Starting November 1, 2026, Assessments comes in two plans: Free and Paid. This article covers what each plan includes and how to use each feature.
Assessments show you what a tech actually knows, not just what their resume says. Use them to vet candidates before an interview, find the gaps in a new hire's skills so you only train what they need, and check in on your team over time to see who's ready for more.
Free vs Paid Assessments
Free plan: your company keeps the Core 4 pre-hire assessments and the tools to send and grade them.
Paid plan: $50/month for your whole company, not per user. It adds custom assessments, Field Assessments, advanced analytics, and more.
New SkillCat customers get the Paid plan free for their first 30 days.
Your custom assessments, results, and analytics are never deleted. On the Free plan they're saved and come right back when you upgrade.
All assessments and results from your original dashboard have been transferred. If anything looks like it is missing, reach out to our Support team.
What's included in each plan
Feature | Free | Paid ($50/month) |
Core 4 pre-hire assessments (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Maintenance) | ✓ | ✓ |
Share links | ✓ | ✓ |
Results emails to test takers | ✓ | ✓ |
Basic analytics (completed, in progress, average score) | ✓ | ✓ |
Camera proctoring | ✓ | ✓ |
Manual grading and Reopen review | ✓ | ✓ |
Custom assessments (create and send) | - | ✓ |
Field Assessments and photo review | - | ✓ |
Learner roster, invites, and reminders | - | ✓ |
Advanced analytics (score distribution, completions over time, question stats) | - | ✓ |
Past custom assessments and results | - | ✓ |
TechBuilder placement assessments | - | ✓ |
Answer keys | - | ✓ |
To upgrade, use the upgrade option in your dashboard or reach out to our Support team.
How to access Assessments
Log in to your SkillCat dashboard
Select 'Assessments'
View assessments by table or cards
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Creating Custom Assessments (Paid plan)
Creating new assessments and duplicating existing ones is part of the Paid plan. On the Free plan, you can still send the Core 4 pre-hire assessments (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Maintenance) to as many test takers as you need.
Assessments can be set up for your company's needs:
Six question types: multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, multiple select, free-form text, and video response.
Built-in fairness settings: shuffle question and answer order so no two test takers see the same assessment.
Flexible timing: no limit, a time limit per question, or one for the whole assessment.
Fast setup: import questions from a CSV, add images to questions and answers, and tag questions by topic.
Creating Field Assessments (Paid plan)
With Field Assessments, techs send photos of real work, and you leave feedback right on the photo, without being on site.
Field Assessments let you see the work, not just test knowledge. You give a prompt, the test taker uploads photos of the job, then answers follow-up questions.
Example: Prompt: "Install a new GFCI outlet." Guidance: "Show me photos before, during, and after installation." Follow-up questions: "If there was no common wire, how would you handle it?" and "What gauge wire was used?"
Field Assessments work well for on-the-job tasks and apprenticeship requirements that need a manager's sign-off.
How to create a Field Assessment:
Select + New assessment.
Under Assessment type, choose Field.
Enter the Prompt (what you want to see them do). This is shown to the test taker as the assessment title.
Add Guidance (what photos to take and when).
Set the Minimum photos required.
Add any follow-up questions related to the assignment.
Sharing an Assessment
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Find the assessment and select Share.
Copy the link (1), or select Send via Gmail (2) or Send via Mail/Outlook (3) to open a pre-filled email.
Send it to one person, or to your whole team. Everyone who uses the link takes the same assessment as a unique user.
When test takers open the link, they enter their email and get a one-time sign-in code. Their responses are attributed to your company in reporting.
Optional camera proctoring
Any assessment link can include light camera proctoring, on both plans. When you create the link, turn on Record the taker's camera.
While the assessment is in progress, a camera snapshot is taken every few seconds. This helps you see if someone is looking away or checking notes.
Test takers are asked to allow their camera and can decline. If they do, you will see a note on their submission.
Reviewing Assessment submissions
Submitted assessments that need a look show as Pending review.
Anti-cheating technology
Each submission also shows Tab switches and Paste attempts, so you can spot if someone left the assessment or pasted in an answer.
Reviewing an Assessment
Open the assessment and select Review next to the test taker's submission.
Go through each answer. For written answers, you will see the test taker's answer next to the reference answer.
To change a grade, use Override grade:
Choose Correct or Incorrect
Enter a score
Select Save
Select Mark reviewed when you are done.
