If you have searched for LinkedIn skill assessment recently, you are not alone. Many users still ask how to do a LinkedIn skill assessment, whether it is worth it, and how it affects their profile. The confusion mostly comes from one important update that many people missed. Let’s clear everything up and explain how the LinkedIn skill assessment works, how it used to function, and what you should focus on now, using only official information.
First, an important update you must know
LinkedIn skill assessments are no longer available.
This means you can no longer start a new assessment or take one for the first time. LinkedIn made this change after hearing from recruiters and hirers. According to them, real examples of how a candidate applied their skills are more valuable than test results.
Because of this, LinkedIn now encourages members to showcase skills by connecting them to real credentials, jobs, projects, or education directly on their profile. This shift helps recruiters trust what they see and better understand how you actually use your skills. Even though assessments are no longer active, understanding how they worked still matters, especially if you already have a badge or are trying to optimize your profile.
What LinkedIn skill assessment was designed to do
The LinkedIn skill assessment feature allowed users to prove their knowledge in specific skills listed on their profile. Instead of just claiming a skill, members could take a timed assessment and demonstrate real proficiency. Each LinkedIn skill assessment was built by subject matter experts and leaders from the LinkedIn Learning community. These were people with strong experience in creating exams and certification content, not random quizzes. The goal was simple: give recruiters a trusted signal that a candidate truly understood a skill.
How the LinkedIn skill assessment worked
A typical LinkedIn skill assessment included 15 multiple-choice questions. Each question tested one or more concepts related to the skill. There were a few key rules:
- The assessment was timed
- It had to be completed in one session
- Each question was designed to be answered without looking things up
To make this possible, LinkedIn used adaptive testing. This means the system recognized your skill level and adjusted the difficulty of questions as you progressed. If you performed well, questions became more advanced. This method helped ensure the results reflected your true knowledge level.
How scoring and skill badges worked
Once you completed the LinkedIn skill assessment, your answers were scored automatically. A detailed assessment report was generated and stored under the Skills page in the Results tab. If your score placed you in the top 30 percent, based on a curated benchmark, you earned a skill badge. That badge did a few important things:
- It showed you passed the assessment and were highly skilled
- It signaled initiative to recruiters and other members
- It helped LinkedIn surface more relevant content and opportunities
Recruiters never saw your actual score. They only saw the badge if you chose to display it on your profile. The benchmark did not change as more people took the assessment, which kept the badge meaningful.
Why recruiters cared about LinkedIn skill assessment
In some cases, recruiters sent assessment links directly to candidates. This usually happened when a job listing included a specific skill as a desired skill. Taking the assessment was never mandatory. However, completing it helped candidates stand out by clearly showing they matched the ideal skill profile. If you passed and displayed the badge, it increased visibility in recruiter searches and built trust without revealing private scores.
What you should focus on now instead
Since LinkedIn skill assessments are no longer available, the platform now pushes a different strategy. Members are encouraged to:
- Tag skills to credentials
- Connect skills to specific jobs, projects, or education
- Focus on real examples of skill application
This approach aligns with what recruiters value most today: proof through experience, not just test results. If you already have a skill badge, it still represents that you demonstrated high proficiency at the time. If not, your profile can still stand out by clearly showing how and where you applied your skills. That is now the real answer to how to do a LinkedIn skill assessment in today’s LinkedIn ecosystem.
