---
title: "Start an A/B/n test"
slug: "start-an-a-b-n-test"
abstract: "How to set the A/B/n test live by starting the test and publishing the page that includes the test."
---
# Start an A/B/n test

When you're ready to set your A/B test live, you can start the test to change its status from *Draft* to *Pending*. The test will start running and change to *Live* status only after you publish the page that includes it.

> [!note]
> **Before you begin**
> -   Ensure you have [at least two variants](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/a-b-n-testing/get-started-with-a-b-n-testing/create-an-a-b-n-test.html "Create an A/B/n test") with content, including the control variant.
>
> -   [Configure your goal](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/a-b-n-testing/get-started-with-a-b-n-testing/configure-a-b-n-test-settings.html#configure-the-goal "Configure the goal") by selecting one or more pages where you want to track the goal.
>
> -   [Assign traffic](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/a-b-n-testing/get-started-with-a-b-n-testing/configure-a-b-n-test-settings.html#assign-traffic-to-variants "Assign traffic to variants") to all variants and make sure it totals 100%.
>
> -   Publish all the goal-tracking pages you selected.

To start an A/B/n test:

1. In the Page builder **Editor** mode, open the page that contains the A/B/n test you want to start.
2. In the right-hand pane, click **Start**.
3. If your test does not meet one of the prerequisites, a dialog will display what needs to be done. Click **Ok** to dismiss the message, then review your [test configurations](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/a-b-n-testing/get-started-with-a-b-n-testing/configure-a-b-n-test-settings.html "Configure A/B/n test settings") and make the necessary changes. Try starting the test again.
4. Click **Continue** to prepare your test to start. In the right-hand pane, the status of your A/B/n test will be shown as *Pending*. You can no longer [configure the test settings](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/a-b-n-testing/get-started-with-a-b-n-testing/configure-a-b-n-test-settings.html "Configure A/B/n test settings") in this status. Your test will remain in this status until you publish the page.
5. Click **Publish**. The page is now published and the A/B/n test status changes to *Live*.

    When live, visitors of the page will start getting assigned randomly to variants in your A/B/n test. Within 24 hours, you can [view analytics](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/get-performance-insights/a-b-n-tests-performance-dashboard.html "A/B/n tests performance dashboard") to track how these variants are performing against each other. This lets you see which variant is leading or if a winner has been declared.

    > [!important]
    > You can no longer [configure the test settings](https://doc.sitecore.com/sai/en/users/sitecoreai/a-b-n-testing/get-started-with-a-b-n-testing/configure-a-b-n-test-settings.html "Configure A/B/n test settings") of a live A/B/n test, but you can still edit its content, layout, and styling. Any changes you make to a live A/B/n test might affect the analytics calculations.