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Interview Checklist

Your pre-interview preparation checklist.

Before the Interview

Technical Prep

  • Review data structures
  • Arrays and strings
  • Linked lists
  • Stacks and queues
  • Hash tables
  • Trees (BST, trie)
  • Graphs

  • Heaps

  • Review algorithms

  • Binary search
  • Sorting (merge, quick)
  • BFS/DFS
  • Dynamic programming

  • Recursion/backtracking

  • Practice coding patterns

  • Two pointers
  • Sliding window
  • Fast & slow pointers
  • Merge intervals
  • Tree traversals

Problem Solving

  • Solve 50+ Easy problems
  • Solve 30+ Medium problems
  • Solve 10+ Hard problems
  • Practice explaining solutions out loud
  • Time yourself (30-45 min per problem)

During the Interview

Step-by-Step Approach

  1. Understand (5 min)
  2. Read the problem carefully
  3. Ask clarifying questions
  4. Confirm input/output format

  5. Discuss edge cases

  6. Plan (5-10 min)

  7. Talk through your approach
  8. Consider brute force first
  9. Optimize from there

  10. State time/space complexity

  11. Code (15-20 min)

  12. Write clean, readable code
  13. Use meaningful variable names
  14. Handle edge cases

  15. Add comments if needed

  16. Test (5 min)

  17. Walk through with example
  18. Check edge cases
  19. Fix any bugs
  20. Optimize if time allows

Communication Tips

  • Think out loud
  • Ask for hints if stuck
  • Acknowledge improvements
  • Stay positive

Common Questions

Arrays/Strings

  • Two Sum
  • Maximum Subarray
  • Valid Anagram
  • Group Anagrams
  • Longest Substring Without Repeating

Linked Lists

  • Reverse Linked List
  • Merge Two Sorted Lists
  • Detect Cycle
  • Remove Nth Node
  • Reorder List

Trees

  • Maximum Depth
  • Validate BST
  • Level Order Traversal
  • Lowest Common Ancestor
  • Serialize/Deserialize

Graphs

  • Number of Islands
  • Clone Graph
  • Course Schedule
  • Word Ladder
  • Pacific Atlantic

Dynamic Programming

  • Climbing Stairs
  • Coin Change
  • Longest Increasing Subsequence
  • Word Break
  • Decode Ways

Questions to Ask Interviewer

  • "What does a typical day look like?"
  • "What's the team structure?"
  • "How is code reviewed?"
  • "What technologies do you use?"
  • "What are the biggest challenges?"

Day of Interview

  • Get good sleep
  • Eat beforehand
  • Test your setup (remote)
  • Have water nearby
  • Take notes
  • Stay calm

After Interview

  • Send thank you email
  • Note questions you struggled with
  • Practice those areas
  • Prepare for next round

Resources