Click here to join our community of experts to get information on job search, salaries and more.

Tips to Crack the Coding Interview Online

Tips to Crack the Coding Interview Online

Coding interviews are inevitable. As any tech job-seeker would put it – both recent graduates as well as seasoned professionals – if there is anything more intimidating in the job search process, it definitely is the coding interview.


The most important factor in preparing for a Coding interview is understanding questions related to Data Structure such as strings, arrays linked list issues as well as binary tree and system design issues. Unless you have trained yourself to identify patterns that are algorithmic, understand code patterns such as Sliding Window, Two Pointers Speed and Slow Pointers and Combine Intervals, Cyclic Sort and Top K elements, it will be hard to tackle unexpected questions from the interviewee.  


Here are some of the most effective tips and tricks you can use to succeed in your coding interview.


Practice till you Perfect it

One of the most difficult issues in coding interviews revolves around the design of systems and software. An important tip is to practice as many data structures and algorithms as you can. You must be aware of the various complexities in space and time of data structures that are essential, like an array linked list strings, hash tables, linked list and binary tree and many more. 


Keep track of time

Sometimes, candidates are expected to resolve problems during the interview within a specified time frame. Interviewees who respond quickly and efficiently are more likely to land the job. A crucial tip is to keep track of your time while working on and practicing questions.


Open Discussion

After you have grasped the concept or solved a coding problem, try to explain it to your friends who are also keen on coding. You will be flooded with questions that will indirectly help you prepare for a coding interview. Open discussions can help you find alternatives and also discover flaws in your current algorithms, if any.


Mock Interviews

Another tip for cracking coding interviews online is to attend the maximum number of coding-related interviews possible. Try mock or actual ones, but ensure that you attend a variety of interviews prior to attending the coding interview for the company you wish to work for. Multiple interviews will also help you negotiate your compensation and salary better.


Consider Edge Situations

The only way to be successful when it comes to coding interviews is to practice the maximum number of coding-related problems feasible in a controlled environment, following a thorough understanding of numerous algorithms and data structures. Consider edge situations and test your code against these. 


Prepare for String-Based Coding Interviews at FAANG Companies

HiCounselor offers FREE Live Coding and Interview Prep sessions for software engineering and data science aspirants. Each session is led by instructors from FAANG companies who are well-versed with the coding interview patterns.  If you are worried about effectively tackling unexpected coding questions from the interviewee, Reserve your Spot for one of the upcoming FREE sessions with a seasoned instructor from a leading FAANG company.




HiCounselor makes career dreams come true for job seekers as well as recruiters. While job seekers benefit from HiCounselor’s career accelerator program along with the coaching services from industry leaders employed at FAANG companies, recruiters join hands with HiCounselor to empower their hiring strategy and zero in on the best candidates. Learn more about HiCounselor here and reach out to us on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.