Timeline for Should I give the answer to a failed interview coding exercise?
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| Dec 15, 2014 at 20:32 | comment | added | Caleb | @user1172763 That's the point -- unlike FizzBuzz, the OP's interview question can be answered with a single calculation. It is therefore a poor choice if the point is to see whether the candidate can write a loop. You can't expect a candidate to choose a slower, far more verbose solution on the assumption that you're asking the question for a specific (and unstated) reason. Indeed, the interviewer could easily be a "trick" question to see if the candidate notices that looping is completely unnecessary. Reading your mind is not the candidate's responsibility. | |
| Dec 5, 2014 at 18:17 | comment | added | user1172763 | If I were your interviewer, and you gave me that sort of answer, I'd refer you to a school district in need of algebra teachers. FizzBuzz is about demonstrating a basic knowledge of programming so that the interviewer can move on to questions that will differentiate you from other basically decent programmers. Your answers are clever, but they don't establish that you understand looping, modular arithmetic, etc., leaving the interview to either move forward under the assumption that people who know algebra also know programming (wrong), or to simply shake your hand and move on (more likely). | |
| Nov 17, 2012 at 5:47 | comment | added | nbv4 | "it's not your place to teach the candidate a lesson" - I disagree. A good programmer is always learning. If they respond to your lesson by acting grateful for learning a new things, then its a sign that they are a good programmer. If they shrug off your lesson, then they are most likely a shitty programmer. | |
| Nov 15, 2012 at 4:07 | comment | added | user53019 |
+1 for the solid answer in your last paragraph. And you raise a good point in that I should have said "an" answer instead of "the" answer. There are several ways to solve that particular one. As to discuss the problem, that element came up with other questions during the interview. Regrettably, the candidate was ... less than forthcoming in replying. I didn't add that aspect into the original question as I was really trying to keep within P.SE guidelines for "good subjective."
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| Nov 14, 2012 at 23:59 | history | edited | Caleb | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 25 characters in body
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| Nov 14, 2012 at 23:49 | history | answered | Caleb | CC BY-SA 3.0 |