Once marked reviewed the test taker will immediately receive their test results by email
Grading individual questions
Answers are auto-graded against the reference answer. Open-ended (free-form) and photo responses rarely match word for word, so they will usually show as incorrect until you review them. You also have the ability to mark something correct or incorrect for multiple choice or multiple select.
Change the grade
Select Reopen review to update a grade after it has been reviewed. For example, if a test taker explains their reasoning on an open-ended question and you agree, you can reopen the review and mark it correct. Every grading change is tracked.
Reviewing a Field Assessment (Paid plan):
Open the submission and select Review image on a photo.
Click anywhere on the photo to add a comment. Comments are pinned to that spot, so feedback is tied to exactly what you see.
Approve or Reject the photo. Rejections need at least one comment; approvals don't. You can also use Approve all.
Grade any follow-up questions, then select Mark reviewed.
Comments do not have to affect the grade. You can approve a photo and still leave a tip, like "Great install. Next time, match the conduit color to the wall."
Once reviewed, the test taker gets an email with their score and your photo comments.
Need the test taker to redo the work? Rejected photos show as 'Changes requested,' but the test taker can't edit that submission. Select Reassign so they can retake the full assessment with new photos.
Review the answer key (Paid plan)
On the Paid plan, every assessment includes an answer key showing the correct answer for each question.
Answer keys are visible to admins only.
What test takers see
Taking the Assessment
The test taker will either open the link you shared or receive the email sent depending on your method of sharing the assessment.
From there, the test taker fills out their full name and email and starts the assessment.
Registration  | Multiple choice/select  | Field assessment  |
Results email
As soon as you mark an assessment reviewed, the test taker receives an email with their results.
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Graded view: Selecting View results in the email shows their graded assessment, including which answers were marked incorrect. For Field Assessments, they see your photo comments, and rejected photos show as Changes requested.
No answer reveal: Test takers do not see the correct answers. Correct answers are saved for quizzes, not assessments, so your assessments stay reliable over time.
"Your Assessments" List
Test takers can log in with the email address the assessment was sent to and see every assessment they have taken, with its status (In progress, Awaiting review, or Reviewed) and score.
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Assessment insights
Open any assessment to see how your team is performing.
On both plans:
Completed and in progress: how many people have finished or started.
Average score: the overall average for the assessment.
On the Paid plan (advanced analytics):
Score distribution: where scores are landing across your team.
Completions over time: completion activity over the last two weeks.
Question stats: how many people got each question right or wrong.
Question stats help you spot the questions that stump most of your team. That could mean the question needs clarifying, or it could point to a skill gap worth reinforcing with training.
How to cancel
In your dashboard, select Cancel at the bottom of the left-side menu.
Confirm in the pop-up.
You keep Paid plan access through the end of the calendar month. After that, your account moves to the Free plan, and your custom assessments, results, and analytics are saved in case you come back.
FAQ
How much does Assessments cost? The Free plan costs nothing. The Paid plan is $50/month and covers your whole company, not each user. New customers get their first 30 days of the Paid plan free.
What do I get on the Free plan?
The Core 4 pre-hire assessments: HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, and Maintenance
Share links, so you can send them to one person or your whole team
Results emails sent to test takers after you review their assessment
Basic analytics: how many people have completed or started an assessment, and the average score
Camera proctoring
Manual grading and Reopen review
What does the Paid plan add? Custom assessments, Field Assessments with photo review, learner roster with invites and reminders, advanced analytics, access to your past custom assessments and results, TechBuilder placement assessments, and answer keys.
Is there a limit on how many people can take the free assessments? No. Send the Core 4 assessments to as many test takers as you need.
Can I create or duplicate assessments on the Free plan? No. Creating new assessments and duplicating existing ones is part of the Paid plan.
What happens to my custom assessments if I'm on the Free plan? They're saved, along with their results and analytics. Nothing is deleted. Everything comes right back when you upgrade.
Did I lose my old assessment data? No. Data from your original dashboard has been transferred. If something is missing, contact Support.
Can test takers see the correct answers? No. They see which answers were marked incorrect, but not the correct answers.
Can I change a grade after I have reviewed it? Yes, on both plans. Select Reopen review on the submission.
Do test takers have to turn on their camera? Only if you turn on camera proctoring, and they can still decline. You will see a note if they do.