The best pre-employment assessments test candidates on the skills necessary to do the job and help streamline recruiting by ensuring you interview only the most qualified candidates. Some assessment tools can test hard job skills like programming, while others handle soft skills like dealing with customers. There are also those that offer personality testing to find the best-fit applicants for your company culture.
We evaluated seven of the most popular that suit a small or midsize business’s budget and test needs to bring you the four best pre-employment assessment tools.
- TestGorilla: Best pre-employment assessment tool for assessment variety
- Testlify: Best for businesses with distributed teams
- Vervoe: Best for assessment grading efficiency
- Toggl Hire: Best free plan option
Since Our Last Update
Our most recent evaluation of the best pre-employment assessment tools saw us adding scoring and reducing the top tools that are recommended. Those that scored less than a 3 out of 5 were removed so that we could bring you only the best tools for your business.
Pre-employment Assessment Tools Compared
Our Score (out of 5) | Pricing | Free Plan | Key Features | |
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 | 4.28 | $0-$6,000 per month |
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 | 3.86 | 7-day free trial |
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 | 3.63 | $300-$5,000 (one-time payment) |
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 | 3.31 |
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If you are interested in creating your own in-house assessments, consider our free Excel test for interviewing candidates.
The Fit Small Business editorial process follows strict standards to ensure that our best answers are founded on the basis of accuracy, clarity, authority, objectivity, and accessibility.
With over two decades of human resources expertise centered around recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and employee management for small businesses, I bring a unique perspective on determining pre-employment assessment tools. Additionally, I have over three years of expertise in evaluating HR and payroll software.
For this article, seven of the top pre-employment assessment tool providers were evaluated across 38 data points to determine affordability, pre-employment assessment features, and how easy each was to use. See my full methodology below.
TestGorilla: Best for Assessment Variety
Pros
- Free plan includes 5 tests and 5 custom questions
- Paid plans have unlimited number of assessments per month
- 400+ premade tests
- Multiple steps to prevent cheating, including webcam snapshots
Cons
- No live support through phone or chat available
- Tests are not as job-specific as others on our list
- Video and coding tests require the second-highest plan
Overview
Who should use it:
TestGorilla offers an excellent free plan for skills assessment tests for employment, making it ideal for small businesses. However, you are limited to only five tests and five questions with the free plan.
Its paid plans are among the most affordable on our list, along with Toggl Hire, and offer unlimited assessments and candidate invites. Because of this, those on a budget who want a robust assessment tool will find TestGorilla compatible. Pricing is based on how many employees you have (i.e., 1-15, 16-30, 31-50, etc.).
Why we like it:
TestGorilla scored a 4.28 out of 5 in our evaluation, the best on our list, due to its affordable plan options and easy-to-use interface. It also offers 12 languages for a better user experience.
The free plan includes a cognitive, situational judgment, language, and JavaScript test, as well as several personality tests. Its library of premade tests is smaller than others, but they are more skills-based than job-specific. Plus, TestGorilla’s premade tests go through a 28-step verification process, and you can create your own tests.
It also scored well among users on third-party review sites (G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius) citing they like the flexibility of being able to add questions and share assessments with managers.
TestGorilla has a free forever plan and two paid plans Companies with less than 16 employees and greater than 500 employees must pay annually. Those with 16-500 employees can choose to pay annually (at a discount) or monthly. , with multiple price points depending on your company size.
- Free ($0 per month): Includes essential skills tests, five free tests, five custom questions, qualifying questions, the ability to invite unlimited candidates, and the ability to post remote jobs on job boards
- Starter ($75 to $4,330 per month): Includes over 400 tests, unlimited active assessments, the ability to invite unlimited candidates, and customization for essay, multiple choice, and file-upload questions
- Pro ($115 to $6,000 per month): Includes everything in the Starter plan, plus ATS integration, custom tests and coding challenges, custom branded assessments, and video questions
- 1,000+ employees (custom price): Requires you to call for a quote for both Starter and Pro plans
- Free plan: Includes 5 tests and 5 custom questions
- Test library: Features more than 400 tests, primarily based on skills, cognitive, and personality rather than job description
- BPO and outsourcing: Business process outsourcing (BPO) recruiting options
- Anti-cheating measures: Includes IP address logging, webcam snapshots, randomized questions, time limits, disabling copy and paste
- Available in multiple languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, and Swedish
- ATS integrations: BambooHR, Breezy, Greenhouse, Recruitee, Workday, Zoho Recruit, and more; API available in higher plans
Companies can edit assessments with custom questions in TestGorilla’s Edit assessment screen. (Source: TestGorilla)
Testlify: Best for Businesses with Distributed Teams
Pros
- Pricing is transparent and affordable for SMBs
- Extensive library of 1,500+ pre-made tests
- Live support via phone and chat; email available
- Over 100 HR, payroll, and ATS integrations
Cons
- Requires a 1-year commitment on all plans
- No free plan
- API key only available as an add-on
Overview
Who should use it:
Companies whose candidate base changes monthly will like Testlify’s fixed monthly rates. You can move up or down within their plan options to suit your needs. Plans are based on the number of employees you have and require a 1-year commitment.
