6 Tips and Strategies to Prepare for a Coding Interview

Coding interviews can be pretty intimidating! Even after months of preparation, studying books, practicing programming, and researching every bit, it still sometimes feels hard to prepare. The coding interviews require you to be on your toes to get selected. 

Also, it would help if you had guidance at every step to ace these interview questions. Coding interviews are taken to gauge your understanding of codes written for different programming languages. 

Also, some tips can help you prepare for these interviews perfectly. The need remains to adopt these strategies and tips to increase your success quotient in the discussion. 

Relevant Tips to Prepare for a Coding Interview

Here are some practical tips and techniques to prepare for a coding interview. 

Identify the Points to Prepare

A coding interview is evaluated on some essential points, such as communication, problem-solving abilities, testing abilities, and technical competency. As a matter of fact, these points form the framework for any kind of technical interview. 

A lot of practice must be put to ace these aspects if you want to succeed in your coding interview. Also, researching and reading good books can help you become more confident about being a pro at these points. 

Moreover, ensure to prepare essential concepts that can be asked in the interview related to codings, such as Recursion, Dynamic programming, Sorting algorithms, Arrays and Strings, and Graph Algorithms.

Pick a Comfortable Programming Language

This is a tip that works for preparing for any kind of exam, and coding interviews are no exception. Thus, it is advisable to pick a programming language you are comfortable with. This would help raise your confidence and increase your chances of success. 

The good thing is that most firms allow the interviewing candidates to choose their language. One exception to this rule is the Google firm which asks its candidates to choose only from languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript, and C++. 

Also, as per experts, you should go for a language that possesses many library functions and data structures, making these languages easier to write code for.

Work on Basics of Computer Science

If you are fresher preparing for the interview, pay attention to the basics of Computer Science. 

You must review those college notes again, read your Computer Science books, and practice the fundamental algorithm coding problems. These basic algorithm concepts include reading inputs, 2D arrays, and splitting strings. 

A clear understanding of these core concepts can also help you get familiar with the advanced concepts. 

Practice in a Time-Tested Environment

Coding interviews usually last 30 to 40 minutes. Thus, it is imperative to practice questions in a time-tested environment, so you do not fail to meet the time criteria in the actual interview.

Also, repeatedly practicing in a time-bound period increases your chances of making a few errors and writing flawless code. 

Always make a plan for preparing your questions realistically. Always calculate the time you need to prepare well for the interview, so there are no last-minute surprises.

Mock Interviews are Essential

Practicing mock interviews is vital to prepare well for the actual job meeting. There are many websites available where you can practice these mock coding questions along with other candidates. These websites also allow you to book interviews with experts to get a feel of what can happen in the discussion.

In addition, this helps you to come over your nervousness while facing the interviewer. 

Track Your Mistakes

Tracing your mistakes and making a list of them can also help you reduce the errors in the actual interview. This is imperative to follow so that you do not repeat the mistakes you have been committing now. 

Please list errors you have made while doing the project and how you have resolved them. This would help you explain to the interviewer better when asked about them. This would also help you make flashcards for your revision.

Final Words

Your preparation for the coding interview should start months before the actual interview. Also, your success rate depends upon your mastery of the coding topics. 

Remember, you need to compete with many other professionals who have been preparing for the same interview. Thus, it would help if you were a quick and intelligent learner to make an impression and stand apart from the crowd. Happy interviewing!