BPS TECH Research: Inside the Minds of Developers – How They View Technical Knowledge Tests
In a recent survey conducted by our IT recruitment agency BPS TECH on the Serbian tech scene, we wanted to understand better the motivation and attitudes of candidates when knowledge tests are included in the selection process, in addition to interviews with the HR department or relevant Tech Lead.
Through our years of daily conversations with candidates, we realized that this step in recruitment is often crucial in their decision-making about further participation in the process, so we wanted to verify the actual statistics and to what extent tests are a hated category, and what percentage of candidates find them very useful and important for their personal development. Also, for the purpose of a better comparison, at the end of the text, we have presented a brief report of global trends gathered in a conversation we had with the company DevSkiller.
What do we mean by knowledge tests and what did we measure?
Knowledge tests mean any testing aimed at assessing the candidate’s technical knowledge in the process of assessing the ability to work in a specific position.
Our research was focused on candidates’ attitude towards knowledge tests, as well as on the reasons why respondents form that attitude, and secondary factors that can influence whether the respondent wants or dooesn’t want to take the test.
The majority of respondents are IT professionals with several years of experience in the industry
The survey involved IT professionals of different seniority levels, while the results show that the majority of respondents (45.5%) are Seniors – IT professionals with several years of experience. After them, we received the most responses from Mediors (39.88%), while those with the least experience – Juniors, account for the smallest number of responses (14.7%).
The attitude towards the use of tests in the recruitment process is mostly negative

According to the research results, the majority of respondents (44%) have a mostly negative attitude towards testing, while the percentage of those who have a completely positive attitude is only 4%. However, there are IT professionals whose opinion on the topic is neutral, accounting for 13% of the total number of responses.
The reasons range from lack of time to the fact that the tests do not measure the true skills of the candidate needed for the job

When asked what reasons influence their negative attitude, by far the largest percentage of answers (59%) belonged to the fact that the tests often do not measure the right knowledge and experience needed to work in the position for which the candidate applied. Answers such as too much time consumption, or the lack of meaning of the tests because the tasks are repeated in the continuation of the interview with the technical person, also make up a significant percentage of the answers. In addition to the most prominent answers shown in the table, in our research there were also candidates who stated that the time given to perform the test is often too short, but also that companies often do not understand the private obligations of candidates and expect the same commitment to the test as to their primary job, which is unfeasible in most cases.
The attitude can also be positive – thanks to the tests, IT experts can test their technical knowledge

Comparing the total percentage – 44% of negative attitude against 3% of those whose attitude is positive when it comes to testing, the difference is evident. However, when it comes to those IT professionals whose attitude is positive, the response statistics are as follows:
- Ability to assess current technical knowledge (32%)
- Tests measure knowledge in a more objective way than technical interviews (25%)
- Candidates have the freedom to manage the time they will allocate for the execution of the test (22%)
- They feel more comfortable expressing their knowledge in writing form (21%)
Company’s reputation and employee experience have the biggest influence on the candidates’ decision to enter the process that contains the knowledge test
