LiveCode
Project-based mock interviews. One link, one session, four phases — all on the same real codebase.
Background
A conversation about their history and a project they have owned. No editor on screen — it would invite them to start reading code instead of talking.
Codebase exploration
They open a web app they have never seen and explain how it works. Most engineering time is spent reading code, and this is the part that tests it directly.
Feature design
They design a new API feature for that same codebase, out loud. No whiteboard — the interest is in the tradeoffs they name and the ones they miss.
Code review
They review a pull request against the codebase they just read. Finding a bug is one thing; knowing which of five problems is the blocker is the thing.
The candidate gets a working editor in under thirty seconds — no install, no signup. The pull request is a real one on GitHub, reviewed in the tool they already use. There is no automated grading: feedback is a person writing prose.