Mis-hires keep draining your time and budget.
If you’re evaluating talent assessment software, you’re probably frustrated with generic testing tools that don’t really fit your hiring needs or protect you from legal risks.
It’s clear that hiring mistakes waste hours and open legal headaches—and that pain hits you every time you restart your recruiting process.
eSkill takes a different approach, letting you build truly customized skill tests, tap into a massive test library, and rely on built-in compliance features to actually reduce bad hiring and keep your assessments fair.
So in this review, I’ll show you how you can create accurate and defensible assessments that help you hire better, faster, and safer with less wasted effort.
In this eSkill review, I’ll walk you through the platform’s core features, customization options, pricing, and how it stacks up against popular alternatives, so you make the smartest hiring decision.
You’ll leave knowing the features you need to finally hire right without constant second-guessing.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary
- eSkill is a pre-employment assessment platform that helps your company screen candidates with customizable and skills-focused tests.
- Best for HR professionals and hiring managers needing detailed, tailored skills evaluations across varied industries.
- You’ll appreciate its extensive test library combined with flexible customization and strong compliance features.
- eSkill offers subscription and per-test pricing with no free trial but provides a free demo for evaluation.
eSkill Overview
eSkill has been in the pre-employment testing space for a while. They’ve been around since 2003, based in Boston, helping businesses like yours screen candidates more effectively.
I’ve noticed they don’t just stick to one niche. They serve a wide range of business sectors, from IT and healthcare to retail and government agencies, which shows their flexibility.
Their recent acquisition by Element SaaS Finance is a significant move. We’ll explore what this means for their growth trajectory through this eSkill review.
Unlike specialized tools like Codility, eSkill’s main advantage is their deep test customization. You can combine topics from their huge library or even upload your own proprietary questions.
They work with some big names like Coca-Cola and FedEx, but also cater to government agencies and many mid-sized businesses, so their platform is clearly scalable.
From what I’ve seen, their strategy really centers on providing highly relevant, job-specific assessments. This focus on accuracy and compliance helps you reduce hiring risks and build a stronger workforce.
Now let’s examine their capabilities.
eSkill Features
Hiring takes too long and costs too much?
eSkill features are designed to streamline your pre-employment assessment process and help you make smarter hiring decisions. Here are the five main eSkill features that make a real difference.
1. Extensive Test Library
Struggling to find the right test for specific roles?
Generic assessments often fail to capture the unique skills required for your open positions. This can lead to mis-hires and wasted resources.
eSkill offers a vast library with over 800 tests and 5,000+ topics, covering everything from IT to healthcare. What I found impressive is how you can quickly find relevant assessments for diverse roles, making test selection a breeze. This feature really simplifies the initial screening process.
This means you can easily match assessments to job requirements, leading to a more targeted and efficient candidate search.
2. Custom Test Creation
Need assessments that truly reflect your job requirements?
Off-the-shelf tests might not perfectly align with your company’s specific needs, leaving crucial skill gaps unassessed. This can undermine the accuracy of your evaluations.
eSkill allows you to create highly customized tests by mixing existing questions, uploading your own, or building from scratch. From my testing, this flexibility ensures your assessments are perfectly tailored, accurately reflecting real-world tasks. This feature lets you design tests that truly matter.
The result is you get assessments that are directly relevant to your roles, providing a much clearer picture of candidate suitability.
3. Dynamic Question Formats and Simulations
Are traditional multiple-choice questions failing to show true abilities?
Standard test formats often miss critical insights into a candidate’s practical skills and problem-solving capabilities. This leaves you guessing about real-world performance.
eSkill supports dynamic formats like video questions and simulations that replicate actual job tasks. This is where eSkill shines; simulations provide invaluable insights into practical performance, going beyond theoretical knowledge. This feature helps you see candidates in action.
So, you can gain a holistic view of candidates, understanding not just what they know but how they apply it.
4. Proctoring Solutions and Security
Worried about test integrity and legal compliance?
