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How online assessments work

For anyone with an OA invite now or soon. You leave with the scoring rules, the usual reasons people get cut, and a 10-minute action list.

Tip: Hidden test cases decide your score. A person may still open your code: Amazon grades "the clarity, maintainability, and efficiency of your code". Prepare for both. Use strategy for the score and code quality for the read.

What an OA is

An online assessment (OA) is a timed test a company sends after you apply. A platform such as HackerRank or CodeSignal grades it automatically, often before a recruiter has read your resume closely.

Pass, and your application moves forward. Fail, and most companies close it without a call.

The OA types you will meet

Type What you do Typical time Seen at (examples, as of Oct 2026)
Algorithmic coding Solve 2 to 4 LeetCode-style problems against hidden test cases 60 to 120 min Amazon, Microsoft, Capital One, Cisco, IBM, JPMorgan
Progressive build One spec in 4 levels. Each level extends the code you already wrote 90 min Airbnb, Anthropic, Coinbase, eBay, Meta (some roles)
Multi-part practical One long, real-world problem split into 3 to 6 parts 60 min Stripe, Palantir (FDE intern)
AI-assisted repo task Fix bugs or add a feature in a small web app, with a built-in AI assistant 40 to 60 min Amazon (2026 reports), Goldman Sachs (official), Walmart (2026 reports), IBM India (second round)
AI-assisted coding Coding questions with an assistant inside the editor. The employer sees your chat varies Netflix intern (Oct 2025 reports), Coinbase (one Apr 2026 loop), Instacart (2026)
MCQ plus coding CS fundamentals or aptitude multiple choice, then 2 to 3 coding problems 60 to 120 min India campus drives at Cisco, Oracle, D. E. Shaw, Morgan Stanley
Work-style questionnaire Pick or rate statements about how you work 15 to 60 min Amazon Workstyles, Google Hiring Assessment, Coinbase
Work simulation React to emails, chats and videos from a virtual team official average 60 min Amazon full-time SDE (and some 2026 intern reports)
Recorded video Answer behavioral prompts on camera, no live person under 30 min (HireVue says set aside 45) JPMorgan, Palo Alto Networks, Goldman Sachs campus
Games Short puzzle or reaction games under 20 min for HireVue games; longer at Roblox Roblox, employers using HireVue games
Live third-party screen A 60-minute interview run by another company's engineer 60 min Karat at PayPal and Walmart (US)

Scoring rules and free practice for each platform are on OA platforms. The format for 60 companies is on OA format by company.

Where the OA sits in the process

  1. You apply. Many companies email the OA within hours or days. Some send it to every applicant automatically (Cisco US, Airbnb in 2026 reports, Snowflake interns).
  2. You get a window, usually 1 to 2 weeks. IBM links are valid 7 days. Amazon's SDE II OA gives 7 days (Amazon SDE II OA prep).
  3. The platform scores your code. Some companies use a pass bar: Pinterest says a passing score triggers the recruiter call (see Pinterest). Most never say how they use the score.
  4. A recruiter looks at the score together with your resume. At Cisco, candidates report the resume review happens after the OA.
  5. You hear back in 1 to 3 weeks, or not at all. Goldman Sachs says "within three weeks" (Goldman Sachs HackerRank guide).

How OAs are scored

Platform What earns points Partial credit What else the company can see Source
HackerRank Each hidden test case your output matches exactly Yes, per test case Keystroke replay, pastes, tab switches, AI chat if enabled Evaluation method, AI plagiarism detection
CodeSignal GCA 4 questions, Assessment Score from 200 to 600 Yes Suspicion Score: pastes, copied problem text, similarity to other solutions GCA structure, Suspicion Score
CodeSignal ICA 4 progressive levels, 200 to 600 Yes. You are not expected to finish Same as GCA ICA rules
Codility Percent of test cases passed. Fail 4 of 10 and you score 60% Yes, but code that does not compile scores 0 Your code, which the company may review by hand Automated scoring, Candidate FAQ
Karat An interviewer's write-up. "The most important thing we are evaluating is how successfully your code solves the problem." n/a The full recording plus a summary Karat candidate experience
Amazon (on HackerRank) Test cases, plus "the clarity, maintainability, and efficiency of your code" Yes Webcam photo, logged browser usage Amazon OA prep

Five rules follow:

  1. Every hidden test case is a point. A brute force that passes 8 of 15 tests beats a clever idea that never compiles.
  2. Hidden tests include large inputs. Your time complexity decides whether you get those points. See constraints to complexity.
  3. HackerRank compares output exactly. A stray debug print can fail a correct answer.
  4. On HackerRank, if you edit an answer you already submitted, click Run Code and then Submit again. If you skip that, the old submission stands (modifying submissions).
  5. Time limits depend on the language. HackerRank gives Python 3 10 seconds, Java 4 seconds, and C or C++ 2 seconds per run (execution environment, as of Oct 2026).

