So You Got a Non-Capstone Pass (and Why That’s OK)
All that hard work! All that studying! All that preparation! Feels like you blew it, eh? Getting a Non-Capstone Pass on a Launch School assessment can feel like a setback. I know because I’ve just been there. Let me share my experience and explain why it’s not as bad as it might seem.
My Journey
I’m a part-time student with a business, a family, and other obligations to balance, so my progress ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶s̶ is incredibly slow. After 3 months in PY110 and PY119, I found myself growing increasingly impatient. Despite inconsistent results in problem-solving exercises with PEDAC, I developed a perhaps overly optimistic level of confidence — most of the time (most, as in over half), I was getting to a solution well within my target time frame of 20 minutes. The rest of the time … well, those are just flukes! Probably. Right? Let’s schedule this bad boy!
However, as my interview date approached, my confidence began to waver. Why wasn’t I getting more consistent results? What if the problems given during the interview turned out be like the ones that were still giving me trouble (the “flukes”)?
Then came another challenge: I got sick. It was just a minor cold, but looking back, it probably affected both my cognitive abilities and emotional state more than I realized at the time. When my interviewer offered me a chance to reschedule at the last minute, I declined, ignoring the part of my brain that was screaming “Yes! Reschedule! Today is not the day!” in favor of the part that was saying “Relax, bud, it can’t be that hard. You nailed the last interview and got a 100 on the written assessment. Let’s. Get. On. With. It!”
The Emotional Impact
If you’re feeling like you failed right now, I get it. Giving a bad performance feels terrible. I knew by 10 minutes into my interview that I was in trouble, and it never got better. The whole thing was a struggle and I spent most of the day feeling down about my performance, even before receiving my grade (I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got the grade, because I had assumed I would fail, despite having eventually solved both interview problems).
It’s a natural reaction, but it’s important to understand that this outcome isn’t a failure (“pass” is right there in the name)— it’s feedback. Feedback is good.
Learning From the Experience
This assessment provided valuable insights, particularly about where my PEDAC process needs improvement. You may have uncovered entirely different issues from mine, but I’ll share mine in case it might prove helpful to you.
My most obvious problem seems to be not fully completing the algorithm in pseudocode and plain speech before jumping into code. I developed the habit of writing out a step or two in English/pseudocode and then immediately thinking “ … and here’s how I would write that in Python”, and then writing that code down. Then what would often happen is I’d continue writing code instead of returning to my high level overview. Don’t do that.
Get Tom Hodges’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
While it felt like I was saving time and getting a jump on implementation, this actually just led me down dead ends as often as not. If it turned out I missed a logical step in the algorithm, or maybe later realized a different way of structuring the code would be beneficial, all the Python in my algorithm turned out to be wasted time at best. At worst, I had narrowed the field of options so prematurely as to actually inhibit my ability to form a better mental model that would help me solve the problem. I would even get tangled up trying to remember syntax and implementation details when I was still just supposed to be outlining a solution at a high level. This happened to me during the interview and it was both embarrassing and disheartening. Learn from my mistakes.
Keep Calm and Carry On
I lost points not just due to technical issues, but also because I lost my cool during the interview. To be clear, I didn’t pitch a fit or start crying or anything wild. I did do a lot of hemming and hawing, frowning, sighing, touching my forehead, and other body language that I’m sure clearly communicated my internal state. When I was over 30 minutes in and still totally lost on the first problem, I said out loud “I’m feeling pretty discouraged right now.” That was my only direct verbal expression of frustration, but again, my body language was likely shouting loud and clear that I was kind of freaking out inside. Thankfully, my interviewer was awesome and encouraged me to press on. So I did.
Still, a big part of the feedback I got was about this discouragement, and it had an impact on my grade. The takeaway I got from this is to keep composure, even if you don’t internally feel like it. It’s obviously better if you can actually be calm and composed — but failing that, you need a good poker face. Even if you have technical problems, this will secure you a better non-technical score.
The Path Forward
Interestingly, the impatience I acted on, which might seem entirely negative, actually had an unexpected benefit: instead of letting fear of a “Not Yet” hold me back, I pushed forward and got concrete feedback. This means I can now course-correct instead of continuing to practice with flawed methods. Whatever circumstances brought you to this point, you too can now move forward in a more informed, better prepared manner.
That said, if you intend to participate in Capstone, you will have to retake the assessment for which you scored a Non-Capstone Pass. But when is the right time to do that?
Launch School’s advice is clear: don’t rush to retake the assessment. Instead, keep working and return to it later with more experience and deeper understanding. This makes sense, but it doesn’t mean we should ignore the areas where we lost points.
In my case, this means focusing on more disciplined PEDAC practice. I’ve identified several ways to work on this:
- Revisiting Launch School’s small problems exercises
- Working on other appropriate-level algorithmic problems such as Codewars kata
- Leading SPOT sessions focused on 119 interview preparation (the best way to really learn anything is to teach it)
For now, the key is to maintain forward momentum in the curriculum while spacing out review and repetition of the skills that will be tested when you retake the assessment. This balanced approach allows for both progress and improvement in areas that need work.
Remember, a Non-Capstone Pass isn’t a failure — it’s feedback. Use it as a tool to identify where you need to focus your efforts, and keep moving forward. The path to mastery isn’t linear, but every step, including the challenging or painful ones, brings valuable lessons.
What lessons did you learn from getting your own Non-Capstone Pass or Not Yet? What areas can you commit to working on to ensure your success in the future?
