---
title: Disqualifying applicants using prescreen questions
description: Using prescreen questions to disqualify candidates will help ensure you are only spending time on qualified candidates. This article will show you how to edit your prescreen questions to disqualify candidates and the best practices around it.
---

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# Disqualifying applicants using prescreen questions

### How it works

An easy way to ensure that you only spend time on qualified applicants to use [prescreen questions](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/using-prescreen-questions?hsLang=en) and mark certain answers as disqualifying. For example, if you don’t want to consider applicants who don't have a high school diploma, you should mark any education levels below high school as disqualifying answers.

Disqualified applicants will not appear on the Active/New tab on your **Applicants** page. You must click the **Disqualified** tab at the top of your screen to view these applicants.

![Applicant page, cropped (Nav Bar Expanded) Navigation, Disqualified](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Applicant%20page%2c%20cropped%20(Nav%20Bar%20Expanded)%20Navigation%2c%20Disqualified.png?width=670&height=120&name=Applicant%20page%2c%20cropped%20(Nav%20Bar%20Expanded)%20Navigation%2c%20Disqualified.png)

### Editing your prescreen questions to disqualify applicants

To edit your prescreen questions, locate the name of a job on your Jobs page. Click the **Pencil icon** to edit the job.

![Jobs Page, Active (Nav Bar Expanded) (Edit+Jobs highlight) (cropped)](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Nav%20Bar%20Overhaul/Jobs%20Page%2c%20Active%20(Nav%20Bar%20Expanded)%20(Edit+Jobs%20highlight)%20(cropped).png?width=670&height=177&name=Jobs%20Page%2c%20Active%20(Nav%20Bar%20Expanded)%20(Edit+Jobs%20highlight)%20(cropped).png)

Navigate to the **Applicant Evaluation** section and click the **settings icon** next to a prescreen question.

![file-y49u7W9n4Q.png](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Import/4569754049819.png?width=670&height=258&name=4569754049819.png)

If you don’t want to consider a candidate who answers a prescreen question with a particular response, select **Disqualify** from the **Status** drop-down.

![file-sifm3souk4.png](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Import/4569677220763.png?width=512&height=396&name=4569677220763.png)

If an answer shouldn’t disqualify an applicant, then the question Status should be set to **Normal**, **Fast Track**, or **Auto Fast Track**. [Learn more about Fast Track.](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/fast-track?hsLang=en)

In the example above, if you would like to disqualify any applicants who don’t have any prior customer service experience, you should give the "No experience" response to this prescreen question a **Disqualify** status.

If a candidate provides a disqualifying response to one of the prescreen questions during their application, their prescreen score will be marked as a red "D."

![Applicants page (NavCOL) (Disqualified tab + Dqd Applicant) Showing disqualified candidate](https://adpsupport.careerplug.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Applicants%20page%20(NavCOL)%20(Disqualified%20tab%20+%20Dqd%20Applicant)%20Showing%20disqualified%20candidate.png?width=369&height=457&name=Applicants%20page%20(NavCOL)%20(Disqualified%20tab%20+%20Dqd%20Applicant)%20Showing%20disqualified%20candidate.png)

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