How to Add the Career Potential Test (CPT) to Your Job Postings, With Example Wording

To add the Career Potential Test (CPT) to your job postings, pick one of two setups. List it as an optional qualification, like "an 80%+ CPT score may be submitted in lieu of relevant experience," or require it before the phone screen. Candidates then send you a results link with their percentile and section scores.

It's free for you and for candidates, and adding it takes under 5 minutes. We built the CPT, so we're not neutral. Below are the two options, setup steps, example wording you can adapt and how to use any pre-employment test carefully. For the candidate's side, see how the Career Potential Test works.

Key takeaways

• The CPT is free for employers and candidates, and it takes under 5 minutes to add to your hiring process.
• Option 1 lists it as an optional qualification, one more way to qualify. Option 2 requires it before the phone screen, which adds friction.
• Candidates send a results link with their percentile and questions correct in critical thinking, reading, writing and math.
• Proctoring uses a locked-down browser and webcam recording. For a human review, email the results URL to support@coursecareers.com.
• Use the score as one data point, apply it the same way to everyone and check your process with employment counsel.

What's on this page

• What the Career Potential Test gives you
• Option 1 vs. Option 2
• How to add the CPT, step by step
• Example job posting wording
• How to review CPT results
• Using a pre-employment test fairly
• What to do next
• Frequently asked questions

What the Career Potential Test Gives You as an Employer

The CPT gives you a free, consistent look at an applicant's foundational skills in critical thinking, reading, writing and math. You get a percentile you can compare across candidates, even when their resumes give you little to go on.

• Cost: $0 for you and $0 for candidates.
• Setup time: under 5 minutes.
• What's on it: 55 questions: Critical Thinking (15), Reading (15), Writing (15) and Math (10).
• What candidates need: up to one hour and a desktop or laptop with a webcam. Chrome or Safari is recommended.
• What you receive: a results link with the candidate's percentile compared with other test-takers, plus questions correct per section.
• Proctoring: a locked-down browser and webcam recording. Sessions aren't human-reviewed by default. To ask for a review, email the results URL to support@coursecareers.com.

The test is hard on purpose, so expect strong candidates to miss questions. Candidates can retake it for free, and their results page shows the most recent score.

Why you might add it

A resume with no degree and no related job gives you few signals. Finding the high-potential people in that pile is like finding a needle in a haystack. We cover that problem in why employers struggle to identify high-potential entry-level talent.

It's also the idea behind skills-based hiring. A 2020 executive order on federal hiring said employers adopting skills-based hiring "recognize that an overreliance on college degrees excludes capable candidates."

What it doesn't give you: the CPT isn't a job-specific skills test, and it can't tell you whether someone will do well in a particular role. It's new, and we haven't published validation studies. For research on aptitude tests in general, see can aptitude tests predict job performance?

Option 1 vs. Option 2: Optional Qualification or Required Step?

Option 1 adds the CPT as one more way to qualify, so it widens your pool without adding a step for anyone. Option 2 makes it a required step before the phone screen, so you compare everyone on the same baseline but ask more of every applicant.

When each option fits

• Option 1 fits when you want to open a role that now requires a degree or experience to people who have neither, without slowing down your applicant flow.
• Option 2 fits when you get many applicants with similar, thin resumes and want one consistent first look. Only choose it if you'll handle accommodation requests and weigh the score alongside interviews, not as an automatic cut.

How to Add the Career Potential Test to a Job Posting, Step by Step

Setup comes down to choosing an option, writing down your bar and adding a line or two to your posting or ATS email. Here's the order we suggest.

1. Take the test yourself. Try the free Career Potential Test so you know what candidates go through.
2. Decide which skills matter for the role. You decide which sections matter most. Write down how each one relates to the job.
3. Choose Option 1 or Option 2. If you're unsure, start with Option 1.
4. Set your bar before you see any scores. We use 80%+ in our examples. Write your bar down so every candidate faces the same bar.
5. Add the wording. For Option 1, add an "or" line and a how-to-apply instruction. For Option 2, set up an automated ATS email.
6. Add an accommodation line. Tell candidates how to ask for a disability accommodation, and decide who handles those requests.
7. Collect results links in one place, such as an ATS field or a shared sheet, so every score gets the same review.
8. Ask for a proctoring review when it matters. For finalists, email the results URL to support@coursecareers.com.

Example Job Posting Wording You Can Copy and Adapt

Here's example wording to adapt. Swap in your own role, minimums and ATS field names, and keep the "or" so the CPT adds a way to qualify instead of replacing one.

Option 1: an "or" qualification line

Example wording to adapt (close to the sample we give employers):

Bachelor's degree or 1+ year of relevant work experience required. An 80%+ Career Potential Test (CPT) score may be submitted in lieu of relevant experience.

Example wording to adapt for a role with no degree requirement:

One of the following: 1+ year of experience in a related role, OR a score at or above the 80th percentile on the free Career Potential Test (CPT).

Application instruction

Example wording to adapt for your how-to-apply section:

Using the Career Potential Test (CPT) to qualify? Take the free test at coursecareers.com/career-potential-test, then paste your results link in the "Additional information" field. It takes up to one hour and needs a desktop or laptop with a webcam. If you need a disability accommodation, tell us in your application.

