What you'll be doing
A short orientation to what a Colare assessment is and what working through one looks like.
Refer to this guide alongside your assessment-specific welcome video , found when you click your unique assessment link , to get a better sense of what to expect.
At Colare, we believe engineering talent should be evaluated on real skills rather than what fits on a resume. Our simulation-based assessment platform helps hiring teams go beyond traditional screening to objectively and fairly evaluate candidates on their actual engineering abilities. We work with companies across aerospace, defense, medical devices, and other deeptech industries who share this philosophy.
By completing a Colare assessment, you're demonstrating your technical skills, problem-solving approach, and engineering process in a structured, unbiased environment. The assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to showcase how you work through real engineering challenges , something a resume simply can't capture.
You'll work through hands-on simulations, like CAD modeling or circuit design, using the same kinds of professional tools you'd use on the job. Depending on the role, you may respond through simulations, written answers, or voice explanations. This means your assessment reflects the work you'd actually be doing, giving both you and the hiring team confidence that it's the right fit.
Colare assessments vary depending on your role and assessment type, and your interviewer may also adjust the time allotted. Assessments can take up to 2 hours. You can check the exact duration when you click your assessment link, before starting the test. The time remaining is also displayed while the test is active.
How your work is evaluated
Colare looks at two things , whether you arrived at the right answer, and how you got there.
Colare scores candidates through both deterministic criteria as well as candidate workflow evaluations. The platform breaks down candidate competencies by considering both whether candidates answered correctly, and all the decisions candidates made on their way to those answers.
Breaking the second part down further, Colare provides advanced insight into candidate performance by tracking assessment "events" , the actions candidates take within the assessment, such as clicking, typing, or navigating to other browsers. The platform evaluates these events using an AI trained on responses and workflows from PhD-level engineers to similar questions. This creates a benchmark and understanding of what a "great" engineer looks like, and candidate workflows are assessed against that.
These two criteria have been carefully weighted and distributed so that Colare candidate scores match unbiased, independent engineer scores. Your Colare Score represents a weighted, aggregate figure composed of the data points Colare scores candidates upon.
What this means in practice: work the way you'd work on the job. Think through your approach before diving in, keep your work organized, and show your reasoning when the task involves design trade-offs. Partial progress still demonstrates your capabilities , if you get stuck on one area, keep moving.
Setting up your environment
Before your assessment window opens, take a few minutes to get your space and setup ready.
1Find a quiet place with good Wi-Fi
Pick a spot free from distractions and noise. Position your lighting in front of you rather than behind. If you're on Wi-Fi, try to be close to your router, or use a wired connection if you have one. Avoid public networks where shared connections can be unstable , use a private network or mobile hotspot if possible. Close any apps and browser tabs you won't need, and silence your phone.
2Check your device and browser
Colare assessments require a laptop or desktop with a strong internet connection (download/upload speed of at least 500 Kb/s), camera, microphone, and screen sharing abilities, all running on the most recent version of Google Chrome. For proctored assessments, mobile devices and tablets are not supported , you won't be able to take the assessment from one.
3Enable your camera and microphone
Colare requires access to your webcam for two reasons. First, if video-required questions are present in your test, you should be prepared to record video responses , these are stored securely and only visible to your hiring team and Colare. Second, to prevent cheating, candidates' videos are proctored to ensure the test is taken fairly and individually.
Important: If you deny access to your camera and still take the assessment, the company you're interviewing with may choose to reject your application. It also means you cannot record answers to video questions. Make sure no other application (Zoom, Teams, etc.) is using your camera at the same time.
When your assessment loads, you should see a permissions prompt for camera, microphone, and screen sharing. Select "Allow." If you missed it or don't see it, click the padlock icon in your address bar and enable access for Colare.
Understanding proctoring
A fair testing environment for every candidate , here's what gets monitored and why.
To ensure a fair testing environment, Colare monitors candidate events , like clicking to new screens or typing in answers , as well as candidate recordings, and flags any suspicious activity. Candidates should take assessments using only their own ability. Proctoring ensures the testing environment is fair and equitable.
All recordings and events are stored privately and securely, visible only to the hiring team and Colare.
We care deeply about providing a fair experience for all candidates and ensuring assessments give an accurate reflection of a candidate's abilities. Before beginning an assessment, you'll have the opportunity to review the candidate terms and conditions and preparation materials, which outline what resources are permitted.
Prohibited behaviours include: using content that is not your original work, unless derived from a provided AI assistant (if applicable); using unauthorised third-party assistance to answer questions; and copying questions outside of the assessment environment into search engines or AI tools.
AI tools, unless explicitly directed by the hiring organization, are not allowed during assessments. Some questions may offer the use of an embedded AI assistant , in those cases, the use of the provided Colare AI assistant is allowed.
When prohibited actions are noticed, the candidate's assessment is flagged for review. This can lead to a disqualified application.
Before you click "Start"
Once you feel ready, run through this final check.
Take advantage of the practice questions. Some questions have timed responses. Getting familiar with the testing format and environment through the practice questions lets you focus on answering as well as possible when it counts.
Be yourself. Be authentic, and remember this is a chance to let your skills shine.
Questions or issues?
Platform & technical support
For technical questions about the platform or issues before starting your assessment.
support@colare.coRole & hiring questions
For questions about the role, the hiring process, or your assessment deadline.
Contact your recruiter