Live Coding VS Take-Home Test, Which One is Better?

Hiring the best developers or programmers is not an easy thing. One effort to make it happen is through coding tests. With this test, you can objectively assess how technical skills a candidate has in solving questions. There are at least two methods commonly used by companies for coding tests, namely, live coding and take-home tests.

The basic difference between the two methods is only in time. For live coding, candidates will conduct tests in real-time with users, while for take-home assignments, candidates are given tasks that must be done within a certain time limit.

Well, for those of you who are curious about these two methods, don’t forget to read the full article.

Read more about: Coding test: Is It Mandatory For IT Talent Recruitment?

Live Coding

Live coding is a method to test a candidate’s technical skills directly with users. Through this stage, you can see the candidate’s ability to solve the questions given.

Advantages: More efficient because it takes less time than take-home assignments. You can also see firsthand how the candidate did the coding test given, so you can judge it objectively. Then, this method also minimizes the occurrence of fraud.

Disadvantages: Many candidates feel anxious because of the high pressure they get. Then with relatively little time, many candidates cannot do the test optimally. In addition, this method is also prone to technical problems such as a bad internet network and so on.

Read more about: Live Coding Interview: Advantages and Disadvantages

Take-Home Test

A Take-home test is a method to test a candidate’s technical skill by giving questions within a certain time. Yes, as the name implies, it is homework, so the candidate will do their test and collect the results of the work according to the agreed deadline.

Advantages: Candidates will be under less pressure than live coding. So that they can give maximum effort to the given coding test. As a result, you can see the true potential of the candidate.

Disadvantages: This method tends to take longer than live coding. Then, you also need a little longer time to assess the results of the tests they do and if you can’t manage them properly it is very tiring and a waste of time. Worse yet, this method is prone to cheating because you don’t know how the candidate takes the test.

So, Which One is Better? Live Coding or Take-Home Test?

For those of you who are wondering which method is more effective, of course, this is quite difficult to answer because both have their advantages and disadvantages. To work around this, before deciding which method to use, you can pay attention to the following things that Algobash has compiled to get the best developers.

Time

The first thing to note is the issue of timing. For those of you who don’t have much free time and want an efficient recruitment process, then live coding is the right answer to deal with it. Meanwhile, if you don’t have a problem with a longer process, then you can choose to take-home assignments.

Candidate

Second, you also have to consider the side of the candidate. According to research, the average candidate doesn’t like live coding because they feel pressured, so the result is that many candidates can’t do the coding test to the fullest and you won’t be able to assess the true potential of the candidate.

Test Result

Lastly, you should also consider which method will give the candidate the best test results.

With live coding, you can find out firsthand the technical skills that candidates have, but they may not provide maximum performance due to time constraints and the anxiety they feel.

Then, with take-home assignments, you can assess the maximum results of the tests that candidates take, but the drawback is that you cannot guarantee the honesty of the candidates. Yes, this method is prone to fraud because it is not directly supervised (although it can be overcome by a live review).

Well, after paying attention to the things mentioned above, you can determine which method suits the company’s goals.

Well, after paying attention to the things mentioned above, you can determine which method suits the company’s goals.

Efficient Coding Test for Live Coding and Take Home Test

Live coding or take-home assignments, both are equally effective if done correctly and following company goals. Now you just need to find out which is the best tool to use for coding tests. Yes, one of the factors of success or failure of recruitment in finding the best candidate is the use of the right coding test tools.

Algobash’s automated coding assessment service is worth a try. Through Algobash you can do coding tests that are very effective, efficient, affordable and have been trusted by many Indonesian companies.

With Algobash, you can also perform logic, database, and project-based tests. Yes, you can make independent coding assessments to recruit the best developers even if you don’t have knowledge or background in IT.

If you are interested, don’t forget to visit our website Algobash and start to find the best candidate for your company!