How to politely ask about scheduling?

[EmLy]

Hi all,

I need to write a polite and professional email to a potential future employer.
I've been asked to do an assignment for my interview. This came very sudden, and unfortunately, this week is exceptionally busy for me, as I'm in the middle of a very large project in my current job, and therefore my working days are longer. In their message they didn't tell what kind of schedule they had in mind.

I need help with two sentences:

How could I politely ask what kind of schedule they were thinking for the assignment?
How to politely tell that my schedule is busier than usual this week without sounding like I'm making excuses or prioritising other things? (And the reason that I'm asking about the schedule is because this week is a bit unusual for me.) Obviously, I would like to do the assignment as well as I can, but I'm afraid that I'll run out of time and end up not doing my best.

Thank you so much in advance! x

 

[Tdol]

I don't think it is a problem to be very busy when looking for a job; on the contrary, it suggests that you are the kind of person they are looking for, so why not be honest and tell them the truth about why this will be difficult for you? Besides which, if you manage it, you will look even better.