Testlify also offers remote and global hiring so you can hire candidates anywhere, at any time, making it ideal for businesses that hire across the globe. And, you can integrate with over 1,000 ATS tools, making hiring globally a breeze.
Why we like it:
Testlify scored a 3.86 out of 5 in our evaluation. They scored the best out of all providers for their excellent customer support, with live phone, chat, and email services. Its pricing is transparent and affordable for small businesses, plus it offers a 25% discount for nonprofits.
Testlify’s open API integration offers the latest coding standards, advanced analytics, multi-language support, and a scalable infrastructure. It also offers a reseller plan allowing you to integrate Testlify’s assessments into your own platform, using white-labeling technology.
While they scored above a 4 out of 5 on third-party user review sites (G2 and Capterra), the review numbers were low, affecting their overall scoring in this category. However, users stated they like how fast and simple it is for candidates to complete assessments while still providing in-depth analysis.
Testlify offers four paid monthly plans geared towards startups, growing businesses, scaling businesses, and high-volume hiring. It also offers unlimited credit plans for internal or direct recruitment. Plus, you can try it for free for seven days or cancel at any time for any reason within 30 days and pay no more.
All plans Discounts of 71%-90% are offered on the first month for each monthly plan. A 50% discount is offered on all yearly plans. include unlimited assessments, all custom question types, all premium test libraries, all question libraries, and a custom brand appearance.
- Starter ($99 per month): Includes 30 candidate credits per month, 3 users, and $3 per additional invite
- Basic ($299 per month): Includes 100 candidate credits per month, 6 users, and $2 per additional invite
- Business ($599 per month): Includes 300 candidate credits per month, 10 users, and $1 per additional invite
- Premium ($1,499 per month): Includes 1,000 candidate credits per month, 20 users, and $1 per additional invite
- Unlimited ($699 to $34,999 per year Price determined by employee size; over 1,000 employees is custom priced ): Includes unlimited candidate credits per month
Add-ons
- White label (starting at $99 per month): Includes hidden Testlify branding, SMTP setup, custom domain, and support email and links
- Integration (starting at $199 per month): Includes API key, ATS integration, and webhooks
- User (starting at $12 per user per month): Includes additional user seats
- Analytics ($99 per month): Includes workspace analytics, grading, and performance benchmarking
- Test library: Includes role-specific tests, situational tests, personality assessments, coding challenges, and more
- Remote assessments: Designed specifically for remote workers to test skills and time management
- AI-driven platform: Provide key information, such as preferred skills, experience level, and desired question types, and Testlify’s AI technology will deliver intuitive prompts and smart suggestions
- Video interviewing: Effortlessly interview candidates directly through Testlify. Plus, the system provides auto-scoring of the interview, delivering scores based on answer relevance and verbal cues
- White-labeling: Allows you to rebrand the interface with your company logo and information. Plus, you can create your own URL for assessments
Testlify offers live coding assessments in more than 40 coding languages. (Source: Testlify)
Vervoe: Best for Assessment Grading Efficiency
Pros
- Free trial includes one assessment, 90 days
- 300+ ready-made job assessment tests
- AI can grade non-objective answers according to your preferences
Cons
- Custom assessments with higher plans only
- ATS integrations with higher plans only
- Mostly hard skills; fewer soft skills tests
Overview
Who should use it:
Vervoe offers assessments geared primarily toward specific jobs, like UX/UI Designer, Chief Marketing Officer, or Customer Support Specialist. It’s heavier on the hard skills but includes a few soft skills—and you can also create your own questions.
