A more recent solution that has taken the tech industry in a new direction is Hackerrank. It focuses on revolutionizing tech enterprises to handle their talent sourcing and hiring process.
Talent recruiting and management is one of many business processes that are continually being digitized. Thousands of hiring solutions have flooded the interest in recent years. Each platform has demonstrated unique strengths and offered values that outrank others in the industry.
Below is a brief overview of Hackerrank, how it works, its benefits, pricing, and the pros and cons of the platform.
TLDR; Hackerrank Review
Hackerrank helps developers prepare for technical interviews and also get visible to potential employers.
Do I recommend the platform? Not really!
HackerRank is a good place to learn how to put words together in a new language.
It is terrible and doesn’t teach you anything about real software engineering. If you want to get better at your job as a developer, HackerRank isn’t going to help you much.
As an alternative, I recommend the Tech Interview Pro course to prepare for your coding interviews. It’s far more comprehensive. Plus, you get access to a biweekly live stream with the instructor, Patrick Shyu.
Tech Interview Pro is one of the best resources out there because it has helped more than 2,000 students get high-paying tech jobs, even with FAANG companies.
What is Hackerrank?
Hackerrank is an online interview prep that allows employers and businesses to access the skills of potential employees using cloud-based technologies and tools. The platform was launched in 2009 by Vivek Ravisanker and Hari Karunanidhi, passionate about providing a platform where programmers could tackle competitive programming challenges using any language of choice.
In 13 years, Hackerrank has evolved into a platform that hosts an array of questions on computer science, mathematics, and other programming-related skills.
Due to the steady growth, popularity, and adoption of the platform by budding programmers, several tech startups have come to trust Hackerrank for their recruitment choices and decisions.
Recently, Hackerrank grew the products and tools to include Codepair and a live integrated development environment (IDE) that allows recruiters to relate with potential candidates on the platform.
The tools let companies administer tests, review candidates’ performance, and interact with and provide adequate feedback. Further details of how it works are provided below.
Hackerrank platform is available to anyone in the world via their website. The platform has vast learning tools, certifications, challenges, and projects to keep you busy throughout your programming career.
In addition, the proctoring tool helps monitor your progress on the platform and provides detailed reporting to potential recruiters.
The more your progress, the better your chance of getting invited to participate in assessment offers and interviews. Later in the article, you’ll find details of how it works.
Who is it for?
Hackerrank was founded to solve recruitment and interview problems for employers and candidates seeking to land their dream job. Interestingly, Hackerrank is not just an interview prep, learning, or certification platform.
It is being deployed for diverse purposes. One of such is recruitment, live training sessions, live interview sessions, group projects, etc. With so many ways to use the platform, the only question that comes to mind is Who is Hackerrank for?
Below is a highlight of the category of people who can benefit from using Hackerrank in various capacities.
Hackerrank for Newbie Programmer
When starting out as a programmer, it’s best to quickly limit your scope and channel your attention to areas relevant to your future and career. It is at this point that the values of Hackerrank come into play.
Beginners can use the suggestion feature to discover the in-demand programming skills and guide their advancement, knowledge acquisition and development.
Besides, beginners can also use the training provided on the platform to gain a more structured learning program or follow the certification path.
Also, learning with Hackerrank makes your progress available to potential employers using the platform to recruit talents.
Hackerrank for Intermediate Programmer
Just like beginners, intermediate programmers also have a lot to benefit from Hackerrank.
The courses on the platform help you improve your knowledge. Interacting with the community of programmers helps you showcase your skills and get feedback about your performance and progress.
It’s best to share what you’re learning because you retain over 70% of your learning when you do so.
Hackerrank for Advanced Programmers
Hackerrank’s distinguishing future that sets it apart from every other interview prep, programming learning or Job platform on the internet is the integrated community.
Advanced programmers can use Hackerrank to look at what is trending in the industry and how to redefine their learning plans in the future. Also, certificate courses on the platform can help enhance your CV for future job opportunities.
Generally, the job lifespan for programmers is coming down to as low as 5 – 7 years. One way to constantly stand out is by showing that you are a lifelong learner, and Hackerrank helps you achieve that.
Hackerrank for Professors And Course Instructors
with the programmer-focused design of Hackerrank, it is positioned as one of the best educational platforms available on the internet for programmers.
