# Limits and defaults

> Every Truffle number in one place: interview settings, question caps, assessment lengths, invite and email limits, resume files, credits, plans and the API.

Source: https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/limits-and-defaults  
Last checked against the live product: 2026-10-05

The defaults a new position starts with and the limits the product enforces, grouped by area. Each number is what Truffle shows or states today.

This page collects the numbers you may need while setting up and running Truffle. "Default" is what a new position or account starts with. "Limit" is the most, or the least, the product allows. Where a cell reads n/a, the setting has no default or no stated limit. For what each term means, see the [Glossary](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/glossary).

## Positions and setup

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positions per account | n/a | Unlimited | On every plan. |
| Position description | n/a | At least 200 characters to go live | Truffle reads it back as Thin, Workable or Strong. |
| Wizard steps | 4 | n/a | Define the role, Build position, Configure screening, Review and activate. |
| Role brief | Empty | 3 questions, all optional | Even one answer sharpens what Truffle drafts. |
| Drafting criteria, checks, scenarios or Environment fit questions | n/a | n/a | Usually about 15 seconds, in the background. |
| Building your position on Review | n/a | n/a | Usually about 20 seconds while scoring criteria are set for each question. |
| Budget bar | n/a | Turns amber past 20 minutes of candidate time | It never blocks Next. |
| Time to get a role live | n/a | n/a | About 10 minutes. |
| Duplicating a position | n/a | n/a | Under 2 minutes. |
| Position deadline | None | n/a | Optional. When it passes, the position switches to Expired. Extend it before it passes; reopening clears it. |
| Closing a position | n/a | n/a | The link and careers page stop accepting candidates the same day. |

## Interview response settings

These sit in the Video interview section of Configure screening and apply to every question in the interview.

| Setting | Default | Options | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| `Answer on` | Video | Video or Audio | Audio means audio-only answers. |
| `Time to think` | 30 seconds | None up to 5 minutes, or Unlimited | A countdown before recording starts. |
| `Time to answer` | 2 minutes | 1, 2 or 3 minutes | The recording time for each answer. |
| `Retakes` | 1 retake | No retakes up to 3 retakes | Re-recordings allowed per question. |
| `Hide the question text while recording` | Off | On or off | Candidates hear the question but cannot read it back. |
| `Clarity read` (beta) | Off | On or off | English only, and free during the beta. Applies to interviews completed after you turn it on. |
| Welcome and completion videos | n/a | Up to 120 seconds when recorded | You can also upload an MP4 or use text. |

*Figure: A new position's interview settings: Video, 30 seconds to think, 2 minutes to answer and 1 retake, with Clarity read off.*

With those defaults, a five-question interview came to about 12 minutes of candidate time in the wizard. A typical one-way interview takes a candidate 10 to 15 minutes.

## Questions per position

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview questions | Suggested set, sized by role type | 10 | Our sales development capture suggested 5. |
| A question you write | n/a | 150 words | Checked for bias risk as you type. Saved for reuse. |
| Question bank areas | n/a | 7 | Browse by area, or search. |
| Work scenarios | Drafted set for the role | 10 | Our capture drafted 6. |
| Response options per scenario | 4 | 4 | You pick one, candidates rank all four. |
| Environment fit questions | Drafted set for the role | 10 | Our capture drafted 6. |
| Preferences per Environment fit question | 2 | 2 | You pick the one true of the job. |
| Personality traits | 5, none chosen | At least 1 must be scored | Every trait needs a choice. Truffle never suggests trait directions. |

Drafting again for the same role can return a different set of scenarios or questions.

## Assessments

| Assessment | Time on Build position | Length | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personality, Standard | 5 min | 50 statements | 10 statements a page on a 5-point scale. Truffle suggests the length for the role. |
| Personality, Express | 3 min | 20 statements | For roles where speed matters. |
| Work scenarios | 6 min | Set by you, up to 10 | With 6 scenarios, candidates were told about 7 minutes. |
| Environment fit | 2 min | Set by you, up to 10 | With 6 questions, candidates were told about 2 minutes. |

*Figure: Assessment length for Personality: Standard at 50 questions and 5 minutes, or Express at 20 questions and 3 minutes.*

- All three assessments together take a candidate about 12 to 13 minutes.
- An assessed candidate costs 2 credits, with all three assessments included.
- In Work scenarios, a candidate who ranks your pick last of four scores 0 of 3 on that scenario.
- Environment fit shows a count, such as 4 of 6 aligned, and no percentage.