Why we like it:
Vervoe scored 3.63 out of 5 in our evaluation. It received high marks for its range of assessment tools due to its extensive library of over 300 tests, soft skills implementation, and role-specific templates.
Vervoe also stands out with its AI assessment tool. It not only grades the test but also tracks how the candidate interacts with the assessment itself, benchmarking their response against the millions of others in its database and applying that knowledge to your preferences.
Users like it too, scoring it high on third-party review sites (G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius). They liked the fast response to email ticket issues and the quality of candidates found using their assessment tools.
Vervoe offers three plans that all include hundreds of quality assessment templates, in-depth insights into candidate performance, and a personalized candidate-immersive culture.
- Free (7-day free trial): Includes unlimited invites, 1 assessment, unlimited team seats, standard assessment library, and standard assessment builder
- Pay-as-you-go (one-time payment): Includes unlimited invites, unlimited assessments, standard assessment library, standard assessment builder, standard AI grading, CSV exports, company branding, email support, and standard integrations
- 10 candidates: $300
- 30 candidates: $450
- 50 candidates: $600
- 100 candidates: $1,100
- 500 candidates: $5,000
- Custom (custom priced): Includes customizable assessments, custom question types, custom integrations, advanced AI grading, advanced generative AI detection, enterprise-grade security, regional data storage, priority support SLAs, guaranteed uptime SLA, onboarding team training program, custom reporting, and single sign-on (SSO)
- Test library: More than 300 tests with customizable questions
- Test builder: Job assessment builder creates a test by job title
- Multi-language: Coding tests in eight languages, including English and Chinese
- Anti-cheating tools: allows randomization of questions and geolocation detection
- AI tools: Includes assessment of answers and test interactions
- Reporting: Includes integrations, score distributions, and by-question reports
- Job simulation: Real-world scenarios to evaluate candidate skills
You can compare assessment scores in the candidate dashboard with Vervoe. (Source: Vervoe)
Toggl Hire: Best Free Plan Option
Pros
- Free plan includes unlimited tests and users
- Affordable Basic plan with 20 candidates
- All plans include skills tests, video intros, and homework assignments
Cons
- Does not offer live phone support
- Basic plan requires an annual commitment
- Anti-cheating measures only in Premium and higher plans
Overview
Who should use it:
Businesses looking for free pre-employment assessment tools with unlimited jobs and tests should consider Toggl Hire. Its free plan includes five candidates plus you get unlimited use of its skills tests. Plus, it has a standout candidate experience that uses gamification to attract passive candidates.
Why we like it:
Toggl Hire scored 3.31 out of 5 in our evaluation, with a perfect score for pricing. Although it doesn’t have live phone support, you can reach out via live chat or email.
Toggl Hire offers over 180 skills tests patterned to more than 150 jobs. With a test bank of over 15,000 questions and growing, it ensures no two candidates get the same test. You can add your own questions and include a video introduction.
The homework tool lets you assign tasks they can complete and upload. In fact, it has 500 real-world tasks available for you to use. Higher plans include a candidate pool function so you can look at previous candidates for new positions.
Users rated it above a 4.5 out of 5 on both G2 and Capterra, saying it was easy to use and helped evaluate candidates. They also liked that its paid plans were affordable and included unlimited features.
Toggl Hire offers both annual and monthly plans to suit your business needs.
- Free ($0 per month): Includes five candidates, unlimited jobs, tests, and users, plus autopilot candidate screening with pass scoring, unlimited use of skills tests, unlimited video intros, unlimited homework assignments, smart tests, bulk invitations, and instant candidate feedback
- Basic ($240 annually Basic plan billed annually only; no monthly option. ): Includes everything in the free plan, plus 20 candidates, a customizable candidate database, and full access to reports and analytics
- Premium ($535 monthly, 300 candidates): Includes everything in the Basic plan, plus anti-cheating tracking and AI features, a premium library of advanced questions, hiring automations, access to API and integrations, email login for candidates, and CSV and PDF candidate exports
- Annual plans are also available and are dependent on the number of candidates:
- 45 candidates: $75 per month ($900 annually)
- 60 candidates: $100 per month ($1,200 annually)
- 300 candidates: $375 per month ($4,500 annually)
- Annual plans are also available and are dependent on the number of candidates:
- Business ($670 per month) Annual pricing is available at $469 per month ($5,628 annually in a lumpsum). : Includes everything in the Premium plan, plus unlimited candidates, email template library, customizable candidate experience, and candidate management bulk actions
- Unlimited jobs and tests: Included in all plans
- Screening questions: Includes automated pass/fail
- Test library: More than 180 skills tests for over 150 jobs—over 15,000 questions
- Task templates: 500 pre-built task templates for homework assignments with evaluation tips
- Customization: Can customize tests with multiple choice, picture, numeric, essay, or coding answers, and candidate database
- Anti-cheating measures: Includes question randomization
Toggl Hire’s homework templates let you assign in-depth tasks for coding, finance, and more to evaluate actual work performance. (Source: Toggl Hire)
Tips for Choosing the Best Pre-employment Assessment Tools
When determining which pre-employment assessment tools are right for your business, consider the following:
- Business size: If you are a small business with limited hiring, a provider that offers a free plan may work best for you. Consider TestGorilla or Toggl Hire, both of which offer free assessments for 5 candidates.
