Many of Alva's coding tests include automated tests that helps you understand how well a challenge has been completed.
How does the automatic tests work?
The automatic tests, also called functional tests, can be used to test whether an application actually works the way it is intended to. This means that the tests look at the output of a program and verify that it is as expected - without necessarily needing to know how the output was generated.
A simple example would be that we want to candidates to build a form to submit a name on a website. A simple test to verify that the form works as expected could be to check whether the website actually receives a name in the correct format
How does the automated tests work in Alva?
Coding tests that use this style of functional tests typically have a set of different tests included. When a candidate submits their coding test for review the tests are executed and we can calculate a score.
Each test is given either a pass or fail. Based on the number of tests that passed, we can calculate a percentage completion score. 4 out of 5 tests would be 80%, 5 out of 5 would be 100%.
What is a good score on the automated tests?
When the tests fail, it is an indication that the submission did not meet the key requirements that are outlined in the task instructions. However, keep in mind that a good score will always depend on what test you send out to which candidates!
Sending a junior level challenge to senior candidates can still be difficult if they are given a strict time limit to work on the test. In such a setting, a good score can be lower than 100%.