Preparing for your
Colare assessment.

What you'll be doing

A short orientation to what a Colare assessment is and what working through one looks like.

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 multiple-choice questions. 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.

How long you have

Assessments are usually completed in one sitting. That can change by assessment type, and the hiring team sets the timing for each role.

• In one sitting. The time limit starts counting down when you click Start, and the time remaining is shown while the test is active. When it runs out, the assessment submits automatically.
• For example, take-home assessments let you close and reopen the assessment as often as you like. The time limit still starts when you first click Start and keeps counting while you are away, so submit before it runs out. Your progress is saved as you go.

Your invitation email tells you which type you have, how long it takes, and the date by which you need to start. Once the link expires you won't be able to open it, so if the deadline doesn't work for you, reply to the invitation before it passes. The exact duration is also shown on the welcome screen before you begin.

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 on both deterministic criteria and candidate workflow. The platform breaks down competencies by considering whether you answered correctly, and the decisions you made on the way to that answer.

For the second part, Colare records the steps you take inside the assessment: the values you choose, the constraints you apply, the trade-offs you make, and the order you work in. Those steps are scored against a rubric written for the question, alongside your final answer. Both parts count toward your Colare Score, which is the weighted aggregate of those criteria.

Setting up your environment

Before your assessment window opens, take a few minutes to get your space and setup ready.

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.

What's available inside the assessment

• Support button. Every screen has a Support button. It opens a form pre-filled with your name and email and attaches a screenshot, so you can describe the problem and keep going.
• Dictation. On most assessments with long-answer questions you can speak your answer as well as type it. There is a quick microphone check before the test, and you can edit the transcript before you submit.
• Formatting. Long-answer boxes support formatted text, so you can use lists and headings to organize your reasoning.
• Calculator and equation editor. A scientific calculator is available inside the assessment, and long-answer boxes include an equation editor so formulas render the way you wrote them.
• Moving between questions. Most assessments move forward only. Multi-part questions show your progress, and you'll be asked to confirm before advancing, so review your answer before you do.
• Saving. Your answers are saved as you work. If your connection drops, reopen your assessment link to return to where you were.

Understanding proctoring

A fair testing environment for every candidate. Here's what gets monitored and why.

To ensure a fair testing environment, Colare records your screen and camera during the assessment and logs events like switching tabs or leaving the assessment window, then flags anything that looks unusual for the hiring team to review. Candidates should take assessments using only their own ability. Proctoring ensures the testing environment is fair and equitable.

Recordings and events are stored securely and shared with the hiring team as part of your results.

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.

Before you click "Start"

Once you feel ready, run through this final check.

• I'm using the latest version of Google Chrome on a laptop or desktop.
• I have a strong internet connection (at least 500 Kb/s download/upload).
• My camera and microphone are working and permissions are enabled.
• Screen sharing is enabled in my browser.
• I've read the invitation email for the assessment type, the time required, and the date I need to start by.
• I'm in a quiet environment with good lighting and minimal distractions.
• I've set aside the time my invitation says I'll need, ideally in one sitting.

Questions or issues?