SOFTWARE SKILLS

Intermediate test of Canva skills for hiring

See how candidates apply intermediate Canva skills to everyday visual-content tasks.

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

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

This intermediate hiring test checks practical Canva know-how through short scenarios about using the editor, designing layouts, sharing work and using features such as charts, presentations, video and animation. It is for employers hiring people who create visual content, including marketing staff, teachers, event planners and small business owners.

What it measures

Practical, intermediate know-how for creating, editing and sharing designs in the free version of Canva.

Finding your way around the editor

Covers choosing how to complete a task in Canva's editing workspace.

Designing and layout

Covers decisions about arranging and adjusting visual content for a project.

Collaborating, sharing and exporting

Covers how to work with others, share a design and download it.

Specialized features

Covers applying Canva features such as charts, presentations, video and animation.

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

Roles that produce visual content in Canva: marketing and social media roles, content creators, graphic and visual design assistants, teachers, event planners, HR and communications staff, and small business owners.

What this Canva assessment adds to hiring

Evidence beyond a resume
A resume can list Canva experience, but it does not show how someone handles a described task. The multiple-choice scenarios ask candidates to apply intermediate know-how to choices about editor navigation, layout, sharing and specialized features.
A focused skills check
The test has 15 questions and takes 10 minutes. It gives you a defined view of practical work in the free version of Canva, rather than relying only on a candidate's account of past projects.
Relevant to everyday visual work
Questions cover tasks such as adjusting a design, collaborating, downloading work and using charts, presentations, video or animation. You can review the result alongside the actual work samples and responsibilities for the role.
No paid plan required
The questions cover features available in Canva's free version. Candidates do not need a paid plan to have learned the material being assessed.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Canva

78%Percentile 62. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 1,335

Finding your way around the editor62%

Designing and layout85%

Collaborating, sharing and exporting80%

Specialized features83%

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

How the test handles online assistance

Each candidate receives a different set of questions drawn from large question pools. Question order and answer options are shuffled, and the browser receives one question at a time. The 10-minute timer runs on the server. Reloading the page brings back the same question with only the time left, and candidates cannot go back to earlier questions. Question text cannot be copied or selected; 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. These appear in an Integrity Score and evidence timeline for you to review. The score never decides on its own. Webcam photos at random moments can be added with the candidate's consent.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Use the result as evidence, not a decision

Review the score as one signal about a candidate's practical Canva knowledge, not as a verdict. Pair it with a work sample that reflects the role, such as a small layout or visual-content task, and a structured interview in which each candidate gets the same job-related questions. Discuss the candidate's choices and approach. For more on making a balanced hiring process, see the pre-employment testing guide and candidate-friendly hiring guide.

Structured interview questions

Tell me how you would turn a short brief into a clear social media design in Canva.
Listen for how the candidate would interpret the task, arrange the content and decide what to adjust. Ask them to explain their choices rather than name design terms.
Describe how you would share a design with a colleague who needs to review it and then use the finished file.
Listen for a practical explanation of collaboration, sharing and downloading. Invite the candidate to walk through the steps they would take for the project.
If a presentation needed a chart and a short animated section, how would you plan and build those parts?
Listen for a task-focused account of using the relevant Canva features and fitting them into the presentation. Ask what they would check before sharing the result.
Tell me about a time you had to revise a visual after receiving feedback.
Listen for the candidate's account of how they handled the requested changes, adjusted the design and shared the updated work. Keep the discussion focused on actions relevant to the role.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Roles that use these skills

This intermediate Canva test is suited to roles that produce visual content, including marketing and social media roles, content creators, graphic and visual design assistants, teachers, event planners, HR and communications staff, and small business owners. For a role-focused hiring page, see Marketing Coordinator. Choose the test when Canva work is part of the job, not simply because a role uses software.

What the scenarios cover

The test uses multiple-choice questions. A candidate reads a short situation, table or statement and selects the right answer, or every right answer. Tasks cover finding a way through the editor, laying out and adjusting designs, sharing and exporting, and using charts, presentations, video and animation. Questions describe the design and task in plain words rather than relying on a remembered screen or changeable menu labels.

Use the Canva test for visual-content tasks, then add another skills check only when its subject matches the role. For work that also involves spreadsheets, you can consider Microsoft Excel Intermediate or Google Sheets. These are separate tests, so review each result in light of the job's actual tasks and any work sample.

Fairness and accommodations

Questions cover features available in the free version, so no candidate needs a paid plan to have learned them. Each question describes the design and the task in plain words rather than relying on a remembered screen, avoids menu labels that change often, uses everyday projects with no money symbols, holidays or local knowledge, and uses names from many backgrounds.

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

Short scenario questions on everyday work in the free version of Canva at an intermediate level. Candidates choose how to get a task done in the editor, how to lay out and adjust a design, how to share, collaborate on and download it, and how to use features such as charts, presentations, video and animation.

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.

Canva is a trademark of its owner. HireValid is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Canva test measure?+

It measures practical, intermediate know-how for creating, editing and sharing designs in the free version of Canva. Its four areas are finding your way around the editor, designing and layout, collaborating, sharing and exporting, and specialized features. Questions include tasks involving charts, presentations, video and animation.

How long does this Canva test take?+

The test has 15 questions and a 10-minute time limit. Candidates can try a practice set of 4 questions that takes 4 minutes. They cannot return to earlier questions during the test, so each response is made before moving on.

Does the Canva test require a paid plan?+

No. The test covers features available in the free version of Canva, so candidates do not need a paid plan to have learned the tested material. The scenarios describe tasks in plain words and do not depend on remembering a particular screen or menu label.

Which jobs fit this Canva test?+

It is intended for roles that produce visual content, such as marketing and social media roles, content creators, graphic and visual design assistants, teachers, event planners, HR and communications staff, and small business owners. Match it to the role's actual Canva responsibilities rather than using it as a general software screen.

What question format does the Canva test use?+

It uses multiple-choice questions based on a short situation, table or statement. Candidates choose the right answer or every right answer. The scenarios check application, including choices about navigating the editor, arranging a design, sharing or downloading work, and using specialized features.

How should I use a Canva test score?+

Treat the score as evidence for a person to review, not as a hiring decision by itself. Consider it with a job-relevant work sample and a structured interview. You can ask candidates to explain how they would handle a layout, collaboration or feature-use task and discuss their choices against the role's needs.

How are the Canva questions designed to be fair?+

Questions cover features available in the free version, use plain descriptions of designs and tasks, and avoid reliance on changeable menu labels. They use everyday projects without money symbols, holidays or local knowledge, and use names from many backgrounds.