Pre-employment testing is the modern way to help pick your next hire. It helps eliminate bias from the hiring process and streamline recruitment.
Pre-employment testing lets you take a skills-based approach to your next hiring campaign. This allows you to pick candidates based on their personality, skills, and abilities, as opposed to the quality of their resume.
Choosing the best online pre-employment testing tool can be tricky. With so many on the market, how can you be sure which is right for you?
This article compares two popular pre-employment testing platforms – TestGorilla and Cangrade.
With TestGorilla, you can create customized assessments that measure your candidates’ cognitive abilities, personality traits, and job-specific skills.
You can build bespoke assessments by mixing and matching up to five tests from our extensive test library or by adding custom questions that meet your needs. There are 400+ scientifically validated tests available, each of which carries around 100 test questions. This makes the likelihood of question overlap extremely low, which prevents cheating and collaboration.
Our tests cover cognitive ability, situational judgment, role-specific skills, personality traits, and culture-add potential. They streamline the hiring process by eliminating the need to sift through countless resumes, saving you time and money.
They also save candidates from extra hassle – they can take tests on any device with internet access, making it easy and accessible for everyone.
You can also send candidates an assessment link via email or your applicant tracking system (ATS). You can also include a link in your job description to get candidates started right away.
Additionally, at TestGorilla, we’re committed to fair hiring. By following Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines, we work to eliminate bias and ensure a level playing field for all candidates.
Plus, our customer support team is always available to help candidates with any questions or concerns, making the pre-employment testing process simple and easy.
Cangrade operates The Success Model, a three-step pre-employment screening process.
The process begins with a 14-minute Pre-Hire Assessment that measures 50 traits and can be completed from any device. It aims to test a candidate’s core strengths, such as consistency, multitasking, or ambition.
You can also add skills tests to the pre-hire assessment. Cangrade's skills test library covers over 100 job-specific skills, proficiency in 30 languages, computer skills, reasoning abilities, and more.
Based on the pre-hire assessment results, Cangrade will objectively outline who should make it to the next screening stage.
The second stage entails a remote video interview where candidates record responses to preset questions. Your hiring teams can view, comment on, and score candidates’ responses. The candidates who provide the best video answers will move on to the third stage of the process.
The third stage involves selecting the final candidates to move on to the interview. This last step combines the scores from stages one and two and highlights your High-Value Candidates.
In theory, these candidates are the most likely to succeed at your workplace and should be invited to interview.
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Test libraries contain what you need to assess candidates’ personalities, traits, and skills accurately.
Look out for software that lets you customize your own unique pre-employment tests and enables you to tailor questions specifically to your needs.
TestGorilla provides 400+ scientifically validated tests to help you find the ideal candidate for your hiring needs. Each of these tests offers around 100 questions.
You can also combine tests from our questions bank and add up to five tests to a single assessment.
Our tests cover personality traits, culture-add potential, cognitive ability, situational judgment, software and coding skills, and role-specific skills. These aren’t just general aptitude tests, either – they focus on a wide range of skills relevant to today’s job roles, such as strategic coaching, UX research, and machine learning.
TestGorilla lets candidates answer test questions via multiple-choice, video responses, open-text answers, or file upload. Assessments take an average of 45 minutes and can be completed on any device.
To keep our tests accurate, we put them through scientific validation by psychometricians and subject-matter experts before they’re published. This increases the relevance and validity of the results.
Our platform also caters to global recruitment needs with localized websites in 12 different languages, enabling you to find the perfect candidate regardless of their location.
See how TestGorilla leads the way in skills assessments. Sign up for our free live demo and discover a better way to evaluate candidates.
Cangrade’s test library includes tests for over 100 job-specific skills, 30 languages, computer skills, reasoning, and more. The platform’s pre-employment screening model involves testing for 50 different skills in 14 minutes. This includes tests for aptitude, personality, technical skills, IT proficiency, college GPA, and qualities like emotional intelligence. However, Cangrade doesn’t offer motivation or culture-add tests.
Cangrade will suggest what test you should use for each job role, such as assessing language abilities, programming skills, and software proficiency. You can also combine tests into a single assessment, but to customize further, you’ll need to speak with a Cangrade representative.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
Cognitive ability tests | Yes | Yes |
Situational judgment tests | Yes | Yes |
Job-specific tests | Yes | Yes |
Software tests | Yes | Yes |
Programming tests (including coding challenges) | Yes | Yes |
Language tests | Yes | Yes |
Typing tests | Yes | Yes |
Personality tests | Yes | Yes |
Culture-add test | Yes | No |
Motivation test | Yes | No |
Your own custom tests | Yes | Yes (Need to speak with a representative) |
Custom questions per assessment | Yes | Yes (Need to speak with a representative) |
Test recommendations for each job role | Yes | Yes |
Multiple tests per assessment | Yes | Yes |
Assessing programming and software engineering skills is essential when hiring developers.
