SOLVING THE PROBLEMS
When you begin solving a problem, don’t start writing code immediately. First, make sure you completely understand the problem. It may help to work through a simple, concrete example and then try to generalize the process to an algorithm. When you’re convinced you have the right algorithm, explain it clearly. Writing the code should be one of your final steps.
The Basic Steps
The best way to solve an interview problem is to approach it methodically:
- Make sure you understand the problem. Your initial assumptions about the problem may be wrong, or the interviewer’s explanation may be brief or difficult to follow. You can’t demonstrate your skills if you don’t understand the problem. Don’t hesitate to ask your interviewer questions, and don’t start solving the problem until you understand it. The interviewer may be deliberately obscuring things to determine whether you can find and understand the actual problem. In...
