Before we start, a disclosure: NTRVSTA wrote this list and is one of the eight products on it. We're an AI interviewer rather than a test library, so we ranked ourselves sixth, and everything said about the other seven is drawn from their own published material, cited at the bottom.
TL;DR
Pre employment assessment software measures what a candidate can do before you invest interview time. The main types are skills tests, job simulations, behavioral or game-based assessments, and structured interviews. TestGorilla is the easiest place to start for most teams, HireVue and iMocha suit large enterprises, and Vervoe is the pick for work-sample hiring.
- Best self-serve test library with a free plan: TestGorilla
- Best for game-based and validated assessments at enterprise scale: HireVue
- Best for large skills libraries and workforce skills mapping: iMocha
- Best for job simulations graded by AI: Vervoe
- Best for a structured, adaptive interview as the assessment: NTRVSTA (us)
The picks at a glance
What actually matters when choosing pre employment assessment software
Choose the evidence before the vendor. Skills tests check knowledge. Simulations show whether someone can do a slice of the job. Behavioral and game-based assessments estimate traits like working style. Structured interviews show how someone reasons and communicates. Each answers a different question, so start by writing down what would make you confident in a hire for this role.
Insist on job-relatedness and validation. Every test you use should link clearly to the role's real tasks, and the vendor should explain how it was built and checked. Several tools here say industrial-organizational psychologists design or validate their content, and some describe adverse-impact checks. Ask for that documentation, and read our guide on AI bias audits for what to look for.
Respect candidate time. Stacking a cognitive test, a personality profile and a skills test on top of an application loses good people. Pick one or two assessments that carry the most signal, tell candidates how long each takes, and drop anything that doesn't change decisions.
1. TestGorilla
TestGorilla is the most accessible tool here. It says it offers 350+ pre-employment tests covering skills, job simulations and custom questions, all scored automatically, so you can build an assessment for almost any role in minutes. It also sells async AI interviews with structured questions and AI follow-ups, and a separate sourcing product.
The free plan includes 10 assessment credits a month and unlimited use of five essential tests. Core starts at $215/mo and Plus at $520/mo on annual billing, with Plus adding custom tests, simulations and ATS integrations. TestGorilla lists SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance on all plans. See NTRVSTA vs TestGorilla for how a test library compares with a live interview.
Best for: SMB and mid-market teams that want to start testing today without a sales call.
2. HireVue
HireVue's assessment side includes game-based assessments, skills tests and an Assessment Builder, alongside its video interviews and voice AI Interviewer. HireVue says it runs adverse-impact checks using the four-fifths rule, publishes an AI Explainability Statement, and has external bias audits done by DCI Consulting Group.
HireVue lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001 and FedRAMP. Its published customers include IKEA and Nestlé. Pricing isn't published.
Best for: large employers that want validated assessments and interviews from one vendor with deep compliance documentation.
3. iMocha
iMocha describes itself as a skills intelligence platform. It says it offers 10,000+ validated assessments across coding, cognitive ability, domain knowledge and communication, with proctored delivery, plus tools that infer and map skills across your existing workforce. Its AI interviewer, Tara, can add a conversational round.
iMocha integrates with Workday, SAP SuccessFactors and Oracle and uses the Lightcast skills taxonomy. It lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022. Pricing isn't published.
Best for: large employers that want hiring assessments tied into workforce skills planning.
4. Vervoe
Vervoe focuses on work samples. Its AI Assessment Builder drafts a simulation from your job description using code, spreadsheet, video, text and multiple-choice tasks, and its models grade and rank candidates with explainable scores. Vervoe adds chat and voice screening, ID checks, and performance feedback 120 days after hire.
Vervoe says its NYC bias audit was verified by Holistic AI and that it's audited annually. It lists ISO/IEC 27001. Customers include Australia Post and Dentsu. Pricing isn't published.
Best for: teams that want to see candidates do the job, not describe it.
