **Apply** to confirm.
This sets the deadline that applies to all candidates being invited in this batch. For more details on this field, see How to set the last date to attend for candidates.
If you leave the Last Date to Attend field empty, the invitation link remains open until the candidate completes the exam. Invitations are sent based on the coordinator's system time zone.
**4. Add candidates**
You have two options to add candidates:
* **Manually add candidates** - Fill in the candidate details in the row provided:
Click the **+** button on the right to add the candidate to the list. A new empty row appears at the top for the next candidate. The panel header updates to show the current count, for example, **Invite (1 Candidate)**.
Repeat this for each additional candidate you want to add.
1. **Name** - required.
2. **External ID** - optional. Use this to map the candidate to an ID in your external system.
3. **Email Address** - required. Must be a valid, unique email address.
4. **Phone Number** - optional.
* **Bulk upload via template** - Click **Download Template** to download a pre-formatted file. Fill in the candidate details and save the file. Then click **Upload** to import the list. After upload, the panel updates to show all imported candidates.
You can also mix both methods - upload a bulk list first, then manually add more candidates before sending the invitations.
**5. Click Invite**
Once you've added at least one candidate, click **Invite** to send the invitations. The panel closes and the assessment view refreshes. The tab updates to reflect the new candidate count and each invited candidate appears in the list with an **Invited** status.
**Additional Tip**
* The **Invite** button stays disabled until at least one candidate with a valid email address has been added to the list.
* If a candidate's email already exists in the system, the existing candidate record is reused, no duplicate is created.
* You can track candidate progress - including exam time, score, and integrity outcome, directly from the assessment view once candidates begin and complete their exam.
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