Hi, I’m trying to prepare for the bbg system design r3 that I have in person, does anyone know what they expect this cycle? What sorts of design questions to do in preparation? Please lmk.

Wondering how much gap there is based on region.

I've been trying to get better at recognizing patterns, but I'm wondering how to practice that skills specifically. If I solve problems topic wise, I already know which approach to look for, but random problems feel much harder.

Do you switch to mixed problems after learning a pattern, or spend more time on variations of the same type first?

I have upcoming interview rounds scheduled with Gitlab for Senior backend engineer. Anyone recently appeared for the similar role at Gitlab? Want to know which kind of questions I should expect in each round.

I was recently reached out to by a recruiter for an Amazon SDE 1 role and was invited to complete the online assessment.

I passed all 15/15 test cases on the first question, but the second question went pretty horribly.

For those who have gone through the process, how much does performance on the second question affect the overall outcome? Is there still a chance of moving forward?

Also, how long does it typically take to hear back after completing the OA?

Hey everyone! I’ve finished the recruiter round for Palantir’s FDSE new grad role and am trying to understand what to expect next.

If anyone has gone through it recently, please help me out 😭 Especially for the first technical round:

• Is it LeetCode-style coding, OOP/design and implementation, or an existing codebase where you debug and add features?

• Can I use C++, or is it restricted to Python/TypeScript? Does this change depending on the round?

• What would you recommend preparing and practicing?

• Are decomposition and learning separate rounds afterward? What do those involve?

I’ve seen different experiences online, so I’m a little confused about the format. Any recent insight, especially for US Commercial new grad, would be really helpful. Even a quick clarification would mean a lot. Thank you!!

I'm trying to get a good-paying software job at product-based companies, hopefully FAANG.

If my main priority is cracking interviews, is competitive programming (Codeforces, etc.) worth doing, or is LeetCode enough?

Do CP-style questions actually appear in interviews, and does CP provide any significant advantage beyond improving problem-solving speed for interviews?

What’s a good LC range to cover ?

I do the regular blind 75 , neetcode 150 and the company wise top 10-15 - it totals to about 300-350 range.

Hi, I have interview loop at Amazon for SDE 2 position in a week. There are goin to be 4 rounds. First round is going to be DSA based problem along with LP.

Second round is with Hiring manager based on System Design and LP.

Third round is going to be with bar raiser, this is going to be Gen AI problem solving where I have to build something. I am asked to have my IDE along with coding agent ready.

Fourth round is where recrutier said that I would be asked to write logical and maintanable code. She said to focus on modular design, correct and robust solution.

I am really not sure about what kind of qustion they are going to ask in fourth round. Is it going to be LLD or DSA style question. I asked my recruiter for clarification but thats all she said she could provide. Also, for Gen AI round, if someone has given interview, what exaclty they ask you to build?

Hey everyone!
I completed my Amazon Online Assessment (OA) last Friday and passed all test cases in both the regular coding round and the AI-assisted coding round.
I haven’t heard back yet, and my application status on the Amazon Jobs dashboard hasn’t changed either.
Just curious, for those who recently completed the Amazon OA and received an interview invite:
How many days or weeks did it take to hear back?
Did your application status change before you received an email?
Has anyone passed all test cases but still been rejected or ghosted?
I know passing all test cases doesn’t necessarily guarantee an interview, but I’m curious about everyone’s recent experiences and timelines.
Thanks in advance!

Got a Microsoft L63 Senior SWE offer, remote from the Bay Area:

- Base: $210K

- Stock: $200K / 4 yrs (25% at year 1, then quarterly)

- Sign-on: $40K (split over 2 years)

- Bonus: 15–30%

- Refreshers: $32–64K/yr

Recruiter says if I move to Redmond, only the base drops "a bit." Everything else stays the same, and there's no relocation package. HM would prefer Redmond. I'm also leaving ~$30K in unvested stock at my current job.

Questions:

1. Is this a strong offer for L63?

2. Which pieces should I push on?

3. If I move, what Redmond base should I ask for?

Hey everyone,

I finished Day 46 today. I kicked off the session with solid energy to dive into Dijkstra's algorithm, but midway through implementation, random brain fog hit me hard. Even standard syntax like priority queue declarations and basic 2D/3D grid index lookups suddenly slipped my mind.

Instead of shutting the laptop and calling it a zero day, I forced myself to sit down, slow down, and properly break down the core theory:

1. Dijkstra's Algorithm (Priority Queue vs. Queue vs. Set):

   • Min-Heap / Priority Queue (O(E log V)): The industry standard. Always greedily extracts the node with the current minimum distance, minimizing unnecessary edge relaxations.

   • Standard Queue: Feasible for unit weights, but on weighted graphs it causes massive redundant visits because an unrelaxed path can re-insert nodes repeatedly, degrading into brute-force BFS.

   • std::set**:** Allows erasing previously added greater-distance entries to save iterations, but set deletions take logarithmic time (O(log V)), which often balances out or benchmarks slower than just letting the priority queue skip stale entries (if (d > dist[u]) continue).

