Take the Remote Programming Test
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain how the Salesforce remote programming test works.
- Review the setup required for the test.
- Articulate how your test performance is assessed.
Show Off Your Coding Chops
Successful Salesforce engineers are great at writing code, and in order to find out how great you are at writing code, we use a programming test. The programming test is one of the best ways to gauge your coding skills. That’s why our test makes sure you have an editor, a debugger, and a good amount of time to analyze a problem and form a solution—it’s more than just how well you react under pressure.
How to Take the Test
We use HackerRank as our coding platform. This means that you can take the test at a time that works for you—whether that’s during the day or in the middle of the night. When you move to this stage in the process, we provide you with setup information and a link to start the test.
HackerRank Setup
When you’re ready, click the link to start the timer. You have a set amount of time to complete the test, so choose a place and time where you can work without interruption. If anything goes wrong that prevents you from completing the test, like a loss in Internet connectivity, send your recruiter an email and they will get back to you during working hours.
Completion
For the best test-taking experience, we recommend the latest browser version of Google Chrome or Chromium, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer (v10 or later).
The test begins with a detailed problem description. If you have any ambiguity about the directions, use your best judgment. You can then use the “notes” section to explain any assumptions you made while interpreting the problem.
We want to see your best work on this test. With that in mind, if working on your local environment works better for you, then feel free to download the project to your local environment. We encourage you to check the correctness of your solution by running tests within HackerRank. Rest assured that running tests will not count against you.
Make sure to keep an eye on the HackerRank screen to watch the timer. Upon completion, you need to upload the entire project and submit your solution to the HackerRank platform. You must get your solution uploaded and submitted before the time expires.
Submission
The test is evaluated as if you are writing an actual application for deployment. Keep in mind that we’re less interested in you demonstrating knowledge of the language, rather we want to see how you might perform as a working engineer in a real development environment.
Before submitting your program, make sure you have thoroughly tested all possible input combinations. Ask yourself these questions.
- Is the problem solved?
- Is the output correct?
- Have you written automated tests?
You may even want to take notes about how you solved the test problem so that you can discuss both the solution and your methodology with your interviewer.
How We Evaluate the Remote Programming Test
The remote programming test is evaluated on a number of criteria, which you should be prepared to discuss in your post-test interview.
The highest priority is whether your program compiles (or interprets) and executes according to the problem description. When you are taking the test, you should prioritize making sure that all parts of it run. The highest priority should be making sure the program compiles and runs without any bugs. Once you have it running, then you can feel free to polish it.
Next, the evaluators want to see that your program exhibits good design techniques. The test specifies what input the program needs to take, and which output is expected. We are primarily looking to see if you can write a well-designed, object-oriented program.
Evaluators also want to see that you have used data structures and algorithms that would allow the program to work at high volume. That is, can you write code that is scalable? Is your code well-formatted and easy to read? Do you have sufficient comments? Can a reviewer quickly determine how your program is organized and what you are trying to accomplish by each class or method?
Let’s Sum It Up
Our Remote Programming Test is an opportunity for you to display your coding skills during the interview process. HackerRank, our testing tool, assures that you can take the test on your own time in a place that is most convenient for you. After you take the test, our engineering interview team reviews and evaluates the code and how your skills might be a fit on our team.
