1) understand the requirements and write down keywords to look at later 2) reframe the question to make sure you understand it 3) ask about edge cases in the input 4) explain the brute force solution in less than 1 minute

5) explain the optimal solution and discuss its asymptotic complexity 6) ask the interviewer if the optimal solution is acceptable 7) write code in the language you're most comfortable with 8) dry run the code line by line to find mistakes

9) adapt code to handle edge or base cases 10) revisit the asymptotic complexity of the coded solution 11) ask if tests or handling cases like concurrency are necessary 12) ask for the interviewer's feedback

It's important to communicate your thoughts while coding the solution. How would you do it differently?

PS - Join 63,001+ people learning system design every week:

If you liked this thread. 🔔 Follow: @systemdesign42 ♻ Repost to help others find it. 💾 Bookmark it for future reference.

@systemdesign42 Adding: Pay attention to the interviewer's observations; sometimes, advice is disguised as questions. Nice tips, Neo!

@RaulJuncoV thanks

@systemdesign42 Whats the spread of difficulty in interviews? Im trying to assess my eligibility

@TetsDelaCruz it depends on the company and interviewer.

@systemdesign42 The hard part for me is sometimes I can't find the optimal solution.

@Sebas26_ better have open communication and look for any tips from the interviewer in that case.

@systemdesign42 If you want to pass leetcode interview. 1. Pray you know the solution because ain’t no way you are going pull LC Hard solution out of your ass in 20mins. 2. Once you know the answer, become an actor pretend to be solving first time. Channel your inner DiCaprio.