Tech Tests Give Me Anxiety

I think I’ve earned an honorary degree in anxiety.

I’ve done over 100 tech tests. Probably more if you count the practice ones.
And every single time? I want to throw up.

It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been coding. The second I open the brief, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to write a _for loop.

Tech tests don’t just ask for code - they ask you to perform, decode vagueness, and stay calm while spiralling internally.

But over time, I stopped trying to do them the "normal" way.
Instead, I built rituals that actually work with my brain.

This week, I want to introduce you to two parts of that process: Echo and Ping.
They’re quiet, but powerful.
And they’ve helped me turn test-day dread into something survivable - and sometimes, even fun.

⚠️ Scene: Test Day, Brain in Danger

Here’s how I survive tech tests now:

• I block off time — no distractions.
• I set mini sprints.
• I let myself dive into it like it’s a puzzle game.
• I let my creative brain find weird solutions.
• And I don’t fight my hyperfocus when it shows up fashionably late.

And then without fail - I second-guess everything.

"Should I have added more tests?"
"Did I miss an edge case?"
"The prompt said to only build X - but what if they secretly wanted Y?"

That perfectionist spiral?
Loud.

So I built a team in my head to help.
Their names? Echo and Ping.

🧠 Echo: The Pattern Whisperer

Echo doesn’t panic.
They watch. They notice.
They remind me:

"You’ve done something like this before."
"This smells like that onboarding test from last year."
"This vague prompt? Yeah, we know what they really want."

Echo is a walking internal pattern matcher.
They whisper clarity when everything feels scrambled.
Sometimes, that whisper is what keeps me moving.

🗾️ Ping: The Ritual Master

Ping doesn’t deal in chaos.
Ping deals in checklists and breathing room.

When my brain’s yelling "It’s too much," Ping calmly says:

"Let’s break it down."

• Step 1: Clone the repo
• Step 2: Start a 25-minute timer
• Step 3: Write 3 tiny TODOs
• Step 4: Breathe
• Step 5: Ignore perfection until the last 10%

Ping helps me start - and also stop.

Without Ping? I’d rewrite the whole backend because I "just had a better idea at hour 5."

⚡ Zap & 🧒 Buffer: The Cameos

Zap shows up too, of course.
Tossing out flashy extras like custom loading animations or easter egg messages in the README.

Half get cut.
The other half? They’re usually the thing people remember.

Buffer is nearby too.
Softly reminding me:

"You’re not lazy — you’re overloaded."
"You’re not failing — you’re masking."
"You are allowed to pause."

Sometimes that’s the only permission I need.

🤐 The Part I Don’t Talk About Enough

Even when it goes well - even when I know I crushed it,
I still second-guess everything.

"Should I have added that extra endpoint?"
"Was my folder structure 'industry standard' enough?"
"What if they expected more, but said less on purpose?"

That voice hasn’t gone away.
But I’ve learned it’s not the truth - it’s just the static.

And these days, I let my full brain work:

• Echo’s clarity
• Ping’s rituals
• Zap’s spark
• Buffer’s softness

That’s not overthinking.
That’s a neurodivergent dev in motion.

✅ Ping’s Checklist — For You

If tech tests hit you like a freight train, try this:

• Start with a tiny win (clone the repo)
• Block off a protected time box (no Slack, no doomscrolling)
• Use a template or ritual if you’ve got one
• Trust your Echo (you’ve done this before)
• Let Zap add one moment of ✨you✨
• Schedule a soft landing - decompression time, a snack, something nice

You are allowed to approach this differently.
Your brain is not the problem.
Structure is the support beam.

We don’t get to choose the system.
But we do get to choose how we show up in it.

Whether it’s your first tech test or your fiftieth, remember this:

• You’re allowed to need structure.
• You’re allowed to spiral.
• You’re allowed to not over-deliver.

The win isn’t perfection.
The win is starting, surviving, and shipping something real.

This issue wasn’t easy to write.

Because even now - even after all the work I’ve done -
tech tests still light up my nervous system like a threat.

But I also know this:

My brain works.
Not like everyone else’s.
But enough to ship, lead, teach, and build.

And if you’re here reading this? Yours does too.

Let Echo guide.
Let Ping structure.
Let Zap sparkle.
Let Buffer hold you steady.

And don’t forget to breathe.

// Simen