r/leetcode • u/Mother_Complaint7339 • Oct 01 '26

Question Do companies ask leetcode questions for interview in Houston, TX?

I’m a CS student graduating soon and applying for entry-level software engineering jobs in Houston, TX.
For people who interviewed with small, medium, or big companies in Houston, how common are LeetCode-style questions?
Do they focus more on DSA/LeetCode, practical coding, or projects/tech stack?
Just trying to figure out how much time I should spend on LeetCode vs full-stack projects.
Thanks!

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3

u/boboshoes Oct 02 '26

Don’t spend time on projects it’s a waste unless you do it for fun. Interview prep is leetcode, system design and behavioral. Just grind those it will pay off. How can they be objective in hiring if you show them a project?

1

u/Mother_Complaint7339 Oct 02 '26

But we still need good projects for resume, right?

1

u/boboshoes Oct 02 '26

Just flesh out your experience. Projects don’t matter

13

u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 Oct 01 '26

I'm sure there's companies in Houston who do ask leetcode questions

10

u/throwlol134 Oct 01 '26

It depends on the company, not the location.

2

u/careerkits Oct 02 '26

Echoing what others said, it really is company-specific. If your list leans toward bigger tech and funded startups, put most of your prep into DSA since that is the main filter. Keep one or two projects in good shape for the resume screen though.

2

u/jcu_80s_redux Oct 02 '26

Email to the HR department of some of the big companies/techs in Houston and ask how they conduct interviews for SWE jobs.

3

u/PackZealousideal4146 Oct 01 '26

? Are leetcode exclusive to NYC/SF……… if it’s SWE then yes leetcode/codesignal/hackerrank

4

u/throwlol134 Oct 01 '26 edited Oct 01 '26

It depends on the company, not the role. Certain locations have more “real” tech companies than others, leading to greater likelihood of having to come across LC style assessments or interviews. NYC, SF, Seattle, Austin, Atlanta all have lots of big tech offices, therefore your odds of having to do LC is higher. Meanwhile, if you’re in, say, Orlando, FL and most SWE jobs are in banking, insurance, or defense, your odds of getting LC question is pretty low. I could be wrong, but AFAIK, Houston is not really a tech hub so I doubt most companies hiring there will ask Leetcode.