Candidate Assessment Retakes in Recruitment: Risks, Benefits, and Best Practices

In today’s competitive hiring environment, candidate assessment retakes are a subject of significant debate among HR professionals and recruiters. Offering a second attempt on behavioral or skill-based assessments can have far-reaching consequences for the integrity and effectiveness of your hiring process. This comprehensive guide unpacks the risks and benefits of allowing assessment retakes, referencing recent research, highlighting actionable best practices, and helping you decide what approach is right for your organization.

Introduction

Allowing candidates to retake assessments may seem fair or even necessary, especially when test-day nerves can affect performance. But is a retake always in your company’s best interest? From behavioral and integrity tests to knowledge and skill assessments, the implications of retakes are nuanced. This article examines the evidence and expert guidance so you can make an informed choice that aligns with both your talent acquisition goals and company culture.

Behavioral, Attitude, and Integrity Assessments

Behavioral and personality tests, which often include attitude and integrity components, are designed to capture a candidate’s spontaneous, authentic reactions. According to Smith et al. (2022), initial responses most accurately reflect how an individual genuinely behaves under pressure. Allowing retakes on these assessments introduces several risks.

Key Points:

• Behavioral assessments are most effective when taken once.
• Retakes can encourage candidates to manipulate their responses.
• The predictive and selection value of the test is at risk if authenticity is lost.

Organizations must be cautious when considering Candidate Assessment Retakes in this category, as they risk undermining the validity of the results.

For a deeper dive into integrity testing and effective hiring, see Integrity Testing in Recruitment: Ensuring Legal and Effective Hiring.

Skill, Aptitude, and Knowledge Tests

Skill-based and knowledge assessments differ from behavioral tests because they focus on measurable expertise or problem-solving ability. These tests usually have objectively correct answers, and thus, some practitioners believe a retake is less harmful here.

Points to Weigh:

• Root Cause of Low Scores: Did the candidate underperform due to anxiety or a true lack of skills? Context matters.
• Impact on Your Process: Retakes can add time and resources to your workflow. Consider the practical implications.
• Consistency with Employment Practices: Would you allow an employee to redo critical job tasks if they failed initially, or would you expect competency from day one?

If you’re building a policy around retakes, it’s worth reviewing how other platforms handle them. Alooba’s official guidance outlines a balanced approach to offering retakes based on test type, candidate intent, and fairness, especially for technical or skills-based assessments.

Curious about ways to create more effective skill assessments or add them to your process? Explore this guide: How to Effectively Add Assessments to Your Job Posting.

Risks and Benefits of Candidate Assessment Retakes

This section highlights the pros and cons of Candidate Assessment Retakes, breaking down when they help and when they hurt the quality of hiring decisions.

Risks

1. Manipulated Responses: Particularly in behavioral assessments, retakes may lead to candidates crafting responses to fit perceived expectations.
2. False Positives: Improved second-attempt scores can signal test familiarity rather than true skill or fit.
3. Process Dilution: Excessive retake allowances may dilute the rigor of your hiring standards and result in onboarding underqualified talent.

Benefits

1. Learning Opportunity: Some candidates learn from their mistakes and genuinely perform better the second time.
2. Stress Reduction: Retakes can help candidates who struggle with anxiety showcase their real abilities.
3. Anomaly Correction: For knowledge and skill tests, a retake can correct for one-off errors or external stressors impacting performance.

Table: When Are Retakes Appropriate?

Assessment Type	Retake Recommended?	Reasoning
Behavioral/Personality	Rarely	Authencity, risk of manipulation
Integrity/Attitude	Rarely	Must reflect candidate’s true mindset
Skill/Knowledge	Sometimes	To address externalities/anomalies
Aptitude	With caution	Only for clear cases of stress or error

For additional strategies, see Improve Hiring Outcomes by 70%: 5 Science-Based Candidate Assessment Strategies.

Making an Informed Decision

Before you offer the option of a retake, ask:

• What is the assessment’s purpose?
• Does the test capture first impressions or measure hard skills?
• What are the authenticity risks?
• Could a second chance lead to artificially improved answers?
• Does the result hint at training needs?
• Is a low score a skills gap or just nerves/misunderstanding?
• How will this shape hiring outcomes?
• Will retakes lead to higher success rates, or invite more mistakes?

A balanced approach considers recent research. Integrating evidence-based decision-making helps maintain hiring standards while also supporting fair candidate evaluation. Using Candidate Assessment Retakes strategically can help create a fairer and flexible hiring system, as long as you preserve the assessment’s integrity.

Recommendations for CEOs and Talent Leaders

For executives, hiring is about more than filling seats—it’s about building teams that thrive in your company culture. Here’s how to strategically manage assessment retakes:

1. Set Clear Guidelines

Define precisely when retakes are permitted. For example, allow them for skill/knowledge tests only if there’s evidence of external interference, but avoid for personality or integrity tests.

2. Use Multiple Assessment Methods

Combine assessments with structured interviews and Candidate Scorecards to create a well-rounded candidate profile. This reduces dependence on any one data point and offsets the risk of false positives from retakes.

3. Communicate Expectations

Be transparent with candidates about your retake policy. Clear communication reduces gaming the system and helps candidates understand your rationale. For inspiration, see How to Write Screener Questions That Attract Honest Candidates.

4. Regularly Review Your Process

Audit how retakes influence your hiring results. Gather feedback, analyze data, and adjust policies for continual improvement.

Practical Example: Creating a Retake Policy

To illustrate, here’s a sample framework for developing a fair and effective retake policy:

1. Assessment Type Review: Only skill-based tests can be retaken, with approval.
2. Documentation: Every retake request requires a written explanation from the candidate.
3. Limited Attempts: Permit only one retake per candidate, per skill.
4. Quality Control: Analyze retake results for patterns to detect potential abuse.
5. Technology Support: Use an Employee Assessment Software for accurate, bias-resistant data tracking.

Conclusion

Assessment retakes are neither inherently good nor bad—context is everything. Behavioral and personality tests should usually be taken once to preserve the value of spontaneous response. For knowledge or skill-based assessments, retakes can be considered, but only with clear criteria in place.

Your hiring process should be transparent, evidence-led, and designed to select individuals who fit your organizational needs both now and in the future. Regularly review policies, communicate openly with candidates, and use multi-dimensional evaluation methods to ensure you’re choosing the best talent. When implemented correctly, Candidate Assessment Retakes can be a useful tool for fairness—just ensure your policy is transparent, strategic, and well-documented.

Need help optimizing your candidate assessments or refining your hiring process? Schedule a free, no-obligation demo with our hiring experts to see how smarter tools and practices can support your business goals: Book a demo with Discovered.