Streamline your hiring process with pre-employment testing software. Evaluate candidates' skills, personality, and values quickly and easily.
With pre-employment testing software, you can assess candidates' skills and attributes before inviting them to interview, saving time and resources. Use customised assessments to test for skills, personality, and cultural fit.
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Streamline your recruitment process with pre-employment testing software. Evaluate candidates' skills and knowledge quickly and easily.
Pre-employment testing software allows you to create custom assessments to evaluate candidates' proficiency in specific areas. This can save time and money in the recruitment process by identifying top candidates early on.
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Hiring new talent is sometimes like playing poker: you never know if the candidate who looks perfect on paper will actually perform well on the job. To avoid hiring mistakes (and the costs that come with them), more and more companies are turning to online recruitment tests.
The idea? Objectively assess a candidate's skills and personality before offering them a contract. The result: faster, more reliable hires with fewer unpleasant surprises. In fact, most employers already use psychometric tests to validate their recruitment choices. Whether it's a small business or a large group, everyone benefits.
In this guide, we’ll see why these tests have become essential, what types of tests exist, and how specialized software makes recruiters' jobs easier. We’ll also provide a comparison of the top platforms in 2025 and a step-by-step guide to effectively deploy your testing software in-house. Ready to boost your hiring process? Let's go!
Recruiting is not just about reviewing resumes or relying on gut feeling. In a competitive market where companies fight for top talent, recruitment tests have become crucial allies to secure every hire. The goal? Avoid mistakes, save time, and find candidates truly suited for the role.
Specifically, these tests help to:
Another advantage: they help assess aspects that are hard to detect in interviews, such as soft skills or learning potential, which are sometimes more decisive than technical skills.
With the rise of remote work, these solutions fit perfectly into a remote recruitment process: testing a candidate on the other side of the world from your desk is now child's play. In fact, by 2025, the pre-employment testing market is booming—proof that it's far from a passing trend.
Concrete example: A small business hiring five salespeople a year can avoid disappointment by having finalists take a personality test and a sales simulation. If a candidate does great in an interview but fails in a negotiation role-play, it might be wise to reconsider—or explore other profiles. Better to find out before hiring, right? 😉
To assess candidates from every angle, there are many types of tests, each with a specific role (knowledge, skills, behavior). Here are the main ones:
Technical skills tests
The idea? Place the candidate in a real-life scenario similar to the job. For example, a coding test for developers, an Excel test for administrative roles, or a language test to assess English fluency. Perfect for verifying claimed skills.
Soft skills / personality tests
These assess the candidate's behavior: temperament, teamwork ability, stress management... Tools like MBTI, SOSIE & co. quickly reveal if they’ll fit in with your team—or disrupt it.
Psychometric tests (cognitive abilities)
Logic, memory, learning ability—these tests measure all that. They help you know if a candidate can grasp complex concepts, solve problems quickly, and adapt to new tools.
Professional simulations
Role-plays, case studies, assessment centers... candidates face real-life scenarios to evaluate both technical and behavioral skills. Often used as the final step to pick between top profiles.
Other specific tests
Language tests for international roles, integrity tests for sensitive positions, or motivation questionnaires. Some providers even offer "hybrid" tests combining technical and personality assessments.
Recruitment test software comes packed with features to make HR’s life easier and ensure reliable assessments:
Test customization & question libraries
Create custom tests (English quizzes, Excel exercises, case studies), draw from pre-built libraries, and mix multiple modules with a click. Some tools even adjust difficulty based on candidate responses!
Results analysis & smart reports
Once tests are completed, enjoy detailed analysis: scores, graphs, skill profiles... and AI automatically highlights candidate strengths and weaknesses. No more wasting hours interpreting data.
Integration with your ATS
No more double entry: top platforms connect directly to your Applicant Tracking System. You can invite candidates, track scores, and manage everything in one place.
Anti-fraud & security tools
To prevent fraud (like a skilled friend taking the test for the candidate), tools offer full-screen mode, copy-paste detection, active webcam, randomized question order... Plus, data is fully protected (secure hosting, encryption, GDPR-compliant).
