Your Guide to HackerRank Success

HackerRank, a coding-based technical skills and assessment platform, is one of the many tools used by Goldman Sachs to assess candidates for roles within Engineering. Marisa, an Associate on the Engineering Campus Recruiting team, shares her advice for applicants taking the HackerRank assessment.

What is the application and interviewing process for engineering roles at Goldman Sachs?

As part of the application process, all applicants will get to choose which technical assessment they would like to complete as part of the interview process. You can choose from a programming or programming and math assessment. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your technical skills and for us to gain some insight into the types of problems that you can solve at Goldman Sachs. The platform we use is powered by HackerRank, a popular evaluation system used by many technology firms to help match applicants with technical and coding skills to the right roles.

If we are impressed with your application and you perform well in the HackerRank assessment, you may be invited to take part in a virtual video interview – a prerecorded set of questions to which you will record back your responses.

The final round of interviews take place via live video conference or in our offices, where you would meet with three to four engineers at both junior and senior levels.

How should I prepare for HackerRank?

Make sure you familiarize yourself with the HackerRank platform by taking a sample test.  We understand that this may be a new tool for you, so this is a resource for you to practice and feel more comfortable with the platform before you submit your assessment. It is also a good idea to review algorithms and basic data structures from your first few computer science courses as a basic refresher. If you choose the math assessment, we recommend reviewing calculus, statistics, linear algebra and probability concepts. Keep your eye out for our best practices sheet with more detailed tips from our recruiting team after you submit your application.

You can also sign up for a HackerRank prep session hosted by our engineers.

What programming languages can I take the assessment in?

You will have the choice of one of the following languages: C, C++, Java 7, Java 8, JavaScript, Python 2 & 3 or Scala. Think about the programming language you are most comfortable with and try to take a practice assessment ahead of time. We will email you these resources once you submit your application.

How long does the HackerRank assessment take?

It takes about 60 minutes to complete the math assessment and about 120 minutes for programming/coding, but we recommend setting aside a bit more time to prepare ahead of the assessment.

Will I receive feedback on my HackerRank assessment?

Once the assessment is completed, the information is evaluated along with other application material. You should hear an update from the campus recruiting team within three weeks. Make sure you check our candidate portal for real-time updates on the status of your application. 

Learn more about opportunities in engineering at Goldman Sachs