First Move Assessment vs TestGorilla: Which Actually Fits a Contractor?

The short answer: TestGorilla fits a company that wants a large, self-serve library of short skills, reasoning, personality and situational judgment tests at a low cost per candidate, with a free plan to start. On its AI page, TestGorilla says it is "Meant for small teams, agencies and companies who want to find great talent, and proof they can do the job."¹ First Move Assessment fits a contracting business that wants to see, before the offer, which move a candidate reaches for first in the exact seat it is hiring for, with a report written against that seat, from the field to the C-suite. Most TestGorilla tests check what a candidate knows or how they reason.² First Move Assessment does not measure trade knowledge at all.

We checked every TestGorilla fact on this page against TestGorilla's own public website on 8 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on their site before you buy. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Who each one is for

TestGorilla. TestGorilla's home page calls it "The proof-first AI recruiting platform".³ It sells Gorilla Sourcing (a search of 900M+ candidate profiles) and Gorilla Assessments as separate products, and this page compares Gorilla Assessments.⁴ It says it assesses 5 million candidates every year and that its library covers roles from a customer support hire to a software developer to a finance analyst.⁵

First Move Assessment. Built for owners and managers who do their own hiring in nine trades: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, garage door, pest control, commercial mechanical, residential cleaning and commercial cleaning. Every seat in the company has its own written standard, from apprentice and service tech through dispatcher, CSR, comfort advisor, estimator and bookkeeper, up to the chief executive.

What each one measures

TestGorilla offers 350+ tests across cognitive ability, communication, technical and role-specific skills, software, language, personality, and situational judgment (13 tests, including Time Management, Business Judgment and Leadership & People Management).⁵² Most multiple-choice tests run about 10 minutes.² Its personality tests include Big 5 (OCEAN), DISC, Enneagram and 16 Personality Types.² Scores come back as percentiles that TestGorilla says are "reported against calibrated global norms."⁶ An assessment can also include AI interviews, video questions, job simulations, resume scoring and ID verification.⁵

First Move Assessment measures work instinct: the move a candidate reaches for first when the work gets hard. The candidate reads situations from the seat and picks the move they would make first. The report scores them out of 100 against the seat's written standard, with a margin of error printed beside the score, and shows where their instincts pull away from what the seat needs. It does not test skills or trade knowledge, describe personality or check backgrounds.

What that means in practice: TestGorilla tells you how a candidate scored on the tests you picked, ranked against other test takers. First Move Assessment tells you which way the candidate leans on the calls one seat runs on: check first or jump in, fix what keeps causing the problem or the one in front of them, handle it or pass it to the right person. Neither one replaces the ride-along or the bench test.

The research behind each

TestGorilla says "Our tests are built to help predict job performance." Each test starts from a skill definition grounded in frameworks such as O*NET, is built by subject matter experts, reviewed independently and calibrated before launch, and TestGorilla says it then monitors reliability and validity on live data and publishes the results in each test's fact sheet.⁶ It says it builds to the EEOC's Uniform Guidelines, the SIOP Principles and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.⁶ It also says plainly: "No single test can perfectly assess everything required for a role, which is why we recommend using our full suite of assessment tools rather than relying on any single score."⁵

First Move Assessment is built on situational judgment, a hiring method with 30 years of published evidence. Candidates face real situations from the seat and pick the move they would make first. What the published research on the method has found:

• A meta-analysis pooling 118 results found situational judgment tests predicted job performance at .26 (McDaniel, Hartman, Whetzel and Grubb, 2007, Personnel Psychology).
• Tests built around teamwork situations predicted at .38, and leadership situations at .28 (Christian, Edwards and Bradley, 2010, Personnel Psychology).
• The approach lines up with decades of research on tacit knowledge, the practical know-how that separates experienced performers (Sternberg and Wagner, 1985; Lievens and Motowidlo, 2016).

The limits page explains how these findings on the method relate to this assessment.

