Posted 26 days by Jonny Grange
Creating effective technical assessments is one of the most important parts of hiring in the tech industry. The right assessment helps you evaluate a candidate’s real skills, decision-making, and approach to problem-solving. More importantly, it ensures you hire people who can perform well in your environment, not just those with impressive CVs.
For hiring managers, business owners, and HR teams, technical assessments can be the difference between finding a great fit and making a costly hiring mistake. The challenge is designing them in a way that feels fair, relevant, and time-efficient for both sides.
In this blog, we’ll explain how to create strong technical assessments that help you identify the best talent while keeping your process structured and consistent.
If you're new to hiring tech talent or want to get the full picture first, our tech recruitment guide is a good place to start.
Why technical assessments matter in tech hiring
A technical assessment gives you objective insight into how a candidate thinks and works. It helps move beyond what’s written on a CV and focuses on practical skills that matter most in real-world projects.
When designed well, assessments also enhance your employer brand by showing candidates that your hiring process is transparent, fair, and focused on capability.
The cost of getting hiring wrong
Hiring the wrong person for a technical role can set projects back significantly. A poor technical fit can lead to slower delivery, lower-quality output, and higher turnover costs. Technical assessments help reduce these risks by allowing you to evaluate skills early and make more confident hiring decisions.
Structured assessments are particularly valuable for specialist roles where practical knowledge is essential, such as software engineering, DevOps, or software engineering. They ensure every candidate is measured against the same clear criteria, reducing bias and improving hiring accuracy.
Assessing capability beyond the CV
A CV can only tell you so much. Many professionals list the technologies they’ve worked with, but that doesn’t reveal how well they can apply them. A strong technical assessment focuses on how a candidate approaches a task, communicates their reasoning, and writes clean, efficient code.
For example, two developers might both list React or Python as core skills, but their approach to solving the same problem can be very different. A structured assessment helps you see those differences clearly and make informed choices based on performance, not just experience.
Why structure and consistency lead to better decisions
When technical assessments are unstructured or vary from candidate to candidate, it becomes harder to compare performance objectively. A consistent approach ensures fairness and helps hiring teams make evidence-based decisions.
By using standardised criteria and clear scoring systems, you can reduce bias, improve collaboration between interviewers, and identify top performers more confidently. Consistency also helps candidates trust your process and see your organisation as professional and well-prepared.
Different types of technical assessments
There’s no single best way to assess technical ability. The right approach depends on the role, seniority, and skills you’re hiring for. Mixing a few different assessment types often gives a clearer view of how someone thinks, collaborates, and solves real problems.
Below are the most common types of technical assessments used in tech recruitment and how to apply them effectively.
Code tests and reviews
Code tests are one of the simplest ways to measure a developer’s practical skills. They usually involve solving specific problems or building small functions in a chosen language. These tests help you assess how cleanly a candidate writes code, how they handle logic, and how well they understand the core principles of software development.
Code reviews go a step further. Instead of writing new code, candidates are asked to review existing scripts and identify issues or improvements. This format works well for senior engineers or technical leads, as it reveals how they approach quality, structure, and best practice in real projects.
Technical interviews
A technical interview allows you to explore a candidate’s knowledge in conversation rather than through written tasks. These discussions often cover past projects, problem-solving methods, and scenario-based questions.
When done well, they highlight how candidates reason through complex issues and communicate technical ideas clearly. For the best results, keep questions practical and aligned with the actual work your team does. This ensures you’re assessing applied skill, not just theoretical knowledge.
Project assignments
Project-based tasks are an effective way to evaluate how a candidate performs in a realistic context. You can ask them to build a small feature, fix a bug, or design a solution to a business challenge similar to what they’ll face in the role.
These assignments provide deeper insight into a person’s workflow, time management, and attention to detail. To keep the experience fair, be transparent about how much time it should take and focus on problem-solving, not polish.
Live coding
Live coding sessions test a candidate’s ability to think on the spot. They involve working through a coding problem in real time, often with an interviewer present. This format shows how someone approaches challenges, explains their decisions, and handles feedback.
Keep live coding simple and supportive. The goal is to observe the candidate’s reasoning process, not to catch them out. Avoid overly complex or unrealistic problems and make sure your interviewer provides context and guidance throughout.
Past work analysis
Reviewing a candidate’s previous work can be one of the most insightful ways to assess skill. This could include open-source contributions, portfolio projects, or systems they’ve helped build in previous roles.
By discussing real examples, you can evaluate the depth of their technical understanding and how they’ve applied it in different environments. Asking questions about design choices, performance trade-offs, or team collaboration helps you see how they operate beyond the code itself.
Platform-based tests
Online assessment platforms like Codility, HackerRank, and TestGorilla make it easier to test technical skills at scale. These tools allow you to send structured tests, automate scoring, and compare performance across candidates quickly.
While convenient, it’s important to review results carefully. Automated scores don’t always reflect real-world problem-solving or creativity, so they should be used alongside interviews or project tasks for balance.
System design exercises
System design tasks are ideal for senior developers, architects, or engineers who work with complex infrastructure. These exercises focus on how candidates plan and scale systems rather than writing specific code.
Ask candidates to design a simple application or service and explain their choices around architecture, databases, scalability, and reliability. Their answers will show how they think strategically and balance technical priorities with business needs.
How to design fair and effective technical assessments
Creating a fair and effective technical assessment is about balance. You want a process that reflects the real work, respects the candidate’s time, and gives your team reliable information to make confident hiring decisions.
The goal is to identify genuine capability while showing candidates that your business values structure and fairness.
Keep tasks relevant to real job responsibilities
Assessments should mirror the challenges a candidate will face in the role. If you are hiring a front-end developer, focus on component design or debugging. If the role involves infrastructure or automation, use a scenario that reflects those tools and workflows.
