Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now industry mentor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of software engineers to help them land their dream jobs in tech. Check out my review of CheckiO.
- What does CheckiO do?
- Who is CheckiO for?
- What does CheckiO cost?
- Ratings and reviews of CheckiO
- Alternatives to CheckiO
- How does CheckiO compare to Pathrise?
What does CheckiO do?
A free resource, CheckiO is a software engineering interview prep tool. They have coding games for beginners and advanced programmers. Users can complete exercises in Python and JavaScript that cover a variety of topics, including strings, loops, classes, objects, exceptions, and problem solving. Upon successfully completing an exercise, users earn points, unlock new games, and advance levels. In addition, they can consult the comments section to see how other users solved the problem.
Similarly, users can ask questions on the discussion forum if they need help. There is an active international community of programmers that provide responses. Moreover, they are able to publish solutions on the forum so that others can provide feedback on their particular approach.
CheckiO also offers a blog with tips for programming, debugging, and more. Plus, people who are looking for additional practice questions can upload challenges from GitHub, Dropbox, and HubSpot as well.
Who is CheckiO for?
Software engineers looking to brush up on their skills or practice for their technical interviews can benefit from CheckiO. However, users should have a good grasp of Python or JavaScript syntax before starting the program.
What does CheckiO cost? How much work is involved?
CheckiO is free. To create an account, users register with their Facebook, Google, GitHub, Twitter, LinkedIn, or email accounts.
Ratings and reviews
Some online reviewers praised CheckiO for the quality of its challenges. But, other people say that they were disappointed by the user experience.
According to one Quora user, CheckiO provides some of the “best possible explanations via comments under given solutions” and is a good alternative to CodeSignal. Similarly, a Reddit reviewer said that CheckiO was a “well referenced” resource with “some great challenges”. In fact, they recommended the program to people who have completed the Python track on Codecademy.
One reviewer on GitHub praised CheckiO for its “thriving international community” and “fun coding challenges.” But, he said he was disappointed by the “long load times,” “tangled navigation,” and outdated UI. Similarly, one Reddit reviewer said, “I’ve been using CheckiO but have been dissatisfied. It’s been pretty buggy and the ease of navigation is quite against what you’d expect.”
On another Reddit thread, one user noted that the “coding inference is not good” but said that the “puzzles are much better.” A Slant reviewer explained that people need to learn the basics before using the platform. They said, “CheckiO does not teach syntax, instead it teaches how to solve problems using a particular programming language therefore some basic programming knowledge is required to start.”
Alternatives to CheckiO
If you decide not to use CheckiO, there are a number of alternatives to help you prepare for your technical interviews.
- A good alternative to CheckiO is AlgoExpert, which is a platform where software engineers can practice questions that cover a variety of interview topics.
- Created by a former Google software engineer, Interview Cake is a study tool that teaches people the best way to think about technical interview questions so that they perform well on interview day. Discover how Interview Cake can help you by reading our review.
- Similarly, Codebasil features questions written by software engineers at top tech companies like Facebook, Apple, and Amazon.
- Like CheckiO, CodinGame, Codewars, and CodeSignal turn interview practice problems into challenges in order to gamify the interview prep experience.
- One of the most popular options, Leetcode has over 1,050 interview-type questions. Moreover, with a premium subscription, you receive access to problems based on actual company questions.
- Likewise, another interview prep alternative is Coderbyte, which hosts an online editor and offers tens of thousands of user solutions. Learn more about Coderbyte in our review.
- Other options, CodeChef, Quastor, Skilled.dev, and Edabit provide free online communities and platforms to practice software engineering technical questions.
More alternatives
- Companies often use HackerRank to evaluate software engineers. Plus, they offer practice questions on their platform, which closely resembles the environment that people will likely be tested in.
- If you are looking to participate in mock interviews with software engineers at top tech companies, you should check out Interviewing.io. Learn more about Interviewing.io in our review.
- Similarly, Gainlo, Pramp, and Tech Mock Interview offer mock interviews for software engineers looking to practice their skills.
- For people looking to prepare with real world problems, CodeKata provides challenges that mimic requests from real tech companies.
- Finally, software engineers who want to advance their Ruby on Rails skills can check out RubyTapas.
How does CheckiO compare to Pathrise?
CheckiO is a tool for software engineers who are looking to prepare for technical interviews. While they offer solutions in the comments, platform users do not interact with professionals. In fact, there are no experts to ask questions or support users.
Pathrise is a full service organization that helps people land their dream job in tech. We work extensively with software engineers by providing technical workshops, 1-on-1 mentoring sessions, and pair programming sessions. In addition, we offer guidance on other components of the job search. Mentors help with resume and portfolio optimization, LinkedIn optimization, behavioral interview preparation, reverse recruiting strategies, salary negotiation, and more.
Furthering your technical skills is an important step in landing a job as a software engineer. Therefore, Pathrise fellows can use CheckiO, alongside our technical workshops, to deepen their programming knowledge.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our tips and guidance, we’ve seen our fellows interview scores double.
If you are interested in working 1-on-1 with any of our mentors to optimize your job search, become a Pathrise fellow.
Apply today.
