menu Documentation menu

Projects

Last updated on • Disponible en Français

Projects are multi-file, job-relevant coding exercises that provide candidates with a complete Visual Studio (VS) Code-based development environment with terminal access, extensions, debugging, and all the default VS Code features. They let candidates build, run, test, and debug code just as they would at work—using packages, tools, and workflows they already know.

Key features of projects include:

  • Full VS Code IDE experience with terminal access, debugging tools, and extension support
  • Multi-file support for complex, realistic coding scenarios
  • Custom packages and libraries installation capabilities
  • AI-enabled environment with optional AI chat assistance
  • Auto-grading capabilities with comprehensive test reporting
  • Live front-end rendering for web development projects
  • Database support for backend and full-stack assessments
  • Git integration for version control workflows when creating projects

Projects transform coding assessments from isolated puzzles into authentic development experiences where candidates can demonstrate the full spectrum of their technical abilities.

Why Projects matter in the age of AI

  • Richer, job-relevant signals. Projects mirror real engineering work (multi-file repos, tooling, debugging, tests) so you can assess the skills that matter on the job—not just algorithm skills.
  • Skills are shifting. As AI becomes more powerful and embedded in daily workflows, developers spend less time writing basic snippets and more time on higher-level work: reviewing code, debugging, optimizing performance, stitching together multiple AI-generated suggestions, and making sound architectural decisions.
  • Reduce cheating with real-world tasks. Project questions make copy-paste answers harder to pass. AI may help with pieces of the work, but realistic constraints (configs, tests, data, build steps) require genuine understanding to reach a complete solution.
  • (Optional) Measure AI effectiveness. When enabled, Projects let you see how candidates prompt, evaluate AI output, and integrate it responsibly—providing signal on an increasingly critical skill: coding with AI.

How to add Projects to a test

There are two ways to incorporate projects into your tests:

Method 1: From the Questions page

  1. Navigate to the Questions page
  2. Use the filter dropdown to select Project exercise as the question type
  3. Browse our curated library of ready-to-use projects
  4. Click Create test for your selected projects
Screenshot of the CoderPad questions dashboard showing filters for searching questions. The 'Type' filter dropdown is expanded, displaying options: Multiple-choice question, Free text question, Coding exercise, and Project exercise. A large red arrow points to the 'Project exercise' option

Method 2: From within a Test

  1. Open the test where you want to add a project
  2. Click the Add a question button
  3. Filter the question type to Project exercise
  4. Select from available projects
Screenshot of the CoderPad Screen test creation interface for a Full-stack (JavaScript, Node.js, React, SQL) senior assessment. The 'Questions' tab is selected. On the right, the advanced search filter is open with 'Type' set to 'Project exercise.' A large red arrow points to this filter option. Below, the question list shows project exercises such as 'Verify and host avatar,' 'Static site generator from…,' 'Text-to-speech button,' and 'wqp gpes testing,' with associated points and time durations.


How to create a custom Project

For maximum flexibility and alignment with your specific requirements, you can create completely custom Projects tailored to your organization’s tech stack and coding challenges. You can find more documentation on custom Project questions here.

How to review submissions with Projects

IDE-based review

  1. From a candidate’s detailed report, click Open in IDE for any submitted project
  2. Navigate to the source control icon to see all changes made during the assessment
  3. Review file modifications, additions, and deletions
Screenshot of Visual Studio Code showing Git source control and code changes. On the left, the Source Control panel lists two modified files under ‘Changes’: App.tsx and SpeechButton.tsx. An arrow points to these files. The center shows the SpeechButton.tsx diff view: the old code on the left has a function with a simple console.log message, now deleted. The new code on the right imports useState and useCallback from React, adds state for isReading, and expands the handleTextToSpeech function to get selected text, check if text exists, and verify browser support for speechSynthesis before proceeding.


Enhanced playback system

Projects feature an enhanced playback system that captures not just code changes, but every interaction within the IDE:

  • Complete session recording showing mouse movements, clicks, and navigation patterns
  • AI interaction logs displaying exactly how candidates prompted and used AI assistance
  • Debugging session insights showing problem-solving approaches and troubleshooting methods
Screenshot of a coding assessment environment in Visual Studio Code. The left panel shows the project explorer with files such as App.tsx, SpeechButton.tsx, and instructions.md. The center panel displays instructions.md with context and goal text explaining that a React button should use the browser’s speechSynthesis feature to read selected text aloud. The right panel shows the App.tsx file with React JSX code importing SpeechButton and rendering a header and content. A playback control bar at the bottom shows candidate’s answer recording at 1 minute 8 seconds of 20 minutes, with the play/pause controls visible

✅ View playback in full-screen mode for the most comprehensive review experience.

More resources