How to perform well in Interview¶

Step 1: Clarify the problem
- Repeat it back in your own words
- Ask about inputs, outputs, edge cases, performance
- When/if to validate inputs
- Error handling
Step 2: Solution Design
- DON’T CODE YET
- Consider some example inputs
- Explain and discuss possible solutions
- If none of your approaches will work, explain why
- FOCUS ON TRADEOFFS
- DISCUSS TIME AND SPACE COMPLEXITIES
- Come to agreement w/ interviewer on solution to try before coding
- Pseudocode if needed
  - But let interviewer know real code is coming
- ASK: Do you want me to code this now?
Step 3: Code
- TALK THROUGH EVERYTHING
- Confirm you can use the data structures or libraries you want to use
- Use data structures generously
  - Existing or of your own creation
- Step through code with example input
- Abstract away logic into helper functions that you can write later
  - Later, confirm if the interviewer still wants you to write them
Step 5: Test Code
- REVIEW EVERYTHING
- Carefully analyze bugs before fixing
Step 5: Optimize
- Increase performance
- Add error handling
- Handle edge cases
  - e.g. Empty input, input of size one, input with duplicates
- Refactor into multiple functions
Step 6: Check with interviewer if you’re done