Trade-specific content

TestGorilla has a 10-minute HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) test covering chillers, dehumidifiers, air distribution, and water distribution and air conditioners, which it says helps you hire "technicians with practical, hands-on experience."⁷ Its write-up says organizations with intensive HVAC use, such as manufacturing settings or large buildings, especially need skilled staff to run and maintain those systems.⁷ There is a 10-minute, entry-level Fundamentals of Electricity test that lists electricians among the roles it fits,⁸ and a 10-minute Mechanical Reasoning test that lists HVAC technicians, electricians and plumbers.⁹ There is a 10-minute Construction Management test,¹⁰ a 13-minute Customer Service (Multimedia) test that lists call center agents,¹¹ and a 26-minute Maintenance Technician AI interview.¹² You can add your own questions to any assessment, and the Plus plan lets you build your own tests.⁴⁷

We read every test in TestGorilla's public library list on 8 October 2026 and found none named for a plumber, dispatcher, roofer, garage door tech, pest route tech or cleaner. None of its situational judgment tests is named for a trade seat.² For cleaners, TestGorilla's own hiring guide recommends general tests such as time management, communication and customer service, and says skills testing cannot check practical cleaning and sanitation skills.¹³

First Move Assessment is trade-specific all the way through. Each situation is written from inside one seat in one trade, in that trade's own words: a night crew cleaner alone in a locked building who finds a floor that is not on the route sheet, or an estimator with a bid due and a scope question the general contractor has not answered. A dispatcher is read against what a dispatch board demands, a bookkeeper against what the books demand.

Ask before you buy: if the seat you hire most is a dispatcher, CSR or comfort advisor, ask TestGorilla which tests it would combine for that seat. Use the preview questions on the HVAC and electrical test pages to judge whether they match the work your techs actually do.

Pricing

TestGorilla prices Gorilla Assessments per account, with a free plan and two paid plans, Core and Plus.⁴ Usage is metered against the plan's allowance. When a candidate starts an assessment, each skills test in it uses one unit, video questions use one and an AI interview uses two. Resume scoring, custom questions and sending the invite use none. Annual plans pool the allowance for the year, and monthly plans reset each month.⁴ These are the US dollar prices its pricing page showed for a US buyer, read from the page and its price table:

The five free tests are Problem Solving, Communication, Time Management, Big 5 (OCEAN) and Motivation.⁴ Core opens the full library. Plus adds the full AI interview library, job simulations, ID verification, custom tests and ATS integrations.⁴

First Move Assessment charges per assessment. One assessment is $149. Packs run $595 for 5, $995 for 10 and $1,995 for 25. The Practice License is 100 assessments a year for $4,950. Every seat costs the same, assessments never expire, and the first one is covered by a 30-day refund. Full details are on the pricing page.

The honest math: TestGorilla costs far less per candidate. Build a three-test assessment for a service tech (Mechanical Reasoning, HVAC and Time Management) and each candidate uses three units, so Core at $2,580 a year covers 250 candidates, about $10.32 each. The same $2,580 buys about 26 First Move Assessments at 10 pack prices, or about 32 at 25 pack prices, and the free plan's five essential tests cost nothing. If price per candidate decides it, TestGorilla wins. First Move Assessment costs more and reads something different: the first move in one seat, against that seat's written standard. A TestGorilla allowance runs on the plan's clock, and First Move Assessments never expire. Count last year's finalists before you choose.

Setup and support

TestGorilla says your first assessment takes under 10 minutes to set up.⁵ You pick the tests, add your own questions, and invite candidates by email, from your applicant tracking system or with a direct link.⁷ Every plan lists a help center, 24/7 live chat and email support, and Plus adds personalized onboarding and access to Customer Success.⁴ ATS integrations are on the Plus plan, with a list that includes BambooHR, Greenhouse, JazzHR, Lever, Workable and Workday.⁴¹⁴ Candidates need no login and can use any device.⁷ An assessment can hold up to five tests, and TestGorilla says most assessments take candidates 10 to 45 minutes, depending on how many tests you combine.⁵⁷

First Move Assessment takes almost no setup. Your account email arrives within a minute of buying, and you set a password from it. Pick the seat, type the candidate's name and email, and the link goes out. The candidate finishes on their phone in about 10 to 20 minutes, with no app and no account, and the report lands in your inbox. Questions go to support@firstmoveassessment.com.

