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  3. Does it really gauge one's ability to code ?

Does it really gauge one's ability to code ?

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  • R realJSOP

    This is basic programming stuff. They want to see if you can do the math. Do you know what the answer is?

    ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
    -----
    You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
    -----
    When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

    L Offline
    L Offline
    Lost User
    wrote on last edited by
    #16

    John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

    Do you know what the answer is?

    Yes. How did that code pass our code-review?

    Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

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    • V virang_21

      I did an IKM assessment for C# and some of the questions are so odd it makes one wonder does it really gauge one's ability to code ? You are given a program and 5 outputs and you have to choose right one. One of the question was what is the value of x after running this code ?

          int x=0x0000FFFF;
      	x=x>>4;
      	x=x<<4;
      	x=x|0x0000000F;
      	x=x^0x55555555;
      

      Where in real world application am I going to use this ? I scored 76 out of 100. Last time I took .NET 4.5 test I scored 88. How does it help someone understand my ability to write code for actual application ?

      Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

      R Offline
      R Offline
      Rage
      wrote on last edited by
      #17

      Specifically: Well, you get to look at it with a bit of perspective : Rshift followed by Lshift of the same amount simply introduces as much zeroes as in the the shift on the right of your initial number. This means the first three operations neutralize in this case. So you simply XOR the last four 5 with F, which gives A (A5 pattern is commonly used to test memory, since both are made up of alternating 0 and 1's, that are swapped when XORed with F, so result of F-XORed A5 is always 5A). More generally: This is testing your logic, and how you can use your brain to solve something. You will probably never use it if you do not do low level, but sometimes it helps to solve complex situations to have a analytic mind.

      Do not escape reality : improve reality !

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      • V virang_21

        I did an IKM assessment for C# and some of the questions are so odd it makes one wonder does it really gauge one's ability to code ? You are given a program and 5 outputs and you have to choose right one. One of the question was what is the value of x after running this code ?

            int x=0x0000FFFF;
        	x=x>>4;
        	x=x<<4;
        	x=x|0x0000000F;
        	x=x^0x55555555;
        

        Where in real world application am I going to use this ? I scored 76 out of 100. Last time I took .NET 4.5 test I scored 88. How does it help someone understand my ability to write code for actual application ?

        Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

        L Offline
        L Offline
        Lost User
        wrote on last edited by
        #18

        virang_21 wrote:

        Where in real world application am I going to use this ?

        Your question, young Padawan, tells me that close to the hardware you programmed have not yet. Look at a processor's instruction set you must and such logical instructions find you will. Learn to use them and address calculations and bit masking you fear must not. :-)

        The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
        This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
        "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

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        • R realJSOP

          This is basic programming stuff. They want to see if you can do the math. Do you know what the answer is?

          ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
          -----
          You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
          -----
          When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #19

          John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

          This is basic programming stuff.

          Only for those who have a notion what the processor actually does.

          The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
          This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
          "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

          R 1 Reply Last reply
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          • L Lost User

            John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

            This is basic programming stuff.

            Only for those who have a notion what the processor actually does.

            The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
            This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
            "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

            R Offline
            R Offline
            realJSOP
            wrote on last edited by
            #20

            Which is basic knowledge for us old guys. I haven't personally seen any (production) .Net code that uses shift left/right, but its use was somewhat frequent in some unmanaged C++ code I've been involved with.

            ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
            -----
            You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
            -----
            When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

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            • R realJSOP

              Which is basic knowledge for us old guys. I haven't personally seen any (production) .Net code that uses shift left/right, but its use was somewhat frequent in some unmanaged C++ code I've been involved with.

              ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
              -----
              You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
              -----
              When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #21

              Just read and convert the input from some binary file format and then press it into .Net structs/object. As soon as you leave the beaten path of serializing/deserializing from and to XML, you will have to do a good share of bit twisting.