Pre-employment testing lets you measure programming skills, debugging skills, mobile and web development frameworks, cloud computing, and algorithmic-thinking challenges. These tests help you find the perfect candidate.
TestGorilla is the perfect tool to help you find your next software developer. We offer more than 140 tests covering a wide range of programming skills and coding languages, including JavaScript, Python, C, C#, C++, TypeScript, Scala, and more.
Our language-agnostic coding test lets candidates pick from up to 20 different programming languages so they can use the one they like best.
With our customizable integrated development environment (IDE), candidates can also set up their coding workspace just how they want it. Need a bigger font or a different color scheme? No problem – they can adjust it to fit their needs.
You can also see how good developer candidates are with mobile development frameworks, debugging, app-building tools like React Native, or game engines like Unity.
In addition, we have coding challenges that cover data structures such as heap, hash tables, and binary search trees. Plus, our recording timeline feature lets hiring teams see a candidate's process for solving these challenges. You can watch when candidates paste code, switch languages, and make other important moves.
Although Cangrade offers programming and coding assignments, its website doesn’t specify which languages or specific challenges they include.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
Coding languages | JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, C, C#, C++, SQL, Kotlin, Ruby, TypeScript, Go, R, Scala, Swift, Julia, Elixir, Dart, Perl, Rust, and Erlang | Unknown |
Web-development frameworks | Yes | Unknown |
Mobile-development frameworks | Yes | Unknown |
Algorithmic-thinking challenges | Yes | Unknown |
Debugging challenges | Yes | Unknown |
Language-specific concept challenges | Yes | Unknown |
Language-agnostic coding test | Yes | Unknown |
Your own custom coding challenges | Yes | Unknown |
Code-playback function | Yes | Unknown |
Automated scoring | Yes | Unknown |
Video interviews can offer valuable insights into your candidates’ communication styles, thought processes, and personality traits. You can thoroughly understand each candidate by using one-way recordings and personalized questions.
Rather than scheduling back-to-back in-person interviews, one-way video assessments provide a more efficient and convenient hiring solution. Candidates can record their responses to predetermined questions, making the process more streamlined and effective.
TestGorilla offers a range of convenient video interview features – including the ability to create custom video questions – to enhance your assessments.
Our one-way interviews enable candidates to record themselves answering preset questions, and each candidate gets three attempts per question. This helps ensure fairness and transparency throughout the evaluation process.
You can also set time limits of 30, 60, or 120 seconds, enabling you to conduct video interviews on a larger scale.
Additionally, with our playback speed control, you can capture and review candidates’ on-screen actions and responses at your desired pace.
You can watch saved video responses and evaluate candidates whenever it's convenient for you. Plus, you can add comments and rate their answers to share with your team.
Cangrade offers personalized video questions and one-way video interviews as part of its pre-screening process. You can invite candidates to record video responses and review them at your convenience, all in one location, with prompts for scores and notes. Also, Cangrade’s system lets you automatically invite candidates with the highest fit scores on your pre-hire assessment to a video interview.
Cangrade lets companies use video introductions to show off their brand and culture to applicants. With this feature, your team can make personalized videos that give candidates a real feel for your company and work environment.
There is also 24/7 availability for video interviews, letting you assign interviews and move candidates through the hiring process automatically. You can even use the average candidate score to narrow your pipeline based on your hiring team’s feedback.
Lastly, you can compare candidates’ video interview scores and test results in an easy-to-use recruiter dashboard.
However, there’s no information on Cangrade’s website to suggest these video interviews restrict maximum answer length or allow recording or playback on any device.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
One-way video interview | Yes | Yes |
Custom video questions | Yes | Yes |
Recording of candidates’ attempts | Yes | Unknown |
Restrict maximum answer length | Yes | Unknown |
Recording and playback on any device | Yes | Unknown |
Rate and comment video answers | Yes | Unknown |
Playback speed control | Yes | Unknown |
Comment on and rate video answers | Yes | Unknown |
Creating a positive candidate experience is crucial to attracting and retaining top talent. The duration of tests, mobile-friendliness, and excellent customer support are all important factors that impact a test-taker’s experience.
Incorporating your company’s branding into the assessment process can provide candidates with a consistent and professional impression. This helps highlight your organization’s values and culture, further enhancing the appeal for potential hires.
