> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mergeoa.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart: Run your first assessment

> Learn how to set up your Merge account, configure a code review assessment for your open role, and send a candidate their invite link in minutes.

This guide walks you through everything you need to run your first Merge assessment — from getting access to your company account all the way to sending a candidate their invite link. By the end, you'll have a configured assessment ready to go and a clear picture of what happens once the review loop kicks off.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Book a Demo & Get Access">
    Merge is offered through approved onboarding to ensure every team gets a proper setup. Start by booking a 30-minute demo at [cal.com/mergeoademo/30min](https://cal.com/mergeoademo/30min). After the demo, your account will be approved and you'll receive an invite code to complete company registration. Use your work email and invite code at sign-up to create your organization's workspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect Your ATS">
    Once your account is active, head to **Settings > Integrations** to connect your applicant tracking system. Merge supports Lever, Greenhouse, Ashby, Workday, iCIMS, SmartRecruiters, Rippling, BambooHR, Workable, Recruitee, Breezy HR, and Pinpoint. Connecting your ATS lets you push candidate invites and pull completed scorecards without leaving your existing workflow. See the [Integrations Overview](integrations/overview) for step-by-step setup instructions for each supported platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Your First Assessment">
    Open the **Assessments** dashboard and click **New Assessment**. Configure three things: the difficulty level (intern through principal), the specialization (frontend, backend, infrastructure, security, platform, and others), and the programming language surface. Merge uses these settings to select an appropriate codebase and pull request for the review loop. Visit [Creating an Assessment](assessments/creating) for a full breakdown of every configuration option.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite a Candidate">
    With your assessment configured, open the assessment detail page and click **Invite Candidate**. Enter the candidate's email address to send them a direct link to start the review loop. If your ATS is connected, you can also trigger invites directly from your pipeline without returning to the Merge dashboard. Learn more in [Inviting Candidates](assessments/inviting-candidates).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Most teams run their first assessment in under 30 minutes after onboarding. The quickest path is to connect your ATS, create one assessment, and invite a colleague to do a trial run before sending it to a real candidate.
</Tip>

## What happens next

Once a candidate clicks their invite link, the review loop begins automatically. They read the codebase and pull request, leave their first round of comments, and Merge's AI responds with a revised PR. That cycle continues — comment, revise, comment, revise — until the assessment window closes or the candidate approves the pull request.

When the session ends, Merge generates a structured scorecard for the candidate. The scorecard covers code quality reasoning, risk detection, revision judgment across rounds, and a hiring recommendation. Your team can review it directly in the Merge dashboard or find it synced back to your ATS. See [Scorecards](reporting/scorecards) for a detailed breakdown of what each section covers and how scores are calculated.