It’s imperative for businesses to ensure that potential employees possess the skills and abilities necessary to excel at their job. As a result, an increasing number of organizations are incorporating pre-employment screening into their hiring procedures.
Having access to tests that can accurately assess a candidate’s job-skill knowledge helps to prevent the misuse of time recruiting those who won’t be the right fit for the open position. For this reason, it’s important to use the best possible pre-employment screening software that offers a robust suite of features.
This review examines the features of two widely used assessment platforms – TestGorilla and Sova.
Table of contents
- How does TestGorilla work?
- How does Sova work?
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Test libraries
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Functionalities for hiring developers
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Video interviews
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Candidate experience and company branding
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Enterprise and startup friendliness
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Quality control
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Anti-cheating measures
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Reporting and analytics
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Customer support
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Pricing
- TestGorilla vs. Sova: Ease of use
- Conclusion: TestGorilla vs. Sova
- Streamline your hiring process with pre-employment testing
How does TestGorilla work?
TestGorilla is a web-based pre-employment screening platform that enables HR managers and recruiting teams to administer tests to potential new hires.
TestGorilla helps you gain a deeper understanding of a candidate’s skills, personality traits, and behavior, all of which make sure you find the best person to fill the available role.
We have more than 300 tests spanning numerous categories, including those for personality, coding, situational judgment, language, culture, and more.
Creating an assessment using our software requires nothing more than signing up and selecting the appropriate tests for the position you have available. You also have the added option of incorporating your own custom questions to tailor the test to the role.
Candidates’ responses and performance are displayed in your dashboard for easy comparison, and summary reports let you quickly sort through applicants and select only the most qualified.
How does Sova work?
Sova is a psychometric testing software developed by psychologists to help employers during the recruitment process.
There are a variety of tests available, like situational judgment, verbal and logical reasoning, and numerical reasoning. All of these tests can be attempted individually or combined to make one role-specific assessment.
Tests are cross-platform, meaning they are designed to be taken (or delivered) at a time that is convenient for the test-taker and the company alike.
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Test libraries
An extensive and diverse test library enables hiring teams to appropriately test a candidate to meet the needs of the organization. Look for tests that evaluate cultural fit, psychometrics, personality traits, and job-specific skills.
TestGorilla’s test library
TestGorilla’s library contains more than 300 different tests, making it a great resource for hiring in virtually any industry. These tests can be tailored to your needs, with the option to include your own questions and select your preferred response method.
Tests can evaluate:
- Coding and programming languages like JavaScript, C++, Swift, and React Native
- Software skills
- Typing skills
- Personality and culture
- Cognition
- Motivation
We have localized websites in 11 languages, making our platform ideal for attracting and assessing a diverse candidate pool.
Sova’s test library
Sova has a broad test library that can be used to evaluate a number of different domains. Among these are:
- Numerical reasoning
- Verbal reasoning
- Logical reasoning
- Situational judgment
- Motivation
- Cognitive intelligence
Sova’s tests can be adapted specifically to the needs of your company. You also have the option to add your own questions and select the manner in which candidates respond to them, such as by recording a video or typing their answers.
However, Sova doesn’t have the option for assessing a candidate’s software skills, typing speed, or programming proficiency.
Test libraries: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| Cognitive ability tests | Yes | Yes |
| Situational judgment tests | Yes | Yes |
| Job-specific tests | Yes | Yes |
| Software tests | Yes | No |
| Programming tests (including coding challenges) | Yes | No |
| Language tests | Yes | No |
| Personality tests | Yes | Yes |
| Culture-add test | Yes | Yes |
| Motivation test | Yes | Yes |
| Typing test | Yes | No |
| Customizable tests | Yes | Yes |
| Common questions (with a variety of question types) | Yes | Yes |
| Job analysis and recommendation | Yes | Yes |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Functionalities for hiring developers
Your pre-employment testing platform must include technical skills tests if you intend to hire developers. These should examine a candidate’s proficiency with various coding languages and development frameworks.
Of the two providers, only TestGorilla offers tests that specifically evaluate developer-related skills.
Hiring developers with TestGorilla
There are more than 85 scientifically validated tests in TestGorilla’s library that assess developer knowledge. These include expertise in areas such as:
- Debugging
- Mobile development
- Web development
- Specific coding languages like Python, C#, and Java
Moreover, you can make your own custom coding challenges to precisely evaluate the role you’re hiring for.