## Qualification checks

Each check has a question type, a pass rule, an outcome, and a `Must be answered` switch.

| Question type | What passes |
|---|---|
| `Yes/No` | The answer you require, such as Yes. |
| `Numeric` | A minimum, a maximum or both, with an optional unit. |
| `Select` | A choice from a list you write. |
| `Multiple select` | Any, all, none or exactly one of the options you mark. |
| `Date` | A fixed date, or one relative to today, such as within the last 2 years. |
| `Free-form` | No pass rule. The answer is collected for your review and never evaluated. |

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcomes | Drafted checks arrive with a proposed outcome | 3 | `Reject automatically`, `Flag for review` or `Just collect it`. |
| `Must be answered` | Set per check | n/a | Locked on for `Reject automatically`. |
| Running checks on their own | n/a | Not allowed | A position needs Resume, Video Interview or Assessments on as well. |
| Credit cost | n/a | n/a | Checks show no credit cost. |

## Invitations and reminders

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invitation deadline | 7 days | n/a | Each invitation carries a unique link. |
| Per-invite completion deadline | Off | n/a | Set a date and time zone. You can extend it after sending, for one candidate or in bulk. |
| Deadline warning | n/a | n/a | Shown when a candidate tries to leave with less than 24 hours remaining. |
| `Paste from spreadsheet` | n/a | 200 rows per paste, 50 invitations per send | A send over 50 is refused with "Maximum 50 candidates can be invited at once". See [Invite candidates by email](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/guides/invite-candidates-by-email). |
| Automatic reminders | On | 3 | At 24 hours, 72 hours and 7 days. Each can be switched off per position. |
| Manual reminder | n/a | Once every 24 hours per candidate | Sent from the candidate's profile. |

## Candidate emails and templates

To change these emails, see [Customize candidate emails](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/guides/customize-candidate-emails).

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate emails | All on | 5 | Invitation, three reminders and the completion confirmation. |
| Templates per email | Truffle's stock template | 20 named templates per email | One is the company default. Paid plans only. |
| Merge tags | n/a | 9, plus `{personalized_note}` | `{candidate_first_name}`, `{candidate_full_name}`, `{company_name}`, `{position_title}`, `{estimated_duration}`, `{screening_type}`, `{deadline_date}`, `{sender_name}`, `{sender_title}`. |
| Reply routing | `Reply to the sender` for companies created from 17 September 2026 | n/a | Or `Use one address`. |
| Emails waiting for review in email import | n/a | Expire after 14 days | Applies to senders that are not accepted directly. |
| Email import after cancellation | n/a | Stops 14 days past cancellation | Blocked accounts stop importing too. |

## Resumes

| Route | File types | Size limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosted job page apply flow | PDF or DOCX | 5 MB | Read in the candidate's browser. No account needed. |
| Bulk upload | PDF or DOCX | 5 MB per file, up to 50 files per upload | Scanned PDFs are read with text recognition. Uploaded candidates get no email. |
| Email import | PDF or DOCX attachments | n/a | Accepted directly from Indeed, LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter. |
| Pinpoint, `Screen resume with Truffle` | PDF or DOCX | 5 MB | Does not contact the candidate. |

Each resume scored costs 1 credit.

