When companies are evaluating pre-hire assessment platforms, Criteria Corp and ThriveMap often come up as options. Both are designed to help you make more data-driven hiring decisions — but they take very different approaches.
Criteria Corp provides a wide range of cognitive, personality, and skills-based tests, with a strong emphasis on psychometric validation and structured interview tools. ThriveMap, by contrast, builds Realistic Job Assessments that simulate the role, helping candidates understand what the job is really like and allowing employers to measure job-specific fit objectively.
If you’re considering switching from Criteria Corp to ThriveMap, or deciding between them, this guide will help you weigh the pros and cons of each.
| Feature | ThriveMap | Mercer Mettl |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment type | Job simulations and day-in-the-life tasks | Cognitive, personality, integrity, EI, skills, and game-based tests |
| Candidate experience | Single, immersive assessment with job preview | Often multiple tests (e.g. SJT + cognitive), can feel long and transactional |
| Customisation | Fully bespoke or Smart Assessment Builder, branded environments and videos | Configurable test batteries, some custom question creation via TestMaker |
| Scoring | Objective 0–100% fit score benchmarked against applicant pool | Real-time score reports, percentiles, candidate comparisons |
| Validation | Ecological validity — directly linked to job tasks | Psychometric validation and I/O psychologist support |
| Focus | Improving job fit, reducing attrition, speeding time-to-hire | Screening for general ability and traits, broad coverage across roles |
| Pricing model | Transparent annual subscription, unlimited candidates | Annual subscription (Professional, Professional+, Talent Success Suite), pricing on request |
| Best suited for | High-volume, entry-level, and frontline hiring | Broad job coverage, professional and technical roles, organisations needing structured interviews |
Criteria Corp is a well-known assessment provider offering a comprehensive suite of pre-employment tests. Their platform includes:
Criteria also offers Professional+ and Talent Success Suite plans that layer in:
Criteria Corp is a robust tool, but feedback from users highlights a few consistent challenges — especially in high-volume or frontline hiring contexts:
ThriveMap takes a different approach, focusing on realistic job assessments designed to predict success in your specific roles and reduce early attrition.
How it works:
This approach not only screens for fit but also sets candidate expectations up front — reducing costly early turnover.
Uses psychometric tests and cognitive assessments to measure general aptitude and personality traits.
Simulates the real job, measuring whether a candidate will succeed in your specific environment.
Often multiple tests per role, which can increase dropout rates — especially on mobile.
Single, immersive assessment that is role-appropriate in length (sometimes just 7–10 minutes).
Screens for ability but does not provide a job preview, which can leave expectation gaps
Built to reduce attrition by aligning candidate expectations with reality.
Customisable through TestMaker, but tests remain broadly standardised across job families.
Fully bespoke or tailored via Smart Assessment Builder, including branding and multimedia.
Real-time score reports and percentile comparisons; deeper quality-of-hire insights take months to collect.
Detailed candidate analytics including dropout points, attribute scoring, and reasons for withdrawal.
Annual subscription with unlimited testing, but pricing is only available via consultation.
Transparent annual pricing based on hiring volume, with unlimited candidate usage for defined roles.
One ThriveMap customer had previously used Criteria Corp for a technician role. They faced several challenges:
After switching to ThriveMap:
This case highlights ThriveMap’s strength in high-volume, entry-level, and skilled trades hiring, where job realism and candidate engagement are critical.
Both Criteria Corp and ThriveMap offer robust ways to screen candidates, but they solve different problems.