How each one uses AI

TestGorilla builds AI into sourcing, test recommendations, resume scoring, AI interviews and the scoring of open-ended answers.¹ Asked whether AI scores your candidates, its answer begins: "Only if you turn it on." It adds: "Multiple-choice skills tests are scored automatically against calibrated norms without AI."⁶ It also says: "AI never makes a hiring decision on this platform." Every AI score can be reviewed or overridden, and TestGorilla says it does not train AI models on your candidates' data.⁶

First Move Assessment: AI tools helped draft the seat standards and the situations a candidate reads, and checked them against occupational research. Every standard then had to pass a fixed set of rules and was approved before use. No AI takes part when a candidate sits the assessment, when it is scored, or when the report is written.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between First Move Assessment and TestGorilla?

TestGorilla is a library of short tests of skills, reasoning and personality, plus AI interviews. Skills tests are scored as percentiles against other test takers, and AI interviews are scored against structured rubrics.⁵⁶ First Move Assessment measures the first move a candidate reaches for in situations from one trade seat, scored out of 100 against that seat's written standard.

Does TestGorilla have an HVAC test?

Yes. It takes 10 minutes and covers chillers, dehumidifiers, air distribution, and water distribution and air conditioners.⁷ It tests trade knowledge, which First Move Assessment does not, so a shop that wants both reads would need two tools or its own bench test.

Does TestGorilla have tests for plumbers, electricians and dispatchers?

It has a Fundamentals of Electricity test, and its Mechanical Reasoning test lists plumbers and electricians among the roles it fits.⁸⁹ We found no test in its public library named for a plumber or a dispatcher.² Its Customer Service (Multimedia) test lists call center agents.¹¹

How much does TestGorilla cost?

There is a free plan. For a US buyer, Core started at $215 a month billed annually ($2,580 a year for 750 units), and Plus started at $520 a month billed annually.⁴ First Move Assessment is $149 for one assessment and drops to $49.50 a candidate on the Practice License.

How long does a TestGorilla assessment take?

Most single tests take about 10 minutes, an assessment can combine up to five, and TestGorilla says most assessments take 10 to 45 minutes.⁵²⁷ First Move Assessment takes about 10 to 20 minutes on a phone.

Does TestGorilla use AI to score candidates?

Only if you turn it on. When enabled, AI scores open-ended answers such as AI interviews, video questions and custom questions, and its resume scoring tool also uses AI. Multiple-choice skills tests are scored without AI.⁶⁴¹ First Move Assessment uses no AI in scoring or in the report.

Which one covers commercial mechanical and cleaning companies?

TestGorilla's HVAC test covers chillers, dehumidifiers, and air and water distribution, and its write-up mentions manufacturing settings and large buildings. It also has a Construction Management test.⁷¹⁰ For cleaners, its own guide points to general tests.¹³ First Move Assessment has written seat standards for commercial mechanical, residential cleaning and commercial cleaning, including project managers, estimators, night crew cleaners, day porters and commercial supervisors.

Sources

TestGorilla facts checked on testgorilla.com on 8 October 2026.

1. AI at TestGorilla: https://www.testgorilla.com/ai/
2. TestGorilla test library: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/
3. TestGorilla home page: https://www.testgorilla.com/
4. TestGorilla pricing: https://www.testgorilla.com/pricing/
5. Gorilla Assessments: https://www.testgorilla.com/assessments/
6. TestGorilla assessments technology: https://www.testgorilla.com/assessments-technology/
7. TestGorilla HVAC test: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/role-specific-skills-tests/hvac-heating-ventilation-and-air-conditioning-test/
8. TestGorilla Fundamentals of Electricity test: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/role-specific-skills-tests/fundamentals-of-electricity-test/
9. TestGorilla Mechanical Reasoning test: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/cognitive-ability-tests/mechanical-reasoning-test/
10. TestGorilla Construction Management test: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/role-specific-skills-tests/construction-management-test/
11. TestGorilla Customer Service (Multimedia) test: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/role-specific-skills-tests/customer-service-test/
12. TestGorilla Maintenance Technician AI interview: https://www.testgorilla.com/test-library/role-specific-skills-tests/maintenance-technician/
13. TestGorilla blog, How to hire a cleaner: https://www.testgorilla.com/blog/how-hire-cleaner/
14. TestGorilla ATS integrations: https://www.testgorilla.com/ats-integrations/

TestGorilla is a trademark of TestGorilla B.V. First Move Assessment is not affiliated with or endorsed by TestGorilla.

First Move Assessment reads the first instinct a candidate brings to one seat in your trade before you hire: get the three sample reports.