The worst programming interview question I've even seen | Hacker News Reader

The worst programming interview question I've even seen

acodersjourney.com

11 pointsdebh6 comments

They ask you "sum 1 to 100". You immediately say "5050", then wait a beat, then say "Gauss, right?". Then you get to find out whether they actually want you to derive the function and so on.

Years later, you can point out that intelligence and memory are often confused for one another.

Nice one :)

I disagree. The question is actually a basic question to see if someone understands discrete math. It's a cornerstone formula, IMO.

Now, if it's the only question that you ask, then it's a problem. If it's related to the job, though, then it may be more important than you imagine.

One final note: just because someone might be the right hire in the future doesn't mean that they are the right hire for the present. If the person does not have the needed skills or experience, then they are the wrong hire. In the future, after having acquired the necessary skills and experience, then they may be the perfect person for the job.

In my experience, pure mathematical knowledge just by itself seldom translates into good coding skills. This is after I've TAed Maths, CS and Physics courses for almost 4 years.

Typically we have 45 minutes to interview someone and asking a question where one has to derive a mathematical formula using induction/ calculus is not well served to gauge their programming abilities.

But I totally agree with you on your last point - just because someone is not a good hire now, does not mean they never will be - that's why even if you don't crack an interview, you can reapply in 6 months time.

Isn't this in the same category as asking someone questions on some java API which could be easily found online via any search engine ? That's what most certification programs do nowadays - focus on rote memorization.

Kindof - if you're a startup and hiring for a position that requires knowledge of java, then IMHO it's a fair question. Most startups don't have the resources to train employees for 6 months.

But yes - the testing material in most certifications is not a good indicator of problem solving abilities and I wouldn't make any hiring decision based on them.

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