TestGorilla makes adding your company’s branding to assessments simple. You can incorporate your logo, brand colors, and even a personalized introduction or outro video. This creates a cohesive look throughout the hiring process.
For a positive candidate experience, you can customize invitation and rejection emails. This adds a human touch to an otherwise digital recruitment process.
Additionally, TestGorilla’s assessments load quickly and are easy to navigate, and there’s no need for a separate login when candidates are taking a test. Candidates completing tests in English can create an account afterward to review their results.
Plus, the intuitive interface is easy to use, and most tests can be completed in under 15 minutes, with assessments averaging around 45 minutes.
For added convenience, candidates can complete tests on any device with internet access.
TestGorilla also offers test-takers various opportunities to prepare and learn more about the testing process. They can check out our online candidate guides, chat with one of our customer service representatives, or email us anytime. Each candidate can also try a practice question first to get the hang of things.
Cangrade’s pre-hire assessment takes 14 minutes and gives candidates instant feedback on their strengths and areas for growth.
You can also align your hiring experience with your company brand. Cangrade’s tools are white-label, so they look like they’re part of your company. Plus, with video introductions, you can highlight your company culture throughout the candidate's journey.
Cangrade also ensures a fair experience for all applicants. Assessments can be completed on any device and use a patented bias removal process to promote diversity. They comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) as well.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
Your company’s intro or outro video | Yes | Yes (intro only) |
Assessments branded with your company logo and colors | Yes | Yes |
Customizable invitation and rejection emails | Yes | Unknown |
No login required for candidates | Yes | Unknown |
Mobile-friendly tests | Yes | Yes |
Help and support for candidates | Yes | Unknown |
Typical assessment length | 45 minutes | 14 minutes |
Qualifying questions prior to assessment | Yes | Unknown |
Regardless of the size of your organization, pre-employment testing is a game-changer.
For small businesses, it helps to reduce the time and money spent finding the perfect hire, and for established companies, pre-employment testing helps you hire effectively and at scale. Look out for software that can grow with your business.
A good testing platform should offer API access, seamless integration with your ATS, as well as GDPR compliance, among other essential features.
By tracking candidates from resume to hire, you can simplify your hiring process, stay compliant with regulations, and ultimately find the best fit for your team.
TestGorilla provides an all-in-one solution for organizations looking to streamline their hiring process.
You can easily integrate TestGorilla with your ATS, ensuring a smooth transition from candidate screening to hiring. Plus, our platform is fully GDPR compliant, giving you peace of mind when handling candidate data.
TestGorilla enables hiring teams to easily track candidates throughout the recruitment process, from application to hire. We also offer API access, enabling you to customize the platform to fit your needs. This customizability is a great feature for organizations of all sizes.
TestGorilla has you covered whether you’re a startup looking to scale your hiring process or a large organization seeking to improve your recruitment efforts. You can bulk-invite candidates, making it easier to manage large-scale hiring.
If your company is expanding, our skills-based job description templates can help you quickly create job postings. Then, you can easily list your openings on our job board. This makes it a breeze for small businesses to get started and for large enterprises to manage their hiring efficiently. We also make managing user permissions simple with role-based rights. You can share public links via email or job postings and easily track which ones attract the best candidates. This is great for small businesses needing streamlined processes and enterprise organizations that require more extensive management and tracking.
Cangrade offers over a dozen integrations with various tech stacks to simplify hiring.
The platform’s customizable solutions – including assessments, reference checking, talent branding, and automation features – are designed to support businesses of all sizes, from small companies to large enterprises.
However, it’s unclear whether Cangrade supports bulk hiring processes or offers multiple candidate invite options.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
ATS integrations | Yes | Yes |
Multiple users and role-based rights management | Yes | Unknown |
GDPR compliant | Yes | Yes |
Multiple candidate invitation options | Yes | Unknown |
Public link to invite candidates | Yes | Unknown |
Public links for each candidate source | Yes | Unknown |
Bulk invite candidates (CSV/XLSX upload) | Yes | Unknown |
Track candidate stages from invited to hired | Yes | Unknown |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Bulk actions to manage candidates | Yes | Unknown |
The accuracy of your candidates’ test results is solely reliant on the quality-control procedures in place.
This includes rigorous pre-launch checks, such as regularly refreshing test questions after they’ve been over-exposed, using algorithms to ensure high test quality, and implementing feedback from hiring teams and test-takers.
TestGorilla uses a comprehensive 28-step quality-assurance process before tests go live.
This includes partnering with a team of psychometricians and subject matter experts, refreshing questions to avoid overexposure, and using proprietary algorithms that limit the number of times the same questions can be used.
