How to Ace Your Technical Challenge (Reality Check + 7 Tips) [Updated!]

We have seen many good candidates who were dropped because they did not know how to show off their skills in their technical challenge, or made some “stupid mistakes/decisions” when they were tackling their technical take-home assessment.

When we were designing our own Terminal 1 assessments (by the way, you can see the perks for completing the assessment here), we designed a detailed set of grading and submission review guidelines to help our candidates thrive. We believe that the technical assessment should be a way for everyone to show off their skills and what they can deliver.

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However, there are not many companies that share our philosophy and let the candidates to do whatever they want and to see what they come back with.

We’re here to help you to prepare for a submission that let you shine.

(For HackerRank online coding tests, check this.)

Reality Check

Before going to the tips, let’s take a step back and think about why is there a technical assessment and what the hiring managers are looking for:

Q: Why do companies give technical challenges?
A: They are a good indicator of technical skills and a proxy for performance.

Q: Is there any timeline? Should I submit within a timeline?
A: If there is no deadline, maximise for quality first and then for implementation speed.

If there is a deadline, you are being assessed on both speed/quality AND your prioritisation skill. Make sure you have enough time to work on the challenge and submit it before the deadline.

Q: How well should I implement the assessment?
A: Imagine your life depends on it, and write the best code in your life for every assessment. Honestly, who would want to work with someone who write sloppy code? Also, companies sometimes assume that your code would not be better after you join, as motivation decreases with time, so if a candidate writes dirty code it’s better not to hire him/her in the first place.

Tips

1. Read the d**n question properly! We are actually astonished by how many people failed to read questions properly and failed to submit an answer that addresses the given problem. It doesn’t matter if your code is perfect and you built something great if it does not address the question at all! Many questions also state the issues that are high priority. Make sure these are addressed!
2. The first impression matters a lot and it is always about project structure and code syntax. Make sure your submission looks better than the Mona Lisa.
3. Check the code with a modern linter (JavaScript, Python, Java). It’s not just tabs vs. spaces.
4. Write tests and make sure they pass.
5. Add documentation to the source code (JavaScript, Python, Java).
6. Add a README file and document how to setup your project (requirements, quickstart guide).
7. Often there are “grey areas” and “edge cases” in the assessment, e.g. how to handle incorrect input. Document your assumptions, reasoning, compromises and alternative implementations in both the README and the source code.

Our grading and submission review guidelines will give you a more comprehensive view to think about what your assessors are looking for. If you have any burning questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

Written by: Kirill, Data Scientist, Software Engineer & Recruiter @ Terminal 1

Edited by : Sara, Co-founder and Recruiter @ Terminal 1.