Candidate Assessments allow recruiters to pre-screen applicants by gathering structured responses before the interview stage, help them evaluate a candidate’s skills, experience, and suitability for a job role efficiently.
Instead of relying solely on resumes, recruiters can use predefined or custom questionnaires to gain deeper insights into a candidate’s qualifications. This ensures that only the most relevant candidates move forward in the hiring process, saving time and improving decision-making.
Availability
Available for
| Profile Permissions
| Users with the Administrator and Standard profiles can View, Create, Edit and Delete assessments.
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Modules
| Assessments, Candidates
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Plans
| All plans of Zoho Recruit
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Editions
| |
Question Types
Zoho Recruit supports multiple question types in candidate assessments, allowing recruiters to customize pre-screening tests effectively. Below is a breakdown of each question type, along with examples:
Subjective
These require candidates to provide written responses, making them useful for evaluating detailed information.
Single-Line
Example: "If hired, when would you be available to start?"
Best for: Short, direct answers (e.g., availability, current location).
Paragraph
Example: "Briefly describe any visa or work authorization requirements you may have for working in [Country Name]."
Best for: Detailed explanations (e.g., relocation plans, work experience).
Objective
These provide predefined answer options, ensuring quick and standardized evaluation.
Candidates must select one correct answer from multiple choices.
Example: "What type of work environment do you prefer?"
- Remote
- Hybrid
- On-site
- Open to any
Best for: Preference-based or eligibility-based questions.
Multi-Select (Multiple Correct Answers)
Candidates can select more than one answer.
Example: "Which of the following benefits are most important to you?"
- Health insurance
- Remote work flexibility
- Professional development
- Travel Subsidies
Best for: Gathering multiple candidate preferences or skills.
Dropdown (Single Choice)
Candidates select one answer from a dropdown menu.
Example: "What is your current employment status?"
- Employed (Full-time)
- Employed (Part-time)
- Self-employed
- Unemployed
Best for: Compact design when listing many options.
Yes/No (Binary Answer)
Candidates respond with a simple "Yes" or "No"
Example: "Are you comfortable traveling for work if required?"
- Yes
- No
Best for: Simple eligibility checks (e.g., work authorization, relocation).
Qualifier Questions
Qualifier Questions are a special type of Objective Questions that automatically disqualify candidates if they select an incorrect answer. These questions ensure that only eligible candidates proceed in the hiring process.
Key Rules
- Only Objective Question Types (Radio, Multi-Select, Dropdown, Yes/No) can be marked as Qualifier Questions.
- Candidates must answer correctly to qualify.
- If a candidate selects the wrong answer, they fail the test immediately and cannot proceed further.
How to create a candidate assessment?
- Go to the Assessments module and click the
icon.

- In the Create Assessment pop-up, select the Candidate Assessment option.

In the Assessment Information section:
- Enter the Assessment Name (Mandatory).
- Select an Assessment Type (Mandatory).
- Enter a Description (Optional).
- In the Assessment Questionnaire section, you can add Questions & Competencies to build detailed assessments based on your requirements.

- Hover over a question to use the Mark as Mandatory or Edit Properties options.

- Using the Edit Properties option for a question, you can change the Question Type (Paragraph, Yes/No, Multi-select, etc.) and mark it as a Qualifier Question.

- You can Add new competencies or Clone them from an existing assessment of the same category.
Associating assessments with job openings
Note: Only Candidate Assessments can be associated with job openings
- In the job opening's Details Page, click Pre-Screening Assessment > Add Existing Assessment.

- In the pop-up, pick an assessment type and choose which assessment you wish to add this the job opening. Click Save when you are done.

- The pre-screening assessment will then be associated with the job opening.

- Click Remove Assessment if you wish to not have a pre-screening for the job opening.
Sending assessments to candidates
You can send candidate assessments to applicants via email and capture their responses for pre-screening purposes and more. By default, you will have two email templates belonging to the Assessments module.
- Submit Assessment - Candidate
This templates contains the link to the assessment form that candidates will have to fill and submit. - Send Assessment - Screening Bot
This template will contain the link to the Screening Bot page, where candidates can take their screening assessment guided by the bot. You can use this template only if Screening Bot has been activated. See More How to enable screening bot
When emailing candidates individually or in bulk, you can select any of the two templates mentioned above under Choose Email Template. Click Send when you're done making changes.
Once they submit their answers, they will be stored under the Answered Assessments section of their respective candidate records.
Note: Capturing assessment answers for review is also handled in the Reviews sub-module. See More Answered Assessment