How Candidates Can Prepare for a Digital Hackathon Assessment

Digital hackathons are very different from standard coding tests.

While a typical test checks whether you can arrive at the correct answer, a digital hackathon shows how you work—how you think, communicate, collaborate, and respond to real-world constraints.

For candidates, this can feel unfamiliar at first. The good news is that preparing for a digital hackathon doesn’t mean memorising algorithms or chasing perfection. It means approaching the assessment the way you would approach real project work.

1. Treat It Like Real Work, Not an Exam

A digital hackathon is closer to a real project than an exam paper.

Start by reading the problem statement carefully. Clarify assumptions early, identify the core requirements, and think in terms of features, users, and impact rather than just passing test cases.

Hiring teams pay close attention to how you interpret requirements and make trade-offs—not just whether everything works perfectly.

2. Communicate Actively With Your Team

Communication is a critical part of a digital hackathon.

Share your plan, ask questions when things are unclear, and keep your teammates updated on progress or blockers. Silence during a team-based hackathon is almost always a red flag.

Even simple updates like “I’m working on X” or “I’m blocked on Y” help demonstrate teamwork and accountability.

3. Keep Your Git History and Commits Clean

Your Git activity tells a story about how you work.

Aim for small, meaningful commits with clear messages that explain what changed and why. This reflects real-world engineering practices far better than a single large “final commit” at the end.

Clean commits show structure, discipline, and thoughtfulness—qualities hiring teams value highly.

4. Prioritise Clarity Over Cleverness

In a hackathon setting, readable code matters more than clever shortcuts.

Focus on:

• Clear structure
• Descriptive naming
• Simple documentation where needed

Your teammates—and reviewers—should be able to understand your code without extra explanation. Clarity often outweighs advanced tricks or overly complex solutions.

5. Show How You Handle Feedback and Constraints

Things will break. Requirements may change. Reviewers may suggest improvements.

What matters is how you respond.

Handling feedback with openness, making adjustments quickly, and staying calm under pressure are all part of the assessment. Hiring teams look closely at how candidates adapt, not just how they perform when everything goes smoothly.

What Hiring Teams Are Really Looking For

In experiential assessments, hiring teams don’t expect everything to be perfect.

They care about:

• How you approach problems
• How you collaborate with others
• How you communicate progress and blockers
• How you react to feedback and constraints

The process is designed to observe how you work along the way, not just the final outcome.

Final Thoughts

If you’re preparing for a digital hackathon, focus less on “looking perfect” and more on working the way you would in a real team.

That’s what gets noticed—and that’s what makes digital hackathons a fair and meaningful way to assess real-world readiness.