Hackerrank allows you to effectively manage your course plans as a professor or course instructor. It provides tools for student interaction and engagement. It gives you the opportunity to access students’ progress and skills in a live coding environment. These live tools can also streamline your attention to the student or group of students who need it the most.
Hackerrank for Employees Looking For Certification
If you are not a core programmer; yet want to show your programming knowledge to potential employers, Hackerranck could be your rescuer. Hackerrank offers several programming certification opportunities to students.
Hackerrank for Programming Enthusiasts
Are you passionate about computer science; but found yourself in a totally different field? If you love seeing programmers do their thing; but are not totally interested in learning how to code, Hackerranck is the perfect place to be.
The platform is quite gamified and provides an extensive amount of fun while learning. You can also listen to programmers discuss their art by joining the community.
Compared to other prep platforms, Hackerrank is a better online platform for ordinary people who just want to gaze at what’s happening in the programming world.
Hackerrank for Job Hunters
One of the key reasons over a million users joins the Hackerrank platform is the potential for job opportunities that are offered on Hackerrank. Since its inception, thousands of job offers have been secured through the platform.
The critical thing you need to do is consistently make progress in your learning and skills.
Potential employers visit Hackerrank regularly to scout for talents. Once you are discovered as a potential talent, you stand a chance to land your dream job.
Is Hackerrank Legit?
With over five million users trusting Hackerrank for knowledge and link to employment opportunities, it would be wrong to assume that the platform is not legit.
In about 13 years of existence, Hackerrank has hosted over 1500 recruiters and employers looking to hire talents. They use the platform to set up interviews and assessments.
Moreover, thousands of students have taken certificate courses on Hackerrank. They have testified about the value it added to their careers. And thousands of students still sign up for the program every year.
According to PRNewswire, the platform recently raised a total of $60 million in series D funding at a valuation of about $500 million.
Likewise, Techcrunch in a recent report confirmed Hackerrank as a trusted programmer interview and testing platform. Reviews on Getapp show a total of 43 votes giving 4.5 stars.
A google search would return seven million results. The bulk of the results reveals several positive reviews and articles about the platform.
Hackerrank currently has sixty-five thousand Twitter followers and sixty-nine thousand Instagram followers.
The platform Several youtube videos explaining how it works, the values it offers, and how users can maximize the platform.
To further expand its features and application, Hackerrank strengthened the educational wing of the platform towards building a robust online learning environment for students.
With all this social proof, it is clear that there is nothing shady about Hackerrank, and the platform delivers on its promises to users. Thousands of testimonials are available on the internet to prove this fact.
Hackerrank Benefits and Pros
What values can Hackerrank offer? is it any different from other programming prep platforms on the internet? These are some of the questions asked by programmers trying an online learning platform for the first time.
Hackerrank has numerous benefits and unique values that set it apart from other programming interview prep or online learning platforms. Below is an overview of some of the benefits you stand to gain from Hackerrank.
Simple Interface
Of all online interview prep or learning platforms, the Hackerrank interface is one of the easiest to navigate. The interface consists of topics laid out in grid format with snippets of information outlining what you’ll learn in each case.
Also, all the navigation menus are suitably laid out, and additional information is provided where necessary. The color is totally neutral and white, making it easy for most users’ eyes.
Organized Topics
Besides the simple interface and navigation, the arrangement of the topics is another interesting feature of Hackerrank.
The topics are arranged in a user-friendly manner in order of relevance. You easily navigate from one topic to another without hitch or confusion.
Suggested Learning
When you are taking the journey of skills development or improvement, it could be difficult to structure your learning program without professional help.
Hackerrank fills this gap through its suggested learning feature. You get suggestions of what’s best to learn in your case based on what you are interested in. Usually, the suggested learning comes from industry trends and the learning engagements of other users on the platform.
This feature is highly recommended for beginners who don’t have much experience with programming and want to cut down on wasted effort and time.
Easy User Onboarding
Getting started with Hackerrank happens in a very short process. All you have to do is sign up and create your secured password and you are in.
Unlike some of the hitch-filled signup procedures experienced on other platforms, Hackerranck is more like a three-step login experience. Click sign up, fill in your details, create your password, and you are done.
Links To Job Opportunities
Hundreds of employers including companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google trust Hackerrank for their hiring decisions.
Subscribing to the Hackerrank platform showcases your skills and progress to potential employers who may be scouting for employees with your kind of competence and skill set.
