How to Prepare for Hackbright's Technical Interview
Hey, future Hackbrighter. We’re glad you’re here.
Our admissions team has been getting questions about what our application process is like, and how to prepare for the technical interview for the Software Engineering Program. We want to help relieve any anxiety you may have about it, so we prepared some information about Hackbright’s technical interview.
Hackbright Academy has a three-step application process. The second step in that process is the technical interview (sometimes referred to as a technical assessment). The technical interview is useful for both Hackbright’s admissions counselors and you as a Hackbright applicant.
The purpose of the technical interview is to help you and other applicants better understand how Hackbright Academy’s programs could benefit your educational growth; and, it’s to help our admissions team better understand your experience and aptitude with the following concepts. It is NOT meant to intimidate you, so we want to do our best to help you get familiarized with it.
The technical interview is something you can prepare for, but it’s not something you should worry about. No matter what the results of your assessment are, our friendly admissions counselors will be able to help you progress to the next step, whether that’s the Software Engineering Program (full-time or part-time), or whether the Prep Course might be a better fit to get started.
What Concepts Should You Have Some Familiarity With?
In order to make the most out of your experience at Hackbright Academy, our instructors want you and fellow students to have some familiarity with these concepts before you begin a program. Please review this list. It’s okay if something is unfamiliar right now. We’ve provided some resources further down to help you gain better familiarity with these concepts.
- Basic data types (strings, integers)
- Using arrays and lists
- Looping and control flow
- Conditional logic
- Functions
- Algorithmic problem-solving
Resources for Preparing for Hackbright’s Technical Interview
The technical interview will be conducted in whatever programming language you are most comfortable with, whether that’s Python or something else. With that in mind, here are some resources for helping you prepare for the technical interview.
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist
This is an excellent, comprehensive, and free book on Python. It has interactive components at the end of many chapters, including quizzes and runnable code-snippets.
Coder Byte
There are many excellent practice problems and other resources on Coder Byte. While this is a paid service, the first few problems you click on can be viewed for free. We recommend the following:
Hacker Rank
While it requires some getting used to in terms of the interface, Hacker Rank’s free coding challenges, with a wide array of languages and levels, make it worth the effort. Make sure to read the directions carefully. Here are a couple of good places to start:
Tips for Hackbright’s Technical Interview
At Hackbright, our programs are based on the programming language Python, however, the technical interview is conducted in whatever programming language you are comfortable with.
The browser-based interview is similar to that of the site repl.it. We recommend practicing there. During your actual interview, the interviewer will be able to type and evaluate code, too.
Do not refer to notes or use the internet to help you with syntax during the interview. If you’re struggling with syntax or don’t know what to do next, let the interviewer know.
Run your code often throughout the interview. Being a good programmer means being a good debugger. So, don’t be afraid to read error messages carefully and respond to them.
It’s normal to be nervous and this is in no way is lost on your interviewer. If you draw a blank or get stuck, that’s okay! Use this as an opportunity to communicate about what you do understand.
Have You Scheduled Your Technical Interview Yet?
You must complete an application before scheduling your technical interview. If you are ready to apply or you just want to see what programs are starting soon, check out our application center.
Already applied? An admissions counselor will be contacting you shortly if they haven’t already. They will answer any questions you have about the technical interview process and remind you of the following points:
- The instructor will be calling you at the scheduled time
- The conversation should take about 20-30 minutes
- Have your laptop and email ready for instructions during the interview
- You will do some pair programming in the programming language of your choice
- Afterward, you will discuss your programming experience
And, that’s it! You’ll be done with step two of the application process, and you’ll have a better idea of whether or not Hackbright Academy is the right choice for you. Pretty neat stuff.