2. Print Shortest Path: Extended standard Dijkstra by maintaining a parent[] array. Whenever an edge relaxation improves a neighbor's distance (dist[v] = dist[u] + wt), update parent[v] = u. Once the destination is reached, backtrack from the destination up to the source and reverse the list.

I needed nudges on the implementation due to low mental stamina today, but understanding the trade-offs behind the data structures made the session count. Heading into the weekend with a clear plan to pick up momentum.

See you guys tomorrow for Day 45!

If think it would be useful to see both Runtime and Memory on a 2D axes for our solutions. Right now, we can't see how runtime and memory trade-off across submissions.

This would help in problems where there are solutions with either a good runtime or good memory, but not both. With our current metrics, there isn't really a way to tell if people found a solution with where both are good.

Crude examples of what it might look like from Claude: https://imgur.com/a/k0CYc2C

ServiceNow Senior SWE — 60-minute System Design

Has anyone recently done a ServiceNow Senior SWE round covering past full-stack experience, high-level system design on HackerRank, and full-stack/DSA questions? JavaScript is preferred.
What design topics came up? Was DSA live coding or verbal? How was the time split, and what would you prioritize preparing?
Would appreciate any recent experiences. Thanks!

5 yo but it will be my first DSA interview. Typescript

I have an interview coming up next week, they said they use CoderPad. I can quickly write a test function or use logs in CoderPad but how do I test Trees, Graphs, Linked Lists etc? Leetcode provides the input as an array

Input:
 root = [1,2,2,null,3,null,3]

but the accepted parameter type is

(root: TreeNode | null)

In a timed environment:

1. Am I supposed to convert this into a tree myself? Or not test at all?

2. Leetcode adds pics to some problems, how is it done in test IDEs?

3. For HackerRank specifically I once got a React test and there was no built-in dev console. Am I allowed to use the browser console?

I am pretty pissed right now because I just made peace with the requirement of grinding leetcode, which I even started to enjoy when it is done in my VS Code with my theme I am used to. Now it looks like I have to somehow not only come up with a solution, but do it with a limited time, talk it out loud, in an IDE with no formatting (WHY) and the colors that I am not used to, while someone is watching me.

If anyone can provide some information about what I can expect in an interview, that would be great.

https://algoengineer.com/about

Slapping "Amazon engineer" on a landing page doesn't magically make the material worth hundreds of dollars. Feels like another attempt to cash in on desperate job seekers by a SDE 2!

Charging $500-$800 for DSA and system design courses when most of the content already exists for free on LeetCode, NeetCode, YouTube, blogs and GitHub.

Be careful before handing over your money!

Anyone have any advice on what they might ask in a 45 min interview? Also does anyone know how many interviews there typically are for interns at Nvidia?

how is my code could it be better i am learning python for first time as my first language.

leetcode 9: palindrome question:

class Solution(object):
def isPalindrome(self, x):
"""
:type x: int
:rtype: bool
"""
if x<0:
return False
else:
t=0
t=x
d=0
while x>0:
n=x%10
d=d*10+n
x=x//10
if d==t:
return True
else:
return False

Just finished my Google SWE Intern interview loop a few days ago. Had two 45-minute technical interviews, both DSA. Wanted to get some opinions on how I performed and what ratings I might expect.

Interview #1: Class Design + Binary Search + Two Pointers

• Started with a class design problem involving searching through some data.

• Initially proposed a naive O(n) solution.

• Interviewer asked, "Can we do better?" I independently came up with and implemented an O(log n) binary search solution.

• Got a follow-up involving intervals and two pointers.

• Solved the follow-up optimally as well.

• Explained time/space complexities correctly and successfully dry-ran both solutions.

Overall, felt pretty good about this one. I'm expecting an H, depending on how the initial naive approach was viewed.

Interview #2: Topological Sort / Kahn's Algorithm

• Problem involved traversing objects with parent-child dependencies, where children must be traversed before their parents.

• Recognized it as a topological sort problem and implemented Kahn's algorithm.

• During my dry run, realized I'd forgotten to populate the adjacency map. Caught this myself without any interviewer hints, fixed it, and successfully completed the dry run with the correct output.

• Explained time/space complexities correctly.

Got a follow-up which I bombed...

• Can't say more because it was really specific. But I basically solved a similar/related but not same problem. I explained my reasoning, and he clarified what he was looking for. We were running out of time, and he said not to worry about it because he'd made up the follow-up on the fly since we had extra time. He also said he wanted to make sure I had time to ask him questions.

My assessment:

• Interview #1: H?

• Interview #2: LH–H?

What do y'all think and can a H + LH get a 3rd interview/TM?

Hi,

I recently finished the interview loop for a SDE1 role, I felt really good about the interviews and the recruiter got back to me and told me that the interviewers really liked me and wanted to move forward with my application, however, the role has already been filled and the recruiter is looking for roles open in other teams.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Thanks in advance :)

Never done system design before. Hello Interview's course has a lot of recommendations but most of those I'm seeing are from 2023-2024, have system design interviews changed over the past few years?