Hackerrank describes itself as the industry standard for technical hiring. Hackerrank ensures that your relevant skills are displayed for employers to see.
Employers can then send invitations to you, asking you to participate in a customized assessment designed to test your skills.
Integrated Interview Feature
With Hackerrank, potential employers get to interview you using the integrated development environment. This feature showcases your coding skills in real time.
Hackerrank Career Fairs
Hackerrank holds a regular career fair where companies looking to hire talented programmers come to scout for potential employees.
Hackerrank users attend this career fair to network with potential employers and other talents in the industry. To attend the event, however, you have to register and pay a stipulated registration fee.
Basic To Intermediate Learning Offer
Hackerrank is not all about interview prep and challenges. There are also learning opportunities on the platform. Interestingly, Hackerrank is gradually tailoring its tools for institutions’ applications.
With Hackerrank, you can learn coding from scratch to an intermediate level. Also, your progress gets tracked, and employers may find you talented enough to have you hired.
Access to Hackerrank Community
The Hackerrank community is the best place to learn what’s happening in the programming world. You get to interact with people in the same boat as you.
If you are facing a problem with the task you are working on, that’s the place to get all the help you need. You also get to share your experience and help other learners solve the problem they are stuck with.
Education Application
Hackerrank is currently working towards providing tools for schools and institutions.
These tools include live coding integrations where professors and instructors can work with their students in a live coding environment. These tools are adequate for ubiquitous learning experiences for schools and students.
Versatile IDE
Hackerrank Integrated development environment (IDE) supports over 35 languages. It makes it one of the most versatile IDE of all interview prep or learning platforms on the internet.
Besides the multiple languages it supports, there is also the live coding feature where multiple users can work on codes in real-time. This feature makes it adequate for learning and instruction.
Real-Time Interaction Feature
Also, along with the IDE, there is the live chat feature where users working within Codepair could interact in real-time. The interaction tool supports chats, audio, and video functionality.
It makes it easy for instructors, supervisors, or interviewers to communicate with candidates or subordinates working within the environment.
Over 1600 Questions
Hackerrank features some of the largest databases of programming questions, tasks, or challenges on the internet. The platform has a library of over thousand six hundred questions.
Create custom assessment questions using this immense library. The questions are either multiple choice questions or coding questions depending on the interest of the employer or the choice of the user.
Users or employers can also choose from various projects available on the platform. These projects are designed to assess candidates for role-specific skills.
Hackerrank Job Board
Like LinkedIn or Indeed, Hackerrank features job opportunities that might interest users.
Wide Range Of Programming Languages.
Hackerrank features about 35 different languages and several frameworks like Angular, react, etc.
Each of these languages is available within the IDE and candidates can choose the language they want to work with from the list included in the interface.
Gamification And Fun Learning Experience
Programming could quickly become boring especially if you are just starting out. Hackerrank brings in some fun via the live interaction, Codepair feature and the community as well.
Hackerrank Certification
You can also earn certificates on the Hackerrank platform. The certifications include: Angular (Basic) Get Certified, Angular (Intermediate) Get Certified, C# (Basic) Get Certified, and CSS.
Get Certified, Go (Intermediate) Get Certified, Go (Basic) Get Certified, Java (Basic) Get Certified, JavaScript (Intermediate) Get Certified, Problem-solving (basics), etc. It helps demonstrate your knowledge to potential employers.
Hackerrank Downsides and Cons
It is hard to find a learning platform with all good and no bad sides. Like every other learning platform online, there are some things that could be improved to make Hackerrank even better than it has ever been. Below are some downsides that Hackerrank could look into.
Wordy Explanation
Programming is about coding and not essays. Users who are already at intermediate or advanced programming experience may find it quite boring to read through endless text that explains the challenge at hand.
It is best that Hackerrank reword the content of the tasks and keep it as focused as possible so that programmers can hit the ground running on every task on the platform.
Bad for Interview Prep
Hackerrank might be a good place to have a profile to be visible to potential hiring managers. But it is useless as an interview preparation platform.
I will rather recommend other tech interview preparation courses like Tech Interview Pro.
Slightly Clumsy Solution
When solving Hackerrank problems it is usually possible to find quite clumsy lines of code that you may not necessarily use to solve the problem. It is best to leave these codes out.
Hackerrank should review the hints provided and make it streamlined enough to help increase the speed at which users arrive at the solution to the problems they encounter.
