Comparison of
ProveIT, BrainBench and TechCheck


Level of Difficulty

ProveIT	Moderate
BrainBench	Difficult
TechCheck	Extremely difficult

Testing Style

ProveIT	Not adaptive.  The same question set to all test-takers. (Ashok told me that they change the question set every 30 days)
BrainBench	Moderately Adaptive.  The candidate gets tougher questions if he answers a question right and easier questions if he answers it wrong. Personal Comment : Very good style of testing which correctly measures the test-taker's ability.
TechCheck	Extremely Adaptive.  The candidate gets tougher questions if he answers a question right and easier questions if he answers it wrong. Personal Comment : Very good style of testing which correctly measures the test-taker's ability.

User Interface 

ProveIT	Not attractive.  Heavy time lag between questions.  Visual Basic test just broke down on me at the fag end of the test and I had to take the test all over again.
BrainBench	Highly sophisticated interface.  No technical hiccups and extremely fast transition between questions.  However, the test itself appears as part of internet browser rather than a stand-alone application which is sometimes distracting.
TechCheck	Very good interface.  Occasional time lag to load up next question.  Stand-alone application interface with no distraction.
* I was testing with a Cable modem connection to internet.

Technical Depth

ProveIT	Superficial.  Not updated either.  I lost a few marks because I answered them according to the latest version of VB rather "their version" of software.
BrainBench	In-depth questions.  Updated with the latest and greatest developments (incl. a few questions based on the latest .NET platform)
TechCheck	Thoroughly deep questions.  Updated with the latest and greatest developments (incl. a few questions based on the latest .NET platform)

Time allotted

ProveIT	No specific time period allotted.  However, the server keeps track of the time taken and reports to the test administrator.
BrainBench	The test is timed (90 - 180 seconds per question) based on the nature of the test.  VB test - 180 seconds.   Personal Comment : Not definitely the best style of testing as programmers in real-time are not in a hurry to arrive at solutions that fast.
TechCheck	Not timed.  Not sure whether the test is timed at the server.   Personal Comment : However, at the beginning of test a reminder said the approx. time allotted is 66 minutes (which can make people a little nervous!)

Security

ProveIT	No explicit security restrictions.  Lets test-takers browse the internet or open an other application for help. Personal Comment : Real-life conditions where a programmer works!
BrainBench	No explicit security restrictions except for the message box at the start which says the test-taker is on honor not to take help from anybody else. Personal Comment : Real-life conditions where a programmer works!
TechCheck	Extremely penalizing security restrictions.  Cannot open other applications or browser instances.  The server knocks you out even if you try to select the part of question. Personal Comment : However, any test cannot stop people from accessing help from an other computer!

Testing Conditions

ProveIT	Realistic
BrainBench	Realistic
TechCheck	Too idealistic

Question Types

ProveIT	Mostly straight-forward questions (from the book) with few implementation or application questions.
BrainBench	Equal distribution of implementation, application, core technology and analytical questions.
TechCheck	Lengthy questions mostly on implementation.

Number of questions & time

ProveIT	About 70 questions. No time limit though. Personal Comment : Very time consuming and at time irritating.
BrainBench	40 questions - 120 minutes maximum time. Personal Comment : Good balance and I think enough questions from a variety of subject areas.
TechCheck

Recommendation (As a test-taker)

ProveIT	Do not recommend.
BrainBench	Highly Recommend.
TechCheck	Recommend.

Recommendation (As a recruiter)

ProveIT	Do not recommend.
BrainBench	Highly recommend.
TechCheck	Highly recommend.