Without robust security and proctoring, test results can be compromised, leading to unfair hiring or compliance risks. This can expose your business to liability.
eSkill offers live and automated proctoring with features like webcam snapshots and randomized questions to ensure fairness. Here’s the thing – their commitment to compliance (EEOC, GDPR) helps you maintain ethical hiring practices. This feature builds confidence in your results.
This means your test results are reliable and legally sound, helping you make confident, compliant hiring decisions every time.
5. Integration Options and Reporting
Is data stuck in silos, making hiring decisions slow?
Disconnected systems can make it difficult to get a complete view of candidates, slowing down your hiring pipeline. This often creates unnecessary administrative work.
eSkill integrates with popular Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), streamlining your entire HR workflow. What I love about this is how the detailed reporting gives you actionable insights, enabling data-driven decisions. This feature connects your hiring process.
You can finally make faster, more informed hiring decisions, reducing time-to-hire and enhancing overall efficiency.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Highly customizable tests perfectly align with specific job requirements.
- ✅ Extensive test library covers a wide range of skills and industries.
- ✅ Robust proctoring and security features ensure test integrity.
- ⚠️ Some users desire a more extensive variety of basic question types.
- ⚠️ Integration challenges with certain HR/ATS systems have been reported.
- ⚠️ Custom test creation interface can be complex for new users.
These eSkill features work together to provide a comprehensive and reliable talent assessment platform that truly transforms your hiring process.
eSkill Pricing
What will eSkill pricing actually cost you?
eSkill pricing operates on a custom quote model, meaning you’ll need to contact their sales team for exact figures, but it promises a cost structure tailored to your specific hiring needs.
Cost Breakdown
- Base Platform: Custom quote (basic, premium, enterprise subscriptions)
- User Licenses: Custom quote (implied volume-based or package dependent)
- Implementation: Discuss with sales (no public data)
- Integrations: Varies by complexity (ATS, HR workflows)
- Key Factors: Subscription level, test volume, customization needs
1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors
Understanding eSkill’s cost structure.
eSkill utilizes a flexible, custom pricing model, typically involving Flat-Rate Annual Subscriptions or Per-Test-Score Packages. What I found regarding pricing is that your final cost depends on the subscription level (basic, premium, enterprise) and your specific usage, like the number of tests or users.
Budget-wise, this means you get a solution tailored to your hiring volume, avoiding generic, oversized plans.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of skills and organizational growth, you might be interested in my guide on best corporate LMS software.
2. Value Assessment & ROI
Is eSkill worth the investment?
While some users perceive eSkill as relatively expensive, especially for smaller teams, their customizable assessments and compliance features offer significant ROI by reducing hiring risks and legal exposure. From my cost analysis, the value lies in accurate candidate selection, which can save you substantial costs from bad hires and discrimination litigation.
This helps your budget by transforming hiring into a more predictable and legally sound process.
3. Budget Planning & Implementation
Consider all budget implications.
Since eSkill operates on custom quotes, it’s crucial to thoroughly discuss your requirements with their sales team to understand the total cost of ownership. What I found is that implementation and integration costs are key discussion points to budget for, even if not publicly detailed, to ensure a smooth setup.
So for your business, prioritize a detailed consultation to align eSkill pricing with your exact budget and hiring scale.
My Take: eSkill’s custom pricing approach, while requiring direct contact, aims to provide tailored value for businesses of all sizes, ensuring you pay for what you genuinely need in talent assessment.
The overall eSkill pricing reflects customized value, making it scalable for your unique needs.
eSkill Reviews
What do real customers actually think?
I’ve analyzed numerous eSkill reviews from various platforms to give you a balanced perspective on what users truly experience with this assessment software.
1. Overall User Satisfaction
Users seem genuinely pleased here.
From my review analysis, eSkill consistently holds strong ratings, like 4.5 out of 5 on G2, indicating high user satisfaction. What I found in user feedback is how positive experiences often stem from immediate value, especially in saving time during hiring, which many reviews emphasize.
This suggests you can expect a generally positive and efficient experience.
2. Common Praise Points
Users consistently love the customization options.