TestGorilla values customer and test-taker feedback, using it to ensure tests are fair, effective, and beneficial for everyone involved.
There’s currently no information on Cangrade’s website regarding its quality-control processes.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
Proprietary algorithms that continuously improve the quality of each test | Yes | Unknown |
Extensive quality checks before tests go live | Yes | Unknown |
Questions replaced after reaching an exposure limit | Yes | Unknown |
Customer feedback used to improve tests | Yes | Unknown |
Test-taker feedback used to improve tests | Yes | Unknown |
Cheating during pre-employment tests undermines the accuracy and fairness of results and may give some candidates an unfair advantage. It’s important that test results honestly reflect a candidate’s skills, knowledge, and personality.
Anti-cheating measures ensure that pre-employment screening platforms provide fair and reliable results. Some common features include screen monitoring, preventing tab switching on browsers, disabling copy and paste, and IP address tracking.
TestGorilla creates a level playing field for all candidates, and robust anti-cheating measures are one way to achieve this goal.
TestGorilla offers timed tests and a large pool of randomized questions. Test questions are rotated regularly to minimize the chances of candidates finding leaked questions online. Plus, copy and paste are disabled to prevent sharing questions and answers.
In addition, TestGorilla uses candidate monitoring settings that include taking webcam snapshots of candidates during assessments (with permission).
TestGorilla also employs IP address monitoring to flag attempts to access the same test link from different locations.
For added security, employers don’t have access to the questions or answers, ensuring assessments remain fair and leak-proof.
Cangrade’s website provides minimal information regarding its anti-cheating measures. The company simply states that it prevents cheating by checking IP addresses and completion times.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
IP address tracking (to prevent multiple attempts by the same candidate) | Yes | Yes |
Tracking candidate location | Yes | Unknown |
Webcam snapshots (with the option to turn on/off) | Yes | Unknown |
Full-screen mode detection (to prevent research during the test) | Yes | Unknown |
Randomized questions | Yes | Unknown |
Large question pool for each test | Yes (100+) | Unknown |
Questions and answers not visible to employers to protect test integrity | Yes | Unknown |
Time limit on tests | Yes (typically 10 minutes) | Yes (limit unknown) |
Copy-paste disabled | Yes | Unknown |
Mouse tracking | Yes | Unknown |
Dissecting a candidate’s pre-employment test data gives you great insight into their abilities, skills, and overall suitability for the job.
The pre-employment testing software you chose must include analytics tools to help you identify potential challenges and forecast future hiring needs. Harnessing the power of this data will help you make intelligent hiring decisions and streamline your recruitment process.
TestGorilla enables you to easily access and share reports for candidates’ results in PDF, XLSX, and CSV formats. This is great for hiring at scale. For example, our PDF reports give you a clear picture of each candidate's strengths and areas for improvement, including detailed skills.
Our platform also generates overviews and detailed reports to help your team make informed hiring decisions. You can add notes and ratings to the reports to provide context and streamline the evaluation process.
Plus, scoring benchmarks make it quick and easy to evaluate candidates. You can also add individual comments to reports for instant feedback to share with your recruiting team.
Moreover, our filters let you easily compare candidates based on their test scores, answers to custom questions, and different question types. And our weighted scoring system enables you to decide the importance of each test, ensuring the most critical ones have the most impact on the final score.
In addition, TestGorilla provides a comprehensive overview of all current and previous candidates. This gives you insights into the number of candidates engaged in the hiring process for a specific role and highlights any common or missing skills.
Cangrade automatically scores your applicants based on their answers to questions. You can then manually compare these scores against their counterparts. You can use this information to decide who will be invited to the next stage of the interview process.
Cangrade also offers Candidate Reports, which provide a tailored summary of each candidate’s top strengths and areas for improvement after completing the Pre-Hire Assessment. These reports are customizable to meet specific needs and can be accessed from any device.
However, the platform doesn’t provide PDF reports of assessments. You also can’t export CSV or Excel files of candidate scores. This can create challenges when hiring at scale.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
PDF reports of assessments and individual candidates | Yes | No |
Excel and CSV reports of assessments and individual candidates | Yes | No |
Comprehensive overview for all current and past candidates | Yes | No |
Scoring benchmarks for candidates (including percentile rank scoring) | Yes | Yes |
The option to add your ratings and personal notes to reports | Yes | Yes |
It’s important to consider what support is offered when choosing a pre-employment testing platform. If you’re a startup or new to these tools, the level of support offered will be key.
Look for software that offers phone support, live chat, and free demos to help you get to grips with all the features.
TestGorilla understands the importance of getting support when you need it. You can contact our team via 24/7 webchat or email, or check out the company and candidate guides in our help center.
