Top 10 Free Skills Testing Tools for Remote Hiring

Remote hiring is challenging, but the right skills testing tools can save time, reduce costs, and help you find the right candidates quickly. Here are 10 free tools that make evaluating remote candidates easier:

• TestGorilla: 5 free tests, custom questions, and EEOC-compliant assessments.
• Indeed Assessments: Hard and soft skills tests, plus recorded phone interviews.
• Vervoe: AI-generated, role-specific tests with customizable scoring.
• Mettl: Nine types of free assessments, including logical reasoning and decision-making.
• HackerRank: Coding challenges, live coding, and plagiarism detection.
• Codility: Technical skills tests with structured interviews and ATS integration.
• Criteria Corp (HireSelect): Aptitude, personality, and skills tests with real-time scoring.
• eSkill: 800+ pre-built assessments, customizable tests, and video responses.
• iMocha: 3,000+ pre-built tests covering technical, language, and cognitive skills.
• Hundred5: Simplified skills-based screening with automated candidate ranking.

Why These Tools?

• Save Time: Cut hiring time by up to 40%.
• Reduce Costs: Lower cost-per-hire by 35%.
• Ensure Accuracy: Verify skills and reduce bad hires by up to 90%.

Quick Comparison

These tools help you make smarter hiring decisions, ensuring you find the right talent for remote roles. Dive into the full article to explore each tool in detail.

5 Candidate Assessment Tools to use NOW

1. TestGorilla

TestGorilla provides a free plan that includes 5 tests, 5 custom questions, qualifying questions, unlimited candidate invitations, and remote job postings. This plan is designed to help businesses start using data-driven assessments without upfront costs.

The platform takes a scientific approach to hiring, with a team of 15 specialists (including 12 PhDs) developing a library of over 400 validated tests. These tests are built using psychometric principles to ensure they are reliable and accurate in measuring candidates' skills and abilities.

Companies using TestGorilla have reported impressive results, such as a 34% decrease in time-to-hire and 90% fewer mis-hires. The tests cover a wide range of skills, such as:

• Programming (over 20 languages)
• Cognitive abilities
• Job-specific skills
• Language proficiency
• Software knowledge
• Typing speed

One standout example is the Working with Data test, created by Jessie, an environmental consultant with an MSc in Chemistry. This test uses real-world scenarios to evaluate skills like data visualization, scientific writing, and GIS analysis.

TestGorilla also prioritizes fairness. It complies with EEOC standards and employs differential item functioning to reduce bias in its assessments. For the most accurate predictions of candidate success, combining cognitive ability tests with job-specific assessments is recommended.

With its research-backed tools, TestGorilla is a powerful option for businesses looking to improve their hiring process.

2. Indeed Assessments

Indeed Assessments is a free tool designed to help employers evaluate candidates for remote positions efficiently. It offers a variety of tests that cover both technical and interpersonal skills.

Here's what it includes:

• Hard Skills Testing: Focuses on technical abilities for specific roles like:
  • Automotive Technician
  • HVAC Technician
  • Sales Representative
  • Warehouse Worker
• Soft Skills Assessment: Looks at traits crucial for remote work, such as:
  • Attention to detail
  • Customer focus
  • Reliability
  • Professionalism

Most assessments take less than 10 minutes to complete, providing quick insights into a candidate's suitability. Employers can either request specific tests or review results from assessments candidates have taken on their own.

For roles where communication is key, the platform also features recorded phone interviews. These help gauge a candidate’s experience, motivation, and ability to communicate effectively. The interface is straightforward, allowing hiring managers to filter candidates based on specific skill sets. This makes it easier to assemble remote teams that combine technical expertise with qualities like a proactive attitude and ethical decision-making.

To get the best results, employers should clearly outline the skills they need and select assessments that align with those requirements. This ensures candidates meet both the technical and interpersonal demands of remote work.

3. Vervoe

Vervoe is a skills assessment platform that uses AI to create tailored tests, making it easier to evaluate remote candidates. By automating test creation, Vervoe saves time and ensures assessments are directly aligned with job requirements.

The AI-powered Assessment Builder generates role-specific tests by analyzing job descriptions, so there's no need to manually create them. Plus, it offers over 300 ready-to-use templates for positions like Software Developer, Marketing Manager, Customer Support, Business Systems Analyst, and Project Manager.

With a 97% candidate completion rate, it’s clear that candidates find the platform engaging and easy to use.

"Vervoe is the intelligent and bespoke online assessment tool I spent 2 years looking for. The best thing about Vervoe is its versatility in creating custom assessments that I can continue to evolve." - Daniel Stockdale, National Talent Acquisition Manager, Omnicom Media Group

Vervoe includes a variety of question types to simulate real job tasks, such as coding challenges, live spreadsheet exercises, presentations, and role-specific problem-solving scenarios.

The platform focuses on identifying talent early in the hiring process. Instead of filtering candidates out, Vervoe uses skills tests to highlight potential. Each assessment comes with sample answers, customizable scoring options, and AI-driven grading to make evaluations quicker and more efficient.

