The coding interview process at MAANG companies has become both a dream and a nightmare for many aspiring engineers. Before writing this post, I had numerous discussions with friends working at such companies. In this guide, I will cover preparation, LeetCode, optimal solutions, overcoming struggles, and other essential strategies to succeed.
Don't just read this post—act on it! If you don’t, this could be you in the interview 👇🏻
Coding Rounds
During this stage, your skills beyond algorithms will be tested. Interviewers assess multiple competencies, including:
- Technical Competence: Writing clean, efficient, and maintainable code.
- Problem-Solving: Breaking down complex problems into manageable parts and finding optimal solutions.
- Ability to Work Under Pressure: Handling time constraints and high-pressure scenarios.
- Communication Skills: Clearly articulating thoughts, explaining reasoning, and responding effectively to feedback.
- High Standards: The best performers across these categories receive job offers because top tech firms seek only the best candidates.
Your Recruiter is Your Best Friend
It might sound exaggerated, but from my personal experience, your recruiter is there to help you succeed. They’re not your enemy; they want you to pass all interview stages, land the job, and enjoy free meals at your dream company.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Recruiters can provide preparation resources and even connect you with people in the role you're applying for. Always be proactive in seeking guidance.
The Actual Coding Round
Feeling nervous? Butterflies in your stomach? Brain stuck on HashMap? Congrats, it's just the beginning.
You will typically have 45 minutes to solve problems. Sometimes, the interviewer will start with an easy question to warm you up. However, you must efficiently manage time, ask clarifying questions, propose solutions, and write code within the given timeframe.
Example Problem:
Read a file and calculate the frequency of each word in it.
Sounds simple, right? But panic can take over, leading to random thoughts:
DP, HashMap, Linked List, RAM, Directed Graph, MOM, WHY AM I SO DUMB?!
Instead of spiraling, stay calm and prepare yourself properly.
Confirm Your Understanding
Interviewers won’t just throw you into a problem without some ambiguity. It’s your job to ask clarifying questions:
- “What format is the input file? JSON or CSV?” Assumptions don’t help—get confirmation.
- “How large is the file? Can it fit into memory?” Handling a 30GB file line-by-line requires different logic than reading a small file at once.
- “Are there Unicode characters?” A seemingly minor detail that can cause major issues if overlooked.
- “What’s the expected output format?” Are you returning a dictionary, writing to a file, or outputting JSON?
Writing down input constraints during the discussion helps avoid mistakes later.
Check Input Bounds
Understanding input and output boundaries is crucial. If you're working with an integer array, ask:
- Is the array sorted?
- Can it contain negative numbers?
- Can it be empty?
- Are values signed or unsigned integers?
These questions demonstrate analytical thinking and prevent unnecessary errors.
Think Out Loud
Verbalizing your thought process is essential. It might feel awkward, but interviewers want insight into your approach. If you go silent and start writing code immediately, they have no idea what you're thinking.
Discuss Potential Limitations
Every solution has trade-offs. If you're using generators to handle large files efficiently, mention that they don’t allow backtracking. Showing awareness of such limitations highlights your depth of understanding.
Start Coding
Once you’ve optimized your solution and received the go-ahead from your interviewer, start coding.
- Expect a text editor, not an IDE—no syntax highlighting, no auto-complete.
- Choose a language you’re fluent in and comfortable implementing data structures with.
- Use helper functions when appropriate. If solving a problem with an array, consider writing a separate function for hashing words.
- Write clear variable names and add comments where needed.
Tip: Clarity in your code reflects clarity in your thinking.
Preparation Process
Before diving into LeetCode, solidify your data structures and algorithms knowledge. Being able to implement them in 5-10 minutes is ideal.
- Focus on understanding, not just memorizing.
- Analyze each line of code to grasp its purpose.
- If you struggle, revisit solutions and re-implement them until they feel natural.
- Reattempt problems after a few days to reinforce learning.
Memorization?
Yes, sometimes it's necessary. Knowing standard solutions by heart isn't a bad thing—it's efficiency.
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© References:
- Inspired by Shafiqa Iqbal’s Medium post
- Advice from friends
- Personal experience