Testlify vs. Total Testing: Which Skills Assessment Platform is Best for HR Teams?

Skills assessments have become a cornerstone of modern hiring. According to SHRM, 79% of employers consider skill assessments as important or more important than traditional hiring criteria. This shift has created a growing demand for dependable skills assessment platforms.

Testlify and Total Testing have emerged as two leading solutions, each offering comprehensive features to help organizations evaluate candidates objectively and efficiently on a global scale. 

However, choosing between Testlify and Total Testing can be challenging, as each has its own strengths. In this comparison, we will break down Testlify vs. Total Testing feature by feature, from test libraries and custom questions to proctoring and pricing to help you determine which platform best fits your hiring needs.

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What is Testlify?

Testlify is a leading AI-powered skills assessment platform that empowers organizations to quickly identify the best candidates worldwide and make more objective hiring decisions.

How does Testlify work

Testlify is designed to optimize your hiring process. Our conversational AI powered interview & talent assessment platform enables recruiters to assess candidates’ skills with precision, empowering you to make well-informed decisions. Here’s how Testlify works:

1. Create tailored assessments

Recruiters can create tailored assessments by choosing from a library of 3000+ pre-built tests or leveraging AI to generate custom questions. The platform supports diverse question formats, including multiple-choice, open-ended and even coding challenges. 

Furthermore the platform supports the creation of conversational AI-powered interviews that simulates on-the-job scenarios across chat, voice, and video formats.

2. Send candidate invitations

Once an assessment is ready, recruiters can invite candidates via email. Candidates do not need to create an account; they can access the assessment directly through the invitation link, ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience.

3. Advanced anti-cheating and proctoring measures

To maintain the integrity of the assessment process, Testlify incorporates advanced proctoring features. These include webcam monitoring, screen recording, browser lockdowns, and location tracking, ensuring that assessments are completed honestly and without external assistance.

4. AI-Powered scoring and analytics

Testlify employs AI to automatically score assessments, providing recruiters with detailed insights into candidates’ performance. The platform offers comprehensive reports that break down scores by skill, question type, and overall performance, facilitating informed decision-making.

5. Integration with applicant tracking systems (ATS)

To streamline the hiring workflow, Testlify integrates seamlessly with over 100 ATS platforms, including Greenhouse, Lever, and Recruitee. This allows you to effortlessly import candidates’ profiles, compare assessment results and make data driven hiring decisions.

6. Data compliance

Testlify is GDPR compliant and prioritizes the security of your recruitment data. It features advanced admin management, strong security integrations, rigorous data governance, comprehensive audits, and robust privacy protections, all backed by SOC 2 Type II, AICPA, and ISO 27001 certifications.

What is Total Testing?

Total Testing has been a leading provider of web-based skills assessments since 2002. The company specializes in delivering comprehensive evaluations for both job candidates and current employees. The platform offers hundreds of assessments across a wide range of skills, including technical proficiency, personality traits, and behavioral tendencies.

How Total Testing works? 

Total Testing emphasizes assessing on-the-job skills of candidates with realistic, role-specific tests that accurately reflect the challenges they’ll face in the workplace. Here’s how the platform work:

1. Create custom assessments

Users can browse Total Testing’s catalog of pre-made exams. These cover cognitive and behavioral topics (personality, attitude, leadership, etc.) as well as hard skills (typing speed, MS Office, clerical tasks, industrial skills, etc.)

If needed, users can also use the custom test builder to assemble tests from their question library or write new questions

2. Invite candidates 

After building or selecting a test, the admin distributes it to candidates. Total Testing does not provide automated email scheduling or ATS integration. Typically, recruiters log into the Total Testing admin portal and send candidates a test link, allowing them to complete the assessment remotely or on-site under supervision.

3. Review Results

Upon completion, tests are instantly graded by the Total Testing system. The platform automatically emails a score report to the administrator. The report typically shows a raw score or percentage for the test, and some tests may have basic sub-scores. There is no real-time dashboard – instead, admins collect emailed scorecards for review.

