New HireVue Feature Takes Aim at Code Test Cheating

HireVue CodeVue

HireVue, the provider of video-interview and assessment tools, released a new version of its CodeVue product that help technology managers and recruiters uncover cheating in pre-hire coding tests.

Developers regularly re-use snippets of code as the basis for solutions in current projects, much in the way that recording artists “sample” bits of music laid down by other performers. That, HireVue said, is why plagiarism in the programming world isn’t “a black-and-white issue.” CodeVue is designed to help employers identify cheating no matter how a company defines it. In addition, the module can be used even by recruiters who can’t code themselves, HireVue said.

.@HireVue's CodeVue helps even recruiters who can't program to identify cheating on pre-hire coding tests. #HR #HRTech #Software Click To Tweet

Cheating is a natural, though not unexpected, side effect of the tech labor market’s contemporary dynamics. The demand for software developers is acute, and so compensation levels have risen. That, in turn, has attracted a growing number of workers to develop related skills, and an entire industry of coding schools and bootcamps has sprung up to support them.

One professor at the University of California – Berkeley told the New York Times that 100 students in a 700-person class had violated policies on collaborating or copying code. The newspaper also said that 20 percent of the students in one 2015 computer science class were suspected of cheating.

Code Test Suspicions

CodeVue works by applying a code-similarity score to every interview, comparing a candidate’s work to that of other applicants who worked through the same challenge. Using a new playback and timeline functionality, recruiters and hiring managers observe a candidate’s coding test as they work.

If the similarity score or response times are outside the norm, employers can review the session in detail to determine whether the candidate navigated to different browsers and pasted code. CodeVue also reveals the number of characters pasted, tests run and whether the code passed or failed tests.

In addition, questions can be presented randomly to minimize the chances candidates will share answers in advance.

HireVue added pre-built assessments to its platform in October 2018, each tailored to specific job roles and competencies. At the time, the company said its first models were designed to measure specific cognitive abilities and competencies for software developers in addition to call center service representatives, sales representatives and retail associates. Separately, the company said earlier this year that is had delivered more than 10 million video interviews.

Sign up for our newsletter here.

Image: HireVue

Previous articleLack of Skills Holds Back Recruitment Marketing Efforts
Next articleRoundup: Employers Just Can’t Connect with Workers, Candidates