--- title: "The #1 Best Anti-Cheat Interview Question Ever | CoderPad" description: "Concerned that your job candidates are cheating? We have some advice for you..." canonical: "https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/the-1-best-anti-cheat-interview-question-ever/" last_modified: "2024-05-28 06:10:00" --- [Back to blog](https://coderpad.io/blog/) # The #1 Best Anti-Cheat Interview Question Ever April 28, 2022 6 Minute Read By Ken Swearengen [Interviewing](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/) It’s inevitable. You interview 23 developers to fill a junior role, and you notice more than one of them pasting not-insignificant amounts of code during their technical interview. At some point during the months-long interview process, one of those candidates posted that question to Glassdoor’s Interview review section, and someone else was smart morally compromised enough to post it on Stack Overflow. ![Meme of woman with accusing face telling cat “You told me you were fullstack!” and cat responds “Yeah…full stackoverflow”](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img_626a856d44007.png) [Via Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/diobfu/full_stack_overflow/) [](https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/diobfu/full_stack_overflow/) Then all it takes is a developer with even a basic amount of Googling or ChatGPT skills to find that question and its answer during the interview and use it for their professional gain. That can certainly be frustrating as an interviewer – finding the right developer or engineer is hard enough in today’s job market without having candidates misrepresent their skills. So how do you stop this? What’s the #1 best anti-cheat question? Maybe the problem isn’t that your interview candidates found the answer with ChatGPT. Perhaps it’s that your questions can be answered with ChatGPT. ## Like what you’re reading? Why not subscribe to our monthly newsletter? Once a month, you’ll receive a hand-picked selection of tech recruitment content: blog posts, checklists, podcasts, videos, studies and statistics… including insights from our own developer and HR communities! Just drop us your email below. ## AI and Google-proof your interview Before you start interviewing, check the internet to see if your question has already been answered. And use your preferred Generative AI (GenAI) tool to see what kind of answer it comes up with. Typically if you’re asking a standard algorithm question, not only will the answer easily be found, but [it’s probably not a good question to begin with](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/crafting-effective-technical-interview-questions-a-4-step-guide/). Algorithm questions don’t test much other than one’s ability to pay attention in computer science classes. It’s an easy way to eliminate great candidates with non-traditional backgrounds because instead of testing their ability to solve an actual business problem, you’re testing their memory of a particular and not-often-used set of skills. Plus, what’s the point of testing something that most people – even your senior devs and tech leads – will probably need to Google even while on the job? ![A meme from the movie “Finding Neverland” with a junior dev asking a senior dev if they still use Google, and senior dev hugs junior dev while saying “We’re with you.”](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img_626a8571e9378.png) We all know this is true. [Via Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CleverProgrammerr/photos/when-you-spend-all-your-time-thinking-that-great-developers-dont-use-google-and-/1105998069802926/). Unpopular opinion: Googling and ChatGPT should be encouraged, as developers of all levels use them to solve issues other engineers have already encountered. As a manager, I’m sure you’d rather have your employees look up to see if there is an existing solution to a common problem rather than spend hours (or days) trying to come up with a solution that already exists. They have more important things to spend their time on – like coming up with unique solutions to your business cases. > ![ℹ️](https://coderpad.io/assets/emoji/2139.svg) Interested in more information on cheating mitigation measures? [Check out this webinar on How to Prevent and Detect Cheating in Your Tech Recruitment Process](https://coderpad.io/events/how-to-prevent-and-detect-cheating-in-your-tech-recruitment-process/). ## Make your questions realistic and specific to your business If you’re using a business-specific question, it will be a lot harder for a candidate to find the answer – usually because there is no one correct answer. Like in a business, there should be collaboration as the candidate works through the question with you. This will give you a better idea of their problem-solving approach and if it’ll be a good fit for your team. It’s also less likely that someone random will attempt to answer the question even if it does make its way to the internet. Answering generic algorithm questions on Stack Overflow benefits everyone, but who wants to spend their spare time solving a problem for a company they’re not going to interview with? Additionally, GenAI tools still have a lot of trouble figuring out how to deal with the nuances that are typical of an actual business use case. Having candidates solve problems related to your business also gives you a better idea of how they’d actually work. It can show you if they know the domain, bring a unique perspective, or can learn how to adapt to new spaces. With that said, as we mentioned earlier, sometimes questions just make their way out into the world no matter how unique they are. [We recommend](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/quick-start-guides/interviewers/interview-best-practices/) that interviewers rotate and refresh their questions because it’s inevitable that the question will end up on the internet (and scanned by a GenAI service). ## Example of a Good Interview Question Here’s a question we have asked when interviewing engineers at CoderPad. It has them implement a part of a feature of our product called [Playback Mode](https://coderpad.io/resources/docs/interview/pads/playback-mode/). First, we give them an overview of the feature and why it’s essential to our business: > During CoderPad interviews, people write code in an editor. After an interview is completed, we let interviewers “play back” the editor state like a video, so they can see the candidate’s coding process over time and reference key parts of the interview. To implement this, CoderPad tracks editor changes (edits) as text insertions and deletions. During playback, we reconstruct the editor states at each timestamp, and these are called frames. Then we give a usage example along with the business logic that’s operating behind the scenes: > Editor history: time=0: “” (Editors start empty.) t=1: Insert “hello”. t=2: Change “hello” to “hi!”