How to crush that coding interview!

Are you nervous about that technical interview? Don't worry, we got you! After years of hard work and practice, everything boils down to acing the company tests and interviews.

During the internship/placement season, First, you will be swamped with never-ending tests after applying to firms revolving around programming. These tests decide the competence of the student and make them eligible to sit for the interviews. The pattern of these tests varies from profile to profile and needs a long-term commitment to preparation.

The second and last hurdle is to go through multiple rounds of interviews after being shortlisted. The interviews test what metal the programmers are made up of. Let's learn about these rounds in detail and the topics you should be prepared with:

The Test Phase

The programming tests are designed according to the type of profile and firm. Multiple tests are conducted by a specific firm to test certain skillsets of the coding applicants. These tests are mostly based on the facets of competitive programming as well as a few more parameters that measure the candidate's problem-solving capacity and understanding of coding.

The tests are extremely beneficial for the recruiters to cherry-pick the most suited candidates from a herd and then spend resources accordingly to test the true mettle of the candidates in the interview round. Most firms resort to custom tests that help them test the unique skillsets of the candidate. In a nutshell, a company programming test could be divided into the following components that could potentially determine the ability of the candidates to perform real-world tasks of the firm in the long term.

"It is indeed very satisfying to be able to muster all the hard work put into for years and witnessing all the test cases being passed at a single go."

Based on Competitive Programming -  Every profile that constitutes programming evaluates competitive programming at a large scale. This is because competitive programming forms the sole basis of the programming world. Data structures and algorithms find the heart and soul of the programming tests.

Mostly, 2–3 innovative programming questions are tested in their increasing order of difficulty. These questions demand either coding from scratch or completion of a part of the program that could include either one or multiple concepts from data structures and algorithms. After programming is complete, test cases are run by the software to ensure that the code is robust, scalable, and efficient according to the demands of the firm.

Based on Quantitative Aptitude -  Mathematics is considered to be as important as programming. All algorithms involve the inclusion of mathematical and statistical models which makes it imperative for recruiters to test mathematics in their tests as well.

These questions test the mental ability of the students as well as their algorithm-building capability. Moreover, the logical reasoning capabilities are heightened in the form of puzzles. Mostly, analytical firms indulge in weighing quantitative aptitude at par with other components of the tests like competitive programming.

Based on Language Proficiency -  Luckily, programming does not discriminate between the various languages in which algorithms could be versed in form or the others. But certain profiles like analysts at investment banks or typical corporate banks resort to specific language tests.

Firms that involve website development highly focus on Java, whereas banks often resort to SQL for database management and extraction. Typical competitive programming questions could be solved using any language. At the end of the day, it becomes imperative to master the syntax and frameworks of a particular language depending on the requirement of the tasks.

Based on Gamified Puzzles and Case Studies -  Firms often resort to testing how a candidate might perform in the future to solve real-world problems. These are extremely unique questions that have to involve impromptu thinking. The gamified questions invoke the true problem-solving qualities of a candidate that goes on to be the deciding parameter.

Case studies are often asked to understand other parameters like analyzing a real-world past situation and understand its modalities to come up with a solution. The case study is presented in a unique way in which candidates are allowed to ask a certain set of questions to the software and then choose the best possible options using mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive concepts applied in live projects to maximize profits and bring in impact.

"The tests are just never-ending. You may just forget to eat, bath, or indulge in any normal daily routine as the entire day is stacked with company tests."

These coding tests are more of a filter and help the recruiters to understand the technical competence of the candidates to a certain extent. It becomes extremely important to ensure that these tests are vital to test the true programming skills in addition to algorithmic skillsets. More is the real-world problem-solving nature of the tests more it invokes the critical thinking ability.

Under time constraints and the variety of formats in which the questions are asked, the tests bring out the true potential of the candidates. The tests are never portrayed in exact terms pre-hand to make it fair for all candidates and have the uncanny factor for bringing out the best.

"Problem is that every company has its format of assessment which makes the entire process very random to some extent. You always have to be in En-Garde mode as you never know what might strike you in any round."

The Interview Phase

After dueling the endless rounds of programming tests, the candidates who pass these rounds of technical excellence on the software platform are eligible to be shortlisted for the grilling interviews that last for hours, which truly test the competence and personality of the candidates under pressure. The interviews for mostly all types of programming firms consist of 3–4 rounds which cover a wide range of assessment parameters. Both technical and HR rounds matter a lot for the final verdict on a candidature of an applicant. Interestingly, there is no head and tail to these interviews, and are somewhat more random as compared to the online tests for shortlisting candidates.

Technical Round

The technical rounds are extremely important and the most important stepping-stone in the entire hiring process. The interviews are such where candidates are either asked to answer theoretical questions or solve live programming questions.

Mostly all firms that hire candidates for developer roles ask technical questions based on data structures and algorithms. In addition to DSA, other roles like analyst put forward questions that involve puzzles, quantitative aptitude, and brain teasers to meet the specifics of the role.

Important topics from data structures –

1. Arrays
2. Linked Lists
3. Trees
4. Stacks and Queues
5. Hash Tables

Important topics from algorithms –

1. Searching and Sorting
2. Graphs
3. Strings
4. Greedy and Dynamic Programming

Other important miscellaneous topics –

1. Space and Time Complexities
2. Mathematical Induction
3. Quant and Statistics
4. Recursions

Financial and trading-based firms even ask for case studies that test the thinking capacity and problem-solving aptitude of the candidates to tackle real-world problems. This enables the recruiters to witness how the candidates might react in front of clients and respond to pressure situations while working on live projects with the firm.

The case studies involve some intricate questions that make sure that candidates are well versed in the industry that they are entering and the type of work that they will encounter while working in the firms. Last but not the least, candidates can also be asked to answer simple theoretical software or hardware questions based on the type of the role.

"The interviews are just extremely random. You never know what might pop up from the end of the interviewer. Surely, a tad bit of luck is required to get through those long daunting hours."

Human Resource Round 

 The human resource interview is mostly to bring out the interpersonal qualities and assess if a candidate is fit for the work culture of that particular firm.

"The HR round is rather simple for technical jobs as clearing the technical rounds itself is a big task. Being thorough with the CV is sufficient to decently pass this round."

The curriculum vitae for a tech enthusiast highly focuses on internships and projects that matter immensely for an interview shortlist along with the programming tests. Thus, it becomes imperative to have the technicalities of the projects and internships on the tips of your fingers.

Moreover, the facets of understanding the job profile, candidate's alignment to the values of the firm, firm achievements, and impact over the years since its inception. In addition to technical and company knowledge, it is mandatory to be thorough with oneself.

Basic preliminary answers to questions like introduction, strengths-weaknesses, interests in the field and company, plans, and the core competencies that set one apart from other candidates are some of the most valued points to be pondered upon.

The above-stated exhaustive pointers are sufficient to ace any technical interview along with ample preparation and dedication. All the best with your preparation 🎉

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