What gets you cut

Reason What it looks like Fix
Brute force on large hidden tests Passes the samples, times out on the large hidden tests Read the constraints before coding. Strategy: constraints
Output format Correct logic, zero points Print exactly what is asked. Debug to stderr. Strategy: reading input
Code that does not compile at the end Codility scores it 0 Keep a compiling version at all times. Strategy: partial credit
An edit that never got submitted You fixed a bug after submitting on HackerRank, but the old version was graded Run Code, then Submit, after every edit in the last 10 minutes
One question eats the clock 50 minutes on Q3, Q4 blank Time boxes and the 10-minute stuck rule. Strategy: time
Integrity flags CodeSignal shows companies "Proctoring Rejected" and the reason (source) Follow the rules exactly. Strategy: integrity
Setup failure Brave browser (HackerRank does not support it), an untested webcam, a required desktop app never installed Run the day-before checklist
Missing the deadline The link expires. Amazon hires "on a rolling basis" Take it early in the window, or ask for an extension. Template
Skipping a non-coding section SQL and Bash parts left blank at Intuit. Back-end applicants surprised by a front-end section at Walmart Read every section title before you start
Code no one can read Amazon grades clarity. Codility customers may review by hand Code quality in OAs
Burned retakes CodeSignal limits certified attempts per 180 days Platforms: CodeSignal cooldowns

What you cannot control

A perfect score buys a review, not an interview. A TikTok graduate candidate scored 600/600 and got no interview (LeetCode post). A Capital One candidate scored 600/600 in Aug 2025 and was rejected (see Capital One).

The reasons are headcount, your resume, location, and the size of the pool. TikTok's own FAQ says many candidates pass while interviewer slots are limited (see TikTok). Keep applying while you wait: application strategy.

How much is enough

No big tech company publishes an OA cutoff. These are single reports, not rules.

Company Reported result Outcome Source
Amazon SDE I (May 2026) About 50% on the DSA problem, strong repo task Advanced LeetCode post
Amazon intern (2026) Full DSA solution, 2 of 6 repo tests Shortlisted Amazon page
Meta E5 (Oct 2025) 2 of 4 progressive levels One reply says that got them a tech screen. Another says "You need level 4" Blind thread
Anthropic Fellows (Sep 2025) One candidate quoted a recruiter email: 480/600 or higher is generally enough to advance n/a Anthropic page
Stripe intern (Nov 2025) 15 of 17 hidden tests Interview Stripe page
Two Sigma intern (Feb 2025) Solved 1 of 2 Reached three technical rounds Two Sigma page
Coinbase (Apr 2026) 16 of 20 tests on an AI-assisted coding OA Advanced Coinbase page
Visa (Dec 2025) 567/600 Rejected Visa page
Expedia (Aug 2025) Solved all 3 in 30 minutes Not selected Expedia page

Your target: full marks on the easier questions, then as many test cases as you can on the hardest one. CodeSignal says "Not all test-takers are expected to solve every question in the evaluation" (CodeSignal prep article).

Myths

Myth Reality
"Nobody reads OA code." Amazon grades "the clarity, maintainability, and efficiency of your code" (Amazon OA prep). Codility says your "testing team may manually review your submitted code" (Codility FAQ). HackerRank reviewers get a keystroke replay.
"Partial means zero." HackerRank, Codility and CodeSignal all give credit per test case.
"Amazon's OA is 2 LeetCode problems." The official page still says two coding problems, but its FAQ says "A webcam is required at the start of the code debugging test". Since Apr to May 2026, candidates report 1 DSA problem plus 1 AI-assisted repo task. Expect either.
"Amazon's intern OA has a Work Simulation." The official intern page lists coding, Workstyles and a survey only. The Work Simulation is listed for full-time. Some 2026 intern reports mention one, so it varies.
"CodeSignal switched to a 200 to 600 scale in 2026." It switched in 2023 ("Coding Score 2023"). The score is now called the Assessment Score (CodeSignal).
"You can retake CodeSignal every 2 weeks." Not since 2023. GCA allows 3 certified attempts per 180 days, at most 2 in 30 days.
"Google has no OA." Google's own page lists the Google Hiring Assessment (workstyle) and sometimes a coding exercise (Google how we hire).
"Run returned OK on Codility, so I solved it." "Run" only means it compiled and passed the example (Codility FAQ).
"The AI chat in an AI-assisted test is private." HackerRank shows your chat to the evaluator (AI assistant in tests). CodeSignal gives employers the transcript and a session replay (CodeSignal).
"A phone with ChatGPT next to the laptop is invisible." HackerRank Proctor Mode flags phones even partly in view, eye movement and external AI tools (Proctor Mode).

Do this in the next 10 minutes

  1. Open the invite. Write down: platform, number of questions, time limit, deadline, proctoring (webcam, screen share, ID), and whether any AI assistant is allowed.
  2. Find the company on OA format by company.
  3. If the platform is CodeSignal, check whether you already hold a recent certified score and how many attempts you have left. See CodeSignal cooldowns.
  4. If the invite mentions the HackerRank desktop app, install it on the laptop you will use and test it today (Desktop App Mode).
  5. Take that platform's free practice test once today. Links are on OA platforms.
  6. Pick the 72-hour, 2-week or 4-week plan on strategy.
  7. Block the time in your calendar. Amazon says to "set aside up to two hours" for the full-time OA. Codility says its timer cannot be paused once you start.
  8. If the deadline clashes with exams, ask for an extension today. Use the extension template.

Pages in this section

Page Read it when
OA platforms You know the platform and want its scoring rules, proctoring and free practice
OA format by company You want the exact format for 60 companies
Strategy You need a prep plan, a time budget, input templates and the integrity rules
Code quality in OAs Your code passes tests but you want it to survive a human read

From Jugal's Substack

Next: OA platforms: what each one tests