How much does a pre-employment assessment cost?
Most assessment platforms do not publish what an assessment costs: of 7 common platforms checked on 17 September 2026, 2 publish plan prices. Where prices are published, per-candidate cost depends on the model — a subscription costs less per head only when its allowance is used. AssessAll charges ₹30 (US$0.50) a credit: an applied-skill assessment is 26 credits, ₹780 (US$13) per person.
Founder of AssessAll and of Bodhih Training Solutions, a corporate training company in Bangalore. Works on assessment design, scoring and reporting across hiring, L&D and certification programmes.
Last reviewed
Competitor prices were read on each vendor's own pricing page on 17 September 2026 and are re-verified monthly. Only published figures are shown; no estimates.
Who publishes a price: 2 of 7
Read on each vendor's own pricing page on 17 September 2026. Where a vendor publishes a price, the second line says whether it also publishes what the price buys — the number you need to turn a plan into a cost per candidate, and the one published far less often.
TestGorilla
Publishes a priceFree US$0/month; Core US$142/month on annual commitment (US$1,704 billed annually); Plus from US$400/month (annual commitment from US$4,800); Enterprise on request.
What it buys: Partly. Credits are charged when a candidate starts (1 credit per candidate for skills tests, 2 for AI interviews), but the page states no fixed credit allowance for Core or Plus.
Codility
Publishes a priceStarter US$1,200/year (annual only); Scale US$6,000/year; Custom not published.
What it buys: Yes. Starter includes up to 120 invite credits a year and one platform user; Scale up to 300 invite credits (up to 25 a month) and three users.
Mercer | Mettl
Not publishedQuote on request — the pricing page is a form headed "Get Personalized Pricing for Your Customized Assessments".
SHL
Not publishedNo price on the pages checked; product pages route to a demo or sales, and the SHL Online portal shows prices only after sign-in.
iMocha
Not publishedNo plans or figures; the pricing page offers a personalised demo.
Versant by Pearson
Not publishedNo organisational price; HR pages invite buyers to speak to an expert. Practice tests for individuals are sold at US$15 (₹1,100 on the India store), marked for practice only.
HackerRank
Not publishedNo plan prices were shown on the pricing page when it was read.
Quote-on-request is a normal enterprise model, not a criticism: it usually means volume, instruments and support are negotiated together. It does mean you cannot compare until you are in a sales process.
What AssessAll costs per person
1 credit = ₹30 (US$0.50). No seats, subscription or annual minimum; purchased credits do not expire. The same figures are on the pricing page and are what checkout charges.
| Assessment type | Credits | List price | Growth pack | Scale pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Self-Insight Profile Resilience, Time & Focus, People Acumen | 15 | ₹450 US$7.50 | ₹419 US$6.98 | ₹392 US$6.53 |
Applied Skill Assessment Decision-Making, Conflict, Influence | 26 | ₹780 US$13 | ₹725 US$12.09 | ₹679 US$11.31 |
Leadership Assessment set Change Leadership, Manager Effectiveness | 45–50 | ₹1,350–₹1,500 US$22.50–US$25 | ₹1,256–₹1,395 US$20.93–US$23.25 | ₹1,175–₹1,305 US$19.58–US$21.75 |
Executive Diagnostic Strategic Thinking, Crisis Decision-Making | 68–70 | ₹2,040–₹2,100 US$34–US$35 | ₹1,897–₹1,953 US$31.62–US$32.55 | ₹1,775–₹1,827 US$29.58–US$30.45 |
- Add-ons per attempt: AI proctoring +5 credits (₹150 / US$2.50); voice or multimodal sections +5 credits.
- Packs: 250 credits for ₹7,500 (US$125) · 1,000 credits for ₹27,900 (US$465) · 5,000 credits for ₹1,30,500 (US$2175).
- Individuals can buy single assessments in the Store at a one-time price from ₹649, without credits.
- Free start: 250 credits for new organisations, 100 for individuals, valid 90 days.
Turning any price into cost per candidate
A plan with a published allowance.Codility's Starter plan is US$1,200 a year for up to 120 invite credits. Used in full, that is US$10 per invite. Used half-way, it is US$20. Under-use is the expensive failure mode of any allowance plan, and a demo is always run at full use.
A plan without a published allowance.TestGorilla's Core plan is US$1,704 a year. Against an AssessAll screen at US$7.50–13, the two cost the same at roughly 131–227candidates a year. Confirm the plan's credit allowance before relying on that figure.
A quote. Divide the annual figure by the candidates it genuinely covers — including people who start and never finish — and compare with US$15.50 (₹930), the AssessAll list price for a proctored 26-credit applied-skill assessment.
If your figure comes out lower than AssessAll's for the assessment you actually need, the other platform is cheaper, and you should buy it. That is the arithmetic working correctly.
What changes the real cost
- Seat or user licences on top of the plan price.
- Set-up, onboarding or integration fees.
- Proctoring, video and voice add-ons, per attempt or per plan.
- Whether a candidate who starts but never finishes uses up a credit — on TestGorilla, credits are charged when a candidate starts.
- What happens to unused volume at renewal.
- Retake pricing, and whether detailed reports cost extra.
When pay-as-you-go is the wrong model
- You assess steadily all year above the break-even volume of a plan whose allowance covers you — a subscription will be cheaper per head.
- You need a large coding-test library. AssessAll has none; only its SQL and data-cleaning work samples execute code.
- Procurement requires ISO 27001 or a SOC 2 report, native ATS connectors or SAML single sign-on. AssessAll publishes none of these.
- You need norm groups or a published validity study behind the score. AssessAll does not have them yet.
Questions buyers ask
How much does a pre-employment assessment cost per candidate?
It depends on the vendor's model, and most do not publish it. On AssessAll a self-insight profile is 15 credits (₹450 / US$7.50), an applied-skill assessment 26 credits (₹780 / US$13), and a leadership set 45–50 credits, with AI proctoring adding 5 credits. For subscription vendors, divide the annual plan by the candidates you will actually assess.
Why don't most assessment platforms publish their prices?
Enterprise vendors usually price by contract — volume, instruments, integrations and support are negotiated together — so they route buyers to a quote or demo. That is a normal model, but it means you cannot compare cost per candidate until you are in a sales process. Ask every vendor for the per-candidate figure at your real volume, in writing.
Is a subscription or pay-per-candidate cheaper?
A subscription is cheaper when you use most of its allowance; pay-per-candidate is cheaper when volume is low or uneven. Against TestGorilla's published Core plan (US$1,704 a year), an AssessAll screen at US$7.50–13 breaks even at roughly 131–227 candidates a year.
What hidden costs should I ask an assessment vendor about?
Seat or user licences, set-up or onboarding fees, proctoring and video add-ons, charges for candidates who start but do not finish, what happens to unused volume at renewal, retake pricing, and whether reports cost extra. Each one changes the real cost per candidate.
Are there free assessment tools?
Some vendors offer free tiers — TestGorilla's free plan includes 10 credits a month. AssessAll gives new organisations 250 free credits and individuals 100, valid 90 days, which is enough for a small real pilot.
Run the numbers on a real pilot
250 free credits covers a small pilot on real candidates before you pay anything.