Live coding interviews fail for boring reasons: the wrong Zoom link, a broken local JDK, or a pad the candidate has never seen. This checklist gives you a free, repeatable setup that fits in one browser tab.
Day before — interviewer checklist
- Create a room from /coding-interview-online
- Paste the prompt + starter tests
- Decide language options in advance
- Email the candidate the link + a practice suggestion (DSA Lab)
- Write a 5-bullet rubric (correctness, clarity, testing, trade-offs, collaboration)
Day of — session flow
- Join 3 minutes early; start video
- Confirm audio, then restate the problem
- Invite them to think aloud and run code often
- Leave 10 minutes for extensions or system discussion
- Switch the snippet to view-only for async panel review
Candidate tips to include in the invite
- Chrome or Firefox, stable network
- No install required
- They may run code and use print debugging
- Optional warm-up: /practice
Fairness guardrails
Avoid obscure language trivia unless the role demands it. Prefer problems aligned with the job. If you use AI assist features, disclose whether they are allowed — silent policy mismatches create inequity.
Go deeper
Platform overview: /coding-interview-platform. Free CoderPad-style economics: free CoderPad alternative. Pairing-focused sessions: /pair-programming-tool.