. t=3: Insert “, world” before the bang. The editor says “hi, world!”. We then provide them with example inputs of varying degrees of complexity, in this particular case it’s a JSON object of editor changes. This is followed by an in-depth description of how the feature works. We’ll offer additional clarifying information as needed, but the important thing is to be as transparent as possible about how the existing code base carries out the necessary business logic. Lastly, we present them with the task, which represents a task similar to what they’d be doing at CoderPad: > Your task for this Challenge is to implement a function which takes 1 parameter target_timestamp, reads edits from the local file /data/playback_ops.json, and returns 1 string, the frame at that timestamp. Notice the main thing that makes it harder to cheat: The candidate has to apply their knowledge to an actual business case rather than memorizing a common trivia question. Most importantly, questions like this give you insight into how the candidate approaches new challenges and their ability to understand your business. And that’s a much more valuable signal about whether the candidate will be successful on the job than their ability to recall university-level computer science lessons. > ![ℹ️](https://coderpad.io/assets/emoji/2139.svg) Check out [the advice from our expert Q&A panel on how you can use ChatGPT to become a better interviewer](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/how-interviewers-are-leveraging-chatgpt-to-hire-developers/). ## The real anti-cheat solution At CoderPad, we believe that successful coding interviews occur when interviewers are genuine, lead with trust, and create a process that tests for depth, breadth, communication, and collaboration. The real solution for cheating concerns is to create an “on the job” style interview, where a single correct answer cannot be easily Googled or found using ChatGPT, and you get an accurate read on the candidate’s capabilities. [![The image is a visual guide from CoderPad about creating better questions for coding assessments. It emphasizes that more complex, iterative questions are more resistant to cheating compared to simpler, single-pass questions. The image categorizes questions into two groups: - **Less Resistant:** - Algo questions - Single pass - Single file exercise - **More Resistant:** - Complex questions - Iterative questions - Multi-file exercise The message suggests leveraging more resistant question types in your screening process to minimize cheating.](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-23-1024x528.png)](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-23.png) If this seems like a monumental task to you, fret not – CoderPad can work with you to help you create questions that are relevant to your business. Happy Interviewing! P.S. If you’re still concerned about your candidates using code from an outside source… > 🤔 Before you assume you know a candidate’s intentions when you see them pasting code, ask them about the reasoning behind the pastes and have them clarify what the code does. Interviews should be a conversation, not an interviewer staring silently in judgment at an anxious candidate. In CoderPad Interview, there are simple ways to see if candidates are writing code from scratch or potentially copying it from an outside source. If you’re conducting a live interview, you can see them actively coding; if they leave the pad for another screen – say to look up an answer – then you’ll see a notification that they’ve left their pad window. [![Benedict cheaterson's focus has left coderpad.](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image.png)](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image.png) Additionally, you can quickly see in the playback when text is copied and pasted by the yellow dots in the playback timeline: [![Coderpad playback with an arrow pointing to the "External paste" notification on the candidate's playback timeline.](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-1-1024x486.png)](https://coderpad.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-1.png) ## Subscribe for more CoderPad insights ## Trending Articles Previous slide Next slide [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/) [Hiring Developers ## 18 Features Your Tech Assessment Tool Should Have to Prevent Cheating This article is an overview of “anti-cheat” features that can help you prevent, detect and mitigate cheating attempts within your candidate assessment process. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/hiring-developers/18-features-your-tech-assessment-tool-should-have-to-prevent-cheating/) [Hiring Developers ## Generative AI and the Future of Technical Interviews: Addressing Concerns of Increased Cheating The invention of ChatGPT has raised no shortage of questions. These questions seem mostly to be grounded in fear – anxiety that ChatGPT will replace the need for our jobs, our unique skills, and our need to think. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/hiring-developers/chatgpt-and-the-future-of-technical-interviews-addressing-concerns-of-increased-cheating/) [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/) [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/) [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/) [Interviewing ## Best Platforms for Remote Interviews Discover how the modern employment landscape is embracing remote work and virtual interviews. Dive into the capabilities of platforms like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meets for general use, and explore specialized options like HireVue, Codility, and CoderPad for technical hiring. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/best-platforms-for-remote-interviews/) [Interviewing ## Why One-Way Video Interviews Don’t Work and What You Should Do Instead Read about why one-way interviews are less promising than they seem and explore alternative methods that offer a fairer, more realistic approach to hiring. Read the post](https://coderpad.io/blog/interviewing/why-one-way-video-interviews-dont-work-and-what-you-should-do-instead/) ## 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/)