Short email or message to candidates

Example wording to adapt for an Option 2 ATS email, or to invite one candidate:

Subject: Next step for the [Job Title] role

Hi [First name],

Thanks for applying for the [Job Title] role at [Company]. Our next step is the free Career Potential Test (CPT) at coursecareers.com/career-potential-test. It covers critical thinking, reading, writing and math. You'll have up to one hour and need a desktop or laptop with a webcam.

When you're done, reply with your results link. Your score is one part of our review, along with your application and interviews. If you need a disability accommodation, reply and let us know.

Thanks,
[Your name]

One tip: don't promise an interview for a certain score unless you'll keep that promise for everyone who hits it.

How to Review CPT Results and Set a Bar

Open the candidate's results link. You'll see their percentile compared with other test-takers and how many questions they got right in each section.

Reading the percentile and breakdown

The headline score is a percentile, not a percent correct. For example, a candidate in the 85th percentile scored higher than 85% of people who took the exam. So an "80%+" bar means the 80th percentile or higher.

The breakdown shows questions correct out of 15 for Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing, and out of 10 for Math. Match it to the job. A role that writes customer emails might weigh Writing more. One that builds quotes might weigh Math more.

Using the score consistently

• Decide the bar first, then apply it the same way to every candidate.
• Let it open a door. In Option 1, a score at or above your bar should count the same as the degree or experience it stands in for. A lower score shouldn't count against someone who qualifies another way.
• Weigh it with everything else. Interviews, work samples and references still matter. The CPT is one data point.
• Check the proctoring note. Results pages say the session wasn't human-reviewed. If a score will decide an offer, ask support@coursecareers.com for a review.
• Expect retakes. The link shows the most recent score. A candidate who studied and improved is showing effort.

Using a Pre-Employment Test Fairly and Carefully

Any pre-employment test you use is your responsibility, including a free one from us. This isn't legal advice. Check your process with employment counsel before you roll it out.

Here's what the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says in its guidance on employment tests and selection procedures:

• Tests are allowed, discrimination isn't. Title VII, the ADA and the ADEA "prohibit the use of discriminatory employment tests and selection procedures."
• Effects count, not just intent. Under Title VII, a neutral test that disproportionately screens out people based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin is prohibited unless it's "job-related and consistent with business necessity."
• The employer is responsible. A vendor's documentation may help, but "the employer is still responsible for ensuring that its tests are valid." We haven't published validation studies for the CPT, so weigh that when you decide how much a score counts.
• Plan for accommodations. Under the ADA, employers must make reasonable accommodations, "including in the administration of tests," for the known limitations of qualified people with disabilities.

The EEOC's best practices also say to give tests "without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age (40 or older), or disability." If a procedure screens out a protected group, it says to look for an equally effective alternative with less adverse impact and adopt it if there is one.

What we recommend

We recommend using the CPT as an optional qualification, which gives candidates more ways to qualify. We generally advise against making it mandatory or the sole basis for rejecting candidates, because that can increase legal risk under disparate impact standards. Apply it consistently, make sure it's job-relevant and weigh results alongside other qualifications.

For accommodation requests, ask support@coursecareers.com what's possible for the test itself, and keep a backup path ready, such as the degree or experience route.

What to Do Next

Pick one entry-level opening, add the CPT as an "or" qualification, set your bar and see who applies.

Our recommendation: If you're unsure, start with Option 1. Option 2 adds friction to your hiring funnel, and we generally advise against making the test mandatory. Option 1 lets applicants without degrees or experience stand out, and nobody else has to do anything extra. We're biased, but as an extra door rather than a gate, it costs you nothing to try.

Weighing other employer tests? See how the Wonderlic, CCAT and CPT compare. For the bigger question of which signals matter, read degrees vs. potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free aptitude test for employers?
Yes. The Career Potential Test is one. It's 100% free for employers and candidates, so there's no cost to add it to a posting or review the results links candidates send.

Can I require applicants to take a pre-employment test?
The EEOC says Title VII permits tests that aren't designed, intended or used to discriminate. A test that screens out a protected group must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. We generally advise against making the CPT mandatory. This isn't legal advice, so check with employment counsel.

What CPT score should I require?
We use 80%+ in our examples, meaning the 80th percentile or higher. Base your bar on what the role needs, set it before you see scores and apply it to everyone.

How do I know a candidate didn't cheat on the CPT?
It's proctored with a locked-down browser and webcam recording, but sessions aren't human-reviewed by default. If a score matters, email the results URL to support@coursecareers.com and ask for a review.

Is the CPT a skills-based hiring tool?
It can support skills-based hiring by giving applicants without degrees a way to show foundational skills. It isn't a job-specific skills test, so pair it with interviews and other qualifications.

Sources

• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test for Employers (accessed Oct 2026)
• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test (CPT) (candidate page, accessed Oct 2026)
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Employment Tests and Selection Procedures (accessed Oct 2026)
• Federal Register: Executive Order 13932, Modernizing and Reforming the Assessment and Hiring of Federal Job Candidates (2020) (accessed Oct 2026)