Perl Coding Tests

Hiring a Perl expert? You’ll need to verify that candidates’ skills align with their resumes to ensure they’re proficient in task automation, text processing, and system management. 

With TestGorilla’s 12 universal coding tests, you can evaluate candidates’ abilities across 20 languages, including Perl. These insights help you make data-driven hiring decisions, saving time and money by cutting cost-to-hire and improving the quality of hires. 

Perl coding tests

What is a Perl skills test?

Perl is a flexible, open-source programming language ideal for various uses, including automating small tasks, text manipulation, and system administration. Developed in the 1980s, it continues to be popular today due to its comprehensive features and efficient design. 

When hiring a Perl expert, you need to make sure they know what they’re doing – in the wrong hands, it can be a messy language. It’s easy enough for candidates to mention the ability to use Perl on their resume, but how can you really understand the depth and breadth of their skills?

A Perl online test lets you put candidates through their paces, assessing their coding, debugging, and troubleshooting proficiency in the Perl language. This includes managing scalers, arrays, and hashes, using regex modifiers, and writing Perl scripts for system tasks. 

Why use Perl skills tests?

  • Assess candidates’ technical skills using real-world coding scenarios, including basic and intermediate programming challenges and debugging exercises. 

  • Get deep, reliable insights into candidates’ skills – including accuracy, methodology, and completion time – to help you make informed hiring decisions. 

  • Allow candidates to complete the test using Perl or another programming language. This allows them to perform at their best and demonstrate their problem-solving skills without being held back by syntax. 

  • Reduce the risk of unconscious bias affecting the recruitment process using a standardized assessment to compare programmers’ hard and soft skills. 

  • Improve hiring accuracy – 90% of employers who take a skills-based approach to recruitment report reduced mis-hires.

What roles can you hire for with a Perl coding test?

Mid-level developer

As Perl is an older language, many legacy systems in sectors like finance and health rely on it. Depending on their specific role, developers typically need to be proficient in text and data processing, database interaction, and writing object-oriented code. This helps them maintain legacy code, automate tasks like backups, and extract data from large files. Developers may also need to be familiar with other programming languages, like Python or Java.

Systems administrator

System administrators use Perl to automate server tasks, such as setting up configurations, tracking system performance, and running backups. This requires them to have a good knowledge of skills like interfacing with system commands and working with CPAN modules. System administrators often also need a solid working knowledge of operating systems like Linux and security tools like SNMP monitoring.

Cybersecurity engineer

Cybersecurity expert roles often demand knowledge of Perl to write scripts to monitor security logs for potential intrusion, analyze code in malicious scripts, and check for misconfigurations. They should be comfortable writing Perl scripts to monitor networks, handle system data, and detect anomalies. Cybersecurity engineers usually also need to be familiar with log management programs like Splunk and forensic tools such as Autopsy.

Bioinformatics specialist

Given its text-processing capabilities, Perl is commonly used by bioinformatics specialists, like those working with DNA sequences. These specialists use Perl to manage and analyze large datasets, requiring a high-level understanding of BioPerl – Perl’s modules for bioinformatics applications. They should also be familiar with the relevant biological databases and other programming languages with bioinformatic modules, like Python.

12 programming skills tested in Perl and 19 other coding languages

Evaluate 12 essential programming skills with coding challenges and simulated tasks. Let candidates solve problems using Perl or any of 19 additional programming languages based on their expertise and experience.

Coding: Data Structures - Stacks and Queues

This intermediate-level coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in manipulating stacks and queues. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Debugging

This intermediate-level coding challenge focuses on candidates’ ability to interpret and debug code, based on a set of requirements, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available.
35 min

Coding: Entry-Level Algorithms

This coding test assesses candidates' ability to program a basic algorithm, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates to choose from.
15 min

Coding: Intermediate-Level Algorithms

This coding test assesses candidates' intermediate-level programming skills, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates to choose from.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures - Heaps

This intermediate-level coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in working with heaps, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures - Graphs

This intermediate-level coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in graph data structures. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures - Binary Search Trees

This intermediate-level coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in working with binary search trees, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures – Binary Trees

This intermediate-level, language-agnostic coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in manipulating binary trees, enabling candidates to choose their preferred programming language. Employers can configure supported languages as needed.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures – Linked Lists

This intermediate-level coding test evaluates candidates' ability to manipulate linked lists, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures - Arrays

This intermediate-level coding test evaluates candidates' ability to manipulate arrays, crucial for code optimization, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures – Strings

This intermediate-level coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in manipulating strings. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Coding: Data Structures - Hash Tables

This intermediate-level coding challenge assesses candidates' proficiency in working with hash tables, in the programming language of their choice. You can configure which programming languages will be available for your candidates.
35 min

Built-in features to support your Perl assessment

Want to maximize your chances of hiring the best Perl developer for the role? We recommend multi-measure testing.

By pairing your coding test with other relevant tests that evaluate your candidates' soft skills, cognitive abilities, knowledge, and preferences you can ensure you shortlist talent that's ready to contribute from day one.

Pair coding tests with other tests

See what it looks like in action

All tasks and scenarios are solved in this integrated development environment (IDE). Once the candidate assesses the problem, they can choose Perl as their preferred language from the drop-down menu and solve the question.

Get started with your Perl coding test

Ready to start testing for Perl skills? Screen developers in three easy steps.

1. Create your assessment

Choose an existing universal coding test or create your own custom challenge. Select from up to 20 languages to include in your test including Perl, Python, and C.

2. Invite candidates your way

Connect with candidates by sending email invites directly from TestGorilla, straight from your ATS, or by sharing a direct link.

Illustration representing employees liking skills-based hiring

3. Analyze and shortlist top coders

Evaluate candidates’ Perl and coding skills, plus soft skills. Use our dashboard and reports to identify top performers.

Perl coding tests FAQ