Pre-employment testing can speed up your hiring process, raise the signal-to-noise ratio in your applicant pool, and make it easier to compare equally qualified candidates side-by-side.
Still, no single assessment is a perfect predictor of future performance. Designing, administering, and scoring tests on your own can also be costly and time-consuming.
That’s where modern employment testing software like Criteria comes in. Instead of building tests from scratch, you can tap into a broad library of assessments—covering areas like cognitive ability, job skills, personality, emotional intelligence, and risk—then tailor a combination that fits each role.
Below, we’ll walk through the practical steps to create and implement a high-quality hiring test—using Criteria (or a similar tool) to make the process consistent, fair, and scalable.
5 Steps to Create a Hiring Test
Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a hiring test:
- Identify your ideal candidate
- Determine which tests to use
- Create the hiring test
- Administer the test
- Analyze test results
The Easy Parts of Creating a Hiring Test
Used well, a hiring test can replace dozens of early-round interviews and quickly narrow a large field to the candidates most worth your time—major time-savers that also reduce scheduling friction.
Tests also add structure and consistency. Compared with unstructured interviews or résumé screens, standardized assessments provide more objective data points and can help minimize subjective bias when paired with clear scoring rubrics.
Because every candidate takes the same assessment under the same conditions, it becomes straightforward to compare skills and performance side-by-side.
All of this is easier with a capable assessment platform like Criteria.
Criteria provides multidimensional assessments backed by validated science in a user-friendly platform. You get access to hundreds of tests spanning cognitive aptitude, job-relevant skills, personality, emotional intelligence, and risk profiling—so you can evaluate candidates across multiple dimensions.
You can combine assessments to create role-specific batteries and evaluate candidates at any stage of the funnel. Criteria also integrates with leading applicant tracking systems like Breezy HR, Greenhouse, and Workable so results flow directly into your recruiting workflow.
The Difficult Parts of Creating a Hiring Test
Assessments rarely tell the whole story. A job knowledge test can confirm core competencies, but it may miss growth potential or adaptability. Personality data can highlight team fit, yet won’t confirm depth of experience. Treat test scores as one strong signal—not the only signal.
Candidates may also try to present themselves in the best possible light (especially on integrity or work-style questionnaires). Good platforms include response-validity checks, but you should still interpret results in context.
Finally, ensure your process is job-related and legally compliant. Use only role-relevant assessments, provide reasonable accommodations, and monitor outcomes for adverse impact. Software like Criteria helps organizations align with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance, but you should still validate your own use internally.
Step 1: Identify Your Ideal Candidate
Start by defining exactly what “great” looks like for this role. Clear success criteria make it easier to choose the right assessments and score candidates fairly.
Create an Ideal Candidate Avatar
Like building a customer persona, a candidate avatar clarifies the traits you’re hiring for. Document the outcomes the role owns, the core competencies required to achieve those outcomes, and the context the person will work in (team size, pace, tools, stakeholders).
Which skills and experiences are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves? Which behaviors signal success in your environment (e.g., structured problem solving, stakeholder communication, reliability under deadlines)? What has top talent in this role accomplished previously, and what are their career goals?
This exercise strengthens your job description, supports structured interviews, and ensures your assessments target abilities that truly matter.
Define Skill Requirements
List the specific hard and soft skills for the role. Hard skills may include years of experience with certain tools or processes, required certifications, or industry knowledge. Soft skills often include collaboration, communication, organization, judgment, and problem-solving.
Map each required skill to a way you’ll measure it (e.g., cognitive or skills tests, structured interview questions, work samples). Weight the most important attributes more heavily so your final decision aligns with impact, not convenience.
Ensure your avatar mirrors the posted job description (and vice versa). Aligning expectations from the start attracts the right people and improves candidate experience.
Step 2: Determine Which Tests to Use
With the role defined, select assessments that are job-related and predictive for the tasks at hand. A good platform like Criteria lets you filter by industry or role so you can start with proven options.