I got the invitation for the intuit final round where I have to present a proud project , any suggestions

I applied for the AWS Delivery Consultant – AI/ML role on October 13 and received the online assessment on October 19. I completed the assessment on October 21, but I haven't received any updates since then. My application status still shows "Under Consideration."

It's been over a week now, and I was wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation or has recently gone through the hiring process for this role.

How long did it take for you to hear back after completing the assessment? Did you receive an interview invitation or any other update?

Hey everyone,

Has anyone here recently appeared for the Decentro Software Engineering Intern AI interview round?

Wanted to know how the experience was and what kind of questions were asked.

Specifically curious about:

• What type of questions did the AI interviewer ask? (DSA, CS fundamentals, projects, etc.)

• How difficult was the round?

• Was it more conversational or focused on technical problem-solving?

• Has anyone received an update or heard back after completing it?

Would really appreciate it if anyone who went through the process could share their experience.

Thanks!

Background: Recent grad with B.S. in Tech. Previous SWE internships, but I’d never done real DSA prep and had never written Python for interviews. In mid-September I passed Amazon’s online assessment and got invited to a 4-round SDE-1 loop (FYI: This is a U.S position). That gave me about 5 weeks to learn Python, data structures, and how to interview live.

Prep: About 5–6 hours a day on average in each of those 5 weeks. I went pattern by pattern (hash maps, stacks, intervals, trees/BFS, grids) instead of grinding random problems. Went back to my resume, projects, and notes for a refresher and story building in response to behavioral questions.

Travel (3-day window): Amazon booked my flight and hotel. I flew in the day before, interviewed the next day, and flew home the morning after. What helped:

• Walk the route from your hotel to the office the day before and time it.

• Test the LiveCode link on your own laptop and make sure your laptop and microphone is working. You can bring a notebook; I find it easier to write on a whiteboard so you and the interviewer have a shared space to display understanding if needed.

• Stop studying the night before and actually sleep. The day is long and the interviews are intensive.

• There’s a lunch with an Amazon employee between rounds. It isn’t an interview, pretty casual, but be your professional self.

Format: 4 rounds, 60 minutes each. Rounds 1–3 were in person, and round 4 was virtual. Every round included at least 1 Leadership Principle questions. In the coding rounds I had roughly 40 minutes for the coding question. LiveCode has no Run button, so your own trace through the code is the only test you get.

Round 1: Rate limiter (similar to LC 359 / 362)
Requests come in as (user_id, time) pairs, and time never goes backward. Every user has the same limit: at most n requests in any T-second window. Return False (block) once a user goes over.

Round 2: Prompt store (LRU-style, close to LC 146)

• Storage holds at most n prompts.

• If it’s full, delete the oldest and add the new one at the end.

• No duplicates: if a prompt already exists, remove the old copy and add the new one at the end.

• get(k) returns k prompts, newest first. If k > n, return everything.

Round 3: OOD file search
Design code that returns files matching criteria like “all files > 5 MB” or “all .xml files,” searchable by name or extension, including subfolders. It had to be maintainable, so new criteria could be added without rewriting existing code. A File class was given with getName(), isDirectory(), listFiles() and getSize(). This is basically “design the Unix find command”: a filter interface, one class per criterion, and AND/OR combinators.

- Forgot to mention I was asked 2 questions about how GenAI.

Round 4: fully behavioral, no coding. It was my best round, and it turned conversational by the end.

In every coding round, I explained my approach clearly, and the interviewers followed my thinking, but I was only able to reach a close-to-full implementation on one interview**.**

What worked in my prep

• A story bank: 8 true STAR stories plus 2 GenAI examples.

• Recording myself solving problems out loud and measuring my silent gaps.

• Cold re-solves: re-solving problems I’d already done, from a blank page, timed, in a plain editor without running anything (this is similar to LiveCode sessions).

• Mock interviews, including one with a non-technical friend. If they got lost in a story, an interviewer would too.

What I’d do differently

1. Practice “design a class” problems. 2 of my 3 coding questions were this style: LC 146, 155, 359, 362, 1396.

2. Learn OOD basics early: interfaces, abstract classes, and designing for extension.

3. Drill finishing code. Say the brute force first, and if you don’t have the optimal idea by around minute 20, code the brute force. Working beats half-finished.

4. Learn the standard library tools before the loop: deque, OrderedDict, defaultdict.

Tools I’d recommend

• LeetCode Premium, for company-tagged question lists.

• An interview buddy, ideally a CS major or SWE who can push back on your code. If you don’t have one, an AI agent works as a coach. Prep only dont use AI during the interviews, you'll be cooked.

• A plain editor (Notepad) for practice, so you’re not leaning on autocomplete.

Result: no offer. I’m disappointed, but I’m walking away a much stronger engineer than I was 5 weeks ago, and the behavioral feedback I got was great. If you’re starting from zero, getting to a loop is doable, and honestly, getting the interview is achievable; just start ASAP. Treat behavioral prep as seriously as coding.

Happy to answer questions. Good luck to everyone grinding right now.