> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.100hires.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# How to Use Knockout Questions to Auto-Disqualify Candidates

# How to Use Knockout Questions to Auto-Disqualify Candidates

Knockout questions are application questions tied to **Disqualify If** automation. Use them for hard requirements where one answer should stop the candidate from moving forward.

## Step 1: Add the requirement to the application form

Add the question as a profile field or application form question. Good knockout questions are simple and objective:

- Are you authorized to work in this country?
- Do you have the required license?
- Can you work the required shift?
- Are you located in the required region?

![Application form fields used as knockout questions](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/f/a/a/4faab8f2b2ab0400/how-to-use-knockout-questions-_sfdcyi.png)

Mark the question required if the automation depends on the answer.

![Required field setting for a knockout question](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/f/a/a/4faab8f2b2ab0400/how-to-use-knockout-questions-_1hksrz.png)

## Step 2: Add Disqualify If automation

Open the job workflow, choose the stage where new applications arrive, and add **Disqualify If** automation.

![Disqualify If automation on a workflow stage](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/f/a/a/4faab8f2b2ab0400/how-to-use-knockout-questions-_p6o7d1.png)

Choose the field and the answer that should disqualify the candidate.

![Disqualifying answer selected for automation](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/f/a/a/4faab8f2b2ab0400/how-to-use-knockout-questions-_opqaeg.png)

## Step 3: Decide what notification should happen

If the disqualification email notification is enabled in settings, applicants who came through the application form can receive an automatic notification. Candidates added manually, imported from CSV, or uploaded from resumes do not necessarily go through the same application-form flow, so send manual communication when needed.

![Disqualification email notification setting](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/f/a/a/4faab8f2b2ab0400/how-to-use-knockout-questions-_1qf4gt4.png)

## Screen multiple-choice or text answers (Contains / Doesn't contain)

**Disqualify If** works on simple yes/no fields. When the deal-breaker is one option inside a multiple-choice list (a language level, a certification, a city), use **Act if a form is filled** instead - it can disqualify based on whether an answer **Contains** or **Doesn't contain** a value.

Say you are hiring a German copywriter and only candidates at level **C2** qualify.

- **Quick option:** add a yes/no question like *"Is your German C2?"* and a **Disqualify If** rule for the *No* answer. Fast, but only two buckets.
- **Precise option:** ask for the exact level and disqualify every answer that isn't the one you want.

**Step 1 - Add a single-choice question.** On the job's **Application** tab, add a custom question (e.g. *"Wie hoch sind Ihre Deutschkenntnisse?"*), set the answer type to **Single choice**, add the options **B1, B2, C1, C2**, and mark it **Required**.

![Single-choice screening question with options B1, B2, C1, C2 marked Required](https://100hires.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/knockout-choice-question.png)

**Step 2 - Add the automation.** On the **Workflow** tab, open the stage where applications arrive and click **Add automation**, then choose **Act if a form is filled**. Under **Conditions**, click **+ Add condition**, pick your question, set the operator to **Doesn't contain**, and enter the value that should pass - **C2**. Leave **Then** on **Disqualify** and click **Save**.

![Act if a form is filled automation: if the answer Doesn't contain C2, then Disqualify](https://100hires.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/knockout-act-if-form-filled.png)

This reads as *"when the form is filled, if the German-level answer doesn't contain C2, disqualify."* An applicant who selects **B1** is disqualified automatically; one who selects **C2** stays active.

![Applicant who answered B1 shown under the Disqualified tab](https://100hires.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/knockout-b1-disqualified.png)

![Applicant who answered C2 shown under the Qualified tab](https://100hires.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/knockout-c2-qualified.png)

**Operator tips:**

- **Doesn't contain** a value disqualifies everyone except the exact match - use it when only one option should pass.
- **Contains** a value disqualifies anyone who chose it - add one condition per option you want to knock out.
- Keep the question **Required**. A condition is only ever checked against an answer that exists, so an unanswered question can never match - the candidate slips past the knockout and stays active. Making the question required is what closes that gap.
- Using two or more conditions in one automation? How they combine is a setting, and the default may not be what you expect. See the next section.

## Accept more than one answer (Match: Any / All)

A single condition covers the simple case: one option passes, everything else is out. Often more than one answer qualifies - C1 **or** C2 are both fine, or you accept any one of several certifications.

Add one condition per option, then tell the automation how to combine them. As soon as an action has two or more conditions, a **Match** switch appears at the top of the **Conditions** block, next to **+ Add condition**:

- **Match: Any** - the action runs when at least one condition is true. This is the default, and it is what every automation created before this switch existed still uses.
- **Match: All** - the action runs only when every condition is true.

The label between the condition rows shows which one is active, **OR** or **AND**, so you can read the rule top to bottom.

**Example - let C1 and C2 through, reject everything below.** Add two conditions on the German-level question, **Doesn't contain C2** and **Doesn't contain C1**, and set **Match** to **All**.

Read it as *"disqualify only if the answer is neither C2 nor C1."* Someone who picks C1 stays active: their answer does contain C1, so not every condition is true. Someone who picks B2 is disqualified, because both conditions hold.

Leaving that same pair on **Match: Any** does the opposite of what you intended. A C2 answer still "doesn't contain C1", and one true condition is enough to fire, so every applicant gets disqualified - including the qualified ones. Any two **Doesn't contain** conditions that exclude each other behave this way. Set them to **Match: All**.

The rule read the other way round: when you knock out several options with **Contains** - say B1 and B2 - keep **Match: Any**, because each condition should be able to fire on its own.

## When to use AI Scoring instead

Use **Disqualify If** for clear yes/no requirements. If several answers should contribute to a weighted decision, use AI Scoring instead. For example, a valid license might be a hard knockout, while years of experience and industry background are better handled as scoring criteria.

## Best practices

- Use knockout questions only for true deal-breakers.
- Keep the wording clear and candidate-friendly.
- Test the automation with a sample application before turning on job-board traffic.
- Review disqualified candidates periodically to confirm the rule is working as intended.