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> The point of these tests is not to see who remembers their CS. The point of these tests is exactly to see who knows how to program. I've seen too many candid
by yetihehe 11y ago
> The point of these tests is not to see who remembers their CS.
The point of these tests is exactly to see who knows how to program. I've seen too many candidates who couldn't program, which I understand as finding code which solves a stated problem. FizzBuzz is only used as a first pass filter. After they solve it and are deemed normal enough to work, they are hired for limited time to really see if they are worth working with.
If candidates can't solve fizzbuzz with a language they're most comfortable with (yep, we don't require you know any of our technology), they won't solve other problems they will be given. All my current coworkers can solve those kinds of tests in reasonable time without any help, even if it's in a language they don't know, I've also solved tests prepared by them.
- nanolith 11y agoBeing able to reason about a problem and then work towards a solution in code is a more general skill than just programming or CS. I'm assuming that here, "FizzBuzz" is more of an allegorical example than a literal test question, as it would be rather useless in a test. I'd be more likely to ask someone to write and then optimize an algorithm or implement a simple data structure, and then build on this example with additional constraints or requirements. That has merit. A pure coding test is no better than a typing test. Without the problem, it's a meaningless exercise.
- yetihehe 11y agoYou would be surprised how many people which call themselves programmers can't even solve fizzbuzz. This is good test to weed out really bad candidates. As I've said, it's good firstpass filter, not a good hiring test.