              The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
              This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
              "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

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              • S Slacker007

                Knowing how to code C# syntactically, doesn't mean shit in the real world, in and of itself. I am more interested that my fellow engineers know how to solve complex problems, and you can't really take a fucking test for that, now can you. I am strongly against organized testing, as I have seen it prove nothing really, time and time again. We have fired more Engineers from our shop because they could not design, let alone implement, basic problem solving solutions, versus their ability to do basic C# fundamental tasks (you can learn this shit, duh). I don't think you can learn problem solving, I think you are born with that - true problem solving. In summary, syntax and code fundamentals you can learn (if they are not retarded), but problem solving is hereditary. I am more interested in one's ability to problem solve, then the proper way to concatenate a bloody string

                S Offline
                S Offline
                S Houghtelin
                wrote on last edited by
                #22

                Slacker007 wrote:

                I am strongly against organized testing

                Says the person who identifies themselves as a slacker. ;)

                It was broke, so I fixed it.

                S 1 Reply Last reply
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                • S S Houghtelin

                  Slacker007 wrote:

                  I am strongly against organized testing

                  Says the person who identifies themselves as a slacker. ;)

                  It was broke, so I fixed it.

                  S Offline
                  S Offline
                  Slacker007
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #23

                  This misnomer is by design, because I am anything but a slacker, thus, the reason I chose this to be my online name. I also like James Bond films, and I am not bad-ass enough to be a super spy, so I threw in the "007" for good measure.

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                  • S Slacker007

                    This misnomer is by design, because I am anything but a slacker, thus, the reason I chose this to be my online name. I also like James Bond films, and I am not bad-ass enough to be a super spy, so I threw in the "007" for good measure.

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    S Houghtelin
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #24

                    No insult intended, just found the irony between the statement and your online ID was humorous. :thumbsup:

                    It was broke, so I fixed it.

                    S 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • V virang_21

                      I did an IKM assessment for C# and some of the questions are so odd it makes one wonder does it really gauge one's ability to code ? You are given a program and 5 outputs and you have to choose right one. One of the question was what is the value of x after running this code ?

                          int x=0x0000FFFF;
                      	x=x>>4;
                      	x=x<<4;
                      	x=x|0x0000000F;
                      	x=x^0x55555555;
                      

                      Where in real world application am I going to use this ? I scored 76 out of 100. Last time I took .NET 4.5 test I scored 88. How does it help someone understand my ability to write code for actual application ?

                      Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

                      M Offline
                      M Offline
                      Marc Clifton
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #25

                      We seem to enjoy reducing our individuality down to an abstract number that we can then use to simultaneously stroke our ego and feel inferior in a pointless comparison with other abstract numbers. And of course, the bean counters love their pigeon holes in which to categorize us to determine our salaries, title, benefits, and work. Marc

                      V.A.P.O.R.ware - Visual Assisted Programming / Organizational Representation Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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                      • R realJSOP

                        Which is basic knowledge for us old guys. I haven't personally seen any (production) .Net code that uses shift left/right, but its use was somewhat frequent in some unmanaged C++ code I've been involved with.

                        ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                        -----
                        You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                        -----
                        When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                        F Offline
                        F Offline
                        Foothill
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #26

                        I had to use bit shifts when I built an email processor to manually decode Base64 to regular binary. The non-programmers gave me puzzled looks when I described it as bit-twiddeling.

                        if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016

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                        • S S Houghtelin

                          No insult intended, just found the irony between the statement and your online ID was humorous. :thumbsup:

                          It was broke, so I fixed it.

                          S Offline
                          S Offline
                          Slacker007
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #27

                          S Houghtelin wrote:

                          No insult intended

                          Did not take it as such. :thumbsup: :) Cheers.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • M Marc Clifton

                            We seem to enjoy reducing our individuality down to an abstract number that we can then use to simultaneously stroke our ego and feel inferior in a pointless comparison with other abstract numbers. And of course, the bean counters love their pigeon holes in which to categorize us to determine our salaries, title, benefits, and work. Marc

                            V.A.P.O.R.ware - Visual Assisted Programming / Organizational Representation Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

                            V Offline
                            V Offline
                            virang_21
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #28

                            With this level of English and deep meaning you can easily write a novel or two. :thumbsup:

                            Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • V virang_21

                              I did an IKM assessment for C# and some of the questions are so odd it makes one wonder does it really gauge one's ability to code ? You are given a program and 5 outputs and you have to choose right one. One of the question was what is the value of x after running this code ?

                                  int x=0x0000FFFF;
                              	x=x>>4;
                              	x=x<<4;
                              	x=x|0x0000000F;
                              	x=x^0x55555555;
                              

                              Where in real world application am I going to use this ? I scored 76 out of 100. Last time I took .NET 4.5 test I scored 88. How does it help someone understand my ability to write code for actual application ?

