You’ve clicked through from Applied Clinical Judgement to Mercor, micro1, Turing or AfterQuery. Before you can apply for anything, you need an account, and it’s set up a little differently to most job sites you’ve used.
None of these platforms ask for a CV upload and a password on day one. They ask for an email address, then a phone number.
Mercor process checked: 5 September 2026. Account screens, supported countries and assessment rules can change; if the live dashboard differs from this guide, follow the dashboard.
That’s normal. Here’s what to expect, step by step, using Mercor’s own process as the example. The other platforms follow a broadly similar shape, but the specifics below are Mercor’s.Setting up your account
Go to the sign-up page, enter your email, and choose "Sign Up," or "Continue with Google" if you’d rather skip the email step. Mercor sends a verification email straight away. Check your spam folder if it doesn’t turn up in a couple of minutes.
There’s no password to create or remember. That’s not a shortcut someone’s taken with security. Mercor runs on passwordless login by design. You’ll sign in with your email again next time, and verify the same way.
Once your email’s verified, you’ll be asked for a phone number. This step catches some people out: VoIP numbers and landlines aren’t accepted, and not every country is supported yet. If your number gets rejected, that’s the platform’s list of supported carriers, not anything you’ve done wrong.
The minimum profile you need before you can apply
You don’t need a finished profile to start browsing roles. To unlock applying, you’ll need:
- Full name and email address
- A phone number
- Your city and country
- A résumé (PDF)
- Your LinkedIn profile, or a note that you don’t have one
Everything past that (experience bullets, projects, your skills split into core and occasional) can wait. How to write those well is covered on our CV and profile tips page.
Browsing and applying for roles
Once you’re in, the Explore page lets you filter by job fit, pay, or newest listing. Click into a role and hit "Apply Now," and you’ll see a checklist specific to that role: usually a résumé check, one or more assessments, an AI interview, and a work-authorisation question. Not every role asks for the same things.
Your progress saves automatically. You can start an application, stop halfway through, and come back to finish it later. If you retake an assessment, only your most recent attempt counts (not your best one), so don’t retake something you’ve already passed just to see if you can improve it.
The LinkedIn shortcut
Some Mercor roles carry an "Easy Apply" button directly on LinkedIn. Submit through that, with a PDF résumé, and Mercor reviews your LinkedIn profile and résumé together. If you’re a strong match, you’ll get an email with a secure link to finish the remaining steps on work.mercor.com: the assessment, the interview, and everything else described above.
What happens next
Once your application’s in, you’ll typically hit an assessment and an AI interview before anything else, covered here. If you get matched to a role, ID verification and a background check follow, explained on this page, before contracts and payment setup.
Applied Clinical Judgement earns a referral fee if you’re placed through the links on this page. That doesn’t affect your pay, your application, or the platform’s decision. We’re an independent referral partner, not Mercor, micro1, Turing or AfterQuery staff.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay anything to create an account?
No. None of these platforms charge you to sign up or apply. If anyone asks you for money at any stage of this process, that’s not how legitimate AI training platforms work. See our platform reviews for more on spotting the real thing from the scams.
What if my phone number gets rejected?
It usually means your number type (VoIP, landline) or your country isn’t yet on Mercor’s supported list. There’s no workaround from ACJ’s side. Try a mobile number registered in a supported country if you have one.
Can I apply for more than one role at a time?
Yes. Nothing stops you applying to several roles you’re a genuine fit for, and a shared assessment can count toward more than one application at once.