4. Mettl

Mettl is an assessment platform that conducts over 25 million evaluations each year, offering free tests to help assess the skills of remote candidates.

It provides nine types of free assessments to measure various abilities:

Mettl’s security measures are top-notch, featuring ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications, AI-driven proctoring, and compliance with GDPR standards. The platform can handle over 200,000 proctored assessments in a single day, supports more than 20 languages, and undergoes annual vulnerability and penetration testing to safeguard sensitive candidate data.

The platform also includes remote work assessments designed to measure skills like independent work, time management, and productivity. With customizable tests that target specific roles, Mettl helps companies effectively evaluate and build remote teams.

5. HackerRank

HackerRank is a widely-used technical assessment platform with a community of 18 million developers. It offers free tools to help evaluate candidates' coding and technical abilities.

Here’s what makes HackerRank a go-to option for remote technical hiring:

With 99.9% uptime and round-the-clock support, HackerRank ensures smooth operations. It automatically scores coding assessments, making it easier to move from screening to interviews without delays.

"HackerRank is easy to use. Assessment results are immediately available. It's easy to customize assessments per candidate." – Bella Dapilma, Executive Recruiter at the International Rescue Committee

The platform shines in evaluating practical skills through tasks like web application development, debugging, algorithmic problem-solving, and other coding challenges.

Additionally, HackerRank provides detailed insights to help improve recruitment processes and better engage with candidates.

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6. Codility

Codility is a specialized platform designed for technical hiring, offering tools to assess coding skills and streamline remote recruitment. Its focus on objective, skills-based evaluations makes it a valuable resource for hiring teams.

Codility also introduces its Engineering Skills Model (ESM), which establishes clear benchmarks for technical competencies. Considering that engineering roles typically take 49 days to fill and hiring mistakes can cost 30% or more of a candidate's first-year salary, tools like Codility can make a measurable difference.

Real-World Success Stories

Codility's impact is evident through various case studies. For example, Unity significantly improved productivity:

"With Codility, our teams ran 750 candidate tests over 90 days, saving 2,200 hours of interview time. That kind of productivity is like gaining time to launch an entirely new product or enter a new vertical." - Chris Weber, Global Head of Recruitment, AI & Operate Solutions, Unity

LiveRamp highlights how Codility helps ensure fairness in hiring:

"Codility helps us remove bias by ensuring a consistent, equal, and fair process for every candidate at LiveRamp." - Erika Thorson, Head of Global Talent Acquisition, LiveRamp

SWIFT emphasizes the platform's role in improving efficiency:

"Codility enables us to shorten the feedback loop between the stakeholders. We solved the pain points by digitizing one piece of the puzzle – the technical assessment. Today, we bring the best talent into the organization by being agile and flexible." - Cellou Diallo, Head of Engineering (Data & Analytic Tribe), SWIFT - Asia Pacific

A Scientific Approach to Hiring

Codility works with experts and I-O psychologists to continuously refine its methods for evaluating technical skills across various roles. This ensures that companies can make well-informed hiring decisions while maintaining an efficient and consistent remote recruitment process.

7. Criteria Corp (HireSelect)

Criteria Corp's HireSelect provides a suite of tools developed by Harvard University psychologists, designed to enhance hiring processes across industries. Companies using this platform have reported a 65% reduction in turnover and a 50% faster time to hire.

HireSelect is also designed for convenience, offering 24/7 candidate support and compatibility across multiple devices. Companies can personalize tests with their branding and create custom combinations to suit specific needs.

What Clients Are Saying

HireSelect’s features deliver measurable results. Here’s what some users had to say:

"These assessments build a rich pipeline of talent and save time in the short and long term."
– Simon Young, Head of Service Operations at Edenred PayTech

"The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making the assessment process seamless for the project team as well as the applicants."
– Vishakha Jha, Director of Education at Tech Council of Delaware

Features for Remote Hiring

HireSelect is particularly suited for remote hiring, leveraging 15+ years of data and 60M+ test responses to refine its tools. Integration with popular ATS and HRIS systems simplifies hiring workflows, and the custom baseline feature allows businesses to set their own hiring benchmarks.

The platform offers a free trial that includes access to science-based assessments, real-time scoring, candidate reports, customizable tests, mobile-friendly delivery, and comparison tools. With over 3 billion responses collected, HireSelect ensures accurate evaluations. Its impact is clear, with a 90% hiring success rate and, in some cases, up to 7x more revenue from sales.

8. eSkill

eSkill is a popular platform for skills testing, offering a library of over 800 job and subject assessments. With two decades of experience and a flawless compliance record, it has evaluated millions of candidates.

Customization Options

One of eSkill's standout features is its ability to adapt to specific hiring needs. Users can mix and match questions, add their own content, tweak existing tests, and even integrate video responses for deeper insights.

