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  • Asking puzzles in interview is stupid - agree / disagree?

    Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator

    Updated: Oct 20, 2024
    Views: 1.1K
    In most of the tech-interviews in India, interviewers tend to ask puzzles, brain-teasers and trick-questions. I'm not sure if this really works and what purpose it solves, but the trend has continued for a long time now. I personally used to ask brain-teasers when people's resume had nothing interesting or worth grabbing attention - but I gave up on that practice because it started to look stupid. Apart from making the Interviewer smarter than the candidate (because he already knows the solution to the puzzle), the whole puzzle solving process proves nothing.

    Some think that it gives an overview of the 'approach' & creative thinking a candidate applies to solving the problem or puzzle. It may, but only when the Interviewer is actively engaged in checking out what steps the candidate is happening. In the interviews that I attended, the interviewer would draw or write the puzzle statement on a sheet of paper and then simply walk out of the room to grab a cup of coffee or tea and come back after 10-15 minutes only to check whether I've arrived at the correct solution.

    In real world, collaborative problem solving is more difficult when you've 10 different views on the issue at hand. The approach is 180 degrees different from what a candidate can execute in a time-bound interview.

    So - do you think the tradition of asking puzzles in interviewes should be abandoned? Hit agree/disagree and express your opinion via comments below.
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  • Anoop Kumar

    Member • Jun 20, 2013

    Kaustubh Katdare
    Some think that it gives an overview of the 'approach' & creative thinking a candidate applies to solving the problem or puzzle. It may, but only when the Interviewer is actively engaged in checking out what steps the candidate is happening.
    +1 for Approach towards problem, and this should be only motive to ask puzzles.
    In programming interviews, asking little piece of program to write is also like puzzle, interviewer should concern about if candidate is thinking in right direction.

    If interviewer asking puzzle/code and only concern about result probably he is an intelligent idiot. He should think how much time he took to solve that problem.
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  • Anil Jain

    Member • Jun 20, 2013

    At times, these are important (At least I think so)

    The main reason I ask puzzles / brain teaser / tricky situation because I want to gauge the candidate's ability to think of the real time situation.

    We can ask code / functions / basic laws / methodologies to gauge the attitude to play with real time problems. These would prove that candidate is sincere, hardworking who can mug up and perform on the 80% on the things. however that additional 20% would be required to find a real good candidate.

    * In any industry we do require 80% folks that falls in that 80% hard workers bucket. Only 20% are required in that smart 20% bucket.

    -CB
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  • Pratik Poddar

    Member • Aug 16, 2013

    I think it leads to democratization of interview process and it just tests intelligence and approach, which is more important than knowledge for freshers.

    Pratik
    Author, <a href="https://pratikpoddarcse.blogspot.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">CSE Blog - quant, math, computer science puzzles</a>
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  • Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

    Member • Aug 16, 2013

    I dont think it as a stupid question.It helps to know how fast you are in adapting new question and they can judge your solving capability.Yet it may lead to rejection of worthy candidates.Its a tricky question Kaustubh ji.
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Aug 17, 2013

    Asking puzzles in interview will tell the interviwer the potential of the student to think logically under pressure That is a much needed quality in any student in a firm
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  • Nayan Goenka

    Member • Aug 18, 2013

    Puzzles are a type of brain teasers that can put into question the IQ of some excellent students. And nothing tests his aptitude better. But provided they don't give a magic cube. Pressure of Interview + Good puzzling = quality material.
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  • kheerthi chandru

    Member • Aug 18, 2013

    puzzles are much needed in an interview. subject knowledge alone is not enough to get placed in a firm or wherever u go..
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Aug 18, 2013

    Those who're saying puzzles 'should' be asked - please justify your point by providing supportive reasoning.
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  • Saandeep Sreerambatla

    Member • Aug 18, 2013

    I dont agree in asking reasoning and puzzles in any interview. I have attended few interviews where these kinds of questions are asked. But I dont agree asking them is valid.

    If for example you are interviewing for some Java language, then there are million ways where in you can guage a person how his logical thinking is how is problem solving skills are.

    For estimating the smartness of any candidate, you need not ask shakuntala devi's puzzles or CAT reasoning questions ,you can ask to write some code giving specific scenarios.
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  • sookie

    Member • Aug 19, 2013

    I believe Aptitude is the very first important thing that a person should possess. Puzzles asked in interviews should be not be "out of box" of course but they should be like which can give an idea of candidate's aptitude & problem solving skills. I just can't stop myself from shouting at people who are hired and can't even understand a simple flow diagram themselves. I think its OK if person who wants to hire a person in his/her team want to test his aptitude skills.
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  • Nayan Goenka

    Member • Aug 19, 2013

    First of all, the employer is actually paying you real money and entrusting you with some important job. It is very reasonable if he wants to test the employees IQ. To check if he is a retard. There are millions if Engineers at the moment who have excellent marks. But they cant solve logic questions and we don't need such people. There is a reason Aptitude test is included. But that is feasible when mass recruitment is done. When you go for interview, he MUST ask such puzzles to check his mental soundness.
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  • pugazh anand

    Member • Aug 19, 2013

    puzzles are not that much necessary for interviews...bcoz its not completely expel the mental ability.the matter is practice only.if the person have enough practice its not a matter at all..now people are giving importance for such this things rather than knowledge of their own discipline..
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Aug 19, 2013

    But at the same time you can't crack an interview with purely subject knowledge of the topic right

    If you train your mental knowledge and if your subject knowledge is very little you will never clear the Aptitude round itself
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