# What is Test Mode in a chatbot builder?

> Test Mode lets you chat with your AI agent as a client would before anyone else sees it. Why to ask questions you did not teach it, and what to look for.

Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chatbot-test-mode · Updated 2026-10-11 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com)

[AI agents](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-ai-agents) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)

Quick answer

Test Mode is a switch in a chatbot builder like Jotform AI Agents that makes the preview chat live, so you can ask your agent questions as a client would. It's how you find out what the agent says before the public does.

Last updated October 11, 2026

Updated October 11, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about)

## Why it matters for a small business

An agent is only as good as what is in its knowledge base. Test Mode lets you check that, privately. You ask a question in your own words, read the answer against the answer you taught it, and look for anything added that you never said.

The most useful tests are the ones you did not prepare for. Ask something the agent was never taught and see whether it admits it doesn't know or makes something up. For a law office, also check that it keeps to logistics and sends anything else to a person.

Keep a short list of test questions and reuse it each time you change what the agent knows. Include one question it was taught, one in a clumsy client-style wording, and one outside its job. A quick, repeatable test is better than a long one you only do once, because the agent's answers can change when you add or edit its knowledge.

## In a real lesson: Jotform AI Agents: An Agent That Answers Client Questions

In the [lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/jotform-ai-agent-client-questions), you taught Hartley Law's agent one question and answer under **TRAIN**, in **QUESTIONS & ANSWER**. You return to **BUILD** and click **Test Mode** at the bottom, which switches the preview chat on.

You ask the question in your own words, not the words you taught it. The agent answers from what you taught it, with the key items in bold. You read it against your answer, check nothing was added, then turn Test Mode off with the switch at the top right.

[Try this lesson free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/jotform-ai-agent-questions) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/jotform-ai-agent-client-questions).

## Common confusions

### Test Mode vs published

Testing is private to you. Nothing reaches clients until you publish the agent.

### Passing one test vs being ready

One good answer doesn't prove the agent is ready. Try questions you didn't teach it.

## Tips

- Test in your own words, then in a client's clumsy words.
- Ask one thing it was not taught.
- Keep legal advice out of the agent's job.

## Related terms

[Chatbot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chatbot) · [AI agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-agent) · [Knowledge base](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/knowledge-base) · [Hallucination](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/hallucination) · [Human in the loop](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/human-in-the-loop)

## More AI agents terms

[Tool calling](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/tool-calling) · [Agent memory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/agent-memory) · [Agentic AI](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/agentic-ai) · [AI Agent node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-agent-node)

## Where you use it: free lessons

- [Jotform AI Agents: An Agent That Answers Client Questions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/jotform-ai-agent-client-questions) (Jotform, 7 min)

## Prompt templates that use it

[Agent knowledge-base answer prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/ai-agent-knowledge-answer-prompt)

## Frequently asked questions

**Where is Test Mode in Jotform?**

On the BUILD tab, at the bottom. The lesson says the chat is live and the top tabs give way to a device switcher.

**What should I check in the answer?**

Compare it with the answer you taught, and confirm nothing was added.

**Should the agent give legal advice?**

The lesson says to keep legal advice out of it: let it answer logistics and send anything else to a person.

[All AI glossary terms, A to Z](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) · [Free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts)