What constitutes a trade secret in a technical interview?

A trade secret in this context is any proprietary coding challenge, system design prompt, or evaluation rubric that provides the company with a competitive advantage or is not generally known to the public.

Can I be sued for sharing interview questions?

Yes. If you signed an NDA, disclosing proprietary interview materials can lead to breach of contract lawsuits, claims for damages, and potential injunctive relief to stop further disclosure.

A TermScore is an AI-generated risk rating from 0 to 100 that evaluates the fairness and risk level of any legal document. A score of 86-100 means the contract is highly favorable, while 0-30 indicates dangerous terms you should walk away from.

What types of documents can TermScore analyze?

TermScore analyzes any legal document including freelance contracts, employment agreements, residential leases, NDAs, brand sponsorship deals, SaaS vendor agreements, and rental applications. Upload PDFs, Word documents, or images.

How much does TermScore cost?

TermScore offers a free plan with 3 scores per month. The Team plan is $15/month for 30 scores, and the Professional plan is $50/month for 500 scores with team collaboration features.

Is my document data secure?

Yes. Documents are processed in memory and analysis results are stored encrypted. TermScore never shares your document data with third parties and you can delete your data at any time from your dashboard.

Does a standard employment NDA prohibit me from sharing technical interview challenges from my previous role?

Q: Does a standard employment NDA prohibit me from sharing technical interview challenges?

Yes, if the challenge is considered proprietary intellectual property or confidential business information. Most NDAs broadly define confidential information to include internal processes, testing materials, and trade secrets, which often encompasses custom-developed technical interview challenges.

Does a standard employment NDA prohibit me from sharing technical interview challenges?

Yes. Most standard employment NDAs define "Confidential Information" broadly enough to include proprietary internal processes, including technical interview challenges, rubrics, and evaluation criteria. If these materials are not publicly available, sharing them constitutes a breach of your contractual obligations, exposing you to potential legal liability.

Understanding the Scope of Your NDA

An NDA is a legally binding contract designed to protect a company's competitive advantage. When you signed your employment agreement, you likely agreed to protect "Confidential Information," which is rarely limited to just source code or customer lists.

What Usually Counts as Confidential

Proprietary Evaluation Rubrics: The specific criteria used to grade candidates.
Custom Coding Challenges: Unique problems developed in-house to test specific technical skills.
System Design Prompts: Internal architectural scenarios used to assess senior engineering candidates.
Interview Feedback Data: Notes or internal discussions regarding candidate performance.

Key takeaway: If the company invested time and money to develop a unique testing process, they consider it a trade secret. Assume it is protected unless it is explicitly marked as public domain.

Action Item: Review the "Definitions" section of your NDA. Look for catch-all phrases like "any information of a proprietary nature" or "internal business processes." If these phrases exist, your interview materials are almost certainly covered.

The Legal Risks of Disclosure

Sharing interview challenges on platforms like Glassdoor, GitHub, or private Discord servers is a common practice, but it carries significant risk. Companies treat their hiring pipeline as a core business asset.

Risk Factor	Potential Consequence
Breach of Contract	Lawsuit for damages or injunctive relief.
Reputational Damage	Blacklisting within your professional industry.
Termination of Benefits	Forfeiture of unvested equity or severance packages.
Legal Fees	Significant personal cost to defend against a breach claim.

Jurisdictional Nuances

While NDAs are generally enforceable, some jurisdictions have specific limitations. For example, in California, Business and Professions Code Section 16600 limits the enforceability of certain restrictive covenants. However, this rarely applies to the protection of trade secrets or proprietary information like interview challenges.

Action Item: If you are unsure about the enforceability of your specific agreement, consult with an employment attorney in your state to determine if your NDA contains overbroad language that might be voidable.

How to Identify Protected Materials

Not every interview question is a trade secret. To determine if you are at risk, apply the following "Proprietary Test":

Is it generic? If the question is a standard LeetCode "Two Sum" problem, it is likely public knowledge and not confidential.
Is it custom? If the company provided a specific codebase, a unique API, or a proprietary scenario, it is likely protected.
Is it marked? Look for "Confidential" or "Internal Use Only" headers on any documents provided during the interview process.
Is it documented? If the company required you to sign a separate non-disclosure agreement specifically for the interview process, the material is strictly protected.

Key takeaway: If you had to sign a separate NDA just to participate in the interview, the company is signaling that the materials are highly sensitive. Do not share them under any circumstances.

Action Item: Before posting any interview-related content online, perform a quick search to see if the challenge exists on public coding platforms. If it appears nowhere else, treat it as confidential.

Mitigating Your Risk

If you have already shared information, or if you are concerned about a future role, you must be proactive. Avoid "dumping" interview questions in public forums. If you want to help others, focus on discussing the types of skills required (e.g., "focus on dynamic programming and system design") rather than the specific questions asked.

Action Item: Audit your past online contributions. If you find posts that might violate your NDA, remove them immediately to minimize potential damages.

TermScore provides an automated, AI-powered analysis of your employment agreements to identify restrictive clauses and potential liabilities. By uploading your contract, you can instantly see if your NDA contains language that restricts your ability to discuss your professional experiences, ensuring you remain compliant while protecting your career interests.