Irrelevant or overly abstract problems can discourage good candidates and make it harder to assess true ability.
Keep the brief practical, focused, and connected to what success looks like in the position. Candidates who see realistic and familiar tasks are more likely to stay engaged and perform at their best.
Make the process clear and time conscious
Clarity and structure make a big difference to how candidates view your company. Outline what to expect before sending any assessment. Explain how long it should take, which tools to use, and what outcomes you are looking for.
Avoid tasks that take more than two or three hours unless they are paid or directly linked to the role. Shorter, well-scoped challenges help maintain engagement and encourage more people to complete them.
Respecting a candidate’s time shows professionalism and strengthens your reputation as a considerate employer.
Maintain fairness with consistent scoring
Consistency is essential for objective hiring decisions. Every candidate should be assessed using the same criteria and scoring framework. This helps remove bias and ensures that hiring decisions are based on measurable performance, not personal opinion.
Before starting interviews, agree on a simple scoring system. Define what “good” looks like in terms of accuracy, efficiency, structure, and communication.
Use shared templates or feedback forms to record results. When assessments follow the same structure, it becomes easier to compare candidates fairly and make clear, data-led decisions.
Focus on both problem solving and communication
Technical skill is important, but how someone approaches a challenge matters just as much. Strong developers and engineers can explain their reasoning, respond to feedback, and work well with others.
When reviewing assessments, look beyond whether the answer is correct. Consider how the candidate approached the task. Did they ask useful questions? Did they explain trade-offs or alternative solutions? These behaviours show how they will collaborate and solve problems in a real team environment.
Encouraging discussion during technical interviews or feedback sessions helps identify great communicators who bring both technical skill and strong teamwork to your business.
How to deliver a strong assessment experience
A well-designed assessment is only effective if the candidate experience matches it. The way you communicate, manage timelines, and provide feedback all shape how people perceive your business. A positive, transparent experience helps you stand out and improves your chances of securing the right hire.
Communicate the process clearly
Clear communication sets the tone for a professional and respectful process. Let candidates know exactly what to expect before starting the assessment. Outline the purpose of the test, the format, the tools required, and the timeframe for completion.
Transparency helps candidates feel prepared and reduces anxiety. It also shows that your business values organisation and fairness. Keep communication consistent across all candidates so that everyone receives the same information and support throughout the process.
Set realistic time limits and expectations
A good assessment should test skill, not stamina. Make sure tasks can be completed in a reasonable timeframe and reflect the type of work the candidate would actually do in the role. Most technical assessments should take no more than a few hours to complete.
Be clear about deadlines and flexible where possible. Many tech professionals are balancing interviews alongside full-time roles, so allowing reasonable time helps you avoid losing great candidates. Setting clear and achievable expectations keeps the process fair and encourages stronger participation.
Provide clear outcomes and next steps
Candidates invest time and effort into assessments, so feedback is essential. Even if someone is not successful, explaining why makes a positive impression and supports your employer brand.
Share outcomes promptly once the assessment is reviewed. Be specific about what went well and where improvement could be made. For shortlisted candidates, outline the next steps and expected timelines for interviews or final decisions.
When you communicate outcomes clearly and respectfully, candidates are more likely to speak positively about your process. This strengthens your reputation and increases engagement for future roles.
How recruiters can support your assessment process
Working with a specialist tech recruitment agency can make your assessment process more effective and efficient. Recruiters bring market knowledge, technical insight, and structure that help you evaluate candidates fairly and make stronger hiring decisions.
A well-designed assessment combined with expert recruitment support ensures that both your team and your candidates have a better experience.
Helping you benchmark your technical tests
Recruitment agencies that specialise in tech hiring have access to a wide range of assessment formats, tools, and industry data. They can help you compare your current approach with market standards to ensure it is fair, relevant, and competitive.
At Digital Waffle, we regularly review the assessments used by employers across software development, data, and engineering. We provide advice on difficulty levels, time expectations, and content to help you build exercises that accurately reflect the skills you are hiring for. This benchmarking process ensures your tests stay current with evolving technologies and candidate expectations.
Reducing bias through expert feedback
Unconscious bias can influence how assessments are reviewed, particularly when feedback is not structured or consistent. A specialist recruiter can act as an independent partner to help you maintain fairness throughout the process.
By reviewing assessments objectively and applying consistent criteria, recruiters help ensure that hiring decisions are based on skill and potential rather than personal interpretation. They can also provide feedback templates and scoring guides to keep evaluations focused on measurable outcomes. This impartial input strengthens both the fairness and credibility of your recruitment process.
Streamlining the process for both sides
Recruiters simplify communication between employers and candidates, keeping the assessment process organised and efficient. They manage expectations, provide reminders, and ensure feedback is delivered quickly. This keeps candidates engaged and prevents delays that can lead to lost opportunities.
Working with an experienced tech recruiter also helps your team save time. They can shortlist candidates who have already demonstrated strong technical ability, allowing you to focus only on the best matches. With a clear process and timely communication, the entire experience becomes smoother for everyone involved.
At Digital Waffle, we support employers by coordinating assessments, managing feedback, and ensuring that every stage of the hiring process reflects your brand positively. Our goal is to help you attract, assess, and secure top tech talent with confidence.
Creating strong technical assessments is about more than testing skills. It is about building a fair, structured, and transparent process that gives both you and the candidate confidence in the outcome. When assessments are relevant, consistent, and well-communicated, they help you identify the people who will perform well and fit your team culture.
By combining well-designed assessments with expert recruitment support, you can improve decision-making, reduce bias, and provide a better candidate experience. The result is faster hiring, stronger teams, and a reputation that attracts top technical talent.
Looking for more detail on hiring tech talent? Read our ultimate guide to tech recruitment.
