• Table of Contents

By: Drshika Asher, Harsh Deep, Jacqueline Chen

Thanks to huge amount of comments from: Sebastian Rodriguez, Monika Para, Avi Deep

Disclaimer: this guide is in open beta :) Feel free to reach out to any of the authors in case you catch any typos or mistakes.

Intro

Welcome to getting ready for coding interviews! Here is a warm internet hug from a stranger rooting for you to do well in your technical interviews.

People often approach learning in a way that's very scary and intimidating. Without the right practice with data structures and certain algorithm types, doing questions feels intimidating and they're often hit or miss. With the right background and foundation, it is extremely doable, even if you haven't been too good with class work.

All it takes is understanding the system and how to actually prepare well. The algorithm interviews of today are very standardized, and preparing is closer to how one would study for an exam, including:

• Learning the format
• Prepping the right chapters
• Doing realistic practice questions
• Mock simulated tests
• Mistake tracking and strategy planning

Once you start seeing this entire process as test prep, you realize you've done this so many times before and succeeded. It is different but the way to succeed is similar, you've got it!

Some of the methods we will mention may cost some money, but the return on investment once you secure an internship/full-time offer is really worth it. On the order of tens of thousands of dollars and mental peace, it will more than offset the cost of the preparation materials. If you cannot afford everything mentioned, there are definitely ways to find preparation materials otherwise.