IBM’s Online Assessment (OA) is a bit different from other big tech companies. Its process feels more traditional and isn’t as heavily focused on intense algorithms like TikTok or Meta. For us, international students job hunting in North America, IBM’s OA is more of a comprehensive skill evaluation, not just pure coding ability. Some roles do require coding, but often you’ll also face personality tests, logical reasoning, and even business judgment questions. It’s more about “whether you fit well in the team” than simply “can you code well.”
When I applied for a tech-related position, the OA had several parts. It started with situational judgment questions — work scenarios asking how you would handle certain situations. These don’t have right or wrong answers, but aren’t easy to fake either. My advice: answer as if you were really working, avoid extreme choices, and show teamwork and problem-solving attitudes.
The coding section depends on the role. For me, it had two relatively simple to medium-level coding problems with enough time to solve them, not as rushed as TikTok’s OA. The questions were similar to LeetCode's easy to medium level, mainly basic data structures like arrays and string manipulation. They care mostly about clean, reliable code. Edge cases aren’t a huge trap here, but don’t take it lightly either.
One notable difference is that IBM’s OA platform is usually in-house developed, so the user experience isn’t as smooth or stable as Codility or HackerRank. Sometimes code submission lags, so it’s smart to save your work frequently and avoid waiting until the last minute to submit.
After finishing the OA, it can take one or two weeks to hear back. IBM’s process is slower, but once you get to the interviews, the atmosphere is pretty relaxed. Interviewers are more conversational and less stressful.
Overall, if you’re new to coding or don’t have a super strong background, IBM can be a good choice. The OA is friendly and the bar isn’t extreme, but you still need to take it seriously. Besides coding practice, it’s important to prepare for some soft skill questions to feel more confident.
Release time:2025-05-26
