# Testing RoR skills

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 20, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257 "2009-11-20T16:02:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/roxana)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257/1 "2009-11-20T16:02:25Z")

</div>

Hello,

I’m a recruiter and one of my clients is looking for a RoR developer. My  
testing platform doesn’t have any tests in accordance with this  
technology.  
Please suggest me a source where I can purchase such a test.  
Thank you in advance.

Kind regards,

Roxana Spînu

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/roxana)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257/2 "2009-11-20T18:54:07Z")

</div>

Spînu Roxana wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I’m a recruiter and one of my clients is looking for a RoR developer. My  
> testing platform doesn’t have any tests in accordance with this  
> technology.  
> Please suggest me a source where I can purchase such a test.  
> Thank you in advance.

Tests of this sort are generally very bad tools for finding developers,  
and I don’t know of any prepackaged ones for Rails (not that I’ve looked  
very hard). The Rails community as a whole tends to be more concerned  
with actual skills than with certifications.

What your client should do is draw up a coding test designed to measure  
coding skills related to _what they actually do_. And give the client a  
technical interview.

Tests won’t cut it. Consider yourself fortunate that you won’t be using  
them. 🙂

> Kind regards,
> 
> Roxana Spînu

## Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser  
[http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org)  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/roxana)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257/3 "2009-11-22T01:37:02Z")

</div>

Marnen Laibow-Koser wrote:

> Tests of this sort are generally very bad tools for finding developers,  
> and I don’t know of any prepackaged ones for Rails (not that I’ve looked  
> very hard). The Rails community as a whole tends to be more concerned  
> with actual skills than with certifications.

Totally agree! Papers say what you were thought, actual skills is how  
you use what you are thought!

> What your client should do is draw up a coding test designed to measure  
> coding skills related to _what they actually do_. And give the client a  
> technical interview.

Agree here too 🙂

I usually put together a miniature app/project for people to do when I  
need someone in on a project, and then review if they do have the skills  
of figuring out stuff. (figuring out stuff today is both being good at  
coding, but also being effective at googling to learn…)

A 1-2 day project should be good enough, as people usually use 1-2 days  
on a job application anyhow.

cheers,  
Leif

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/roxana)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257/4 "2009-11-22T16:56:18Z")

</div>

Leif Ringstad wrote:  
[…]

> I usually put together a miniature app/project for people to do when I  
> need someone in on a project, and then review if they do have the skills  
> of figuring out stuff. (figuring out stuff today is both being good at  
> coding, but also being effective at googling to learn…)

That’s a very good idea. The only trouble is that it could get  
expensive for the client if there are a lot of candidates to evaluate.

> A 1-2 day project should be good enough, as people usually use 1-2 days  
> on a job application anyhow.

What universe do you live in? 🙂 2 days on a job application? Who does  
that?

> cheers,  
> Leif

## Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser  
[http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org)  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/roxana)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257/5 "2009-11-25T09:02:41Z")

</div>

Hello again,

Thank you all for your answers. I will keep in mind your advices.

Have a great day!

Roxana Spînu

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@roxana](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/roxana)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 8:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-ror-skills/179257/6 "2009-11-25T08:06:27Z")

</div>

if it’s a paid job application then yah. i’d spend two days on it.  
haha.