The three ways assessment vendors charge
Per candidate. You pay each time someone sits a test. It is easy to understand and there is no commitment, which suits an owner who hires twice a year. The weakness is that the bill grows with your applicant pile, so you are tempted to test fewer people or only at the end, and a surprise surge in applicants becomes a surprise invoice.
Subscription with an allowance. You pay a monthly or yearly fee that includes a number of candidates and active roles. Cost per candidate drops when you use the allowance and rises when you do not. Check what happens when you go over: some vendors stop, some charge overage, some push you to the next plan.
Credits. You buy a bundle up front and each test spends credits. This looks flexible, but credits often expire, different tests cost different amounts, and comparing two vendors takes a spreadsheet. Many enterprise suites also add annual terms or a sales call before you see a number.
Vendor terms change, so confirm any figure on the vendor's own site before you decide.
How to work out your real cost per candidate
Start with how many people you actually test, not how many apply. A sensible funnel narrows with a resume review and a short call first, then sends the assessment to the final three to five per open role. A company hiring four roles a quarter with five finalists each tests about 20 candidates a quarter, or roughly seven a month.
Now divide. A plan that costs 99 USD per month and covers 50 candidates costs about 2 USD per candidate if you use all 50, but about 14 USD per candidate if you test seven. That is still small beside a bad hire, yet it shows why the allowance matters. If a vendor charges a flat per candidate fee below your effective subscription cost, per candidate wins for your volume. If it charges more, a subscription wins.
Add the costs people forget: setup time, who writes and maintains the tasks, who reads the results, and whether reports can be shared with a hiring manager without another seat. See what pre employment testing costs for a longer worked example.
Which model fits which hiring pattern
| Your hiring pattern | Best fit | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| One or two hires a year | Per candidate | You pay only when you test | Higher unit price, no volume discount |
| A few roles every quarter | Small subscription | Predictable monthly cost, allowance covers finalists | Paying for unused candidates in slow months |
| Constant hiring across teams | Mid or large subscription | Lowest cost per candidate at volume | Seat and active role limits |
| Screening hundreds of entry-level applicants | Library with volume pricing | Cheap first filter | Scores that a chatbot can pass |
| Agency placing candidates for clients | Subscription with shared reports | Cost spread across placements | Client-facing report quality |
Questions to ask any vendor before you sign
1. Is the price published, and is there an entry plan without an annual contract?
2. What counts as one candidate: one test sat, one invitation sent, or one person in a role?
3. What happens when I pass the allowance, and what does overage cost?
4. Do candidates ever pay, create accounts or see ads?
5. Can I share a report with a hiring manager without buying another seat?
6. What does the test measure: knowledge recall, or work the person produced? The second is harder for a chatbot to fake and easier to defend in an interview.
7. Can I cancel monthly, and do I keep my reports?
How SkillsValidator is priced
Starter is 99 USD per month, or 49 USD per month billed yearly, with 3 active roles, 50 candidates validated each month and 1 seat. Growth is 249 USD per month for 15 active roles, 300 candidates and 5 seats. Scale is 599 USD per month and Enterprise is 1499 USD per month. There is no sales call and candidates never pay. Each candidate does a short work sample drafted from your job description and answers explain-back questions about their own answers, so you see evidence rather than only a score. The full list is on the pre employment testing software pricing page.
If your roles are specific, the same pricing applies on pages built for them, such as sales reps, customer support and administrative assistants. Once the person is hired, getting them productive is a different task, and a corporate LMS that trains and onboards your whole team covers that side.
What is per candidate pricing for assessments?
Per candidate pricing means you pay a fixed fee each time a candidate completes an assessment. It needs no subscription and suits low volume, but total cost climbs with the number of people you test and there is rarely a volume discount.
Is a subscription cheaper than paying per candidate?
It depends on volume. A subscription is cheaper once you test enough finalists to use most of the allowance each month. If you hire once or twice a year, paying per candidate usually costs less than a plan you barely use.
How many candidates should I actually test?
Test finalists, usually three to five per open role, after a resume review and a short call. Testing every applicant wastes budget and candidate goodwill, and it makes any per candidate bill unpredictable.
Do candidates pay for pre employment assessments?
They should not. With SkillsValidator the employer pays and candidates open a link and complete the tasks at no cost.
How much does SkillsValidator cost per candidate?
Starter is 99 USD per month for 50 candidates validated, about 2 USD per candidate at full use. Higher plans lower the cost per candidate further as volume grows.
Price your next hire with a plan you can read
Pick a plan, define one open role and invite your finalists. You will see what each person produced before you decide.