Hands-On assessments for manufacturing & skilled trades

OptiTest puts candidates and employees on a mechanical or electrical troubleshooting simulator and shows you, in under two hours, who has the mechanical aptitude or electrical competencies to perform on the job.

See how the testing works

OptiTest mechanical troubleshooting simulator

Some of our customers

$5,000 to $12,000 a year

The average productivity gain for each employee who passes our tests.

See how the math works

Under 2 hours

to identify the candidates and employees with high potential for technical performance.

Since 2007

testing production and maintenance staff for manufacturers.

Assessments are administered on real manufacturing simulators

Every test is standardized and timed. A certified testing administrator creates malfunctions in the simulator and the candidate has to resolve them in the most logical way, in the least time.

Mechanical aptitude test simulator

Mechanical aptitude tests

Measures mechanical, technical and troubleshooting potential, at several levels of difficulty for operators and mechanics.

For: machine operators and adjusters, set-up and service technicians, maintenance mechanics, millwrights, apprentices and electro-mechanical technicians.

About the mechanical tests

Electrical troubleshooting test simulator

Electrical troubleshooting tests

Reproduces the functions of current industrial control panels and PLCs to measure the level of job expertise and identify technical development needs.

For: electricians, electrical and electromechanical engineers, and instrumentation, control and automation systems technicians.

About the electrical tests

Candidate working on an OptiTest simulator

We come to your plant, on your schedule

  1. Book a free online demo. A presentation of about 30 minutes for your human resources, production and maintenance leaders.
  2. We bring the simulators to you. Our testing administrators travel to your plant, or candidates can be assessed at our Toronto-Etobicoke office.
  3. Candidates troubleshoot real malfunctions. Standardized, timed tests matched to the role.
  4. You receive a detailed report. With recommendations for selecting the best technical candidates.

How the testing works, step by step

“Of the 33 hired operators who had successfully completed your test, only two are no longer employed by Aspamill.”

Jean Rodrigue, Aspamill
Read more client results

Free article: why manufacturers test hands-on before they hire

  • How leaders get the data they need to make smart hiring decisions
  • The accuracy and validation factors behind the simulator technology
  • Results, returns and gains made at specific manufacturing companies

Watch the one-minute overview

Request an online demo

    Skilled Trades Pre-employment Testing

    Hiring for skilled trades and manufacturing  roles is most effective when resumes and interviews are supported by objective testing. At OptiTest, we help employers strengthen the hiring process with skilled trades and manufacturing pre-employment testing designed for industrial  environments.

    Our simulator-based assessment processes help employers measure mechanical aptitude, troubleshooting ability, electrical reasoning, and other hard skills needed for technical positions. Whether you are hiring machine operators, maintenance staff, millwrights, service technicians, apprentices, or electrical and electromechanical personnel, OptiTest gives you a better way to evaluate candidate ability before making a hiring decision. 

    During standardized and timed tests, candidates are asked to resolve malfunctions in the most logical and efficient way possible. This allows employers to measure how a person may perform when working with machines, tools, electrical systems, and industrial procedures. It also gives employers useful evaluation data to support selection, identify potential, and reduce the cost of a new hire. For employers facing a skills shortage, this kind of testing adds an important step to the hiring process.

    Evaluate Technical Skills For Industrial Hiring With OptiTest

    A strong technical assessment helps employers measure the industrial skills that are vital to safe, successful operations. At OptiTest, our simulator-based testing helps employers understand how candidates perform in job-related conditions and identify key strengths for the role. We are here to support better hiring decisions, help you prepare for future needs, and ensure each addition to the team is ready to succeed. Contact us today to find out how our assessments can help you identify potential and boost productivity.

    Industrial Skills Assessments for Confident Skilled Trades Hiring

    When hiring for manufacturing, maintenance, automation, and other industrial roles, employers need a clear way to evaluate real job-ready skills. OptiTest provides skilled trades pre-employment testing and industrial skills assessment for hiring to help organizations make more confident workforce decisions. Our technical skills assessment for hiring measures practical ability, troubleshooting performance, and overall readiness before a final selection is made. With industrial workforce skills testing, pre-hire testing for skilled trades, and a reliable industrial recruitment assessment process, employers can better identify candidates who are prepared for workplace demands. OptiTest also supports role-specific evaluations, including a PLC assessment test, to assess automation, controls, and electrical troubleshooting skills.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Skilled Trades and manufacturing Pre Employment Testing

    Skilled trades and manufacturing pre-employment testing at OptiTest are structured industrial skills assessments on simulators for hiring that help employers measure whether a candidate has the technical ability, mechanical aptitude, industrial tool comprehension, and problem-solving skills needed for a specific job. As a technical skills assessment for hiring, OptiTest’s mechanical and electrical aptitude tests add objective data to the hiring process before a final hiring decision is made.

    Skills assessments are important because it helps employers evaluate whether a candidate has the skills needed to perform safely and successfully in an industrial environment. Industrial workforce skills testing improves candidate selection, benchmark employees for machine assignments and future promotions, supports workplace safety, and reduces employee turnover by helping employers identify the right fit for the role. It also allows employers to use a more reliable industrial recruitment assessment process when hiring for skilled trades and manufacturing positions.

    Pre-hire testing for skilled trades improves the hiring process by giving employers a clearer and more objective way to measure ability before making a final decision. It tells employers whether or not a candidate is equipped to perform on the manufacturing floor.  OptiTest improves the hiring process by giving employers a clearer way to measure ability before making a final decision. It can help review mechanical and electrical aptitude, soft skills, industrial tools abilities, and troubleshooting performance in a more consistent and job-related way.

    Mechanical aptitude and electrical competencies matter because many skilled trades roles require candidates to work with machines, tools, electrical systems, and technical procedures in real job conditions. Employers need people who can identify issues, troubleshoot malfunctions, and apply practical knowledge on the job. For technical positions, OptiTest’s aptitude and competency tests  measure manufacturing abilities, potential, and readiness to perform successfully. In automation and controls roles, a PLC electrical assessment test can also help employers evaluate job-specific troubleshooting and system knowledge.

    OptiTest’s skilled trades assessments use standardized and timed simulator tests to evaluate mechanical and electrical troubleshooting performance. During the assessments, candidates are required to resolve malfunctions in a logical and efficient way, allowing employers to measure technical abilities in conditions that reflect the job. Detailed reports are then submitted to employers to support selection, reduce hiring costs, and help employers make more informed hiring decisions.