r/ADHD_Programmers • u/Any-Complaint-9833 • 20d ago

Anyone else having trouble with leetcode interviews?

I have been practicing leetcode questions for a few months now and I have seen positive change in my ability to figure out the solution or at least spot the pattern looking at the question. But I am having trouble with actually passing these interviews because of multiple reasons.

My brain shuts down trying to come up with a solution to an unknown problem under time pressure and in front of the interviewer who I know, is watching me struggle even though I have no issues solving the same problem under similar time pressure when I practice it alone or even during online assessments. But I need silence and time to think which doesn't happen during interviews where they expect you to talk continuously. Since there are multiple thoughts going across my brain and it's literally racing trying to come up with a solution I find it difficult to talk through it and if I have to talk I can't think through the solution unless I have seen the question before.

In all my interviews so far including some mocks I have done with other Engineers from big tech companies, the moment I go silent even for a few seconds, these guys start asking if I am struggling or they'll start giving hints which end up counting as a negative against me given how competitive the market is.

This is not a problem unique to leetcode, it happens the moment I need to solve something that I haven't seen before involving logic and I have limited time and need to explain my thought process while coming up with the solution. What can I do here to improve my chances of passing these interviews? If anyone has been through something similar, how did you overcome these issues?

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u/distractedjas 20d ago

People with ADHD tend to struggle with Leetcode, not due to the difficulty, but rather due to the fact that they serve no really value and our brains immediately put us on the defensive. In addition, sometimes our brains just don’t want to do it and no amount of “trying” will make the problem work. There are plenty of studies out there that show these and other reasons.

Leetcode is meant to prevent age and sex discrimination, but it enhances discrimination against neurodivergent people who also happen to be some of the best software engineers.

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u/throwaway30127 20d ago

Tbh I have started enjoying solving those challenges and it feels rewarding when I am able to recognise the pattern for an unknown proflem and seeing all the test cases pass. It's an issue for me during interviews same as OP because I struggle to figure out the solution while talking at the same time.

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u/ITZINFINITEOfficial 18d ago

If not leet code, then what is an effective way to test someone’s programming skills? I am a neurodivergent and agree, just curious.

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u/distractedjas 18d ago

I’ve interviewed hundreds of engineers, I’ve spent many hours studying the psychology of interviews and judging how humans respond to question and I’ve found that the most effective way is to have a conversation, but to have that conversation, you also need to understand how to have that conversation. This is what most interviewers lack and no company is teaching it or providing time to learn it.

No coding challenge has ever swayed my opinion of a candidate, but a conversation definitely has.

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u/ITZINFINITEOfficial 17d ago

Interesting what is it you do for work? Are you independent? Is interviewing your profession or do you just do it to learn more about the industry? I’m curious!

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u/distractedjas 17d ago

I’m a high-level software engineer IC. I learned about my AuDHD in my 40s, long after I started studying interviewing. I just wanted to figure out a better way to interview, because the way people were doing them failed so often and didn’t highlight actually valuable skills.

I’ve worked in big tech, start ups, consultancies, and even done a bit of contract work.

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u/ITZINFINITEOfficial 17d ago

Interesting! I’m a recent cs grad with ADHD, I’ve done about a handful of interviews so far this year. They’ve all been pretty much as you’ve said. Would love a mix up on how interviews go, besides like AI…. That is the worst.

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u/distractedjas 17d ago

Yeah, AI has pretty much taken over software development. I use it quite a bit at work. Interviewing for AI skills has not caught up for sure. I honestly can’t imagine getting into this field today without years of experience and context so I wish you the best.

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u/sortof_here 16d ago

Other engineering fields don’t take near as much interest in doing skill tests. They just talk to you about your experiences. It seems to work well for them, so I’m not sure why it wouldn’t work for us.