There are people who call themselves developers but can barely develop a program. They fail even the most basic coding test. This is why Tests4Geeks basic programming test should be the first step in any developer hiring interview.

This test is online and its aim is not to prove that the applicant is a coding genius but to prove that he or she knows what programming is. It is sad that this basic test is necessary but if you do not perform it, you will be sorry later.

The best way to determine technical proficiency goes beyond a specific technology or a specific programming language. While you should never ignore these technical details, they are not the main element of your evaluation process.

The best developers do not waste their time in memory that can be gotten in an API document. Also, learning a new programming language, design pattern or technology is a trivial exercise for an excellent developer and it is also an important skill especially with the increase in the introduction of new technologies. Therefore, it is a candidate’s technical strength; creative thinking and problem solving capability that should be evaluated.

The best way to accomplish the evaluation is by posing a challenge to the candidates. It does not have to be a PHP online test or any other language specific test. Just present the problem and let the candidates tackle it in the language that they understand better. Your only interest here should be getting the right answer and bear in mind that your goal is to check their ability to solve a problem, the coding style and computer knowledge.

There are various other online resources to get programming challenges that you can incorporate in your interview. There are those which focus on algorithms rather than ones knowledge of a certain programming language. Such tests evaluate a candidate’s computer science knowledge and the ability to solve problems.

When using online programming testing however it is important to avoid focusing too much on a candidate’s online generated scores rather than how they went about getting their solution. This is so because you may not be in agreement with the evaluation metrics used by a testing service. Also, there could be aspects of a solution that may be clever to which the automatic evaluation system may be oblivious.

Online testing service can also produce false negatives and false positives. A false positive leads to wastage of time and resources in interviewing a candidate that is not qualified while a false negative disqualifies the best suited candidate. Nonetheless, online programming tests are the most effective method of comprehensive screening. The tests incorporate some other techniques that help to remove under qualified or fraudulent candidates.

Online programming testing also is a preliminary filter that eliminates a high number of candidates whose programming skills are far below par. And interestingly, most candidates quit the process without attempting to do the test because they are not confident with themselves.