--- title: "Dev Diaries: How We Make Pair Programming Interviews Easy with Duplicate Pads | CoderPad" description: "Learn more about Dev Diaries: How We Make Pair Programming Interviews Easy with Duplicate Pads from CoderPad." canonical: "https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/seamless-interview-experience-duplicate-pads/" last_modified: "2023-05-03 07:16:29" --- [Back to blog](https://coderpad.io/blog/) # Dev Diaries: How We Make Pair Programming Interviews Easy with Duplicate Pads June 7, 2022 4 Minute Read By Marina Murashev [Announcements](https://coderpad.io/blog/announcements/) [Interviewing](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/) One interview early in my career left such a mark on me that it changed the way I approach technical interviews ever since. The first step: I was given a take-home assignment to write a program that would round dollar amounts to the nearest five cents. The best part about this assignment? I got to [pick which language to use](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/language-agnostic-interview-questions/) out of three options. Then, I submitted the assignment, somebody reviewed it, and I got called in for a live interview. They gave me the heads up to come in familiar with the code I had submitted. During the on-site interview, we did a pairing session on my code with myself and two other interviewers (sharing a single keyboard) to refactor my code. We all came up with ideas on how to improve the code. At the time I was unfamiliar with unit testing, so the interviewers showed me an example or two of some unit tests and then had me write some. I left the interview having learned something. Even more, I actually connected with and collaborated with the interviewers. I thought to myself, even if I don’t get this job, the interview was a win. (I did get the job btw). In every interview process I’ve gone through since, the good ones all had one thing in common – the exercise felt more like a paired programming exercise than a whiteboard exercise. At CoderPad, we just finished building a new feature called [Duplicate Pads](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/pads/duplicate-pads/). The use case I’m most excited about? It makes pairing during the interview easier than ever. ## Learn how to run front-end developer interviews that don’t suck [Read our guide](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/5-tips-for-interviewing-frontend/) ## Benefits of pair programming interviews Just in case you aren’t convinced that pair programming is the better way to interview, here are a few reasons why you should consider it: 1. You can see how the candidate responds to critical feedback and suggestions to modify the code. Can they justify their decisions and accept constructive criticism graciously? 2. You get an idea of what it’s like to collaborate with the candidate. Do they point out your own errors? Are they polite? Direct? 3. You can see how the candidate learns. For example, if interviewing a candidate who is not familiar with [unit tests](https://coderpad.io/blog/development/integration-tests-vs-unit-tests-integration-matters-more/), you can show them an example of how to write a test for their code and then ask them to write a test. 4. If you’re doing an interactive interview approach (which we discuss more below), you can see how the candidate thinks about possible ways to improve their code after being away from it. Pair programming exercises benefit candidates too. They can see what it’s like to collaborate with someone from the company to see if your team’s communication and coding style fits their own. I like to combine a pair programming approach with an iterative assessment process to create the best experience for the candidate. In our case, an iterative approach means a candidate first does a take-home assessment and then we build on the code from that assessment during the live interview portion of the hiring process. That way the candidate comes to the session already familiar with the code. There are no surprises – interviews should have the least surprises possible! ## Pair programming with CoderPad Pair programming exercises go perfectly with the iterative interview approach I described above, which gives candidates a chance to build upon the code they created in earlier interview steps. Here’s how I do it with CoderPad. ### 1. Create a take-home pad After the initial phone screen, when the recruiter hands off the candidate to me, I create a [take-home assessment](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/interviewers/resources/docs/interview/quick-start-guides/interviewers/resources/docs/interview/quick-start-guides/interviewers/resources/docs/interview/quick-start-guides/interviewers/take-home-projects/) for the candidate to complete on their own time. I’ll also send them a [Getting Started With CoderPad for Candidates](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/for-candidates/interview-preparation-guide/) guide to help them prepare for both the take-home assessment as well as the live interview. Once the candidate submits the take-home, I’ll review it and determine if the candidate should move to the next stage. ### 2. Duplicate the pad Using CoderPad’s [Duplicate Pad feature](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/pads/duplicate-pads/), I create another pad from the take-home assessment. This allows me to create a new pad with all the code that the candidate wrote during the take-home portion of the test. ### 3. Change the Pad Type to “Live” In the [Settings section of the pad](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/pads/settings/), I change the Pad Type to Live. ### 4. Conduct the live interview Boom! Now I can conduct pair programming exercises with our engineering candidates to closely mimic how the candidate would be working at CoderPad. ## Want more ways to improve your interviews? CoderPad constantly releases new features to give you and your candidates the best technical interviewing experience possible. In addition to Duplicate Pads, we also recently released: - A [Google Chrome Calendar extension](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/integrations/google-chrome-calendar-extension/) so you can