All coding tests are recorded and made available to review by your hiring team for a collaborative appraisal.
Hiring developers with Sova
At this time, Sova doesn’t offer tests for developers.
Functionalities for hiring developers: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| Coding languages | JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, C, C#, C++, SQL, Kotlin, Ruby, TypeScript, Go, R, Scala, React, and Swift | No |
| Web development | Yes | No |
| Mobile development | Yes | No |
| Debugging challenges | Yes | No |
| Live peer coding | No | No |
| Code-playback function | Yes | No |
| Automated scoring | Yes | No |
| Algorithmic-thinking challenges | Yes | No |
| Language-specific concept challenges | Yes | No |
| Code originality check | Yes | No |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Video interviews
One-way video interviews are increasingly being used as part of the prescreening process. The goal is to quickly learn about multiple applicants by asking specific questions regarding their background, skills, and interest in the position.
TestGorilla’s video interviews
One of TestGorilla’s most widely used features is the asynchronous video interview.
Each one-way video interview can be formatted to contain up to 20 individualized questions.
You can restrict the number of times a candidate can record an answer and the amount of time they have to complete each attempt.
Time limits on answers can be anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, and the interview can be conducted on any device with an internet connection.
Sova’s video interviews
Sova’s one-way video interview technology lets you engage with candidates early in the hiring process. Questions are presented to candidates in video and text format.
Candidates have one minute to review the questions and prepare a response and up to three minutes to record an answer.
Sova’s software also has a test function to help candidates understand the interview format and also make sure their computer system can handle the processing speed.
However, it’s not clear whether Sova offers recruiters the ability to comment and rate candidate answers or if playback is supported on devices outside of its software.
Video interviews: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| One-way video interviews | Yes | Yes |
| Live video interviews | No | No |
| Customized video questions | Yes | Yes |
| Restrict candidates’ recording attempts per question | Yes | Yes |
| Restrict maximum answer length | Yes | Yes |
| Recording and playback on any device | Yes | Unknown |
| Comment and rate video answers | Yes | Unknown |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Candidate experience and company branding
Mobile-friendly tests and access to useful resources help to generate a positive candidate experience. They increase the number of applicants who get involved and improve your talent pool.
In order to make pre-employment screening a memorable experience with a professional feel, look for a platform that offers company branding features.
The candidate experience and company branding with TestGorilla
TestGorilla gives candidates the ability to complete their pre-employment screening quickly and easily from any location thanks to mobile-friendly assessments that don’t require a login.
In addition, you have the ability to keep candidates abreast of their standing throughout the hiring process with frequent status updates via email or push notifications.
Assessments can be further customized by including your organization’s intro or outro videos, as well as featuring your company’s logo and colors.
The candidate experience and company branding with Sova
Like TestGorilla, you can personalize tests by including branding elements such as your company’s colors and logo.
You can send out automated feedback on assessments and keep in constant contact with candidates throughout the hiring process. In addition, automatic scoring via algorithms enables hiring teams to expedite candidates through the process.
Candidate experience and company branding: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| Customized videos | Yes | Yes |
| Add company logo and colors to assessments | Yes | Yes |
| Customized email invitations and rejections | Yes | Yes |
| Open assessments | Yes | No |
| Mobile friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to limit assessment length | Yes | Yes |
| Knockout questions | Yes | Unknown |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Enterprise and startup friendliness
If you want your pre-employment testing platform to grow with your business, you should look for features that can support both large enterprises and startups equally well. These include comprehensive data compliance, API access, and ATS integrations.
TestGorilla’s enterprise and startup friendliness
New ventures and established enterprises alike can benefit from using TestGorilla’s platform. Everyone has access to our Free plan, and should you require more features as your business develops, our buildable Pay as you go plan can scale up with your company.
Even with smaller applicant pools, we provide sufficient granularity to monitor candidates all the way through the hiring process.
TestGorilla is compatible with numerous ATS platforms, making it ideal for large-scale recruitment operations. Whether you’re inviting 10 or 100 candidates, our platform supports multiple invitation options and bulk invites.
Sova’s enterprise and startup friendliness
Sova’s focus is centered around enterprise-level companies and is likely not the best option for startups.
That said, enterprise customers can use Sova’s platform as a stand-alone product or integrate it using an API. The software integrates with all major ATS platforms, and more are being added regularly.
