Started with a remote pair programming exercise, yes that's right a REMOTE pair programming exercise! Which went horribly wrong because my pair started to read out the so-called requirements so fast that I had to ask him to repeat a few times! The exercise itself was very simple, I initially thought it was a trick exercise and panicked slightly, but it was nothing than simple string conversations and for loops etc. Very simple and that's what was so pathetic about it. The PAIR wasn't pairing at all, he was more like assessing me based on an exercise that I didn't understand his way of reading the requirements. At the end, I wrote three functions, they worked, the unit tests passed. However whilst writing the third unit test, I paused for a few second, then he ended the session saying it's time to proceed to the second part of the interview.
In the second part, the manager did not engage in asking many questions as I presume they had already made their decision from the first part, which seemed to be kind of a timing test, or requirements comprehension assessment maybe? Whatever you name it but a pair programming exercise!
I genuinely believe they made an unfair decision. The nature of the exercise was wrong. If the pair programming can be done remotely, then the requirements document should have been shared directly, rather than a serious face reading it out! The negative feelings I had after this interview has been so intense and unforgettable amongst the 10 other interviews I had in a week. Luckily they all provided a coding challenge instead of this stupid pair programming that was based on sharing desktop and all technical difficulties I had with it.... Shame on you Aquila, your feedback was so disheartening!!