                              Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

                              K Offline
                              K Offline
                              Kirill Illenseer
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #29

                              That's one of those question that make it clear that the recruiter (or whoever is interested in your score) has no idea what to ask so he makes up artificial challenges. It doesn't matter at all if you can clearly predict the outcome of code that wouldn't pass a code review.

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                              • K KarstenK

                                Somebody who is good in bit-shifting isnt long-term qualified for the stupidity and annoyance C# and XAML. :~

                                Press F1 for help or google it. Greetings from Germany

                                A Offline
                                A Offline
                                Andrew Leeder
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #30

                                Don't see what XAML has to do with it. I write C# to interface with hardware, do a lot of bit manipulation, and I've never used XAML in my life.

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • R realJSOP

                                  This is basic programming stuff. They want to see if you can do the math. Do you know what the answer is?

                                  ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                  -----
                                  You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                  -----
                                  When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                                  A Offline
                                  A Offline
                                  AndrewDavie
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #31

                                  I'd have to rack my brain to do this. Not that I don't know how, it's just been over 10 years since I last had to do bit shifting. No doubt someone fresh from college would do it off the top of their head because it's only been 6 months for them and would give them an advantage in test conditions.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • R realJSOP

                                    Which is basic knowledge for us old guys. I haven't personally seen any (production) .Net code that uses shift left/right, but its use was somewhat frequent in some unmanaged C++ code I've been involved with.

                                    ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                    -----
                                    You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                    -----
                                    When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                                    D Offline
                                    D Offline
                                    dgriffith57
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #32

                                    I've seen lots of bitshifting in c#. Very common in image processing.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • V virang_21

                                      I did an IKM assessment for C# and some of the questions are so odd it makes one wonder does it really gauge one's ability to code ? You are given a program and 5 outputs and you have to choose right one. One of the question was what is the value of x after running this code ?

                                          int x=0x0000FFFF;
                                      	x=x>>4;
                                      	x=x<<4;
                                      	x=x|0x0000000F;
                                      	x=x^0x55555555;
                                      

                                      Where in real world application am I going to use this ? I scored 76 out of 100. Last time I took .NET 4.5 test I scored 88. How does it help someone understand my ability to write code for actual application ?

                                      Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

                                      S Offline
                                      S Offline
                                      SeattleC
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #33

                                      This question tests your ability to use the bit-manipulation operators. You would use such code when writing comms protocols or device drivers, and lots of other places. If you haven't seen code that does a lot of bit manipulation, maybe your experience, and thus your mastery of C#, isn't as great as you thought it was.

                                      S 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • V virang_21

                                        I did an IKM assessment for C# and some of the questions are so odd it makes one wonder does it really gauge one's ability to code ? You are given a program and 5 outputs and you have to choose right one. One of the question was what is the value of x after running this code ?

                                            int x=0x0000FFFF;
                                        	x=x>>4;
                                        	x=x<<4;
                                        	x=x|0x0000000F;
                                        	x=x^0x55555555;
                                        

                                        Where in real world application am I going to use this ? I scored 76 out of 100. Last time I took .NET 4.5 test I scored 88. How does it help someone understand my ability to write code for actual application ?

                                        Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf * Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.

                                        J Offline
                                        J Offline
                                        JackPeacock
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #34

                                        If you are writing a general ledger then no, it's not that relevant other than demonstrating a basic knowledge of boolean algebra and numerical anaysis (i.e. truncation and how it affects accuracy). If the job was embedded, especially bare iron, it's a core competency and if you missed it you better go back to selling shoes on a website. Any time you interface to a foreign app or device it's quite likely you'll come across situations like that. Even if it's C#, when you build that production line tester that interfaces to scales, spectrometers and time of flight sensors you'll have to know boolean operations. And if you don't understand boolean operations, how do you build SQL queries or LINQ statements?????

                                        S 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • L Lost User

                                          John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                          Do you know what the answer is?

                                          Yes. How did that code pass our code-review?

                                          Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

                                          S Offline
                                          S Offline
                                          Stefan_Lang
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #35

                                          Indeed. Lines 2-4 are obsolete. How inefficient! ;P

                                          GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)

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