- Budget: Your budget plays a big factor, however, if you need more than just a handful of assessments per month, consider a provider that offers a paid plan that is still affordable for small businesses.
- Industries served: The best assessments are those that are role-specific. Choose a provider that offers a variety of tests related to your specific industry.
- Reporting capabilities: Reporting is important and the best providers allow you to compare candidates side-by-side. It’s important to look at score distributions and question-by-question reports.
- Languages available: Especially when hiring globally, assessments that are available in other languages can help focus on skills.
- Anti-cheating protocols: Candidates trying to get a job may embellish their skills. This can lead to cheating during testing when a candidate doesn’t feel confident. Consider a provider, like TestGorilla, that takes webcam snapshots during the assessment to ensure answer validity.
Methodology: How We Evaluated the Best Pre-employment Assessment Tools
In our collaborative evaluation of pre-employment assessment tools, a new rubric was created and objective scoring was added by Irene Casucian, one of Fit Small Businesses’ expert research assistants. From there, I evaluated each provider.
I looked at pricing, what users thought, and the support offered. Additionally, I looked at each product for an intuitive interface, the availability of a wide range of assessment tools, and the integrity of its testing and grading.
Click through the tabs below to see how each category was evaluated.
5% of Overall Score
This criterion was based solely on third-party review sites. Providers were favorably rated for average scoring above a 4 out of 5.
25% of Overall Score
For pricing, I looked at how it compared to other pre-employment assessment tools on our list. Extra points were awarded to those that were affordable for small businesses (the cheapest plan less than $200 per month).
10% of Overall Score
Our support score was determined by looking at whether each provider offered live phone support, live chat, and/or email options. Providers scored extra points if they offered a knowledge base or community forum.
15% of Overall Score
For this review, scoring was determined by customization options, how easy the platform was to navigate, the effectiveness of a mobile app, and total third-party integrations.
25% of Overall Score
For this category each provider was judged on their ability to offer specialized templates and if they offered pre-built, soft skills, role-specific, personality, culture, cognitive ability, and emotional intelligence. Special award was given for providers that offer assessments in multiple languages.
20% of Overall Score
Grading bias eliminators, like blind hiring tools and removing PII tied to a candidate’s testing during grading, can ensure accuracy and fair evaluation of scoring. We also looked at pre-built reports, automatic grading, anti-cheating tools, and test time limits to determine scoring.
Best Pre-employment Assessment Tools Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The most popular pre-employment tests are cognitive assessments. Also referred to as aptitude tests, these assessments evaluate a candidate’s learning abilities, how they think logically, and their problem-solving skills. While these are usually general questions, they can be customized to fit the job description.
A good assessment test will be consistent and accurate, have an educational impact, and measure the validity of all answers. Those that allow customization options and grading capabilities are ideal and promote fairness and transparency.
Depending on the type of assessment taken, questions generally follow a pattern of asking logical, abstract, numerical, and verbal questions. Certain assessments, like those that offer coding tools, will ask questions specific to the job duties and offer real-world simulations for testing skills.
Bottom Line
A resume and application alone cannot tell you how good a candidate will be for a job. Hiring the right employee involves much more. The best pre-employment assessment tools can give you a stronger picture of the candidate’s capabilities and suitability for a job—and the right one can be an excellent tool for applicant screening.
This is not a comprehensive list of pre-employment assessment tools, as there are hundreds of hiring assessment tools available to you. Our goal is to help you narrow the field and select a tool that best meets your needs. Using any of the above options will help you hire faster and more efficiently.