In addition, TestGorilla offers a comprehensive introduction to our platform through a free 45-minute live demo, as well as a training and onboarding tour for new customers. During this process, we’ll guide you through the basics of using the platform and answer your questions.
Lastly, our blog gets regular updates with valuable insights on skills-based hiring, maximizing your assessments, and top tips for interviewing candidates.
Cangrade offers phone and email support to candidates, but calls must be scheduled through its website.
TestGorilla | Cangrade | |
Live chat | Yes | No |
Help center | Yes | No |
Email support | Yes | Yes |
Training and onboarding tour | Yes | No |
Phone assistance | No | Yes |
Most pre-employment testing software is priced per user per month. However, some platforms offer more flexible options, including annual pricing, pay-as-you-go models, scalable subscription plans, and even free plans or trials.
TestGorilla offers three different pricing plans:
Free forever at $0: Full access to five tests and five custom questions.
Depending on the size of your company, paid plans begin with:
Starter from $75 USD per month: With this plan, you get full access to our entire test library, can run unlimited assessments, and can create custom questions in different formats.
Pro from $115 USD per month: This plan includes all the features of the Starter plan, along with added benefits like video questions, ATS integrations, API access, custom branding options, and the ability to create custom coding challenges.
Our pricing is based on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees at your company. For example, two part-time employees working 20 hours each per week count as one FTE together.
For smaller teams with 1-15 FTEs, we have an annual subscription option. If your team is larger, you can choose monthly pricing that scales with your team size. So, if you have 16-30 FTEs, it’s $120 per month for the Starter plan; for 31-50 FTEs, it’s $208 per month; and so on.
Every plan includes unlimited candidate testing, unlimited account users, and access to our job board.
Additionally, companies with over 50 FTEs can take advantage of a 15-day free trial to explore all our features before committing to a subscription.
There’s no pricing information on Cangrade’s website. You will need to contact the sales team to get a quote.
TestGorilla |
| Cangrade | |
Plan | Price
| Plan | Price |
Free | $0 | Contact Cangrade | Contact Cangrade |
Starter | From $75 USD per month ($900 per year paid upfront for companies with 1-15 FTEs) | ||
Pro | From $115 USD per month ($1,380 per year paid upfront for companies with 1-15 FTEs) |
When selecting a pre-employment screening platform, it’s important to prioritize the candidate’s experience as well as the convenience of your hiring team.
Look for a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate platform with clear and concise instructions. This will help put candidates at ease and simplify the review process for your team, creating a positive experience for everyone involved.
TestGorilla’s user-friendly interface is simple to navigate. Thanks to its intuitive design, you can start creating pre-employment tests within minutes. Reports are visually appealing, too, with information organized hierarchically for easy reading.
Additionally, our pre-employment tests are designed to be completed quickly, with most taking just 15 minutes. This prevents test abandonment and keeps completion rates high.
To keep candidates informed about their progress throughout the recruitment process, TestGorilla also provides the option to send progress updates via email, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
We’ve also added a new test preview feature that helps you search by the skill or role you’re hiring for and gives you recommendations for building your assessment. Plus, our skill filter lets you specify the exact skills you want to screen for – from high-performance management to machine learning and AI.
Finally, for roles that have an assessment template available, you can either use the template or create your own assessment from scratch, whichever suits you best.
Find out what sets TestGorilla apart in hiring. Sign up for our free plan and access comprehensive tools for effective candidate screening.
Cangrade offers a range of features that make it easy to use. This includes a streamlined user interface and mobile-friendly software.
In addition, Cangrade offers pre-employment tests tailored to the candidate’s job role and a streamlined video interview process. This supports a digital hiring process, which increases efficiency.
Unfortunately, Cangrade’s website doesn’t provide much information about the other tools it offers to simplify the user journey.
TestGorilla and Cangrade both offer a range of assessment tools to help you select the best candidate for your role.
However, TestGorilla’s extra features give it the edge over Cangrade. TestGorilla offers many more tests and far more customizations.
Cangrade’s website doesn’t highlight its key features, and the lack of pricing information may not make it a good option for small businesses with a tight budget.
TestGorilla also offers a more comprehensive support package and more options for reporting and analytics. Its free plan is a game changer, enabling small businesses to access high-quality pre-employment tests for free and find their perfect candidates.
Pre-employment testing can be incredibly helpful in the recruitment process, offering numerous benefits such as removing bias, saving time, and providing accurate insights into a candidate’s skills, abilities, and personality.
If you’re ready to take your hiring process to the next level, try TestGorilla’s free plan today!
Why not try TestGorilla for free, and see what happens when you put skills first.