· 5 min read
Coding Tests vs Real Interviews: What's Missing?
Automated assessments filter candidates fast, but often miss reasoning, communication and real-world thinking.
Coding tests are excellent at quickly filtering for syntax fluency and baseline problem solving. But a final score alone rarely explains how a candidate reached the answer or whether they can communicate tradeoffs under pressure.
In real interview settings, teams care about reasoning quality, debugging approach, and collaboration clarity. Those dimensions are often underrepresented in fixed-format assessments.
A stronger process combines automated scale with interview-like dialogue. Candidates should explain decisions, respond to follow-up prompts, and show practical judgment in context.