Which pre-employment assessment software should you use to screen candidates?
A resume tells you what a candidate claims. An assessment shows what they can do. The hard part is picking a pricing model that fits, without scaring off your best applicants.
Pre-employment assessment software sends each applicant a link to an online test: a skills test (Excel, writing, customer support), a cognitive aptitude test, a personality questionnaire or a coding exercise. It scores, ranks and hands you a report. You interview people who proved something, not just people with polished resumes.
The tricky part isn't the test library. It's the billing unit. Depending on the vendor, you pay per credit, per invite, per token or per prepaid candidate, and unused credits sometimes vanish at the end of the year. We compared six platforms on what matters to a small business or an in-house recruiting team: real cost per candidate, free plan limits, test types, anti-cheating, and how candidates feel about the experience.
The short answer: TestGorilla to test any role, with a free plan of 10 credits a month; Criteria for validated cognitive and personality tests with video interviews; AssessFirst for personality and motivation at volume; Codility for developers; Testlify for a fixed annual budget; TestDome if you only want to pay when you hire, from $7 a candidate.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best pre-employment assessment software for your hiring needs
350+ tests, free plan with 10 credits a month
Validated cognitive testsCognitive, personality and video interviews in one suite
Personality and motivationUnlimited licences, 5-minute personality test
DevelopersCoding tests and live interviews, plagiarism detection
Fixed annual budget3,500+ tests, 7-day free trial
Occasional hiringPacks with no subscription and no expiry date
6 pre-employment assessment platforms side by side
Start with the billing unit column, because it drives your invoice. Run the math on your last hire. A sales role with 40 applicants, assessed on TestDome's Small pack, means two packs, so $800. The same volume fits inside Testlify's 100 yearly credits, for $1,668 billed upfront.
| Best for | Billing unit | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TestGorilla | Any role | Credit per candidate; 10 free a month | 4.5/5 | Core from $215 a month | ✓ | SMB to mid-market | Visit → |
| 2 | Criteria | Validated cognitive tests | Quote by headcount | 4.3/5 | No public price, free trial | — | Mid-market, enterprise | Visit → |
| 3 | AssessFirst | Personality and motivation | Token, valid 60 months | 4.3/5 | From €499 a month | — | High volume | Visit → |
| 4 | Codility | Developers | Invite | 4.2/5 | $800 a month or $4,800 a year | — | Tech teams | Visit → |
| 5 | Testlify | Fixed annual budget | Credit, 100 a year | 4.1/5 | $139 a month, $1,668 a year | — | SMB | Visit → |
| 6 | TestDome | Occasional hiring | Prepaid candidate, no expiry | 4.0/5 | From $7 per candidate | — | Small business | Visit → |
Prices read on each vendor's official pricing page in 2026, before tax. AssessFirst lists its price in euros. Criteria publishes no price.
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How we compared and scored
An assessment has two customers: the recruiter, who wants to screen fast and fairly, and the candidate, who has to finish it without feeling watched. For each platform we read the pricing page (amount, billing unit, credit expiry), the test library and the proctoring options. Then we read feedback from both sides: recruiter reviews on software review sites, and candidate accounts on Glassdoor, Trustpilot and developer forums.
Candidate feedback counts in the score. A 78-minute test with video, or a webcam that records without warning, costs you applicants who have other offers. A good platform lets you set things up to avoid that.
What's not ranked, and why. Vervoe no longer publishes any pricing tier. SHL and Harver are built for large enterprise contracts. HackerRank and CodeSignal get their own comparison in Labs.
- Features and depthLibrary breadth, custom tests, anti-cheating, reporting.30%
- Ease of useTime to launch a campaign, and the candidate's path to the end of the test.25%
- Value for moneyCost per candidate, free plan limits, whether credits expire.20%
- IntegrationsATS connection, included or paid add-on.15%
- Customer supportHelp picking tests, reading results, candidate support.10%
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
TestGorilla
TestGorilla is the generalist. You build an assessment from skills, cognitive and personality tests, add your own questions, and send a link. Core unlocks the full library of 350+ tests. Plus adds a library of 100+ AI interviews and up to 20 custom questions per assessment.
Its free plan is the most useful one here: 10 credits a month, refreshed monthly, 5 essential tests with unlimited use and 180+ tests with limited use. A premium test costs one credit per candidate. That's enough to screen a small hire without a credit card.
The catch is price. Recruiters call it expensive for small teams, and the listed $215 and $520 are annual-billing figures, 25% cheaper than paying monthly. Candidates push back on long assessments too: one describes a 78-minute test with video that felt invasive.
Tip: cap each assessment at three or four tests. You keep most of the signal and lose fewer applicants halfway through.