However, the software doesn’t appear to support bulk invites or management options.
Enterprise and startup friendliness: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| ATS integration | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple users and role-based rights management | Yes | Yes |
| GDPR compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple candidate invitation options | Yes | Unknown |
| Public link to invite candidates | Yes | Yes |
| White labeling | Yes | No |
| Bulk invite candidates (CSV/XLSX upload) | Yes | Unknown |
| Track candidate stages from invited to hired | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk actions to manage candidates | Yes | Unknown |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Quality control
If you want pre-employment screening to help you make better hiring decisions, the tests themselves need to be of the highest possible quality. Rigorous quality-control checks ensure validity and reliability.
TestGorilla’s quality-control processes
TestGorilla’s pre-employment tests are designed and assured to be reliable, dependable, and of high quality.
Each test goes through a 28-step quality-control process involving copywriters, subject-matter experts, sample testers, and psychometricians.
Additionally, TestGorilla conducts regular content audits to assess test objectives and information clarity. TestGorilla also uses candidate and client feedback to refine and enhance its assessment services.
Sova’s quality-control processes
Unfortunately, Sova doesn’t provide information on the quality-control measures it has in place.
Quality control: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| Proprietary algorithms that continuously improve the quality of each test | Yes | Unknown |
| Extensive quality checks before tests go live | Yes | Unknown |
| Questions replaced after reaching exposure limit | Yes | Unknown |
| Customer feedback used to improve tests | Yes | Unknown |
| Test-taker feedback used to improve tests | Yes | Unknown |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Anti-cheating measures
Selecting a pre-employment testing platform with robust anti-cheating measures is crucial if you want to give all candidates a level playing field.
TestGorilla’s anti-cheating measures
TestGorilla has a variety of security measures in place to ensure all tests remain fair and valid. Permission-based, automated webcam screenshots and IP address tracking help guarantee that the correct person is taking the test.
Moreover, TestGorilla provides a large question pool, question randomization, full-screen detection, and the ability to disable copy and paste, making it difficult for candidates to save and share test content online.
Sova’s anti-cheating measures
Sova uses adaptive branching technology to design non-linear tests. This creates a unique test pathway for every candidate. The software reacts to a candidate’s responses and displays questions based on prior answers.
Cheating then becomes far more challenging, as candidates are very unlikely to see or complete the same assessment as another test-taker or even complete the same assessment twice.
However, the software doesn’t log a candidate’s IP address or take webcam snapshots.
Anti-cheating measures: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| IP address logging (to avoid multiple attempts by the same candidate) | Yes | No |
| Logging of candidate location | Yes | No |
| Webcam snapshots (with the option to turn on/off) | Yes | No |
| Full-screen mode detection (to avoid research during the test) | Yes | No |
| Randomized questions per test | Yes | Yes |
| Large question pool for each test | Yes | Yes |
| Questions and answers not visible to employers to protect test integrity | Yes | Yes |
| Time limit on tests | Yes | Unknown |
| Copy-paste disabled | Yes | No |
| Mouse tracking | Yes | No |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Reporting and analytics
Powerful reporting and analytics tools provide insights into a candidate’s performance and are useful for bias-free, data-driven hiring decisions.
Seek out prescreening software that offers a variety of reports that can be easily understood by your hiring team.
TestGorilla’s reporting and analytics features
TestGorilla’s reports provide a range of insights to improve the selection process. They give you a comprehensive overview of all tests and a detailed review of how each candidate performed.
By establishing scoring benchmarks, TestGorilla facilitates the ranking of candidates and the identification of high-achieving individuals.
Reports generated by TestGorilla are straightforward and simple to interpret. You can personalize them by adding ratings and comments to help guide conversations with your hiring team.
These reports are downloadable in several formats, including PDF, CSV, and Excel.
Sova’s reporting and analytics features
Sova offers the following reporting types:
- API access
- Real time dashboards
- Regular reports
- Reports on request
AI is used to help evaluate video interviews and ensure the process is fair.
The platform provides real time access to results and captures data throughout the entire assessment process. Online reporting enables hiring teams to easily score and compare candidates and share notes.