Choose the Right Style of Test
Match assessment style to the core abilities you need. For example, roles requiring spatial or mechanical reasoning benefit from mechanical or math-forward aptitude tests, while customer-facing roles may benefit more from reading comprehension, situational judgment, and personality-fit measures. Many platforms also offer game-based assessments that measure the same constructs in a more engaging way.
When in doubt, use the platform’s role- or industry-based recommendations to shortlist tests that have been validated for similar jobs.
Decide How Many Tests to Administer
Balance depth with candidate experience. You want enough data to make confident decisions without creating assessment fatigue.
As a rule of thumb, keep total testing time around 40 minutes and combine two to three assessments that measure different dimensions (e.g., cognitive ability, job skills, and work style). This yields a fuller picture while minimizing drop-off.
If you need more depth, save additional testing for later stages after an initial screen—when candidates are more engaged and the pool is smaller.
Determine When to Test in Your Hiring Process
Timing depends on volume and the scarcity of key skills. For high-volume roles, place an assessment after application submission to reduce the interview load. For niche roles, assess after an initial interview to confirm discussed strengths without deterring great, specialized candidates upfront.
In all cases, be transparent about what you’ll test and why. Clear expectations earn trust and boost completion rates.
Step 3: Create the Hiring Test
With your test mix chosen, package it into a simple, branded experience with clear instructions and fair, consistent rules.
Create a Branded Assessment Experience
In Criteria, you can present a cohesive brand experience for candidates from invite to completion.
Add your logo and styles, then provide concise instructions: expected time, technical requirements, whether the test is timed, and what to do if they need accommodations. Keep language plain and encourage candidates to find a quiet space before starting.
Establish Validity
Platform-level validity is helpful, but you still need to validate internally. Pilot the assessment with current employees in similar roles, then compare scores to on-the-job performance. Use those findings to set sensible cut scores or score bands and to confirm that your assessment battery predicts what matters most in your environment.
Revisit these benchmarks periodically to ensure your cutoffs stay aligned with evolving job demands.
Step 4: Administer The Test
When it’s time to test, keep logistics simple and respectful of candidates’ time so completion rates stay high.
Allow Time for Test Preparation
Let candidates know in advance that assessments are part of your process. Share the type of tests they’ll take and general expectations. Where appropriate, include sample questions or practice resources so candidates understand the format. Transparency improves performance and candidate sentiment.
Avoid surprise invites with short deadlines. A brief heads-up and clear instructions reduce anxiety and prevent accidental no-shows.
Set a Test Timeframe
Define a window that keeps your hiring timeline on track. As a baseline, give candidates at least 72 hours to complete the assessment after the window opens. For more senior or complex roles, a week is reasonable.
Communicate the deadline in the invite and send a reminder before the window closes.
Manage Candidate Pipeline
You’ll likely need to nudge a few candidates to finish on time. Use your platform’s pipeline view to track progress and automate reminders, and keep your ATS in sync so recruiters and hiring managers see real-time status.
Within Criteria, you can view where each candidate sits in the process and send reminders directly from the dashboard to keep momentum.
Step 5: Analyze Test Results
Once the test window closes (or as results roll in), review the data and move qualified candidates forward with confidence.
Criteria can deliver reports in real time to your inbox, or you can wait and review consolidated score reports when the window closes. Reports are designed to be clear and actionable, helping recruiters and hiring managers interpret results consistently.
Compare Candidate Results
Compare candidates side-by-side by overall score and by dimension. Where possible, include a custom baseline from your current high performers to spotlight likely top fits. Use score bands rather than tiny percentile differences to avoid over-weighting marginal gaps.
Criteria highlights top matches and summarizes the most relevant signals for quick screening, with the option to drill into detail for finalists.
After you identify the strongest contenders, review their detailed reports to guide structured interviews and work-sample tasks in the next round.
Download Data Into Recruitment Software
Export scores and key insights into systems like Breezy HR, Workable, and Greenhouse so hiring teams have a single source of truth. Keeping everything in your ATS preserves an audit trail, simplifies collaboration, and ensures consistent communication with candidates through the rest of the process.