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Developer Interview Scorecard: How to Use It
Score every developer candidate on the same ten areas, so you compare evidence instead of impressions and hire with confidence.
What you need
The scorecard (developer-interview-scorecard.csv) opened in Google Sheets or Excel. Make one copy per candidate. The weighted scores and totals calculate on their own.
How it works
The scorecard lists ten areas. Each has a weight and a score:
| Column | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Weight (1-3) | 3 for a must-have, 2 for important, 1 for nice to have. The defaults suit most product teams. Change them before the first interview, then keep them the same for every candidate. |
| Score (1-5) | Your rating for this candidate, using the anchors below. |
| Weighted score | Weight times score. Calculated for you. |
| Evidence and notes | What the candidate said, wrote, or built that earned the score. One line is enough. |
At the bottom you get the total, the maximum possible, the score out of 100, and a flag if any must-have area scored below 3.
What 1, 3, and 5 mean
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Strong evidence. They did it in the exercise or explained it with a real example from their own work. |
| 3 | Solid. Right answer, but general, or it needed a prompt from you. |
| 1 | No evidence, or the answer was wrong. |
Use 2 and 4 for answers in between. Score right after each interview, before you talk to anyone else about the candidate.
The ten areas
1. Practical exercise: working code
Give a small, paid exercise in your stack that takes two to four hours. It should run, meet the brief, and handle errors. This is the single best predictor of the work you will get.
2. Code quality and readability
Read the exercise as if you had to maintain it. Look for clear names, small functions, and no dead or copied code.
3. Depth in your stack
Ask why they chose an approach, not only how it works. A strong React, Laravel, or Python developer explains the trade-offs of their framework.
4. Testing habits
Did they write tests without being asked? Ask what they would test next and why.
5. Debugging
Share a short bug or a failing test. Watch how they narrow it down and whether they check the fix.
6. Data modeling and APIs
Describe a feature and ask for the tables or endpoints behind it. Look for sensible names, keys, and validation.
7. Git and code review
Review their pull request: commit history, description, and how they respond to your comments.
8. Written English
Ask for a short written summary of the exercise and their trade-offs. Remote teams run on written updates, so weight this as a must-have.
9. Spoken English and communication
Ask them to explain a technical decision to someone who does not code.
10. Ownership and async habits
Ask how they handle being blocked while you are offline. Strong answers mention flagging early, documenting, and moving to the next task.
Sample questions for any developer
- Walk me through the last feature you shipped. What would you do differently?
- Tell me about a production bug you fixed. How did you find the cause?
- How do you write a pull request description for a reviewer in another time zone?
- What do you do when a ticket is unclear and the person who wrote it is offline?
- Which tests would you add to the exercise you just submitted?
Role-specific questions are on each role page, such as the React developer and Python developer pages.
Making the decision
- Compare candidates on the total and on the must-have areas, not on how the conversation felt.
- Any must-have area below 3 deserves a second look, even with a high total.
- Write one sentence on why you decided. It keeps the decision honest and helps the next hire.
Want the full process? Read how to vet an offshore developer.
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