2 min lesson
The 2-day on-site project (the decision round)
Work through the cases in "The 2-day on-site project (the decision round)", pairing each signal with the move that fits.
Step 1 of 2
This is the round that decides. Shortlisted candidates spend roughly two days at the office building something real alongside the team, sharing meals and presenting at the end. It exists to filter out people "just viewing it as a job" from people who genuinely want to build this.
You're not being graded on a finished masterpiece. You're being graded on how you work: how you scope ambiguity, the questions you ask, how you ship increments and how clearly you communicate the tradeoffs you made along the way. Solo heroics that ignore the people around you are a failure mode here, not a flex.
Interactive diagram. Tab through its regions; each focused region shows its detail in the panel below.
It grades how you work, not what you finish - these are the signals, roughly by weight.
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Full explanation
The 2-day on-site project (the decision round)
- 1Arrive rested. Two days of building plus social time is taxing; treat sleep and pacing as part of prep.
- 2Ramp fast on the codebase. Spend the first stretch reading structure and conventions before you write much, then match the house style.
- 3Pick a demoable slice. Choose the smallest thing that proves the idea, ship it and expand from a working core.
- 4Show your work. Talk through decisions as you go and pull teammates in; they're evaluating collaboration, not isolation.
- 5Land the presentation. Close with what you built, the tradeoffs you made and what you'd do next - clearly and honestly.