Snap the screen for coding and written questions

When the question is on your screen instead of spoken, the screen is the question. A coding problem, a written test, a job description or an email all work.

1. Snap

   Press ⌘/CtrlH or click Snap. HintCall captures the screen under your mouse pointer (useful with two monitors) and adds it to the snap tray. Nothing is sent yet.

2. Snap again for long questions

   A problem that scrolls? Snap each part. Several snaps before one Answer count as one question.

3. Answer

   Press ⌘/CtrlEnter. The new snaps are sent together. HintCall shows Reading the screen and working it out; it takes a few seconds, and up to 20 for a hard problem.

4. Next question

   Snap and answer again. Only new snaps are sent; ones already answered are not sent twice.

Click to enlarge

Snapped by mistake? ⌘/CtrlL removes the most recent snap and ⌘/CtrlR empties the tray. If a snap shows no question (a desktop or a file window), HintCall says No question found on this screen; snap the window that shows the question.

Snap the problem and press Answer for a full solution with an explanation. Listening keeps running while you work, so a spoken follow-up such as "why a hash map?" or "can you make it faster?" builds on the code shown.

Code asked for out loud ("write a function that...") comes back as fast as any spoken answer; only snaps take a few seconds. Set your Preferred coding language in Call prep; it is used only when the screen shows no language.

Multiple choice, code output, aptitude and chart questions need no special mode. Snap and answer. Calculation and code-output answers show a few lines of working and end with the answer in bold; multiple-choice answers give the option first, then one line of why.

HintCall works with browser-based assessments such as HackerRank, CodeSignal, Codility and CoderPad.

Under every screen answer and every answer with code, three buttons appear. Their keys work only while the buttons show.

HintCall is not for proctored exams that make you install software, such as lockdown browsers and proctoring apps. Those can block or flag overlay apps, and HintCall warns you when it sees one running. Always follow the rules of the test or company you are interviewing with.