PROGRAMMING SKILLS

Apex test for hiring

Check how candidates read Apex code, choose queries, and reason about bulk-safe trigger design.

10 minutes
15 questions
Intermediate
Multiple choice
Questions in English
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

The Apex (Salesforce) assessment is a 10-minute, multiple-choice test for Salesforce developers, Apex programmers, technical administrators, app builders, and platform consultants who review code. Candidates interpret short code snippets, queries, and object setups. It measures Apex language fundamentals, the Salesforce data model, SOQL and SOSL queries, and trigger and bulk-safe design.

What it measures

Apex language basics, the Salesforce data model, SOQL and SOSL queries, and trigger and bulk-safe design.

Apex language fundamentals

Candidates read short Apex code snippets and identify what the code does.

Platform data model

Candidates interpret Salesforce object setups, including generic business records such as accounts, cases, and orders.

SOQL and SOSL queries

Candidates consider SOQL and SOSL queries and identify which query returns the right records.

Triggers and bulk-safe design

Candidates assess trigger approaches and which design holds up when many records are processed at once.

Question formats

Multiple choice

The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.

You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.

15 questions in 10 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

Salesforce developers, Apex programmers, technical administrators and app builders who write or maintain code, and platform consultants who review it.

See how candidates reason about Apex

Look beyond a resume
See candidates interpret Apex snippets, object setups, and queries instead of relying only on a list of claimed experience.
Check practical query judgment
The test asks which SOQL or SOSL query returns the right records, giving you a focused point to explore in an interview.
Probe bulk-safe thinking
See how candidates assess trigger design when many records are processed, helping you target follow-up questions.
Keep initial screening short
The 10-minute format gives you a focused signal on Apex and Salesforce platform knowledge before you invest time in deeper review.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Apex (Salesforce)

80%Percentile 66. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 1,278

Apex language fundamentals79%

Platform data model80%

SOQL and SOSL queries73%

Triggers and bulk-safe design86%

Integrity ScoreHigh confidence

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

Test integrity signals for review

Each candidate receives a different set of questions from large pools. The order changes by attempt, and answer options are shuffled. The browser receives one question at a time; answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. Timing runs on the server, and reloading returns the same question with only the time left. Candidates cannot copy or select question text, and a blocked copy attempt is recorded in the timeline. HireValid records signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers, and answers faster than a question can be read. An Integrity Score and evidence timeline summarize those signals for employer review; they do not decide on their own. With candidate consent, an employer can add webcam photos at random moments. The 10-minute test does not allow candidates to go back.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Use the score as one hiring signal

Review the Apex assessment score alongside a relevant work sample and a structured interview. Ask candidates to explain an approach to Apex code, queries, or trigger design, then compare their reasoning with the test evidence. The score is evidence for a person to review, not a decision on its own. For adjacent skills, see SQL Coding: Querying and Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL). Read how we build our tests for more about the test library.

Structured interview questions

A trigger needs to process many account updates. How would you approach the design?
Listen for reasoning about trigger behavior and bulk-safe design, with a clear explanation of how the approach handles many records.
How would you work out which query should return a particular set of records?
Listen for a practical explanation of how they would choose between SOQL and SOSL and check whether the result fits the need.
Tell me about a time you reviewed or maintained Apex code. What did you examine, and what did you do next?
Listen for a concrete account of reading code, considering the Salesforce data model, and explaining their decisions.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Fairness and accommodations

Questions use generic business records such as accounts, cases and orders, with amounts written as plain numbers and no currency symbols, idioms or local knowledge. Names in the code and data come from many backgrounds. Questions ask what code does or which approach works rather than recall of rarely used trivia, and each question is kept short so reading speed matters less than knowledge of the platform.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it.

Read our fairness approach

Test details

A 10-minute multiple-choice check of working knowledge of Apex, the programming language of the Salesforce platform. Candidates read short code snippets, queries and object setups, then say what the code does, which query returns the right records, or which design holds up when many records are processed at once.

Questions are in English.
No aids are needed.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 4 minutes, before the timed test.

Salesforce, Apex, SOQL, SOSL are trademarks of their owners. HireValid is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Apex assessment measure?+

The Apex assessment measures Apex language fundamentals, the Salesforce data model, SOQL and SOSL queries, and triggers and bulk-safe design. Candidates read short code snippets, queries, and object setups, then reason about what the code does or which query returns the right records.

How long is the Apex test, and what is its format?+

The Apex test takes 10 minutes and has 15 multiple-choice questions. A separate practice set has 4 questions and takes 4 minutes. The hiring test is in English.

Who should take the Apex assessment?+

It is intended for Salesforce developers, Apex programmers, technical administrators, and app builders who write or maintain code, as well as platform consultants who review it. Its intermediate level and focus on Salesforce code can help you decide whether it fits a role.

Can candidates go back to an earlier Apex test question?+

No. Candidates cannot go back after moving on. Each question is kept short and uses generic business records such as accounts, cases, and orders, with amounts written as plain numbers.