Use this list in order: before you apply, before the test, during the test, before you accept a project, and when an offer looks wrong. Each point comes from what the platforms and the sources we checked say. Platforms decide who they take, and none publishes its pass marks.

Before you apply

  1. Read the role on the platform's own list. Platforms with a public job list show the requirements before you apply. On 29 October 2026 we read 2,538 open roles on 23 of them.
  2. Check that you can work from your country. Do not use a VPN to reach a platform that is closed where you live. The r/outlier_ai community FAQ says Outlier detects this and it leads to a ban.
  3. Check the requirement for your field. Outlier says you need at least an associate degree, and some projects need a higher one. Other platforms set their own requirements on each role.
  4. Have your ID and resume ready. Identity checks are common, and a stable connection matters more than speed.
  5. Apply to more than one platform. One refusal says little about the next one. See the platforms for beginners.

Before the test

  1. Pick a quiet hour. Outlier says onboarding takes 30 to 90 minutes. Some starter tests described by third-party guides take 30 to 60 minutes, and some platforms allow one attempt per account.
  2. Practise the habit, not the answers. Take two AI replies to the same question, choose the better one and write two sentences on why. That is the core of most of these tasks.
  3. Refresh your field knowledge. Specialist projects check what you know about your field, not general trivia.
  4. Do not plan to use AI for the answers. Guides and community posts report that platforms treat AI-written answers as a reason to reject you. Checking a fact with a search engine is a different thing.

During the test

  1. Read the instructions to the end before you answer anything.
  2. Apply the guideline as written, even when you disagree with it. You score the way the rule says, not the way you would.
  3. Write the reason as you go. "Answer B is better" is not a reason. "Answer A cites the wrong rule and misses the deadline, B covers both" is.
  4. Check each claim yourself. Confident but wrong answers are what the tasks are built to catch.
  5. Leave a minute at the end to reread, and keep the same standard on the last task as on the first.

Best-paid expert roles

For doctors, lawyers, PhDs and scientists: the highest hourly pay listed on the 23 platforms we read. Chosen by pay only, at most two per platform.

Referral link: we may earn a fee if you join through it. How this works

Before you accept a project

  1. Find what the listed rate applies to. Every figure in our lists is a rate that a platform lists. It is the pay in the ad, not what people earn.
  2. Remember that a role is not a promise of work. Projects come and go, and getting an account does not mean you get tasks. The guide on why you may get no tasks explains the common reasons.
  3. Read how and when you are paid in the platform's own terms before you spend hours on a project.

Signs of a bad offer

  • Anyone asks you to pay to be accepted. A platform that hires you does not charge you for it.
  • A gig promises to get you accepted. The sellers of these services say themselves that they cannot guarantee it, because only the platform decides.
  • A course or cheat sheet promises a pass. Their pass-rate claims cannot be checked, so count them as opinion.

If you fail or hear nothing

The r/outlier_ai community wiki says a second chance may come by email, but not by asking for one. Do not create a second account to retry. Apply elsewhere and keep an eye on the open roles: the list changes every day.

2,595 open roles at 22 platforms today

See all 2,595 rolesCompare the platforms

For the longer version with the stages of each platform, read how to pass AI training assessments.

Prepare the interview: practice questions for each kind of role.

Sources

New AI training roles by email, once a week. No password.

Get alertsAll roles