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Re: Some reflections on the Brainbench Perl Test

by submersible_toaster (Chaplain)
on Dec 13, 2008 at 16:10 UTC ( [id://730163]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Some reflections on the Brainbench Perl Test

It's difficult to critique a moving target, as I am not convinced that the Brainbench perl 'quiz' I did in 2007 bears any resemblance to that which you have experienced, and by the sounds of it - there are several perl exams.

From memory (rusty) it dealt with more of the basic language than idioms or patterns prevalent in perl. I do recall skipping a couple of questions that I regarded as un-answerable per the text. I've also undergone some home-grown perl tests from various employers which generally have a similar focus on depth of understanding of the language and syntax. My favorite question from that pool was "How would you parse a CSV input?" , the answer of course being.. "Don't!, use Text::CSV and get on with your life."


I can't believe it's not psellchecked

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Re^2: Some reflections on the Brainbench Perl Test
by webfiend (Vicar) on Dec 15, 2008 at 07:21 UTC
    My favorite question from that pool was "How would you parse a CSV input?" , the answer of course being.. "Don't!, use Text::CSV and get on with your life."

    I've had the same general philosophy overall, but strangely enough that's rarely the answer employers are looking for. So I've come up with a multipart response:

    1. Ask for more details about the CSV being input. Ask the clever things like what types of values could be in the string, what's the encoding, are paired quotes acceptable, is the first row a header, and anything else I think of.
    2. Tell them my first choice would be to use Text::CSV - or if my memory is sharp that day, I'd mention a few of the variants. I'd also try to show them an example of usage appropriate to the information I gathered in part one.
    3. Then, in the inevitable case where they look at me with that "Yes yes, but what if a sniper takes a shot at you every time you load cpan?" look, I'd try to sort through the solution just with core components. It's tedious, and I'd prefer to not take a job where using CPAN was a capital offense. Then again, just looking at it as a problem-solving exercise makes the interview kind of fun. And really, after enough interviews, I'm looking for any way to make them more pleasant experiences.
      "Yes yes, but what if a sniper takes a shot at you every time you load cpan?"

      "I'd have to start looking for another job, sir, as, apparently, this one is far too dangerous to my health."

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