4. Data compliance

Total Testing stresses that its tests are EEOC-validated and professionally developed. This ensures tests are legally sound for employment screening. Furthermore the platform employs enterprise-grade security measures to protect candidate data. 

Testlify vs. Total Testing Test library & test types

Testlify offers unique conversational AI-powered interviews (chat, voice, video), along with over 3,500 tests covering 4,500+ job roles across 50+ industries. Test types include:

• Cognitive ability tests (e.g., problem-solving, logical reasoning, attention to detail)
• Role-specific tests (e.g., tailored assessments for various job roles)
• Blue-collar hiring tests (e.g., practical skill assessments for blue-collar roles)
• Programming tests (e.g., coding, algorithm design, technical proficiency)
• Software skills tests (e.g., Microsoft Office, CRM systems, other software tools)
• Psychometric tests (e.g., personality traits, emotional intelligence, behavioral tendencies)
• Situational judgment tests (e.g., decision-making, conflict resolution, judgment in real-life situations)
• Live coding tests (e.g., real-time coding challenges and assessments)
• Typing tests (e.g., speed, accuracy, data entry proficiency)
• Language tests (e.g., proficiency in speaking and writing specific languages)

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Custom question types

Testlify vs. Total Testing: White-labeling capabilities

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Conversational interviews

Testlify leverages conversational AI to simulate on-the-job scenarios across chat, voice, and video formats, bringing real-world context into the hiring process.

• Chat AI: Assess problem-solving, written communication, and critical thinking by engaging candidates in realistic text-based scenarios, like handling a billing dispute or calming an angry customer.

• Voice AI: Evaluate verbal fluency, tone, and persuasion by having candidates respond to role-specific prompts, such as those for sales or customer support.

• Video AI: AI avatars guide candidates through complex job scenarios in asynchronous video interviews, allowing employers to analyze non-verbal communication, confidence levels, and emotional intelligence. 

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Anti-cheating & proctoring features

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Benchmarking Analytics

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Integrations

Testlify integrates seamlessly with 100+ ATS platforms and HRMS, allowing you to effortlessly import candidates’ profiles, compare assessment results and make data driven hiring decisions.

Testlify vs. Total Testing: AI overviews

Testlify supports AI overviews, which provide a concise summary of a candidate’s overall performance in an assessment, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement to help recruiters quickly evaluate candidates.

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Reporting & insights

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Customer support

Testlify vs. Total Testing: Pricing plans

Testlify offers flexible pricing plans that scale with your business, providing everything from basic assessments for startups to advanced features for enterprise-level hiring. 

• Starter plan: Ideal for small teams and startups, this plan starts at $139/month (billed at $1,663/year) and includes 100 candidate credits at $17 per credit with support for 3 users.
• Basic plan: Designed for growing businesses, the Basic plan starts at $279/month (billed at $3,343/year) and includes 300 credits at $11 per credit with support for 5 users.
• Business plan: Built for scaling teams, this plan costs $699/month (billed at $4,192/year) and includes 1,000 credits at $8 per credit with 10 users.
• Premium plan: Suited for high-growth organizations, the Premium plan includes 3,000 credits and supports 20 users, with pricing available upon contacting the sales team.
• Enterprise plan: Designed for large enterprises, this plan includes 10,000 credits and supports 30 users with pricing available upon contacting the sales team.
• Enterprise Plus plan: Designed for large-scale hiring programs, this plan includes 25,000 credits and supports up to 40 users, with pricing details available after contacting the sales team.
• Unlimited plan: For companies seeking unrestricted access, Testlify offers an unlimited plan that includes unlimited candidate credits and full platform functionality, with pricing available on request from the sales team.
  