## Reviewing and sharing

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share link expiry | 75 days (Hiring team, Interview record), 30 days (External share) | 7, 30, 75 or 180 days | 180 days and more than one live link per candidate are on annual plans. Password optional. |
| Share link audiences | n/a | 3 | Hiring team, External share, Interview record. |
| Share link content groups | Set by the audience | 8 | Contact details and the resume file are off until you turn them on. |
| Home queue | Collapsed | 3 candidates per position | The rest sit behind Show more. |
| Bulk delete | n/a | 5 or more asks you to type DELETE | Deletion cannot be undone. |
| Analytics time filter | n/a | 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or All | Applies to every number on the page. |
| Analytics conversion percentages | Hidden | Shown from 10 started candidates | Before that the position is too early to tell. |
| Completed interview notifications | n/a | All completed interviews, `Only strong matches`, or never | Set per person. |
| Interview match score | n/a | 0 to 100 | Bands at 70 and above, 50 to 69, and below 50. |
| Candidate Shorts competencies | n/a | 33 dimensions | Each clip is tagged with one. |
| Billing history | 3 latest periods | n/a | Earlier periods sit behind Show earlier periods. |

## Credits and plans

| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | Credits a month | Roll-over | Overage |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---|---|
| Starter | $49 | Not offered | 200 | No | None, hard cap |
| Core | $119 | $99 | 600 | Up to 3x pool | $0.25 a credit |
| Team | $239 | $199 | 1,500 | Up to 3x pool | $0.25 a credit |
| Scale | $599 | $499 | 4,000 | Up to 3x pool | $0.25 a credit |
| Custom | Book a call | n/a | Custom | n/a | n/a |

| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A resume screened | 1 credit | Charged when it is scored. |
| An assessed candidate | 2 credits | All three assessments included. |
| A completed one-way interview | 5 credits | Charged when the candidate submits. |
| Apply first | 1 credit per candidate who applies, then 5 more for each person you invite who finishes | As priced on Build position. |
| Roll-over | 12 months while subscribed, capped at 3x the monthly pool | Core, Team and Scale. Forfeited on downgrade or cancel. |
| Annual billing | 2 months free | Core, Team and Scale. The whole year of credits is available up front. |
| Team members | Unlimited | No per-seat fees. |
| Access after cancelling | Until the end of the billing period | Candidates can still apply and finish for 14 days after that. |
| Cancellation offers | At most one every 30 days | One option is a 15-minute call with a founder. |

## Free trial

| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 7 days | Confirmed as the last step of sign-up. |
| Credits | 30 | n/a |
| Credit card | Not needed | n/a |
| Integrations, API and Zapier | Not available | They need a paid plan. |

## API, webhooks and integrations

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| API access | n/a | Paid plans only | Needs an approved access request. Keys have a name and description, and can be regenerated or deleted. |
| API permission levels | n/a | 3 | Read, Write and Admin. |
| Webhook events | n/a | 2 | Screening completed (`interview.completed`) and Résumé scored (`application.resume_scored`). |
| Pinpoint key after replacement | n/a | Old key works for 7 days | n/a |
| Connecting a native integration | n/a | n/a | Under 10 minutes. |

## Account and sign-in

| Item | Default | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Password | n/a | At least 8 characters | With an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter and a number (8+ characters). |
| Login code | n/a | 6 digits | Sent to your email. |
| Organization roles | n/a | 4 | Owner, Admin, Member, Viewer. |
| Time zone | Detected from your browser | n/a | Set when the account is created. |

## What it does not do

- Starter has no overage, no roll-over and no annual billing. Its pool is a hard cap, so to screen more you move to a bigger plan.
- An interview cannot hold more than 10 questions, and a question you write cannot run past 150 words.
- A position cannot hold more than 10 work scenarios or 10 Environment fit questions.
- `Time to answer` cannot go past 3 minutes, and `Retakes` cannot go past 3.
- Resumes in formats other than PDF or DOCX, or over 5 MB, are not accepted.
- A manual reminder cannot go to the same candidate more than once in 24 hours.

## Related

- [Glossary](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/glossary)
- [Setting up a position](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/positions)
- [Assessments](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/assessments)
- [Getting candidates in](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/getting-candidates)
- [Plans and credits](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/credits)
- [Integrations and API](https://www.hiretruffle.com/how-it-works/integrations)

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Truffle is an AI screening platform for small teams doing high-volume hiring: resume screening, one-way video interviews and talent assessments. AI surfaces the evidence and you make every decision. Scores never reject a candidate; the only automatic rejection is a qualification rule the employer writes. https://www.hiretruffle.com