Coding tests are a proven method for effectively evaluating developers. They help in streamlining the recruiting process and help companies gauge the aptitude of their applicants.
1. Screening Technical Candidates
The core reason behind why companies use coding tests lies in how they offer an objective criterion for assessing a candidate’s technical skills. The tests can function as first-round filters. They can help employers gain an understanding of the candidates’ skills and screen out unqualified ones immediately. While they are not the verdict on hiring, they are an effective medium for filtering out unfit candidates.
Coding tests help speed up the recruitment process dramatically and reduce the interview rate by 50%.
However, it is important to note that any coding skill test used by a company should assess the actual programming abilities of the candidates, not just the algorithmic skills.
A coding test that evaluates candidates based on just algorithmic skills does not adequately gauge the participant’s programming abilities. Instead, the test acts as more of a memory test – judging the candidate’s ability to recall textbook knowledge. This is why coding skill tests should instead focus on real problems that the candidate is expected to tackle in the workplace.
2. Finding the right fit
Beyond the evaluated skillset, a vital characteristic that programmers should possess is the ability (and willingness) to learn. Whether or not a candidate possesses this quality can also be evaluated in the subsequent interview. However, coding tests provide an all-inclusive picture of a candidate’s abilities to perform in a job and help recruiters make more informed decisions.
3. Fair Evaluation
During the recruitment process, it is vital to offer candidates a coding exam that is fair in its evaluation. It’s important for the examinee to feel the test is fair. Otherwise, they may become frustrated, and you may lose a potentially ideal candidate. Moreover, a fair evaluation is also beneficial for the company, as it helps find the right match. There are several steps one can take to make a coding test fair.
First, take a moment to identify what your expectations are, and more specifically, what skills should the coding test assess? The answer to this question largely depends on the role itself – what skills are necessary to excel in it? If the coding test is not designed accordingly, it is ineffective and also unfair to the applicants.
A fair test will also be nuanced and take into account real, practical coding challenges. It should consider what the candidates will be dealing with in their job instead of assessing them on purely conceptual algorithms and data structures.
Having all your candidates give identical tests performed before the interviews have proven to diminish the effects of a recruiter’s unconscious bias.
4. Making candidates comfortable
A common complaint about coding skill tests that programmers have is that the exams take candidates outside of their comfort zone and hinders their performance. Recruiters can combat this problem by providing candidates with a reasonable timeline to perform the exam and conducting it in a welcoming environment.
Senior developers, especially, find it frustrating if the coding test doesn’t replicate a natural coding environment. A real-life coding environment will not restrict developers from accessing external resources. Thus, providing candidates with access to resources such as Google and StackOverflow creates a more productive environment. Moreover, the test itself should reflect coding tasks that would be performed in the workplace.