How can I prepare for coding tests?

Coding tests given in recruitment interviews are everyone's dreaded dream. How should I prepare for the test, how to find the solution in such a short time, I also forget what I know from stress, questions such as whether I will never be able to get a job if I fail the tests are on the agenda of everyone who wants to make a career in this field.

We have recently been one of our founders. Emre Sharbak and our R&D expert Shamil OzkanWith the participation of us, we carried out a YouTube live broadcast where we put this issue on the table. In as limited a time as we could, we tried to convey what we knew and answered questions from you. Those who miss it and those who want to watch it again can access the program here. “I don't have that much time, so if you pass me a summary, let's take those who say it down.

Why are coding tests performed?

In recent years, many companies have included coding tests in recruitment interviews. So why are these tests done? First of all, coding tests drive the goal of measuring the job success of the candidate employee. But this does not mean only whether you can solve the problem given to you or not. It also aims to assess situations such as how you do time management or whether you are able to control your stress.

So a coding test is yours

• Whether you can work under stress,
• Whether you can manage your time correctly
• Whether you can break it down into manageable and solvable parts when a problem comes before you,
• Finally, it measures your ability to solve the problem itself.

The good news is that in real life it is unlikely that you will encounter problems as complex as you encounter with these tests. Since you will often work with a team, you will not be as alone as in these tests. The bad news is, yes, you have to go above a certain level on these tests to get a job, because these tests provide employers with measurable data so that they can filter applications.

What needs to be done when preparing for coding tests?

There are three basic steps in the process of solving a coding test.

1. Develop a strategy for the problem
2. Apply your developed strategy in code
3. Managing emotional processes

These stages also have a sequence in themselves. Moving on to the second without handling the first means that you have to mess with yourself during the coding test. That is why it is very important to be calm and stable and, after completing each of these stages, move on to another.

1. Develop a strategy for the problem
   

The ability to develop strategies is a feature that can help you not only in software, but also in all areas of life. You are lucky that this is not one of the innate abilities. By working on it and reading a lot, you can improve your ability to develop strategies and plan.

What you need to do is take a step back and think about how you can do that job instead of immediately going to work when you run into a coding problem. How should I approach the problem, how do I break it down into smaller pieces, how to solve it the fastest, start by asking questions like what are the steps to go to the conclusion will not waste you time, but rather save time.

The problem has passed into your hands. Now take a paper pencil and do some brain gymnastics first. How should you approach this problem? In the meantime, determine your strategy. Think of it as a puzzle or a puzzle. For example, will you first place the pieces in the corners? Plan your smallest action steps. Starting coding right away increases your risk of making mistakes and increases your chances of getting stuck in the face of results you don't expect. Therefore, approaching the question posed to you with an analytical eye will improve your work and reduce risk.

There are also many resources that you can use to succeed in coding tests at this stage. Cracking the Coding is one of them. Taking problems from these books and doing exercises on paper should be the first thing you do.

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2. Implement the strategy you have developed
   

The second step is the implementation phase. Start implementing the solution strategy you developed in step one and the action steps you have prepared. There are places like Hackerrank and Leetcode that you can use when preparing for these tests. You will see many examples on such websites that you can use to solve for yourself. You can access them for free most of the time.

It is also very important to solve the exercises of such platforms themselves and become familiar with the platform. Because each platform has its own functioning, and spending time on these platforms and mastering these functions saves you time in coding tests. Here the goal is to minimize the risk of errors.

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3. Managing emotional processes
   

We have come to the most important step. Just like developing strategies, stress management is one of the important skills we need to acquire in life. The easiest way to do this is to do a lot of training. That is, to solve as many problems as possible and apply for a lot of jobs. Being exposed to the same situation over and over again will make you more able to cope with it, just as having faced similar questions and challenges before will reduce your stress and panic.

Remember that failing these exams due to extreme stress does not mean that you have failed and that you will never achieve your desired career goals. There may be misfortunes or setbacks, there may have been an unexpected event that day, questions may arise from a point where you are not working or not fully mastered, or you may forget what you know while trying to do something in a limited time. This is exactly what is called the state of humanity. But you can dispose of some of them by correctly following the first and second steps. Applying a lot will also reduce the pressure on you a little.

For example, we plan to extend the duration of our Coderbyte tests in Patika in order to relieve our high stress level participants. In this way we aim to at least reduce the time pressure. But there is more that you can do about it. Going to a place that is quiet and undistracted, moving away from the idea that this is something that determines your level of success, taking steps one and two, respectively, and preparing enough for these tests will reduce your stress levels so much that you cannot predict.

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Some tips on coding tests

• Write clean code
  

Clean code is an urban legend. It travels from tongue to tongue but no one knows how to do it. First, let's suggest a source. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship is one of the studies that can guide you in this regard.

Clean code means solving the problem presented to you in a concise, simple and most understandable form. Those who do the coding tests also want to see that you have the ability to offer the most effective solution. Clean code becomes even more important when it comes to large projects. Especially in projects where more than one person works together, it is important to write the code in the most understandable way so that someone else can continue where you left off. You always have to ask yourself the question: How can I make this code more understandable? Let's give an example, consider a formula that takes rows. How do you think it would be more efficient to write seven multiplications of two in this formula?

1. 2x2x2x2x2x2x2
2. ! 27
   

Let's continue thinking that no one chooses a chic. If you cannot reach this point alone, it is also useful to ask a friend. If you say, “I work alone, I'll ask who to talk to,” let's also give the solution: LaunchPad. On the LaunchPad platform that we recently implemented, you can ask instructors such questions that bother you as well as find yourself a project partner to do teamwork.

• Do not copy

When the solutions to the questions in coding tests are so easily found on the Internet, we often come across the question of how do you distinguish those who passed by copy and paste. Up to a point, those who do copy and paste can be identified, but that's not the point. Copying is unfair and at the same time unethical behavior to those who compete with you in the first place. But by copying, you are doing the greatest evil to yourself. For example, in bootcamp trainings in Pathika, we adjust the trainings according to the knowledge level of the people who passed the coding test. However, if you came to this point by copying, you will lag behind those who did not copy from the first week. If you do the same in coding exams in recruitment, you will stumble upon the first complex problem that comes up against you, and this will not be a pleasant start to your career. Instead of copy and paste, it's best to spend 10-20 hours actually learning the solutions to the questions. The winner is always you.

• Explore different solutions of coding tests
  

If the most important step in learning programming is to practice, research the second important step. If you want to pass the coding tests comfortably, you should look for alternative solutions to the questions on platforms such as Hackerrank or Leetcode, which we mentioned in the first place. Asking your friends or instructors is the first step in research. If you have not received satisfactory answers, it is unlikely that you will not be able to find solutions that work for you from an infinite number of sources on the Internet.

• Even if you are afraid, at least give it a chance
  

Finally, try to solve the questions that were given to you in the coding tests. At trail bootcamps Almost half of applicants are eliminated because they have never started a coding test. Participants who solve only part of the questions and get an average score rise to the top positions at once. In the tests we do, the questions are mostly easy and intermediate. If you do not yet feel ready for coding tests of large companies, you can participate in Patika challenges and try yourself in bootcamps. The more applications you make, the more habits you will gain. Do not underestimate the importance of trial and error.

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Good coding everyone!