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I received a call from a recruiter in January. The screening round was scheduled for March 17th, after I requested a six-week preparation period. I prepared extensively, completing approximately 250 coding problems and reviewing system design resources.
My screening round consisted of two questions:
Minimum Remove to Make Valid Parentheses I explained and coded a stack-based approach. The interviewer then asked for space optimization; I suggested a two-loop approach but was unable to implement a single-loop solution immediately. After receiving hints, I provided a solution which the interviewer deemed correct.
Kth Largest Element in an Array I explained both priority queue and selection sort approaches and coded the selection sort solution.
I received positive feedback and subsequent rounds were scheduled for the end of April. Due to health issues, my preparation was interrupted.
My first coding round proved more challenging:
Custom Sort String I explained and coded a map-based approach but spent too much time explaining, leaving insufficient time for the second question. I was unable to optimize the solution under time pressure.
Merge Two Lists of Overlapping Sorted Intervals I explained a brute-force approach and began coding, but made a logical error. I attempted to debug but ran out of time.
My second coding round went better:
Subsets I explained and coded a recursive approach, addressing time and space complexity concerns.
Random Pick with Weight I explained brute force and prefix sum approaches. With the interviewer's guidance, I implemented a binary search optimization.
The design round involved designing a seven-day coding contest with twenty algorithmic questions. I led the discussion, addressing various aspects of the design. I received feedback that my capacity estimation could be improved.
The behavioral round covered standard questions about conflict resolution, experimentation, and working with difficult individuals.
Ultimately, I received notification that there were insufficient signals to proceed.