đź“Ź Grading Rubric (self-grade every assignment)
Score each dimension 0–4. Pass = ≥ 20/28 with no zeros. Below that, redo the weakest part before moving on. Log it in the assignment’s “Score” line.
| Dimension | 0 | 2 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correctness | Doesn’t work | Happy path works | All acceptance criteria + edge cases |
| Tests | None | Unit tests | Unit + integration (Testcontainers) + concurrency/failure tests |
| Failure handling | Crashes/hangs | Some errors handled | Timeouts, retries, idempotency, and cancellation all proven by tests |
| Performance evidence | None | A number without context | Benchmark/load test with setup, percentiles, and a bottleneck analysis |
| Code quality | Hard to read | Reasonable | Clear boundaries, idiomatic Java/Go, patterns used deliberately |
| Documentation | None | README | README + ADR + diagram + “what I’d do next” |
| Explanation | Can’t explain | Can explain with notes | 5-minute teach-back without notes, including trade-offs |
The "explain it" gate is the most important one. Record a 5-minute voice memo explaining the assignment. Listen back. Would an interviewer be convinced?