$55–65/hr · Mercor · Hourly, 40 hours a week
A developer with VS Code on macOS captures and documents how the editor performs in targeted usage scenarios.
What you would do
- Launch VS Code and reproduce specific testing workflows on your own macOS machine
- Capture high-resolution screenshots showing editor state, terminal behavior, and extension interactions
- Observe and document functional performance, including any glitches, delays, or unexpected behavior
- Provide detailed, structured reports on what you observed in each test scenario
Who they want
- Direct access to Visual Studio Code on your personal macOS machine, pre-installed and ready to use today
- Mac with high-resolution display capable of 2.5+ megapixel screenshots (MacBook Pro 14-inch or better, or dual 1920x1080+ external monitors)
- Comfortable operating the editor across its subsystems: explorer, debugging, terminal, and extensions
- Ability to follow testing procedures precisely and report findings clearly
What the interview asks about
1.Editor setup and launching
Testing begins with the ability to get the tool running; this question verifies you can start from your actual machine state.
For example: “Walk through launching VS Code right now on your Mac and taking a screenshot that shows the full interface at 2560x1440 resolution or higher.”
2.Multi-pane workspace management
VS Code supports split editors and sidebars; this tests whether you can set up and navigate complex layouts without confusion.
For example: “Open two files in side-by-side splits and open the integrated terminal below them; describe what you see and capture how the layout responds to your actions.”
3.Terminal integration observation
The integrated terminal is a key feature; this checks whether you can notice and articulate terminal-specific behaviors or problems.
For example: “Open the VS Code terminal, run a command that produces colored output, and describe what you observe about how colors and text formatting render in that pane.”
4.macOS-specific rendering
macOS rendering behavior differs from Windows or Linux; this question probes your familiarity with native Mac UI conventions.
For example: “What differences have you noticed between how VS Code displays text and menus on your Mac compared to what you might see on a Windows system, if you have experience with both?”
5.Screenshot quality validation
The work depends on high-resolution captures; this verifies you understand the technical constraints and can achieve them.
For example: “Your testing setup requires capturing at 2.5+ megapixels; confirm your current monitor setup meets this, and describe how you would verify pixel resolution before submitting screenshots.”
A task you may get
Open VS Code on your Mac, navigate to a code file, open the terminal, and capture a single screenshot showing all three elements in view at 2560x1440 resolution or higher.
How to prepare
- Verify your Mac display or external monitor supports the minimum 2.5-megapixel resolution; check Settings > System Preferences > Displays for current resolution.
- Launch VS Code and confirm it opens without errors; familiarize yourself with the main UI areas: explorer, editor, terminal, and debug view.
- Test your screenshot tool (built-in Mac screenshot or third-party app) to ensure it captures at the required pixel density.
- Open a code file in a language you know (Python, JavaScript, etc.) and perform a few basic operations: split panes, type, open terminal.
The facts
- Pay
- $55–65/hr
- Hours
- Hourly, 40 hours a week
- Where
- Remote
- Field
- Software Engineering
- Posted
- 9/13/2026
- Places left
- 10
We wrote this page from the public Mercor listing. It may be out of date, so read the full posting before you apply.