Pre-employment tests for remote hires

Contents

• What predicts performance
• What to test for remote roles
• Keep it fair and legal
• A simple testing plan
• How StaffPick tests
• Questions people ask
• Sources

A CV tells you what someone says they can do. A pre-employment test shows you. For remote hires, where you may never meet the person, a short, fair set of tests is the cheapest insurance you can buy. This guide covers which tests actually predict performance, what to test for common remote roles, and how to keep testing fair and legal.

What predicts performance

The best evidence comes from meta-analyses that pool hundreds of studies. A 2022 re-analysis by Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens in the Journal of Applied Psychology found earlier estimates had been inflated, and revised them. As summarised in SIOP's TIP:

Two lessons for a small business:

1. Structure beats gut feel. A structured interview asks every candidate the same questions and scores answers against a rubric you wrote first.
2. Combine methods. No single test is close to perfect. A knowledge quiz, a work sample and a structured interview together tell you far more than any one alone.

What to test for remote roles

English. Most remote work is written. Test the level the job needs, using the CEFR scale: B2 describes someone who "Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party", and C1 someone who can "express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions." In our view, ask for C1 for customer-facing writing and B2 for internal work. Pearson's Versant tests are one option, "used by corporations, call centers and BPO providers". See our CEFR guide for how tests map to levels.

Typing. For data-heavy roles, test speed and accuracy together. The US Office of Personnel Management asks clerk-typists for 40 words per minute "based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors", and data transcribers for 20 to 25. Our typing guide explains the numbers, and the free typing test shows both speed and accuracy.

Role knowledge. A short quiz on the job itself: reconciliation for a bookkeeper, ticket handling for support, scheduling and inbox rules for a VA.

A paid work sample. One to two hours of work that looks like the real job, such as five support replies, a reconciled sample month, or a cleaned-up spreadsheet. Pay for it, at the rate you'd pay for the job.

A structured interview. Six to ten questions, the same for everyone, each with a written idea of what a good answer sounds like. Our VA hiring guide has 12 questions you can use.

Keep it fair and legal

In the US, the EEOC says Title VII, the ADA and the ADEA "prohibit the use of discriminatory employment tests and selection procedures". Its guidance for employers:

• Job-related. "The test or selection procedure must be job-related and its results appropriate for the employer's purpose." Don't test things the job doesn't need.
• Watch for adverse impact. Neutral tests can still disproportionately exclude a group. The Uniform Guidelines use a rule of thumb: they treat a selection rate for any group that is "less than four-fifths (4/5ths) or eighty percent (80%)" of the highest group's rate "as a substantially different rate of selection."
• Accommodations. The ADA requires reasonable accommodations, "including in the administration of tests", such as a reader or extra time.
• Validity is your job. The EEOC notes that even with a vendor's test, "the employer is still responsible for ensuring that its tests are valid".

When you hire a contractor in another country, that country's rules may apply as well as, or instead of, US law.

A simple testing plan

1. Before you post the job, write down the three or four skills that matter, the tests for each, and the minimum scores.
2. Use the same tests, in the same conditions, for everyone. Offer accommodations when asked.
3. Score blind where you can. Score work samples before you look at names and CVs.
4. Keep it short. Under two hours in total before an interview, and pay for anything longer than a quick quiz.
5. Keep records of who took what and why you decided, in case you're ever asked.

How StaffPick tests

Every person listed on StaffPick has taken the same three tests: an English test graded to a CEFR band, a timed typing test for words per minute and accuracy, and a quiz for their role. Each result shows on their profile with the date, and a person on our team checks their ID before the profile goes live. You still run your own work sample and interview.

Questions people ask

What is a pre-employment assessment?

A test candidates take before you hire them, to check they can do the job. For remote roles that usually means an English test, a typing test, a quiz on the role's knowledge, and a short paid task that copies real work.

Which pre-employment tests predict job performance best?

In the 2022 re-analysis by Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens, structured interviews came out on top (a validity of .42), followed by job knowledge tests (.40), empirically keyed biodata (.38), work sample tests (.33) and cognitive ability tests (.31). Higher numbers predict performance better; none is perfect, so combine a few.

Are pre-employment tests legal?

Yes, if they're fair. In the US, the EEOC says Title VII, the ADA and the ADEA prohibit discriminatory tests, a test must be job-related, and employers must make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, including in how tests are given. Hiring a contractor abroad can bring other countries' rules into play.

Can you still get hired if you fail an assessment test?

Sometimes. Many employers weigh several results together, and some allow a retake. As an employer, decide in advance which scores are a must-have and which are just one input, and apply the same rule to everyone.

Sources

Each figure in this guide comes from one of these pages, checked on 27 Oct 2026. Prices and rules change, so open the source before you rely on a number.

1. 1SIOP TIP: Is cognitive ability the best predictor of job performance? (O'Shea and Fox Luscombe, HumRRO), summarising Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens (2022)siop.org
2. 2Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens (2022), Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection, Journal of Applied Psychology 107(11)doi.org
3. 3US EEOC: Employment tests and selection procedures (2007)eeoc.gov
4. 4US EEOC: Questions and answers on the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedureseeoc.gov
5. 5US Office of Personnel Management: General Schedule qualification standards (typing requirements)opm.gov
6. 6Council of Europe: CEFR common reference levels, global scalecoe.int
7. 7Pearson: Versant English tests for HR professionalspearson.com