Legal & ethical compliance
Legal obligation to inform candidates, prove test relevance for the role, and ensure confidentiality (GDPR). Top solutions offer consent settings and strict data retention policies.
Additionally, some platforms offer asynchronous video interviews, personalized feedback to candidates, and collaborative tools allowing multiple evaluators to score candidates simultaneously. A real time-saver for recruiters!
The market for recruitment test software is booming, with many options available. To help you choose, here’s a comparison of the five leading platforms in 2025, including their strengths, target users, pricing, and types of tests offered.
| Software | Advantages | Target | Pricing model | Types of tests included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Test |
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Companies of all sizes (SMEs to large corporations) |
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| AssessFirst |
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Startups, SMEs, large enterprises |
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| TestGorilla |
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Micro, small, medium, and large enterprises |
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| eSkill |
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SMEs, large corporations, training and recruitment agencies |
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| Pymetrics |
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Large corporations and mid-sized companies seeking scientific and inclusive assessments |
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Of course, there are many other solutions (SHL, HackerRank, CodinGame…), each with their unique features. The key is to choose a tool adapted to your specific needs and recruitment volume. A startup with 20 employees won’t have the same expectations as a company with 5,000 staff. In 2025, the market is diverse enough to suit every company.
Concrete example: A growing startup with 50 employees could opt for TestGorilla (thanks to its ready-made library). A large industrial group might prefer Central Test or SHL for custom assessments and expert support. A tech company may combine HackerRank for coding and AssessFirst for behavioral assessments. In large organizations, it's common to use multiple specialized tools simultaneously.
Once you’ve chosen the software, proper implementation is crucial to maximize its benefits. Here are the key steps for a smooth deployment (tested and approved!):
By following these steps, recruitment test software becomes a true strategic asset—not just another tool. Every company is unique, so adapt these tips to your reality. And remember: people remain at the center. The machine evaluates, but humans make the final choice.
Adopting recruitment test software gives your HR team a superpower: finding the right talent with precision while avoiding costly mistakes. In 2025, it's hard to imagine efficient recruitment without these tools. The benefits are clear: time savings (faster screening), improved hiring quality (fewer mistakes), reduced turnover, and lower recruitment costs.
It also makes recruitment processes more reliable and structured, giving recruiters peace of mind. For candidates, professional, transparent testing is often appreciated: it signals a fair process based on real skills—not subjective preferences.
In short, investing in recruitment test software means betting on faster, more reliable hiring to build strong, motivated teams. Let the machine handle analysis and scoring, and let humans do what matters most: make the final decision and connect with candidates. If you haven’t made the leap yet, now’s the time to rethink your recruitment. Your next star hire could be one test away!
Pre-employment testing software uses various assessments such as personality tests, cognitive ability tests, situational judgement tests, and behavioural assessments to evaluate a candidate's suitability for a specific role. The software presents a series of questions or scenarios, and the candidate answers them. The software then analyses the responses and provides a report that highlights the candidate's strengths and weaknesses.
When choosing pre-employment testing software, you should look for features such as a wide variety of assessments, customisation options, integration with your existing HR systems, and reporting capabilities. The software should also be user-friendly, have reliable support, and comply with data protection regulations.
Pre-employment testing can help your company make better hiring decisions by providing objective data on a candidate's skills, personality traits, and work style. This can improve employee retention rates, reduce hiring costs, and increase productivity. It can also help you identify potential red flags early on in the recruitment process.
The best pre-employment testing software options vary depending on your specific needs. Some popular options include Criteria Corp, SHL, and eSkill. These software options offer a wide range of assessments, customisation options, and reliable support.
There are several free pre-employment testing software alternatives you can try, such as Indeed Assessments, TestGorilla, and Vervoe. These software options offer a limited range of assessments but can still provide valuable data on a candidate's skills and personality traits. However, it's important to note that free software may not offer the same level of customisation or support as paid options.
