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Top tips for acing the Sky coding test

It really doesn’t matter what you’ve studied. Genuinely. Sky gets asked this question all the time on campus and what great candidates on the Software Engineering Academy all demonstrate is their passion for technology.

This may be through studying a Computer Science or IT related degree, or not. You could be studying something like Geography or Art but enjoy coding or creating apps. Sky want to meet people who will fully embrace the great training and development opportunities provided on their programme which will ultimately give you all the tools you need to be a great software developer.

Sky needs to see your passion in your application. When you’re asked “Why Sky?” and “Why this programme?” you need to ensure you’ve spent time identifying the reasons the role stands out. It’s not enough to say Sky’s a big company with great opportunities.

If your written application is successful, you’ll be asked to complete a coding test. This is a key way for Sky to identify your suitability for the role. As highlighted above, your background doesn’t matter however Sky is looking to see:

  • Good coding structure
  • Code efficiency
  • Non-repeating code, i.e. use of loops rather than repeating the same piece of code over and over again
  • Ability to meet a brief – providing a response that meets this rather than going off on a tangent
  • Evidence of code you have actually created
  • Testable code

So what is the best approach to take when completing this task? We caught up with Conrad who heads up the Sky Software Engineering Academy to give you top tips on how to tackle the coding test.

  • Read the brief carefully – sounds obvious, but be really clear on what you’ve been asked to do
  • Break the test down into modules
  • Plan your work – it’ll really help you to reach the end goal
  • Choose your technologies carefully and use a modern day web language. You can pick whichever one you like to use that you feel is best suited to completing the task
  • Test your code and make sure it works as you would expect it to – when Sky views it, you want them to see it at its best so this is a must
  • Use of frameworks is permitted, but don’t over use them
  • If you don’t have knowledge in a particular area, do your research and then apply it. It’s not cheating and something that Sky really looks for

The most important thing though is take you time and don’t rush.

When submitting your final solution, provide some documentation on how to get the test running. A zipped folder is Sky's preferred way of receiving documentation but a platform like Dropbox is acceptable, just remember to send them the link and all the information they’ll need to access it.

If successful, a telephone interview and assessment centre will follow - this is your chance to really get to know more and tell them all about yourself.

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Find out more about all the opportunities open to you on Sky's profile.