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Our notes on HackerRank

We wrote these notes when we read the HackerRank site for our SQL comparisons. For each note, you see the day of our check and a link to the page that we read.

We give the label "Product's own words" to a note that holds only what HackerRank says about its own product.

HackerRank price and plans

  • Free. HackerRank calls its certifications "free, timed assessments". Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • The SQL challenges are free. HackerRank lists AI mock interviews, mock tests and AI Tutor in its paid plans (Plus and Infinity), not practice challenges. We found no plan price as text. Checked October 16, 2026 (source)

HackerRank free use

  • HackerRank certifications are free, timed assessments. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • You need a HackerRank account to run or submit a query, and the account is free: HackerRank says "Free developer sign up". We found no Premium or paid mark on any of the 58 SQL challenges. Checked October 21, 2026 (source)

HackerRank account

  • You log in to HackerRank to download or share your certificate. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • With no account, HackerRank opens a challenge page with a sign-up box: "Please signup or login in order to view this challenge". When you close the box, you can read the task. To run or submit a query, you must sign up: HackerRank shows "Please signup or login to perform this action." Checked October 21, 2026 (source)

HackerRank query check and help

  • Each SQL certificate is a timed test. You can take a test again 30 days after your last attempt. Product's own words Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • We found no public statement on how HackerRank checks an SQL submission. With a free account, we ran the two-query test on "Revising the Select Query I". For the correct rows in a different order, HackerRank showed "Congratulations! You have passed the sample test cases." after Run Code and "You solved this challenge" after Submit Code. For one row too few, HackerRank showed "Wrong Answer :(" after Run Code and gave 0.00 points after Submit Code. When a query fails, HackerRank shows the expected output. Checked November 1, 2026 (source)

HackerRank SQL topics

  • On its SQL (Basic) page, under "Covers topics like", HackerRank shows three topics, one at a time: Simple Queries, Relationships and Aggregators. Checked October 20, 2026 (source)
  • On its SQL (Intermediate) page, under "Covers topics like", HackerRank shows three topics, one at a time: Complex Joins, Unions and Sub-Queries. Checked October 20, 2026 (source)
  • On its SQL (Advanced) page, under "Covers topics like", HackerRank shows five topics, one at a time: Query Optimization, Data Modeling, Indexing, Window Functions and Pivots in SQL. Checked October 20, 2026 (source)
  • The SQL challenges are in six subdomains: Basic Select (20), Advanced Select (5), Aggregation (17), Basic Join (8), Advanced Join (5), and Alternative Queries (3). In some free challenges, you write a GROUP BY query. We read these tasks with no account, after we closed the sign-up box on the challenge page. For example, in "Average Population of Each Continent", you find the average city population of each continent. In "Top Competitors", you find the hackers with full scores in more than one challenge. We found no subdomain for window functions. Checked October 21, 2026 (source)

HackerRank SQL engines

  • For the first challenge, "Revising the Select Query I", HackerRank lists four languages: MySQL, Oracle, MS SQL Server and DB2. You can see this list with no account. On the challenge page, DB2 is the language selected first. Checked October 21, 2026 (source)

HackerRank content and size

  • For SQL (Basic), you take a 30-minute assessment and solve 2 questions. Product's own words Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • For SQL (Intermediate), you take a 35-minute assessment and solve 2 questions. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • For SQL (Advanced), you take a 1-hour assessment and solve 2 questions. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • HackerRank says that you can download your certificate, share its iframe link on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, or add it to your LinkedIn profile. HackerRank gives each certificate its own page at hackerrank.com/certificates/<ID>. Anyone can open these pages with no account: we checked six of them on October 20, 2026, one for SQL (Basic). On each page, HackerRank shows the holder's name, the certificate with the word "Verified", and a share link. Checked October 20, 2026 (source)
  • HackerRank lists 58 SQL challenges. Checked October 21, 2026 (source)

HackerRank certificate

  • HackerRank offers the SQL (Basic) certification test on its skills verification page. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • We found no statement on expiration in the HackerRank certification FAQ. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • We found no statement about a proctor, a webcam or an ID check in the HackerRank certification FAQ. We also found none in its guide on how to earn a certification. With a free account, we opened the SQL (Basic) test up to its start button. Before the test, you tick two boxes: a declaration that you will not get help, and HackerRank's Terms of Service and Privacy policy. Up to that button, HackerRank asked for no webcam and no ID. Checked November 1, 2026 (source)
  • In its help article on certification, HackerRank lists the topics of each SQL test. SQL (Basic): "Simple queries, relationships, and aggregators." SQL (Intermediate): "Complex joins, unions, and sub-queries." SQL (Advanced): "Query optimization, data modeling, indexing, window functions, and pivots." Checked October 19, 2026 (source)
  • Before the SQL (Basic) test starts, HackerRank asks you to tick this declaration: "I agree not to copy code from any source, including colleagues, and will refrain from accessing websites or AI tools for assistance. I further agree not to copy or share any content or questions from this assessment with any other medium or forum." Checked November 1, 2026 (source)
  • On its SQL (Basic) page, under "What happens if I fail the test?", HackerRank says: "If you fail to clear the test, you can retake the test after a stipulated period of time. Your results and failed attempts will remain private and will not be shared with any company." Checked November 1, 2026 (source)
  • In its help for people who take HackerRank tests, HackerRank says this about database questions: "Scoring is based on exact string matching. Your output must match the expected result precisely." On row order, HackerRank says: "If no specific output order is mentioned, the result may appear in any sequence." HackerRank does not say there whether this applies to the certification tests. Checked November 1, 2026 (source)

HackerRank updates

  • HackerRank shows no date on its SQL challenge pages and gives search engines no change date in them. HackerRank does not list the challenges in its list of pages for search engines. HackerRank keeps a creation date and a change date for each challenge, but not on the pages. Of the 58 SQL challenges, the newest creation date is March 21, 2016. The newest change date is January 10, 2025, on "Top Competitors". Checked October 17, 2026 (source)

HackerRank strengths and limits

  • You earn the certificate in a timed test. You do not finish lessons for it, and the SQL tests are free at all three levels. Checked October 15, 2026 (source)
  • You get only 2 questions in the SQL (Basic) test. Checked October 20, 2026 (source)
  • You can filter the SQL challenges by the three levels of the free HackerRank SQL certificate tests: SQL (Basic), SQL (Intermediate), and SQL (Advanced). Checked October 16, 2026 (source)
  • HackerRank has only 58 SQL challenges, and 40 of them are Easy. Only 2 are Hard. Checked October 21, 2026 (source)

HackerRank in our SQL comparisons