create interview pads from your browser. - [“Personal” interviewer notes](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/pads/private-interviewer-notes/#Personal-private-interviewer-notes) that only the interviewer can see. - We’ll also soon be releasing a complete React development environment that mimics what you see in most IDEs. You can reach out to our customer support team for more information on these features. If you’re not yet a CoderPad user and would like to sign up for a free trial to test out these new features, [you can do so here](https://coderpad.io/register). ## Subscribe for more CoderPad insights ## Trending Articles Previous slide Next slide [Announcements ## Best Technical Assessment Software for HR Teams in 2026 Finding the best technical assessment software for HR teams isn’t about finding the platform with the longest feature list. It’s about finding the platform that helps you identify real skills quickly, fairly, and consistently. The challenge for recruiting and talent acquisition teams is separating signal from noise. A candidate may have an impressive resume or […] Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/announcements/best-technical-assessment-software-for-hr-teams-in-2026/) [Interviewing ## 5 Skills of the Future Developer: A Framework for Evaluating AI Fluency According to CoderPad’s State of Tech Hiring 2026 report, 82% of developers now find GenAI useful — up from 76% just a year ago. More telling: 54% of developers would experience a measurable productivity drop if AI tools were removed tomorrow. AI isn’t a productivity booster anymore. It’s infrastructure. With this shift, it’s no surprise […] Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/5-skills-of-the-future-developer-a-framework-for-evaluating-ai-fluency/) [Announcements ## The engineers behind the AI 50 get hired with CoderPad The Forbes AI 50 recognizes the world’s most forward-thinking AI companies. These are the teams leading the AI revolution. We’re proud to support over two-thirds of them. From building foundation models to shipping AI-native apps, these companies are at the cutting edge. They need technical talent that can move fast – skilled coders and problem […] Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/announcements/the-engineers-behind-the-ai-50-get-hired-with-coderpad/) [Announcements ## CoderPad Recognized as a G2 Leader for Winter 2026 We’re excited to share that CoderPad has been named a G2 Leader in the Winter 2026 reports for Technical Skills Screening—earning the Leader badges for Technical Skills Screening, the Mid-Market Grid® for Technical Skills Screening Software, and Momentum Leaders. These recognitions are especially meaningful because they’re driven entirely by real customer reviews. Every score, ranking, […] Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/announcements/coderpad-recognized-as-a-g2-leader-for-winter-2026/) [Announcements ## Introducing CoderPad Projects: The future of technical hiring Technical work has fundamentally changed. Engineers and analysts collaborate with AI tools, navigate complex multi-file projects, and spend more time reviewing and debugging code than writing algorithms from scratch. Your technical hiring process needs to evolve with these realities. CoderPad Projects are a new way to assess job-ready skills: candidates tackle realistic challenges in VS […] Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/announcements/introducing-coderpad-projects-the-future-of-technical-hiring/) [Hiring Developers ## Q&A: Musings of a CEO on Tech Interviews, Cheating and AI In this Q&A session on cheating and AI in tech interviews, Amanda Richardson emphasizes the importance of trust and effective interview design. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/qa-musings-of-a-ceo-on-tech-interviews-cheating-and-ai/) [Engineering Management ## How To Use CoderPad To Interview Software Architects Software architects are the masterminds behind the design and structure of software systems, ensuring that projects are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with business goals. Unlike more hands-on engineering and development roles, assessing architect skills in an interview relies much less on watching them code and more on their ability to drive software design principles and […] Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/how-to-use-coderpad-to-interview-software-architects/) [Hiring Developers ## “Don’t Expect Candidates to Have Everything Memorized”, the Dos and Don’ts of Cheating Prevention With Nathan Sutter Sure, you want to prevent cheating. But you also want to feel good about your hiring process. So how do you do that? Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/hiring-developers/dos-and-donts-cheating-prevention-nathan-sutter/) [Interviewing ## Crafting Effective Technical Interview Questions: A 4-Step Guide Writing great technical interview questions can be hard. We're here to help. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/crafting-effective-technical-interview-questions-a-4-step-guide/) [Interviewing ## Viral TikTok Layoff Videos: What You Need to Know So, you’ve heard about these viral TikTok layoff videos, but you’re unsure how concerned you should be? Read about what you can learn from this content, and how it should impact your company’s HR practices. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/viral-tiktok-layoff-videos-what-you-need-to-know/) [Interviewing ## 8 Steps Recruiters Can Take to Instill Inclusivity in Tech Interviews As TA professionals, you have the power to create an inclusive interview environment for your interviewers and interviewees. Want to know how? This guide will help you. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/inclustive-technical-interview-guide/) [Engineering Management ## These 9 Red Flags Are Scaring Away Candidates During Interviews Don't let your name be dragged into a bad Glassdoor review. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/engineering-management/these-9-red-flags-are-scaring-away-candidates-during-interviews/) ## Hire with confidence. See why engineering teams trust CoderPad to evaluate developers with realistic, AI-ready hiring workflows. [Request a demo](https://coderpad.io/sales/)