# Technical Interview Reform, Part 1: Rethinking the Backend Engineering Interview Take-Home Challenge

DevFeed: [Technical Interview Reform, Part 1: Rethinking the Backend Engineering Interview Take-Home Challenge](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/technical-interview-reform-part-1-rethinking-the-backend-engineering-interview-take-home-challenge-2128.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://developers.soundcloud.com/blog//rethinking-the-backend-code-challenge>)

Published: 2020-06-25T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [SoundCloud Backstage Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/soundcloud-backstage-blog.md>)

Topics: [Back end](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/backend.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/coding.md>)

Tags: [backend](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/backend.md>), [code-challenge](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code-challenge.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [hiring](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hiring.md>), [interviewing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/interviewing.md>), [process](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/process.md>), [technical](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technical.md>), [technical-interview](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technical-interview.md>)

## AI overview

SoundCloud explains why it comprehensively rethought its backend engineering take-home challenge. The previous coding exercise often required many hours over several weeks, creating a burden for candidates and causing a significant dropoff in the hiring pipeline. The revised approach is framed as a code tryout intended to assess an essential engineering skill while reducing time costs and limiting bias through an anonymous audition.

## Source excerpt

Most SoundCloud backend engineers have good feelings about the old backend engineering take-home challenge. It's commonly been characterized...