SkillCheck is a technical assessment platform for screening software engineers, data scientists, and other technical roles.

The promise: Replace technical phone screens with standardized, auto-graded assessments that measure real coding ability.

Reality: The assessments are high-quality and effective at filtering candidates. But the candidate experience is so bad that we lost 40% of applicants who started assessments but didn't finish.

Pricing: $299/month (up to 100 assessments), $599/month (up to 500 assessments)

We tested SkillCheck for 60 days across 5 engineering roles.

What SkillCheck Does

Core features:

• Pre-built technical assessments (Python, JavaScript, SQL, data structures, algorithms)
• Custom test builder (create your own questions)
• Auto-grading with detailed performance reports
• Code plagiarism detection
• Video proctoring (optional, monitors candidates during tests)
• Integration with major ATS platforms

Target users: Engineering hiring managers and technical recruiters

Positioning: "Hire better engineers faster with objective skill assessments"

What Works Well

1. The Assessments Are High-Quality

SkillCheck's pre-built tests are well-designed and cover relevant skills.

Example: Full-Stack JavaScript Assessment

• Build a simple REST API
• Debug broken React component
• Optimize SQL query
• Write unit tests

These tests accurately predict on-the-job performance.

Candidates who scored 80%+ on SkillCheck consistently performed well in live technical interviews.

2. Auto-Grading Saves Massive Time

Old process:

• Send take-home assignment
• Wait for submission
• Manually review code (30-60 minutes per candidate)

With SkillCheck:

• Send assessment link
• Auto-graded in 10 minutes
• Review results (5 minutes per candidate)

For a role with 50 applicants, this saved us 20+ hours.

3. Detailed Performance Reports

SkillCheck provides breakdown of:

• Which questions candidate answered correctly
• Time spent on each question
• Code quality metrics (readability, efficiency)
• Comparison to other candidates

This made it easy to identify top performers and spot red flags.

Example red flag: Candidate scored 90% but spent 3 hours on a 1-hour assessment (likely Googled answers).

4. Plagiarism Detection Works

SkillCheck flags candidates who copy code from online sources.

We caught 3 candidates who plagiarized solutions from GitHub and Stack Overflow.

Without plagiarism detection, we would have moved them forward in the process.

5. Custom Test Builder Is Flexible

You can create custom assessments using:

• Your own code challenges
• Company-specific problems
• Real debugging tasks from your codebase

This let us test for skills specific to our stack and problems.

What Doesn't Work Well

1. Candidate Drop-Off Is Extremely High

Our completion rates:

• 50 candidates invited to take assessment
• 30 started the assessment (60%)
• 18 finished the assessment (36% of invited, 60% of started)

We lost 64% of candidates between invite and completion.

Reasons candidates gave for not completing:

• "The assessment was too long (2 hours)"
• "The interface was clunky and frustrating"
• "I had technical issues with the code editor"
• "I'm interviewing with other companies that don't require 2-hour tests"

40% candidate drop-off is expensive.

2. The Code Editor Is Buggy

Candidates write code in SkillCheck's web-based editor.

Problems:

• Syntax highlighting doesn't work for some languages
• Autocomplete is inconsistent
• Copy/paste sometimes doesn't work
• Editor occasionally crashes mid-assessment

Multiple candidates complained:

• "The editor was so bad I couldn't focus on the actual problem"
• "I'm used to VS Code. This editor felt like coding in Notepad"

Candidates used to modern IDEs hate SkillCheck's editor.

3. Assessments Are Too Long

Average assessment time: 90-120 minutes

This is too long for first-round screening.

We started losing candidates to companies with shorter assessments:

• "I'm interviewing with 3 companies. Two had 30-minute assessments. Yours was 2 hours. I prioritized the shorter ones."

Top candidates have options. They won't spend 2 hours on a first-round screen.

4. Video Proctoring Feels Invasive

SkillCheck offers optional video proctoring (records candidates via webcam during assessment).

We enabled it for 2 weeks.

Candidate reactions:

• "Being recorded during a coding test made me extremely anxious"
• "This feels like you don't trust me"
• "I withdrew my application because I'm not comfortable being surveilled"

We disabled proctoring after losing multiple strong candidates.

5. Limited Support For Pair Programming Or Live Coding

SkillCheck is designed for asynchronous assessments.

You can't:

• Use it for live coding interviews
• Have candidates explain their thought process in real-time
• Ask follow-up questions during the assessment

This makes it less useful for senior roles where communication and problem-solving process matter as much as code output.

Pricing And ROI

Plans:

• Starter: $299/month (up to 100 assessments)
• Professional: $599/month (up to 500 assessments)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (includes custom branding and priority support)

ROI calculation:

Time saved: 20+ hours per role (assuming 50 applicants)

But: Factor in 40% candidate drop-off.

If you lose strong candidates because of the poor experience, the time savings aren't worth it.

Who Should Use SkillCheck

Good fit for:

• High-volume technical hiring (50+ applicants per role)
• Junior-to-mid-level engineering roles
• Companies that need to filter large applicant pools quickly
• Teams with limited technical interview capacity

Not a good fit for:

• Senior engineering roles (live interviews are better)
• Startups competing for top talent (2-hour assessments will lose candidates)
• Companies prioritizing candidate experience
• Roles requiring nuanced evaluation beyond auto-graded tests

Alternatives To Consider

If SkillCheck doesn't fit:

• Codility (similar platform, better code editor)
• HackerRank (more game-like, candidates find it more engaging)
• Karat (live technical interviews with professional interviewers)
• CoderPad (best for live pair programming interviews)

The Bottom Line

SkillCheck excels at:

• High-quality technical assessments
• Auto-grading that saves time
• Plagiarism detection
• Detailed performance reports

SkillCheck struggles with:

• Poor candidate experience (40% drop-off)
• Buggy code editor
• Assessments that are too long
• Limited use for senior roles

Our recommendation:

Use SkillCheck for high-volume junior-to-mid-level technical hiring where you need to filter large pools quickly.

For senior roles or competitive hiring markets, use live technical interviews with tools like CoderPad instead.

Rating: 6/10 (Effective at filtering, but candidate experience issues are significant)

Pros: ✅ Comprehensive, high-quality technical assessments ✅ Accurate auto-grading saves massive time ✅ Strong plagiarism detection ✅ Detailed performance analytics

Cons: ❌ 40%+ candidate drop-off due to poor experience ❌ Buggy, frustrating code editor ❌ Assessments are too long (90-120 minutes) ❌ Video proctoring feels invasive to candidates

Price: $299-$599/month depending on volume

Learn more: skillcheck.dev (Note: Pricing and features as of November 2025)