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Ask Slashdot: Are Timed Coding Tests Valuable?

Posted by samzenpus on from the beat-the-clock dept.

First time accepted submitter xkrebstarx writes "A buddy of mine recently applied to a large tech company. Before setting up a phone interview with him, the unnamed company issued a timed coding test to gauge his coding prowess. He was allotted 45 minutes to complete an undergraduate level coding assignment. I would like to ask the Slashdotters of the world if they find value in these speed-programming tests. Does coding quickly really indicate a better programmer? A better employee?"

2 of 776 comments (clear)

  1. Aren't all tests timed to some degree? by khakipuce · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A lot of companies use coding tests as part of the interview process and pretty much there will be some time limit, whether stated or not. They are not going to let you sit there for two days to answer 20 questions or complete a 10 line routine.

    As to the value of rigid timing, then that is a bit dubious.Do you want fast and sloppy or slow and accurate? Does this tell you something about the organisation and whether or not you want to work there? I feel it really depends on how they treat the results WRT the timing.

    --
    Art is the mathematics of emotion
  2. Re:I dunno... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So how can one pass the HR screen and get an interview with "programming knowledge", and even a CompEng degree, but with otherwise no experience?

    Obvious answer: apply to companies that pre-screen with on-line tests. At my company, if you do well on the on-line test, you will get an interview. At the interview, you will spend about 30 minutes chatting, and about 2 hours writing code. Some of the coding will be on a white board in a conference room with your potential co-workers, and some of it will be alone in a quiet cubicle.

    We added the "cubicle coding" because some introverted people don't do well on the white board, but can shine when allowed to focus in a quiet cubicle. I learned this when I declined to hire an applicant because he tended to mumble and stare at his shoes. That evening he emailed me an extremely concise and well coded solution to the problem, way better than I would have done myself. I brought him back for a second interview, hired him, and he turned out to be one of the best programmers I have ever worked with. Eventually he became less introverted, and when he talked to me he would stare at my shoes instead of his own.