- 10 free credits every month
- 350+ tests on Core
- AI interviews on Plus
- ✓Covers every kind of role
- ✓Free plan that works for a first hire
- ✓Custom questions on top of tests
- ✗Pricey for small teams
- ✗Listed prices assume annual billing
- ✗Long assessments put candidates off
Criteria
Criteria is built around cognitive aptitude testing; its best-known test, the CCAT, has its own guide telling candidates what to expect. The Assess package covers cognitive aptitude, personality, emotional intelligence, risk and skills tests, a TestMaker for your own tests and standard ATS integrations. Interview adds one-way and live video interviews. Hire bundles both.
Candidates get 24/7 support, which matters when someone gets stuck at 10 p.m. on a timed test. Criteria says more than 80 million assessments have been completed on its platform. AI proctoring is a paid add-on.
The catch: no price anywhere. Every plan goes through a quote built around your headcount, so you can't compare costs without a sales call.
Tip: start the free trial on a real opening, and ask for the price per candidate in writing so you can compare it with Testlify and TestDome.
- Cognitive, personality, EI, risk and skills tests
- Video interviews in the same suite
- 24/7 candidate support
- ✓Well-known aptitude tests
- ✓One vendor for tests and video
- ✓Support to interpret results
- ✗No public pricing
- ✗AI proctoring costs extra
- ✗Heavier than a small team needs
AssessFirst
AssessFirst is a French predictive assessment vendor with short, named questionnaires: SWIPE for personality in 5 minutes, DRIVE for motivation, BRAIN for learning speed, and VOICE for skills and languages in 3 minutes. Short formats are easy on candidates.
Pricing works differently from the rest: a subscription from €499 a month, unlimited licences, and tokens spent per assessment. Tokens stay valid for up to 60 months, and the price per token drops as you buy higher tiers. The platform also covers talent mapping, internal mobility and team matching after the hire.
The catch: no free plan, no price per token on the page, and ATS integration is a paid add-on. Billing is in euros.
Tip: since tokens last 60 months, negotiate a tier that covers two or three years of hiring.
- 5-minute personality test
- Tokens valid for 60 months
- Unlimited licences
- ✓Short formats for candidates
- ✓Unlimited user licences
- ✓Useful after the hire
- ✗No free plan
- ✗ATS integration is a paid add-on
- ✗Token price only on a quote
Codility
Codility does code. Screen sends a take-home exercise, Interview runs a live coding session with the candidate. Online plans include plagiarism detection and proctoring, an AI assistant, one standard ATS integration and unlimited collaborators.
You pay per invite. Monthly, that's $800 for 25 invites, or $32 per invited candidate. Annually, it starts at $4,800 for 200 to 1,400 invites, up to 50% cheaper. Run out and you move to the next pack, while assessments in progress keep running.
The catch, on the candidate side: some developers say they weren't told about webcam and screen recording, and others dispute auto-scores that marked a correct solution down. Senior developers often resent timed exercises.
Tip: mention proctoring in your invite email, and review the code of borderline scorers before rejecting them.
- Coding tests and live interviews
- Plagiarism detection included
- Unlimited collaborators
- ✓Serious coding tasks
- ✓Live interview in the same tool
- ✓Clear per-invite billing
- ✗No free plan
- ✗$32 per invite on monthly billing
- ✗Mixed candidate sentiment
Testlify
Testlify looks a lot like TestGorilla, for less. It lists 3,500+ validated tests in 7 test languages, structured AI interviews and non-googleable questions. It connects with 100+ tools, including Workday, Greenhouse and Lever.
Starter is $139 a month, billed $1,668 a year, with 100 candidate credits: $16.68 per candidate. Extra credits are $21 each. The 7-day free trial lets you run a real opening before paying.
The catch: unused credits expire at the end of the cycle. Hire less than planned and you've paid for nothing. Above 25,000 candidates a year, you move to a custom quote.
Tip: count last year's assessed candidates before you sign. On price alone, TestDome stays cheaper up to 100 candidates ($1,000 for the Medium pack versus $1,668); Testlify earns its price with a bigger library and AI interviews. Over 100, budget $21 per extra credit.
- 3,500+ tests
- 7 test languages
- 7-day free trial
- ✓Low cost per candidate
- ✓Huge library
- ✓100+ integrations
- ✗Unused credits expire
- ✗Paid a year upfront
- ✗No permanent free plan
TestDome
TestDome drops the subscription. You buy a pack of candidates: $100 for 5 ($20 each), $400 for 25, $1,000 for 100, down to $7 per candidate at 600. Packs never expire, and every feature is included on every pack.
The detail that matters: if an invited candidate doesn't take the test within 6 days, the invite is refunded. You only pay for candidates who actually show up.
The catch: the library is narrower than the generalists', and some recruiters can't find a test for a niche role. A timed test doesn't capture everything about real work, so don't use it alone.
Tip: buy the Small pack (25 candidates at $16) for your first opening. It doesn't expire, so the rest covers the next one.
