The technical industry is booming and fast-moving. To get ahead, software engineers and developers must constantly test, develop and refine their coding skills. Likewise, with technical roles soaring and remote hiring increasing, recruiters have been forced to rethink the interview process to identify and assess potential candidates from afar, as consistently and efficiently as possible.
Coding practice sites, such as HackerRank, LeetCode, and Coderbyte, have grown in popularity because of the way the remote interview process has evolved. For professional developers and engineers, like you, coding platforms serve as a valuable resource to level up your coding skills, learn and practice new techniques, and get yourself ready to ace the technical part of the interview process. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top three platforms - according to Nexton experts - to get your tech-savvy and FAANG-level interview ready.
HackerRank
HackerRank is a leading coding challenge website aimed at two main audiences: companies looking to hire high-skilled developers, and software engineers looking to develop coding skills and prepare for technical job interviews. The site supports 43 programming languages and provides developers with a vast collection of coding challenges, classified by skill level in several domains such as Functional Programming, Algorithms, SQL, AI, and more. All coding practices are solved online and each includes a discussion board where users can discuss with one another. Although you cannot access other HackerRank users’ solutions, the site provides an insightful editorial on most challenges, explaining how best to approach them.
A platform is a useful tool for developers looking to learn new languages and data engineering skills, as well as showcase their technical proficiency to their network and potential employers. HackerRank offers free technical skills certification tests based on the key competencies evaluated by employers. Upon completion, you can add your industry-recognized skills certificate to your LinkedIn profile, helping you stand out to recruiters searching for top developers.
HackerRank is one of the most career-focused programming websites. The platform equips users with a professional and mathematical way of learning, expected from technical interviews, and provides interview preparation kits pinpointing the most frequently assessed skills. The platform also allows you to build a professional profile, rank points, show off your coding skills and certificates, and make yourself visible to recruiters. Many of the leading tech companies use the platform to assess the technical aptitude of their candidates, so familiarizing yourself with the interface is undoubtedly advantageous.
Pricing: All the challenges on HackerRank are free. Unlike other websites, there is no premium option.
Advantages:
- Extensive language support.
- Useful interview preparation kits.
- Organized topics are divided into subcategories.
- Free access to all challenges across a wide range of domains.
- Rankings and industry-recognized certificates to share on your resume and LinkedIn Profile.
Disadvantages:
- No access to other HackerRank users’ solutions.
- Questions do not prepare you for real-world coding challenges in a job.
- Users have complained the questions are lengthy, unclear, or poorly phrased.
LeetCode
LeetCode is another coding practice site that is popular amongst software engineers looking to improve coding skills online, develop problem-solving skills, and prepare for technical job interviews. The platform provides a wide variety of programming challenges online in any of the 14 popular coding languages the site supports, including Java, C, and C++. The problems are classified in terms of difficulty and focus on algorithms and data structures such as binary search trees (BST), linked lists, and sorted arrays. LeetCode’s powerful development tools, such as Playground, help users test, debug and even write their projects online.
The coding platform has a large and active community of hundreds of thousands of developers who take part in discussions about interview questions, coding solutions, how to practice programming skills effectively, and other programming-related topics. Whilst the website does not give access to other users’ solutions, LeetCode provides a repository of solutions that explain each step of the problem-solving process.
The website has become a go-to for software engineers preparing for technical interviews. LeetCode has a useful Mock Interview feature allowing you to practice example interview questions for tech giants, such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google. The tool evaluates your coding skills and provides an overall analysis helping developers to identify the areas they need to work on. It even provides a score, ranking you alongside programmers in the Big4.
Price: Some free challenges are available to all users on LeetCode. However, to make full use of the service, it is necessary to sign up as a premium user. Users can choose between a monthly package of 35 USD per month or a yearly package of 159 USD.
Advantages:
- Multiple language support.
- Useful mock interview feature.
- Straight-to-the-point problem statements.
- Well-organized questions and tagging and classification system.
- The large active community creates a dynamic learning environment.
- Superior testing environment whereby custom test cases are run alongside the correct solution allowing you to know immediately if your code is correct, or not.
Disadvantages:
- Not entirely free.
- No access to other LeetCode users’ solutions.
- Supports fewer coding languages than other platforms.
- Questions do not prepare you for real-world coding problems in a job.
Coderbyte
Coderbyte is a web application designed for software developers and engineers, from novices to pros, looking to take their careers to the next level. The platform has an online collection of 300+ algorithm and full-stack coding challenges, web development courses, and practice interview questions. You can solve problems online using the 15+ programming languages available, including Python, SQL, and C++. With every challenge you complete, you are rewarded points, and badges and are ranked against other Coderbyte users. One of the reasons Coderbyte stands out from its competitors is that users can access over 1.5 million user solutions, as well as the official editorial.
Coderbyte provides interview kits covering a wide range of topics to help you prepare for upcoming software engineering interviews. Users can also take part in mock interviews through the platform and have access to expert videos and solutions by the Coderbyte team, as well as a career resource feature.
Pricing: Some courses and challenges on Coderbyte are free. However, for full access to the questions and features, users must subscribe. The platform offers developers the choice between a monthly plan of 35 USD or an annual subscription of 150 USD.
Advantages:
- Automated grading.
- Multiple language support.
- The only platform with Big-O analysis.
- Useful mock interview and career resource features.
- Access to both official and other Coderbyte users’ solutions.
Disadvantages:
- Not entirely free.
- Users have suggested UI and UX could be improved.
With so many coding practice websites on the market, choosing the best platform for you seems like a challenge in itself. Once you are clear on your goal, start by considering your budget, experience level, current skill set, and preferred learning method. HackerRank is the best option for advanced software engineers looking to prepare for technical job interviews at a US company because it is a purely career-focused platform. It also happens to be the most cost-effective as there is no subscription fee.
LeetCode is a great option for software engineers of all levels looking to expand their skill set and form part of a buzzing developer community. If you are looking to pick up a new skill from scratch and you learn best by example, Coderbyte is the platform for you. Still can’t decide? Try out the free version of each platform and take into consideration which UI and UX you feel most comfortable with.
As soon as you’re technical interview-ready, get in touch with our team of experts to find your dream job!
