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Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

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Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#51

Post by johnwh »

dingribanda wrote: post #32

I have been prepping for almost 6 months now. I look at the stocks new hires get at my company and what my refreshers are. Companies seem to be relying on the fact, most people are too lazy to leetcode and will not give good refreshers. I have been with the company long enough that leaving and coming back atleast will add 600k to my earnings in the next 4 years. One thing however though I notice, that my coding speed…

Although I absolutely hate it, I interview every 1 or 2 years and use it as negotiation for refreshers. The only time I ever got a reasonable pay bump was by showing I had alternative offers. On the other hand, you have to also be willing to leave.

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#52

Post by kadoban »

tmoertel wrote: post #39
songzme wrote: post #12

It pains me to see another Coding Interview preparation tool. It's such a sad situation in the current industry. Students learn to game the system to get a high paying job. Students who care about what they are working on will painstakingly try to perfect their projects. They don't have time to game the system and therefore have a hard time getting a coveted job. Companies want to hire "the best" so they usually hire…

On the other hand, the current interviewing trend generates a steady supply of nifty, bite-sized problems to solve for fun. I keep a "practice" repo on Github, where I put my solutions. Often, for an extra challenge, I'll prove the solutions correct or try to write clear explanations of how to solve the problems from scratch. (Proving something helps me to see the hidden structure upon which my intuition rests. Expla…

Nice. That first one is a personal favorite.

Do you do "competitive programming"? You might like it. There's contests of various flavors out there to get a bunch of problems from.

Random recommendation: "Looking for a Challenge", a _beautiful_ in every way book of problems. Seriously check it out. Can almost guarantee you'll love it judging from those problems you linked.

Google Foobar is fun if you can get your way in. The codejam problems are nice (skip kickstarter mostly). codechef.com and codeforces.com have generally good problems (and fun contests if you're into that aspect).

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#53

Post by mrbonner »

The coding interview in our industry reminds me of a question on Quora I got today. It asks if it is true that Richard Feynman only had a 125 IQ score. It is the case. And it makes me wonder how much good those interview questions are used to judge someone with a limited time. I know a few people in my company were let go after 6 months albeit they did fabulous with those interview questions.

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#54

Post by seanmcdirmid »

mrbonner wrote: post #53

The coding interview in our industry reminds me of a question on Quora I got today. It asks if it is true that Richard Feynman only had a 125 IQ score. It is the case. And it makes me wonder how much good those interview questions are used to judge someone with a limited time. I know a few people in my company were let go after 6 months albeit they did fabulous with those interview questions.

IQ is hard to measure, and it isn’t really clear what it represents anyways. Metrics are always going to be incomplete, unlike in a litrpg.

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#55

Post by banachtarski »

cjohnson318 wrote: post #30

I like using the Blum Mental Hash as an interview question. As far as I can tell, it's not mentioned in any interview cram lists, and it's complex enough to see how candidates split up a problem. https://scilogs.spektrum.de/hlf/mental-cryptography-and-good...

It feels really easy? Or am I misunderstanding the algorithm/question?

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#56

Post by wy35 »

haecceity wrote: post #3
lazyant wrote: post #2

in golang

I think python is the most efficient language to use in interviews tbh. Functional languages might be better depending on the problem but you don't want people thinking you're a witch or something.

I switched from Java to Python for coding interviews and it's well-worth it. I can solve problems a lot quicker due to the simpler syntax.

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#57

Post by tmoertel »

kadoban wrote: post #52
tmoertel wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, the current interviewing trend generates a steady supply of nifty, bite-sized problems to solve for fun. I keep a "practice" repo on Github, where I put my solutions. Often, for an extra challenge, I'll prove the solutions correct or try to write clear explanations of how to solve the problems from scratch. (Proving something helps me to see the hidden structure upon which my intuition rests. Expla…

Nice. That first one is a personal favorite. Do you do "competitive programming"? You might like it. There's contests of various flavors out there to get a bunch of problems from. Random recommendation: "Looking for a Challenge", a _beautiful_ in every way book of problems. Seriously check it out. Can almost guarantee you'll love it judging from those problems you linked. Google Foobar is fun if you can get your way…

Thanks for the great book recommendation! I just ordered a copy from a bookstore in Poland. I am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

I don't really do competitive programming, but I enjoy the problems. Thanks for recommending some great new sources to check out!

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#58

Post by Falcorian »

jointpdf wrote: post #47

Does anyone have insight on the extent to which interviews for ‘data scientist’ or ‘ML engineer’ roles involve Leetcode-esque or whiteboard coding exercises? What is the norm (if any) for assessing coding and subject matter competency for these sorts of roles?

It depends on the company and the role. In general, I would be prepared for some white boarding questions, although I've found they're generally "a little easier" than the ones the engineers whine about.

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#59

Post by stuxnet79 »

haecceity wrote: post #3
lazyant wrote: post #2

in golang

I think python is the most efficient language to use in interviews tbh. Functional languages might be better depending on the problem but you don't want people thinking you're a witch or something.

Agreed 100%. Switching from Java to Python because I grew tired of Java's verbosity.

Re: Coding Interview Problems with Detailed Solutions, Test Cases, Program Analysis

#60

Post by cjohnson318 »

Waterluvian wrote: post #48
cjohnson318 wrote: post #30

I like using the Blum Mental Hash as an interview question. As far as I can tell, it's not mentioned in any interview cram lists, and it's complex enough to see how candidates split up a problem. https://scilogs.spektrum.de/hlf/mental-cryptography-and-good...

That looks fun. Do you require them to know trivia or do you provide them with the definition and ask for an implementation?

I explain how it works first and then ask for an implementation. I look for sane code organization, correctness, and an awareness of Pythonic idioms if it's a Python heavy role.
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