The Toptal Screening Process
01
Language & Personality
The first step in the screening process is a comprehensive language, personality, and communication interview. Candidates must be able to read, write, and speak English extremely well. We also probe into the inner depths of personality traits, looking for passionate and driven individuals who are hands-on and fully engaged in their work.
26.4% of applicants pass
02
In-Depth Skill Review
Next, we check for technical knowledge, problem-solving ability, and intellect through various assessments. We typically only accept candidates with exceptional results.
7.4% of applicants pass
03
Live Screening
Each candidate is screened by experts in their functional domain. Each screener will provide specific live exercises that cover core topics within the candidate’s primary domain of expertise. We look at problem-solving ability, depth of experience, communication ability, and creativity.
3.6% of applicants pass
04
Test Projects
Each candidate is assigned a test project to evaluate whether they can “walk the walk.” Test projects provide real-world scenarios for candidates to demonstrate their competence, thoroughness, professionalism, and integrity over what is typically 1-3 weeks.
3.2% of applicants pass
05
Continued Excellence
Toptalers are expected to maintain a perfect track record while working with clients. We do not tolerate sub-par work or poor communication for any reason.
3.0% of applicants pass
The Top 3%
Everyone at Toptal has a proven track record and elite industry experience in design, business, or technology. There are Toptalers from Wharton, MIT, CERN, and Google, as well as Django committers, Top 100 Rails contributors, leading global designers and art directors, professors, founders and more. We are problem-solvers who value integrity, and top companies rely on us for their most important projects.