How can you solve common coding interview questions? (2024)

Solving coding interview questions begins with understanding the problem:1. Read Carefully: Thoroughly read and re-read the problem statement to grasp its requirements.2. Ask Questions: Seek clarifications if anything is unclear. Don't assume details.3. Example Cases: Work through examples manually to understand the expected outcomes.4. Plan Your Approach: Before coding, outline a logical plan or algorithm to solve the problem.5. Consider Edge Cases: Think about inputs that might cause your solution to fail.Understanding the problem is the foundation for finding an efficient solution during coding interviews.

Understand the problem: Carefully read and clarify the problem statement, noting any constraints or edge cases.Plan and strategize: Devise an efficient algorithm or approach before coding, considering data structures and potential optimizations.Code and test: Write clean, organized code, test it with sample inputs and edge cases, and optimize if necessary.

Some tips for solving coding interview questionsUnderstand the Problem: Carefully read and understand the problem statement. Plan Before Coding: Outline a high-level approach or algorithm before diving into code. This helps you structure your solution and catch potential issues early.Efficiency Matters: Strive for efficient solutions. Understand the time and space complexity of your algorithm. Test as You Go: Test your code incrementally as you write it. Modular Code: Break your solution into modular functions or methods.Know Your Data Structures and Algorithms: Be familiar with common data structures.Handle Errors Gracefully: Implement proper error handling.Practice Regularly: Consistent practice is crucial.

If you understand the requirement or a question completely then it is easy to proceed to solution. During an interview its an effective way when you share your own understanding of the given problem upfront before working on it. It gives interviewer an idea about your perception towards given problem. A good interaction and QnA helps you to break a problem in smaller pieces and you can save your time by avoiding any unnecessary path.

To solve common coding interview questions:Understand the Problem: Carefully read and clarify the problem statement.Plan Your Approach: Outline your strategy before coding.Write Clean Code: Maintain readability and use good naming conventions.Test Thoroughly: Check your solution with test cases.Optimize (if needed): Improve efficiency if possible.Discuss Your Process: Communicate your thought process with the interviewer.Handle Edge Cases: Consider corner cases in your solution.

Being consistent in learning and practicing helps.Learning from YouTube and practicing in Leetcode helps. Always try to practice a different set of problems.

Once you complete your problem understanding and start writing the code, you should always create meaningful variables and functions name. And also add comments which explains the proceeding code statements.In real world while multiple developers work on same project, this approach helps contributors and reviewers to understand your code easily. You should also focus on creating a modular function if you see and repetitive code for same outcome. A modular approach helps in easy maintenance and testing. Your code should be able to handle errors and exceptions and handling of both should be included. To maintain the performance and avoid deadlocks one should always clear or close unnecessary resources to free up the memory.

While testing your code your test cases should not be limited to given inputs or use-cases. For an effective solution you should create unit tests to validate edge cases too. This way your solution will be effective and scalable.

One approach to understanding, if the tests that you have on your code are enough, is to follow the Test Pyramidal concept from Mike Cohn in his book Succeeding in Agile, it resembles a pyramid and consists of three layers:- Unit Tests: the base of the pyramid. Since it's fast to run and focus on testing individual components and functions, it might be a significant amount of your total number of tests.- Integration Tests: Focused on testing the interaction between components and modules, testing if they are working together, it's in the middle of it.- End-to-end Tests: these evaluate the entire system as a whole, sometimes simulating real user interactions. However, they tend to be fewer in number and are generally slower to execute.

The importance of analyzing the complexity and scalability of your code can enhance your performance in the interview. By doing so, you will demonstrate your concern for scalability and infrastructure costs, showcasing your ability to think about how the system can be scaled. Additionally, considering that your code may exist in the project for an extended period, it shows your commitment to ensuring the application's long-term sustainability as it grows over time

The most important element to cracking the coding interview problems is to understand the solution after attempting to clear it. Countless times I have seen the rookie mistake of completing a practice coding problem and never revisiting the problem. Revisiting the problem after the fact will allow you to solve the problem without the pressures of timing and efficiency. A lot of people freeze when they see a question they do not instantly know how to approach, but the best first step is to write some code, regardless of how efficient it solves the problem and optimize later.

Solving Common Coding Interview Questions:- Understanding the Problem- In an interview with Google, I encountered a complex algorithm question. The key was to fully understand the problem before diving into coding. Breaking it down into smaller parts helped me approach it systematically. Pseudocode First- During an Amazon interview, I first wrote pseudocode. This approach helped me organise my thoughts and present a clear solution path, impressing the interviewers. Discussing the Approach- In a Microsoft interview, I explained my thought process aloud. This not only showed my problem-solving skills but also demonstrated my communication abilities, crucial for team collaboration.