Take KPMG as an example. Teri Vigneux, Executive Director at KPMG, shared:

"We were expecting maybe 100 to 200 responses, but we ended up receiving close to 1,000 responses. eSkill provided the content and flexibility we needed to hire the right candidates for our accounting and financial positions."

Remote-Friendly Features

eSkill shines in remote hiring with its advanced simulations. These tools mimic real tasks like working with MS Office, managing chats, and multitasking, making it easier to assess candidates in a virtual setting.

Zappos has also benefited from this approach. Christa Foley, Recruiting Manager at Zappos, noted:

"The wide variety and customizability of eSkill's online testing allows us to pre-screen many of our candidates before they even get in the door. And this is key, because once a potential hire shows he/she possesses the skills necessary to do the job, our recruiters can concentrate on the second – and equally important – part of the screening process: the cultural fit."

With round-the-clock support and a user-friendly interface, eSkill empowers companies to make informed hiring decisions and verify candidate claims effectively.

9. Interview Mocha

iMocha is a skills assessment platform offering over 3,000 pre-built tests and a massive library of 30,000+ skills taxonomies. It evaluates a range of skills, including technical, business, language, cognitive, and soft skills.

Assessment Categories

These categories cover a broad spectrum, making iMocha a versatile tool for skill assessments.

Advanced Security Features

iMocha uses AI-powered proctoring, real-time monitoring, fraud detection, and plagiarism checks to maintain test integrity. These tools are particularly helpful for ensuring fair evaluations during remote hiring.

Real-World Impact

"Implementing iMocha has been a game-changer for our talent acquisition process. The platform's extensive range of assessments has allowed us to evaluate candidates' skills with precision and efficiency, significantly improving our hiring quality." - Enrique Santander, HR Manager at UNICEF

"The tool helped us shortlist top candidates and extend offer letter in just 4 days." - Lynn Hodak, Talent Acquisition Manager at Capgemini

These testimonials highlight how iMocha improves hiring processes by providing accurate skill evaluations.

Skill Validation Framework

iMocha ensures skill validation through a mix of self-ratings, managerial assessments, LMS/PMS data, AI insights, and test results. This approach guarantees reliable evaluations across various roles and skill levels.

"The partnership between Ericsson and iMocha has been excellent. They created solutions for our specific needs and the process has been very collaborative." - Sabine van Zanten, Learning & Development Consultant at Ericsson

10. Hundred5

Hundred5 simplifies skills-based candidate screening, making it a great choice for small to medium-sized businesses hiring remotely. The platform focuses on assessing candidates' actual abilities through tests created by industry experts, helping companies find qualified talent faster. By combining skill evaluation with an efficient process, it supports the growing demand for streamlined remote hiring.

Core Features

Pricing Model

Hundred5 offers a free trial to get started. After identifying candidates, the cost is $190/month per job posting.

Efficiency Features

Hundred5 includes tools that make the recruitment process smoother:

• Rapid feedback delivery for applicants
• Ready-to-use test templates tailored for various roles
• Built-in applicant tracking to keep everything organized

Things to Keep in Mind

Hundred5 works well as a standalone tool, but larger organizations should note that it operates within its own system. It has limited compatibility with external applicant tracking systems, which could be a challenge for companies already using complex ATS solutions.

Analytics and Performance Monitoring

Recruiters can use Hundred5's analytics dashboard to track candidate performance and monitor the overall progress of their hiring process.

Conclusion

Research from SHRM reveals that small businesses using these tools see a 40% reduction in time-to-hire and a 35% decrease in cost-per-hire. LinkedIn data supports this, with 77% of talent professionals emphasizing the importance of skill assessment tools in improving hiring decisions. Additionally, Aberdeen Research highlights that companies using pre-hire assessments are 36% more likely to be satisfied with their new hires.

Key Selection Criteria

When evaluating free skills testing tools, focus on these key factors:

By prioritizing these factors, businesses can make informed choices while staying prepared for future advancements.

Future Trends

The hiring landscape is evolving rapidly, with cloud-based tools improving hiring efficiency by up to 45%.

• Structured technical assessments lead to a 55% increase in employee satisfaction and retention.
• AI-driven platforms are replacing traditional methods, offering deeper insights into skills and compatibility.

As Sarah Chen, HR Manager at GrowthTech Solutions, shares:

"Hirevire has revolutionized our screening process. We've cut our time-to-hire by 40% while gaining better insights into candidates' communication skills".

These shifts highlight the growing role of technology in shaping smarter hiring practices.

Best Practices for Implementation

Mike Thompson, Technical Recruiter at DataTech Solutions, shares his experience:

"TestGorilla's cognitive assessments have significantly improved our technical hiring accuracy. The scientific backing gives us confidence in our decisions".

To successfully implement these tools, consider the following:

• Use interactive platforms that support real-time feedback.
• Incorporate engaging formats like role-playing exercises and scenario-based simulations.
• Integrate AI systems into current HR workflows to enhance evaluation precision.

As remote work continues to expand, these tools will play a crucial role in building effective and adaptable teams. Embracing these practices ensures a more efficient and reliable hiring process.

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