Coding tests: 25% extra time is where the conversation starts

One test vendor puts the starting point for dyslexic candidates at 25% extra time, and says some candidates need more (Test Partnership, updated July 2026). On a 60-minute coding test, that is 75 minutes. Most candidates never ask, because the invitation reads like a fixed rule.

A timed test can reward fast reading as well as good code. Four common beliefs keep dyslexic candidates quiet, and each one looks different once you check it against the sources.

Belief one: extra time gives you an edge

The test exists to measure how you solve problems. The stopwatch also measures how quickly you read a problem statement, hold it in mind and check your output against it.

Test Partnership argues that extra time "mirrors reality", because most jobs don't ask you to read text against a clock (Test Partnership, July 2026). That is a vendor's reasoning and it cites no study, so weigh it as an argument.

The US regulator reads the law the same way. The EEOC says an employer may have to give tests "in a format or manner that does not require use of your impaired skill". Its own example is a 30-minute timed test that "may pose a problem for a person whose learning disability requires additional time" (EEOC, Job Applicants and the ADA, issued October 2003).

That guidance is old, and the EEOC states that it does not have the force of law. It still shows how the agency reads the ADA, and you can quote it in an email.

If the test is meant to screen for coding skill, extra time keeps it doing that job, and you can say so in one sentence.

Belief two: you must disclose a diagnosis first

UK: The Equality Act 2010 covers job applicants, including the assessment and selection stage (Real Employment Law Advice, June 2026). The duty to make reasonable adjustments applies when the employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that you are disabled (Equality Act 2010, Schedule 8, paragraph 20). You don't have to disclose on the application form, but an employer who hasn't been told what you need can't be expected to guess it.

US: The EEOC says to tell the employer as soon as you realise you need an accommodation, so there is time to arrange something like adjusted test time. The employer may ask for reasonable documentation when the disability or the need isn't obvious (EEOC, October 2003). An assessment report can serve as that documentation.

In both countries the useful move is the same. Tell them what the task does to you and what change you want. You can leave out your life story.

Ask on the day the invitation arrives, and keep your assessment report where you can find it in case they ask for proof.

Belief three: they pick the number and that's final

The EEOC says that where more than one accommodation would work, the employer may choose between them. If the employer's offer doesn't meet your needs, the guidance tells you to explain why (EEOC, October 2003). In the UK, adjustments are assessed one person at a time, and the employer weighs what is practical and reasonably affordable (Real Employment Law Advice, June 2026).

So a first offer is an opening position. Test Partnership suggests 25% as a reasonable start and says candidates with a formal diagnosis may need more (July 2026). Neither the Equality Act nor the ADA sets a percentage, so your number has to come from your own evidence.

Good evidence is your assessment report, or the time you actually needed on a past timed test. If 25% wouldn't be enough, say why in one sentence and name the figure you think would work.

Time isn't the only lever. The EEOC says employers may have to supply tests in alternative formats, so ask whether the problem statement can be read by your text-to-speech tool or sent as a file. Ask too whether you can use your usual editor settings, such as a readable font and your own colour theme.

Treat the first answer as a draft, and reply with a number and a reason.

Belief four: a right means they can't refuse

This is the one belief with some truth in it. The EEOC says an employer doesn't have to change a test when the job itself requires the skill the test measures. Its example is a proofreading job, where an employer need not offer an oral version of a reading test to an applicant with dyslexia (EEOC, October 2003).

Apply that logic to a coding test and the question becomes: is speed part of this particular role? For live incident response with minute-by-minute deadlines, an employer may have a case. For a role where you ship features over weeks, 15 extra minutes on a platform setting looks like a small, low-cost request.

That second point is my reading of the sources, and a tribunal or court would decide it on the facts. If the employer says speed is a core duty, ask what the real deadlines are and how often they happen.

Ask what the stopwatch is testing. A vague answer helps your case, and a specific one tells you what you are walking into.

If the answer is no, or the test is already done

Write down what you asked for, when, and what they said. Dated copies matter more than anyone remembers later. If they refuse, ask for the reason in writing and ask whether you can sit a different assessment or re-sit this one with the change in place.

UK: Tribunal claims over acts from 1 October 2026 generally have six months to start, up from three (Lewis Silkin, 24 September 2026). ACAS early conciliation comes first.

US: an EEOC charge generally has to be filed within 180 days, or 300 days where a state or local agency also covers the claim (EEOC, Time Limits for Filing a Charge, page read October 2026). The deadlines, the bodies and the remedies are separate in each country.

Most requests never reach that stage. A plain email, sent early, tends to settle it. If you want to think through who needs to know what, the disclosure decision guide walks the choices, and the disclosure guide tool helps you plan the wording.

Keep every message. If the request fails, the dated record is your evidence.

The call: send this the day the invite lands

Email the recruiter or the named contact before you open the test link. Check whether the clock starts when you open the link, because that changes when you need the answer. Name the task, the effect and the change, and give a reply date.

Edit the numbers to fit your test and your evidence. If you get the job, the Access to Work calculator shows what UK support could be worth for the tools you will use day to day, and the article archive has the tribunal cases behind the UK points above.

Send it today, even if the test is a week away. Early notice is the one thing both countries' guidance asks of you.