Applied Engineering Benchmark Specialist

$61–77/hrrate as listed

Write and verify graduate-level multiple-choice engineering questions — each with one correct answer, nine subtly wrong distractors, a step-by-step solution, and academic citations — for an AI benchmark dataset. Work is asynchronous and fully remote at roughly 10+ hours per week, with observed pay of $61–77/hr depending on domain and task type.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

The work

You will be assigned to one of two tracks. Question authoring means designing original problems in your engineering subdomain that require real reasoning rather than lookup: a self-contained problem statement, a difficulty rating (Medium for intro undergraduate, Hard for advanced undergraduate, Expert for post-graduate and above), one defensible correct answer, nine distractors that a competent expert could plausibly arrive at through a specific misstep, a markdown Chain-of-Thought solution with clean intermediate steps, and one to five references from peer-reviewed journals, standards bodies, or university repositories. Question verification means auditing pre-written items for ambiguity, missing givens, unit or sign errors, unsolvability, and distractors that are wrong for the wrong reasons — then editing, re-rating difficulty, and documenting what you changed and why.

Covered domains include semiconductor design and manufacturing (VLSI), control science and engineering, mechatronics, reactor and plant design and separations, reservoir engineering and maintenance, and bioinstrumentation and biotechnology. You are expected to work inside your actual subdomain, not adjacent to it; graders notice when a nuclear item is written by someone whose depth is in process control.

What the platform screens for

Mercor's screening is AI-led and follows up hard on specifics. Expect to be asked what you personally derived, measured, or fabricated — not what your lab worked on. The two things that most often decide the outcome: whether you can produce a genuinely expert-level item on demand (the distractor set is the tell — nine random wrong numbers reads as low effort, nine wrong numbers each traceable to a named error does not), and whether your difficulty calibration matches a shared rubric rather than your personal sense of "hard." Written English is assessed directly, since the deliverable is prose.

Logistics

Fully asynchronous and remote; no scheduled calls or shift windows.
Expected commitment of 10+ hours per week, with throughput and quality scores affecting continued assignment.
Pay of $61–77/hr reflects observed rates for this listing and varies by domain scarcity, task type, and review outcomes — it is not a guarantee.
Credentials are verified, and work is typically covered by NDA; benchmark items you author are not yours to reuse or publish.

What they look for

PhD or doctoral candidacy in an engineering discipline (Master's considered with exceptional subdomain depth)
Graduate-level command of one named domain: VLSI, control engineering, mechatronics, reactor/plant design and separations, reservoir engineering, or bioinstrumentation
Ability to write rigorous, self-contained multiple-choice items with plausible distractors and clean step-by-step solutions
Precise technical writing in English, including markdown and standard mathematical notation
Fluency in locating and citing peer-reviewed and standards-based sources
Professional engineering licensure (PE) or substantial industry practice — strong plus

Before you apply

Would you pass this screen?

Drawn from what this listing actually requires. Answered in your browser — nothing is sent to us, and we do not store your answers.

Do you hold either a PhD in Engineering (or a closely related discipline), or a Master's degree in Engineering combined with documented exceptional depth in a specific engineering subdomain?
Advanced degree in Engineering or closely related field · required
Do you hold a Professional Engineer (PE) license, or have you worked professionally or in postdoctoral research for at least 3 years in your engineering domain?
Professional engineering licensure or equivalent industry depth · preferred
Can you commit to at least 10 hours per week of asynchronous work for this project over the next 3–6 months?
10+ hours per week availability · required
Are you able to write clear, precise technical English at graduate level, including complex mathematical and engineering concepts?
English fluency for technical writing · required
Do you have substantial working knowledge in at least one of the following engineering domains: Semiconductor Design & Manufacturing (VLSI), Control Science and Engineering, Mechatronics, Reactor/Plant Design & Separations, Reservoir Engineering & Maintenance, or Bioinstrumentation & Biotechnology?
Expertise in one or more of the listed domains · required

0 of 5 answered

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: Can the candidate distinguish between surface-level and deep assessment in their domain? Do they understand what makes an engineering question rigorous?
A strong answer: The answer should name a specific, complex concept (not just 'I made sure it had math'), explain why memorization alone fails to solve it, and show they built in a trap answer that catches people who skip reasoning.
Where people lose it: Candidates often give generic answers like 'I made it harder by adding more variables' without showing they understand *why* that forces deeper thinking in their specific domain.