This article shares the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the most common questions candidates have about Karat. Look for your question and if you are still having doubts, reach out to Karat support.
The Basics
What is Karat?
Karat is a company that specializes in talent assessment for high-bar engineering organizations. Our clients partner with us to make their technical interviews and overall hiring process more engaging, convenient, and fair for candidates like you.
Who interviews me?
Karat will pair you with a seasoned engineer from our network of professional Interview Engineers. Every Karat Interview Engineer goes through a rigorous technical screening process in addition to 20+ hours of 1:1 coaching. Many of them are former or current developers at Google, Microsoft, and other elite engineering organizations, and they're all passionate about the craft of interviewing.
How does the interview work?
Karat interviews are 45-60 minutes long. You'll be speaking with a professional engineer and experienced Interview Engineer using video call. You may be asked about past work or about specific technical topics relevant to the position. You may also be asked to design, write, debug and/or review code using Karat Studio, our interactive coding environment.
What happens after the interview?
Once your interview is complete, Karat sends a detailed analysis of your performance, including a video recording and code playback, to (Company Applied to). They will decide whether to move you forward in the hiring process. Expect to hear from your recruiter within a few business days.
What is shared with (Company Applied to)?
The entire video call, including video and audio, your code, and a full playback, is recorded and shared with (Company Applied to). The Interview Engineer also writes and shares a structured report.
What if I need a particular accommodation?
Our support team is more than happy to help you out. Just send us a message with your request to support@karat.io and we'll get back to you ASAP.
What should I expect from my Karat interview?
For tips and recommendations on preparing for your interview, refer to our Karat Technical Interviewing 101.
Scheduling
How do I reschedule my interview for another time?
You can reschedule your interview anytime before your original interview or up to five days after. You may reschedule a total of two times across all interviews, including Redo interviews. Please try to reschedule or cancel at least 24 hours before your scheduled time.
Audio/Video
What equipment do I need to participate in the interview?
Your interview will be conducted using a video call and our interactive coding environment, Karat Studio. For a smooth interview and easy communication with your Interview Engineer, we recommend a good internet connection, a quiet location, a microphone, headphones, and a webcam. You'll have the best experience on Chrome or Firefox. We support Safari, although occasional audio or video issues may occur.
Can I use an iPad/tablet for the interview?
We don't currently support tablet devices for our interviews, since you need to be able to write code and keep the video call open at the same time.
Do I need to set up my own development environment?
Nope, we're able to run everything we need through your web browser.
What happens if there are audio, video, connectivity problems and we have to end the interview early?
Our support team monitors every interview for quality control, so in the event that your interview ends early we'll reach out to you right away to set up a make-up interview. If technical issues interrupt your interview, our support team will contact you to reschedule. If you haven’t heard from us, please email support@karat.io for assistance.
How fast should my internet connection be for the video call?
Though it's possible to conduct the interview with slower internet speeds, we recommend connections of at least 15 Mbps. You can check your connection on our AV Test page.
Coding
What are the interview questions about?
At least half of your interview will be spent coding using our interactive coding environment, Karat Studio. In addition, you may be asked about past work or about specific technical topics relevant to the position.
Will the Interview Engineer help me if I get stuck?
Yes, your Interview Engineer will answer clarifying questions and provide gradually increasing guidance if you're stuck for too long. All our Interview Engineers are well-versed in the art of asking and explaining questions clearly, and they'll give you time to work things out on your own too.
Does my code have to compile without errors in order to pass?
Not necessarily, but it definitely helps. For coding problems that involve solving multiple questions, you will not be able to move on to the next question until you have a completely working solution to the current question.
Am I allowed to use Google, StackOverflow, etc. during the interview?
You are allowed to look up documentation during the coding portion of the interview, just as you would on the job. Let your Interview Engineer know when you are looking something up.
Can I use ChatGPT or other generative AI tools during a Karat interview?
We think of ChatGPT the same way we think of Google or StackOverflow. If you want to look up documentation during the coding portion of an interview, just let your Interviewer Engineer know, and feel free to use ChatGPT. However, using ChatGPT to generate an approach or solution is not allowed. If it becomes normalized for developers to use AI generation during their day-to-day work, we'll definitely update our stance, but right now, most companies expect developers to be able to perform coding tasks without the use of AI.
Do I need to know Big-O?
Your Interview Engineer will ask you to assess the runtime complexity and space complexity of your programming solutions. You can analyze these complexities either when selecting an algorithm or after writing your code.
How important is the optimality of my solution?
In general we are testing more for your coding ability than your algorithmic ability. While we do look at the optimality of your solution, it's secondary to whether you were able to completely solve the problem.
Data structures and algorithm questions cater more towards recent grads. What about more senior engineers?
You won't be asked to solve problems requiring esoteric knowledge, but you will be asked to utilize basic algorithms and data structures in order to demonstrate programming abilities necessary for success at (Company Applied to).
What languages do you support?
We support a wide range of programming languages, including commonly used ones. Use the coding environment to view the full list and choose a language you're comfortable with. We encourage you to choose a language that you are comfortable with, and that allows you to make the best use of limited interviewing time. To view a full listing of supported languages, open up your coding environment.
Wait, I applied for a DevOps role. Will I be expected to code?
Yes. Karat worked with (Company Applied to) to create this interview, which includes assessing development skills necessary for success in their DevOps role. DevOps means different things to different companies, so you may want to review (Company Applied to)'s job description and clarify with your recruiter what their expectations are if you are concerned.
Miscellaneous
When will I know my results?
(Company Applied to) will reach out to you within a few business days once they've reviewed your Karat results. If you have any questions about next steps, please reach out to your recruiter at (Company Applied to) directly, as they will have the most up-to-date insight into the decision-making process.
Couldn't find your answer? Our candidate support team is more than happy to help with any questions you may have about your interview. Just send a message to support@karat.io.