Why 3%?

Our name "Toptal" comes from Top Talent — meaning we constantly strive to find and work with the best from around the world. Our rigorous screening process identifies experts in their domains who have passion and drive.

Of the thousands of applications Toptal sees each month, typically fewer than 3% are accepted.

Hire Top Talent Apply as a Freelancer

Trusted by leading brands and startups

Watch the case study

The Toptal Screening Process

Each applicant to the Toptal network must pass a screening process designed to measure subject matter expertise, professionalism, and communication skills. The full screening process takes between 2-5 weeks to complete.

step1

Language and Personality

The first step of the screening process is a comprehensive English language and communication interview evaluation. We also assess personality traits, looking for candidates who are passionate and fully engaged in their work.

26.4% of applicants pass

step2

In-Depth Skill Review

We also test each applicant's technical knowledge and problem-solving ability through various assessments. Every member of the Toptal network is an expert in their domain, and we typically only advance candidates with exceptional results in this phase.

7.4% of applicants pass

step3

Live Screening

Each candidate is interviewed by Toptal screeners who are experts in their functional domain. Our screeners provide specific live exercises, looking for problem-solving ability, depth of experience, communication ability, and creativity.

3.6% of applicants pass

step4

Test Projects

Each candidate is assigned a test project to evaluate whether they can "walk the walk." Test projects take 1-3 weeks are comprehensive and provide real-world scenarios for candidates to demonstrate their competence, thoroughness, professionalism, and integrity.

3.2% of applicants pass

step5

Continued Excellence

Members of the Toptal network maintain a track record of excellence while working with clients. As a quality-first company, our focus is on the top for talent and the top for clients, and this principle permeates through to every engagement and every delivered project.

3% of applicants pass

The Top 3%

Toptal is an elite global network of design, business, and technology experts unlike any other. The Toptal network is home to people with exceptional backgrounds: authors, founders, inventors, researchers, thought leaders, mentors, and more. We are problem-solvers who value integrity, and top companies rely on us for their most important initiatives.

Hire Top Talent Apply as a Freelancer

The screening process may vary or be changed as needed at the company's discretion

Toptal Connects the Top 3% of Freelance Talent All Over The World.

Toptal Finance Experts

Toptal Project Managers

Toptal Product Managers

Learn How Enterprises Benefit From Toptal Experts

Explore Trending Toptal Publications

Engineering Technology

Creating a Secure REST API in Node.js

by Marcos Henrique da Silva

As patterns go, REST APIs are so useful and ubiquitous that every web developer, regardless of language or platform, should know how to build one. In this article, Toptal Freelance JavaScript Developer Marcos Henrique da Silva shows how to create a simple and secure REST API for user management on Node.js.

13 minute readContinue Reading