5. Talview
Talview is strongest where test integrity matters most. Talview sells AI proctoring (Alvy), identity verification and live rooms with deepfake detection, and much of its customer base is assessment and certification bodies, such as Cambridge Assessment. Its AI video interviewer, Ivy, adds a spoken element.
Pricing is custom and unit-based, with a minimum of roughly 150 to 200 candidates. Talview lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and WCAG 2.1.
Best for: certification bodies and enterprises running high-stakes assessments where cheating is a real risk.
6. NTRVSTA (us)
NTRVSTA approaches assessment through a structured interview. Our AI interviewer runs a live conversation, as a video avatar or by audio, and adjusts difficulty as it goes, so a strong candidate isn't stuck on easy questions and a weaker one isn't buried. The exam library covers programming languages, frameworks and tools, and soft skills like communication, problem-solving and leadership. Behavioral questions follow STAR, and a hint system shows how candidates take guidance.
Each interview ends in a score breakdown for technical skills, English proficiency and communication, with video snippets as evidence. Pricing is public (Starter is $299/mo, and there's a $0 Free Demo), and our compliance page carries the independent Local Law 144 bias audit Asenion finalized on October 20, 2026.
Where NTRVSTA isn't the right fit: we don't offer cognitive, personality or game-based tests, or a library of timed multiple-choice tests. If those are what you need, a tool above fits better. We're also not an ATS, our native ATS list (Lever and others) is short, and our API isn't available yet.
Best for: teams that want an assessment built on how candidates think and communicate, scored per skill.
Take a sample NTRVSTA interview
7. Spark Hire
Spark Hire sells a behavioral assessment alongside its one-way video interviews and SMB ATS. The assessment is priced on its own from $249/mo billed annually or $299/mo monthly, and it's bundled into the Recruit Growth ATS plan (from $499/mo, annual).
Best for: small and mid-sized employers that want a behavioral profile next to one-way video.
8. Glider AI
Glider AI groups its product into Assess (technical and competency tests, coding simulations), Verify (ID verification and AI proctoring), Interview and Engage. It's built around staffing and contingent-workforce hiring, with integrations for Bullhorn, Beeline, Magnit and JobDiva. Findem announced a definitive agreement to acquire Glider AI on March 19, 2026. Pricing isn't published.
Best for: staffing firms that need to verify skills and identity before submitting contractors.
Our pick
- You want to start testing this week, cheaply: TestGorilla.
- You run a large, compliance-heavy program: HireVue or iMocha.
- You care most about seeing real work: Vervoe.
- Cheating is your biggest worry: Talview.
- You want a structured interview scored per skill, for technical and non-technical roles: NTRVSTA.
- You vet contractors for clients: Glider AI.
Questions
What is pre-employment assessment software?
It's software that tests candidates before or during the interview process. Common formats are skills tests, job simulations, behavioral or game-based assessments, and structured interviews, usually scored automatically so you can compare applicants on the same scale.
Which type of pre-employment test is most predictive?
It depends on the role, so focus on job-relatedness. Work samples and structured interviews that mirror real tasks tend to give recruiters the clearest evidence, and they're easier to explain to candidates. Ask each vendor for validation evidence for the specific roles you hire.
Can pre-employment assessments be biased?
Yes. Any test can screen out groups unfairly if it measures things the job doesn't need. Choose job-related tests, ask vendors for adverse-impact and bias audit results, offer accommodations, and review pass rates by group in your own data.
Should I use assessments and interviews together?
Usually, yes. A short assessment filters for core skills, and an interview shows reasoning, communication and fit. Keep the combined candidate time reasonable, and make sure each step changes decisions; otherwise cut it.
Want to see an interview that works as an assessment? Book a 20-minute demo of a live adaptive AI interview, or try a sample one yourself. Related reading: coding assessment tools and structured interview software.
We checked pricing and features for every product here in October 2026. They change often, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.
