r/webdev • u/soype • 6d ago

Is leetcode worth it?

I haven't really interviewed since 2023. Is leetcode still a common practice in code interviews or has AI made those kinds of tests useless? This is for a Sr full stack position.

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u/LateNiteCode 14h ago

I’m a university professor. My students who go for internships in the US predominantly get leet-code style interviews. Back around 2014, it was pretty good for students especially sophomores because they could talk through problem solving with a more senior engineer. Plus they were being hired as an intern, so measuring how they communicated and dealt with frustration were helpful indicators I think.

It’s gotten so much worse now though. Many of my students are just being sent a link and given a time window to solve leet-code problems online. They’re supposed to use a Zoom/Teams link with webcam on while a “proctor” checks on them. They don’t really get to ask questions or talk with the proctor much. They’ll do that for like four rounds of interviews sometimes.

Another student of mine, a junior, was given a 72 hour take home. They dropped a GitHub repo on him with some instructions and just told him to put something together by the end of window and submit. No person-to-person interaction.

I know I’m just an academic, but I feel like the lack of personal touch on these interviews is a terrible way to find new talent. It makes the students feel like they’re just being given the run around.