Review-wise, the most frequently praised aspects include eSkill’s intuitive interface and the extensive test library. What stands out is how users appreciate the ability to tailor tests by mixing and matching questions, streamlining their specific hiring needs.
This means you can create highly relevant assessments for your unique job roles.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of assessments, my guide on vulnerability assessment tools explores how to reduce risk and boost security.
3. Frequent Complaints
Some users voice frustration over question variety.
Customer feedback frequently highlights a desire for more diverse question types beyond existing formats. What stands out in these reviews is how some find the pre-built questions too generic, particularly for highly specialized or niche roles.
These issues generally appear to be minor inconveniences rather than deal-breakers.
What Customers Say
- Positive: “It’s very easy to use and extremely customizable. It’s been a great experience.” (G2 Review)
- Constructive: “We also are pretty unhappy with the selection of test questions… There aren’t many ‘basic concept questions’.” (G2 Review)
- Bottom Line: “On average it takes us two weeks less to hire since using eSkill’s skills tests.” (G2 Review)
The overall eSkill reviews reflect strong satisfaction, particularly in efficiency gains, with minor concerns regarding specific content depth.
Best eSkill Alternatives
Considering other options for your hiring assessments?
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing assessment insights, understanding product analytics software is equally important for business growth.
The best eSkill alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations and priorities regarding pre-employment testing.
1. TestGorilla
Need a wider array of assessment types?
TestGorilla excels when you require a broader range of pre-employment tests beyond just skills, including cognitive, personality, and situational judgment assessments. From my competitive analysis, TestGorilla provides greater variety in assessment types, making it a versatile alternative.
Choose TestGorilla for a wider range of assessments or if you’re a smaller business seeking a free entry point.
2. Mercer Mettl Assessments
Seeking a more holistic assessment suite?
Mercer Mettl provides a comprehensive ecosystem including psychometric and behavioral evaluations alongside skills tests, with advanced analytics and robust proctoring. What I found comparing options is that Mettl offers a more integrated, holistic assessment suite than eSkill’s primary skills focus.
Consider this alternative when you need deep integration of behavioral and psychometric assessments for your candidates.
3. Codility
Primarily hiring for technical or coding roles?
Codility specializes in deep technical and coding assessments, offering specific challenges and developer-centric features that go beyond general IT skills tests. Alternative-wise, Codility provides a more specialized focus on coding, making it ideal for tech recruitment.
For your specific needs, choose Codility if your main hiring demand is for software developers or similar technical positions.
4. The Predictive Index (PI)
Is behavioral and cognitive fit your main priority?
The Predictive Index focuses heavily on behavioral science to assess personality traits and cognitive abilities, aiming to improve team dynamics and cultural fit. From my analysis, PI specializes in behavioral and cognitive assessments, offering a different strength compared to eSkill’s skills focus.
Choose PI if assessing behavioral fit and cognitive aptitudes for team dynamics is more critical than specific job skills.
Quick Decision Guide
- Choose eSkill: Unmatched customization for skills tests and strong compliance
- Choose TestGorilla: Broader assessment variety and free entry plan
- Choose Mercer Mettl: Holistic assessment suite with psychometric depth
- Choose Codility: Specialized, in-depth technical and coding assessments
- Choose The Predictive Index: Focus on behavioral and cognitive fit for culture
The best eSkill alternatives ultimately depend on your specific hiring priorities and assessment needs, not just features.
eSkill Setup
Considering eSkill’s implementation challenges?
eSkill implementation is generally quite straightforward, with users frequently praising its ease of setup for a talent assessment platform. This eSkill review section will set realistic expectations for your deployment.
1. Setup Complexity & Timeline
Getting eSkill up and running is surprisingly simple.
Setup-wise, you’ll find the process easy, particularly for creating and sending tests from their extensive library or uploading your own content. From my implementation analysis, many organizations achieve rapid test creation and deployment, simplifying the initial rollout significantly.
You’ll want to plan for content preparation and account configuration, rather than complex technical installations.
2. Technical Requirements & Integration
Minimal technical hurdles to overcome here.