- Packs never expire
- Invite refunded after 6 days
- All features on every pack
- ✓No subscription
- ✓Down to $7 per candidate
- ✓Quick to launch
- ✗Narrower library
- ✗Timed tests need an interview after
- ✗Costs add up across many roles
Small team, tech hiring, high volume: how to choose
Before comparing tests, count your candidates. Annual volume decides the pricing model, and the pricing model decides the platform.
Fewer than 50 candidates a year
TestDome packs, or TestGorilla's free plan (10 credits a month, so 120 a year). No subscription pays off at that volume.
50 to 150 candidates a year
Testlify (100 credits for $1,668) or TestGorilla Core. Pick Testlify if your volume is steady, TestGorilla if you want more flexibility and richer personality tests.
You hire developers
Codility for a coding test followed by a live interview. Keep the exercise short: strong developers drop long take-homes.
You hire at volume on soft skills
Criteria if you want validated aptitude tests and video in one place. AssessFirst for short personality and motivation questionnaires with unlimited licences.
- Count the candidates you assessed in the last twelve months
- Check the billing unit: credit, invite, token or candidate
- Ask whether unused credits expire
- Check that tests exist in your candidates' language
- Ask whether your ATS integration is included
- Run a real opening during the trial before you sign
Run an assessment campaign in six steps
A good platform set up badly drives candidates away. Here's how to keep the best applicants, whatever tool you pick.
Start from the job, not the catalog
PrepareWrite down the three skills the role can't do without. Pick one test per skill. A catalog of 3,500 tests is tempting: resist it.
- Per role
- 3 core skills
Keep it under 40 minutes
PrepareCandidate accounts are clear: past an hour, with video, the test feels invasive. Someone already employed elsewhere won't finish it.
- Target length
- Under 40 minutes
Disclose proctoring in the invite
InviteIf the test turns on the webcam or records the screen, say so in your email. Candidates who find out mid-test tend to complain about it publicly afterwards.
- Disclose
- Webcam, screen, length
Have a current employee take it
InviteAsk someone who already succeeds in the role to take the test. Their score gives you a realistic benchmark, far better than a cutoff picked at random.
- Benchmark
- A current employee
Review before you reject
ScreenAuto-scores get it wrong: a correct coding solution can be marked down. Review candidates just below your cutoff before turning them away.
- Review
- Borderline scores
Bring the report to the interview
ScreenThe test doesn't replace the interview, it prepares it. Ask about the weak spots in the report: that's where you learn the most.
- Order
- Test, then interview
Keep going
These pages pick up where this one stops.
To plug your assessments into your pipeline.
You're leaving HackerRankHackerRank alternativesCoding tests: CodeSignal, Codility, CoderPad.
You want to replace HireVueHireVue alternativesOne-way video interviews without a sales call.
Pre-employment assessments · FAQ
Is there free pre-employment assessment software?
Yes. TestGorilla has a permanent free plan: 10 credits a month, 5 essential tests with unlimited use and 180+ tests with limited use. Testlify offers a 7-day trial. Beyond that, TestDome is the cheapest option without a subscription, starting at $100 for 5 candidates.How much does a pre-employment test cost per candidate?
Roughly $7 to $32 depending on the platform and volume. TestDome drops to $7 at 600 candidates, Testlify works out to $16.68 on its annual plan, and Codility to $32 per invite on monthly billing. TestGorilla, Criteria and AssessFirst depend on your plan or quote.Are pre-employment assessments legal?
Yes, as long as they measure skills tied to the job and don't screen out a protected group without business justification. In the US, the EEOC's Uniform Guidelines expect tests with adverse impact to be validated for the role. Pick vendors that document validation, and keep the same test for every candidate on an opening.How do assessment platforms stop cheating?
Through proctoring (webcam, screen, tab switching), plagiarism detection on code, and questions you can't find on Google. Codility includes plagiarism detection on its online plans, Criteria sells AI proctoring as an add-on. Always tell candidates about proctoring up front.Can candidates cheat with ChatGPT?
On an unproctored test, yes. That's why vendors add proctoring and non-googleable questions. The simplest fix is the interview: ask the candidate to walk you through one of their answers out loud.How long should a pre-employment assessment be?
Under 40 minutes for an external candidate. AssessFirst's personality questionnaire takes 5 minutes. Candidate accounts show that past an hour, especially with video, tests feel invasive and the best applicants drop out.Should every role get a different test?
For skills, yes; for personality, no. One personality questionnaire works across roles, while a skills test has to match the job description. Keep one assessment template per job family and reuse it.Does assessment software replace an ATS?
No. The assessment platform evaluates; the ATS manages applications, stages and messages. They connect: Codility includes one standard ATS integration, Testlify plugs into 100+ tools, and AssessFirst sells it as an add-on.