Total Testing also offers a range of pricing plans tailored to meet the diverse needs of organizations:

Staffing agency account: Tailored specifically for recruitment and staffing agencies, this plan offers customized pricing based on your needs. Alongside bulk discounts, it includes ATS integration and support for custom tests. Agencies can call directly to create a plan optimized for their hiring volume and workflow.

Pay as you go: This plan is ideal for companies with occasional hiring needs. You only pay for the tests you use, with no contracts, no sign-up fees, and no monthly commitment. It is a straightforward, low-barrier option for businesses looking for simple, transactional access to assessments.

Pre-pay: Designed for organizations with more consistent hiring needs, this plan allows you to pre-purchase tests in bulk, bringing the cost down to as low as $12 per test. The credits remain valid for a year or more and unlock access to ATS integration and custom test creation, making it a better value for volume users.

Verdict: Total Testing shines for low-volume, transactional hiring with its pay-per-test flexibility, making it a cost-effective option for companies hiring only occasionally or for a few roles at a time. 

However, as hiring needs grow, Testlify’s scalable pricing becomes far more advantageous. Its tiered plans are purpose-built to support startups, mid-sized businesses, and enterprise-scale organizations with features like unlimited assessments, multiple user seats, and advanced AI tools.

Moreover, Testlify’s predictable, subscription-based pricing makes it easier for teams to budget and scale efficiently, especially when conducting frequent assessments.

For high-volume, collaborative, or growth-oriented hiring teams, Testlify offers greater value and better ROI.

Is Testlify a better alternative to Total Testing?

Testlify and Total Testing are both strong contenders in the skills assessment space, but which platform is better ultimately depends on your hiring goals, team structure, and candidate evaluation strategy. That said, Testlify emerges as the stronger alternative and here’s why:

• Broader role-based test coverage:  Testlify offers a significantly larger test library in terms of role-specific hiring with over 3,000 assessments tailored to 4,500+ job roles across 50+ industries. This breadth means it comes with role specific tests which can be used right out of the box.
• White label and custom branding: Total Testing offers custom branding options only if you pre-pay for 25 tests or more, they provide a “Branded Account” with your logo and return-to-company links. In contrast, Testlify offers full customization of the candidate experience, including custom domains, branded colors and logos, and personalized candidate communications. This makes a meaningful difference in employer branding, especially for roles where candidate experience matters.
• Advanced conversational interviews:   Testlify features  interactive chat, voice, and video interviews powered by conversational AI. This multi-format approach delivers a more immersive, real-world assessment experience in comparison to the traditional pre-made assessments offered by Total testing.
• Superior proctoring: Testlify delivers an advanced proctoring suite with dual-webcam monitoring, tab switching detection, screen recording, AI-assistance detection, and full-screen enforcement. This makes it ideal for organizations that prioritize test integrity, particularly in remote or high-stakes hiring scenarios.
• Extensive ATS integrations: Total Testing functions well as a standalone screening solution, but it lacks native integrations with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Testlify offers seamless integrations with over 100 ATS platforms, making it far more adaptable for recruitment teams that want to embed assessments directly into their hiring workflows.

Other best alternatives to Total Testing

Final thoughts

Both Testlify and Total Testing can elevate your hiring process, but the right choice depends on your organization’s priorities. Total Testing offers a well-established, content-rich platform with a broad test library, making it a dependable option for companies seeking a traditional skills assessment platform.

Testlify, on the other hand, represents the future of hiring. It goes beyond standard assessments to transform how you engage with candidates. With a vast test library, conversational AI-powered interviews, and advanced proctoring features, Testlify empowers you to identify top talent and make the right hiring decisions.

Book a demo with Testlify to explore how it can elevate your hiring strategy.

Akash Patange

Linkedin profile

Director of Marketing

Akash is a results-driven marketing leader with a knack for turning strategy into momentum. With a sharp eye for brand storytelling and demand generation, he drives Testlify’s marketing engine, fueling growth, elevating the brand, and building meaningful connections with HR and TA leaders.