How to Pass the Fullstack Academy Admissions Assessment

Ready to launch your career as a software engineer? If you’ve started to research which coding bootcamps you’re interested in and what programming language you want to learn, it’s time to prepare for the admissions process.

At Fullstack Academy, we divide the admissions process for our Software Engineering Immersive into three steps: your application, your admissions assessment, and your interview.

When we evaluate whether or not Fullstack will help you reach your career goals, we take a look at your programming knowledge, your motivation to learn, and how you collaborate on a team.

If you need a bit more practice on the programming side, we recommend signing up for our free, 15-hour Intro to Coding course, where you’ll master the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you want to sharpen your skills even further, opt for our 40-hour Bootcamp Prep course, where we set you up to succeed in a top-tier coding bootcamp.

If you feel like you’re ready to apply for our Software Engineering Immersive (or maybe you’ve already filled out an application!), you’re in the right place.

After you fill out an application, you’ll be invited to take the admissions assessment. To set you up for success, we invited Kaitlyn Martinez, Fullstack Web Development Fellowship Alum, former Grace Hopper Fellow, and current Software Engineer at Square, to walk you through the 30-minute test.

Getting Started

Once you receive the email with a link inviting you to take your admissions assessment, it’s time to prepare for the test. If you can’t find your link, Kaitlyn recommends reaching out to your student advisor.

“The link will take you to our online assessment platform,” Kaitlyn says. “You can see that there’s a list of 12 multiple-choice questions and you’ll need to answer them in JavaScript.”

Once you start the test, make sure to avoid leaving the testing environment, including clicking into another window or closing the tab you’re working in, or it will alert our system and you’ll have to request a new link to start over.

Our Top Tips

1. Set yourself up for success.

Kaitlyn’s first tip is the most important: “Before you start, make sure to have a comfortable, distraction-free setup,” Kaitlyn says.

This means turning your phone on Do Not Disturb, finding a quiet place to work, and taking some deep breaths. We recommend having water and a snack on hand too.

2. Try to write an answer to each question.

Kaitlyn’s second tip is to make sure to complete each question. “Just like the SATs, don’t leave any question blank,” she says.

Remember: We’re trying to gauge your programming skill level—getting the answer “wrong” won’t hurt your score; it will merely help us get you the resources you need to launch your tech career.

3. If you’re not sure what the answer is, explain how you’d approach solving it.

Kaitlyn’s final tip is to explain your thought process when you’re not sure how to solve the problem. We’re looking more at your logical reasoning skills than we’re looking for the correct answer.

“If you’re stuck and you don’t know how to solve [the question], please make sure to answer as best as you can—even in pseudocode,” she says. “If it’s completely in human language, that’s fine. There is somebody at the other end of the screen looking at these answers.”

Now that you have our top tips, try a few coding challenges on Codewars (once you’re able to get to 6kyu, you’re ready for Fullstack!) or explore these additional free JavaScript learning resources.

Now that you’ve learned the ins and outs of the Fullstack Academy admissions assessment, find out how to land a job at Google.