As a cloud-based solution, eSkill primarily requires web browser access, integrating with various ATS and HR workflows to fit into existing hiring processes. What I found about deployment is that its accessibility from anywhere is a major advantage, minimizing local infrastructure needs for your team.
Prepare your IT for API integrations with your ATS, but expect low impact on your hardware or software ecosystem.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While discussing technical integrations, ensuring privacy compliance is crucial. My guide on cookie tracking software can help.
3. Training & Change Management
User adoption should be a smooth process.
While intuitive, eSkill offers comprehensive training resources like documentation, videos, and live sessions to guide administrators and users. From my analysis, eSkill’s intuitive design reduces the learning curve for your team, allowing them to quickly leverage its features effectively.
Invest time in reviewing their training materials to maximize your team’s efficiency and ensure widespread, confident usage.
4. Support & Success Factors
Expect strong support throughout your journey.
eSkill receives high marks for customer support, with responsive and helpful teams available through various channels, including a dedicated account manager. From my implementation analysis, eSkill’s support quality significantly aids adoption and ensures you get the most out of the platform.
Prioritize leveraging their assessment experts for best practices and test analysis, ensuring long-term success with the platform.
Implementation Checklist
- Timeline: Days to weeks for test setup and initial deployment
- Team Size: HR/recruitment lead plus optional IT for integrations
- Budget: Primarily software subscription, minimal implementation services
- Technical: ATS/HRIS integration and mobile access considerations
- Success Factor: Leveraging eSkill’s support and content customization
Overall, eSkill setup is user-friendly and supported by excellent vendor assistance, making it a relatively straightforward deployment for most businesses.
Bottom Line
Does eSkill deliver on its promises?
My eSkill review provides a detailed look at this powerful pre-employment testing platform, helping you understand its fit for your business and whether it meets your hiring needs.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of optimizing business processes, my guide on [best marketing automation software](https://nerdisa.com/best-marketing-automation-software/) can help streamline your operations.
1. Who This Works Best For
HR professionals needing custom skills assessments.
eSkill is ideal for HR teams, hiring managers, and recruiters in mid-to-large enterprises, particularly those in IT, healthcare, and manufacturing. From my user analysis, businesses prioritizing robust, customizable skills verification for diverse roles will find eSkill indispensable for streamlining their candidate screening.
You’ll succeed if your current hiring process struggles with accurately assessing job-specific hard skills across a wide range of positions.
2. Overall Strengths
Unmatched customization and extensive test library.
The software excels with its highly customizable assessments, drawing from an extensive library of tests for various job roles, enhancing compliance and support. From my comprehensive analysis, the ability to create truly custom assessments ensures that your hiring process is uniquely tailored to specific job requirements.
These strengths mean your team can verify critical skills precisely, leading to more informed hiring decisions and improved candidate quality.
3. Key Limitations
Some users desire more question type diversity.
While highly customizable, some users have noted a desire for a broader range of pre-built question formats and occasional integration challenges. Based on this review, the complexity of advanced customization may require an adjustment period for new users trying to fully leverage the platform’s depth.
I’d say these limitations are manageable trade-offs for the robust customization and support, rather than fundamental barriers to success.
4. Final Recommendation
eSkill is a strong recommendation for skills-focused hiring.
You should choose eSkill if your organization needs a robust, compliant, and highly customizable platform for pre-employment skills assessments. From my analysis, this solution is best for mid-to-large businesses focused on data-driven hiring and reducing time-to-hire through efficient screening.
My confidence is high for businesses seeking to improve hiring quality and ensure compliance through comprehensive skills verification.
Bottom Line
- Verdict: Recommended for comprehensive skills assessment and compliance
- Best For: HR professionals and recruiters needing customizable job-specific tests
- Business Size: Mid-size businesses to large enterprises (including Fortune 1000)
- Biggest Strength: Extensive, customizable test library with real-world simulations
- Main Concern: Limited diversity in pre-built question types and potential integration needs
- Next Step: Contact sales for a demo to assess specific industry and role fit
This eSkill review confirms its significant value for skills-based hiring, providing precise assessments and improving recruitment efficiency for the right organizations.