Slightly Challenging Certification
With Hackerrank, you are offered only one chance to pass the certification. Once you fail to meet expectations, you lose the chance to get certified.
It is quite difficult to blame Hackerrank for such a decision because most academic institutions across the world also follow the same procedure for their certification program.
The limited number of trials forces users to take the certification programs seriously. However, most online platforms that offer certification are more lenient than academic institutions.
It is said that Hackerrank is currently reviewing this condition to bring in some level of leniency.
Blind Registration For A Career Fair
Hackerrank career fair is a good way to help users land dream jobs. However, there is a downside to how the career fair is structured.
Participants registering for the career fair don’t have an idea of the companies that would be at the fair until the day of the fair. It makes it difficult to have clear expectations and prepare your mind for what’s possible.
Scary Jobs In The Job Board
Providing it is a great move for Hackerrank. The only downside is having scanty jobs displayed on the job board. With over a million users on the platform, it is best to increase the number of jobs featured on the job boards to ensure that the opportunities on the platform go around and reach everyone.
Is Hackerrank Free or Paid? – See Pricing Here
Hackerrank has four pricing plans. Each plan offers unique benefits and pricing benefits. Users can subscribe to any of the plans as they see fit. Each plan is billed monthly or annually, based on the user’s choice.
All the benefits of Hackerrank can be enjoyed on all modern browsers. It is best viewed on a desktop due to the IDE features and live integration. Currently, Hackerrank doesn’t offer mobile apps. Below is a breakdown of each subscription plan and what is offered.
Interview Plan
The interview plan offers 1 interviewer license. meaning that only one individual can manage the company hiring process under this plan. Subscribers to this plan also get access to the standard content library, plus access to interviews only.
The plan is billed at $25 per month in the annual billing and $50 per month if you subscribe monthly.
Individual Plan
Users subscribing to the individual plan pay $249 monthly in the annual billing and $319 in the monthly billing to access to full-access user license, 360 candidates a year, Access to Tests, Access to Interviews, Standard content library
Team Plan
The team plan costs a total of $599 per month billed annually, and $819 per month if you choose to pay monthly. With the team plan, you get 2 full-access user licenses, 2 Full-Access user licenses, 3 Interviewer licenses, up to 720 candidates a year, Access to Tests, Access to Interviews, Premium content library, Projects (Add-on), Benchmarking (Add-on), Code Reviews (Add-on)
Enterprise Plan
The enterprise plan is tailored to businesses and organizations that need customized solutions for their hiring or training processes. This plan is more business specific, and the billing is based on a negotiated agreement between Hackerrank and the organization.
Hackerrank doesn’t offer a free plan. However, users enjoy a trial period to experience what they stand to gain by subscribing to the platform.
Is Hackerrank Good Enough?
One question that might bother you is whether Hackerrank is worth your money. The short answer is yes. The values you stand to derive from the platform far outweigh whatever downside you may encounter.
It is impossible to find a working system without a downside. Hackerrank cons do not stand in the way of your learning or job opportunity.
Given all the values Hackerrank offers to employers and applicants, it’s easy to say yes. Hackerrank is one of the best platforms for job and talent sourcing. The design is top-notch, and the onboarding and navigation are seamless.
Beyond aesthetics, the platform also features efficient use and deployment. The reporting and feedback are well laid out.
It is a versatile tool that covers several areas of programmers’ development and career advancements. It also showcases your skills for the world to see.
Hackerrank is worth its value in gold. You can get on the platform as a total beginner or advanced programmer, there is something in there for everyone to benefit from. And in the end, whatever investment made towards joining Hackerrank is returned in hundreds more as you record significant career advancement.
Wrapping Up
Hackerrank offers threefold values to users: It helps users practice coding, prepare users for interviews and help users get hired.
When it’s time to jump ship and transition from one job to another, most employees tend to get stranded. The problem is not with their job experiences, skills, or competence.
Usually, it’s because the job hunting landscape is constantly evolving. And, the process that got you your current job may not be effective when you are hunting for the next.
Remember that companies use this platform to test the skills of potential employees. Owning a hacker rank account means you are positioned for opportunities that flow constantly to the platform.
Also, with Hackerrank, you can cultivate a lifelong learning culture throughout your career. You get a chance to keep your resume up to date with certifications and learning experiences.
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