Reporting and analytics: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| PDF reports of assessments and individual candidates | Yes | Unknown |
| Excel and CSV reports of assessments and individual candidates | Yes | Unknown |
| Comprehensive overview of all current and past candidates | Yes | Yes |
| Scoring benchmarks for candidates (including percentile rank scoring) | Yes | Yes |
| Add your ratings and personal notes for candidates | Yes | Yes |
| Detailed candidate analytics | Yes | Yes |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Customer support
It goes without saying that it’s vital to provide high-quality customer service to both current and potential customers and test-takers.
There’s a learning curve associated with any new software, so it’s important that customers have a quick and easy way to engage with support. Additionally, candidates should have quick access to troubleshooting.
TestGorilla’s customer support
Customers and candidates have the option of contacting support via email or live chat.
TestGorilla’s help center is a great resource for both hiring managers and candidates. It explains how to structure and format tests and assessments so they are optimum for your needs.
Customers can also take advantage of a dedicated training and onboarding tour and are shown how to use the software and make the most of what it has to offer.
Sova’s customer support
Sova offers support by phone, email, and via its internal SOVA community. There’s also support for new customers through training and onboarding.
Customer support: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | |
| Live chat | Yes | No |
| Help center | Yes | Yes |
| Email support | Yes | Yes |
| Training and onboarding tour | Yes | Yes |
| Phone assistance | No | Yes |
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Pricing
Prescreening platforms typically offer subscriptions on a monthly or annual basis. Access to an increasing number of features is available across a variety of tiers.
Many providers also offer free versions, though these typically come with access to fewer features.
TestGorilla’s pricing
TestGorilla provides an accessible and reasonably priced pre-employment screening service to businesses of all sizes.
We offer the following four annual plans:
- Free (forever) offers unlimited access to 10 free tests
- Pay as you go at $312 per year, provides access to the entire TestGorilla library and one assessment for 100 candidates
- Scale at $3,900 per year includes everything offered in the Pay as you go package plus candidate PDF reports, ATS integrations, and 15 assessments for 1,500 candidates
- Business at $26,400 per year offers all the features from the Scale plan as well as API access, training and onboarding, 125 assessments for 12,500 candidates, and more
TestGorilla is able to provide a personalized quote for enterprise-level packages.
Sova’s pricing
Sova doesn’t offer a free plan or trial of its software. Instead, you must schedule an appointment with a sales representative to obtain a customized quote.
Pricing: Comparison chart at a glance
| TestGorilla | Sova | ||
| Plan | Price (billed annually) | Plan | Price |
| Free | $0 | No free plan | |
| Pay as you go | $26 per month | Customized plans | Contact Sova |
| Scale | $325 per month | ||
| Business | $2,200 per month | ||
TestGorilla vs. Sova: Ease of use
The prescreening software you select should be user-friendly for both your hiring team and candidates. Look for features like a simple interface, quick test creation, and straightforward navigation.
TestGorilla’s user interface and ease of use
TestGorilla’s interface is straightforward and simple to use. Thanks to its intuitive design, creating and delivering assessments to a large pool of candidates takes no time.
Most of the tests we offer take less than 15 minutes to complete, and the results are easy to access and interpret.
Candidates are also kept apprised of their status throughout the hiring process via push notifications and automated emails.
Sova’s user interface and ease of use
While information regarding ease of use was not available on Sova’s website, external SaaS review sites rate Sova’s ease of use as 8.7 out of 10.
Conclusion: TestGorilla vs. Sova
Both TestGorilla and Sova provide hiring teams with the tools to access information about candidates’ personalities, behaviors, and cognitive abilities.
However, TestGorilla has a larger and more diverse test library that can be used across industries. For example, tech companies can use TestGorilla’s platform to evaluate programmers and developers working in a wide variety of coding languages and domains.
TestGorilla also has an advantage over competitors like Sova by providing a number of anti-cheating measures. Preventing candidates’ ability to cheat is essential for ensuring reliable and fair results.
Accurate results lead to the unbiased, data-driven hiring decisions recruiting teams are looking for.
Streamline your hiring process with pre-employment testing
Investing in a reliable pre-employment screening service is a crucial move that can have a significant impact on your company’s future success. It saves your organization time and money by eliminating the need for a lengthy and ineffective search for new employees via traditional methods.
Thanks to TestGorilla, companies can make more objective judgments and mitigate unconscious bias from the hiring process.
Do you want to learn how TestGorilla can help your business? Schedule a free 30-minute live demo with a member of our sales team for more information.
