Question 1

What are the test states and what do they mean?

Accepted Answer

Five states. Draft is the only one where the test isn't visible to visitors and you can edit anything. Running means visitors are being assigned to variants and conversions are tracked. Paused freezes assignment for new visitors but keeps the test visible to those already in it. Completed marks the test ended with results frozen — no new assignments, no new conversions. Archived hides completed tests from the main list for tidiness.

Question 2

Which transitions are allowed?

Accepted Answer

Draft → Running via Start (after a readiness check). Running → Paused via Pause, or → Completed via Complete. Paused → Running via Resume, or → Completed via Complete. Completed → Running via Resume (unless the scheduled end date has already passed). Completed → Archived via Archive. Archive is one-way from the dashboard; you can still see archived tests under the Archived filter.

Question 3

Can I edit a test after I start it?

Accepted Answer

No. Once a test moves out of draft, the wizard, variants, goals, targeting, and URL fields all lock. Edit-style metadata like the test name and collaborators can still change. To meaningfully change a running test, you have two options: complete or pause it and duplicate it as a new draft, or restore a prior version (which creates a fresh test from that snapshot).

Question 4

Can I delete a test?

Accepted Answer

Only drafts can be deleted, and the dashboard makes that explicit — Delete is enabled on drafts and disabled elsewhere. Running, paused, completed, and archived tests have all collected real visitor data; deleting that data would be irreversible and would orphan revenue and conversion records. Use Archive to get a completed test out of the way without losing the result.

Question 5

What does Start actually do?

Accepted Answer

It runs a readiness check: at least 2 variants, exactly 1 marked as control, at least 1 goal, exactly 1 goal marked as primary, and (if any goal is a GA4 event) a connected GA4 property. If everything passes, the test records its started_at timestamp, flips to running, and the SDK begins assigning visitors on the next pageview. If the check fails, the start is rejected and the test stays a draft with the specific error shown so you can fix it.

Question 6

What happens when I pause a test?

Accepted Answer

New visitors stop being assigned. Visitors who already have an assignment keep seeing their variant (assignment is sticky) — so paused tests aren't quite frozen, they just stop growing. Conversions from already-assigned visitors continue to count. Pause is reversible via Resume and is the right state when you need to investigate something without losing data.

Question 7

What's the difference between Pause and Complete?

Accepted Answer

Pause is temporary and reversible; Complete is meant to mean &ldquo;the experiment is over and I've made a decision.&rdquo; Both stop new assignments. Complete additionally records an ended_at timestamp and stops counting conversions from existing visitors (the result freezes). You can Resume a completed test if you change your mind, as long as the scheduled end date hasn't passed.

Question 8

What does Resume do, and why is it sometimes blocked?

Accepted Answer

Resume moves a paused or completed test back to running, re-enabling new assignments and continuing to count conversions. If you set a scheduled end date on the test and it's already passed, resume is blocked — the test would &ldquo;finish&rdquo; the moment it started, which is rarely what you want. Update the end date first, then resume.

Question 9

How does duplicate work?

Accepted Answer

Duplicate creates a brand-new draft with all the configuration of the source test — variants, goals, targeting, URL match — but no visitors, no assignments, and no conversions. The duplicate opens straight into the wizard so you can adjust whatever's different about the new test before launching.

Question 10

What's version restore for?

Accepted Answer

Every meaningful edit to a draft creates a new test version (a snapshot of the configuration). Restore-version lets you roll a draft back to a previous snapshot if a recent edit broke something — variants, goals, targeting all revert. Restore only applies to drafts; running and completed tests are frozen.

Question 11

Can I schedule a test to start or end automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes — both. A draft with a scheduled start date auto-transitions to running when that time arrives (subject to a readiness check that the test has at least 2 variants and 1 goal). A running test with a scheduled end date auto-transitions to completed when that time arrives. The background checker runs every 5 minutes, so expect a small lag. See the Scheduled Start & End section for full semantics.

Question 12

Where do archived tests go?

Accepted Answer

Nowhere — they stay in the database with all their data. Archiving just hides them from the main test list so it doesn't clutter when you have lots of completed work. Switch the list filter to Archived (or All) to see them again. You can read results, duplicate them, or just keep them as a record.

From	Action	To	Notes
Draft	`Start`	Running	Runs a readiness check: at least 2 variants, exactly 1 control, at least 1 goal, exactly 1 primary goal, and a connected GA4 property if any goal is a GA4 event. Rejected with a clear message if anything is missing.
Running	`Pause`	Paused	Stops new assignments; existing visitors keep their variant.
Running	`Complete`	Completed	Records ended_at; freezes assignment and conversions.
Paused	`Resume`	Running	Resumes new assignments and conversion tracking.
Paused	`Complete`	Completed	Ends the test cleanly without resuming first.
Completed	`Resume`	Running	Blocked if the scheduled end date has passed — update it first.
Completed	`Archive`	Archived	Hides the test from the default list. One-way from the UI, but data is preserved.
Any	`Duplicate`	Draft (new)	Creates a fresh draft with the same configuration. No data carried over.
Draft	`Restore version`	Draft	Replaces the current draft config with a prior snapshot. Drafts only.

Test Lifecycle

Test Lifecycle

The five states

Draft

Running

Paused

Completed

Archived

Allowed transitions

Automated transitions

Practical rules of thumb

Frequently asked questions