What are some best interview questions to prepare for tech roles?

Preparing for a tech interview requires practicing questions that test your coding, problem-solving, system design, and behavioral skills. Below is a curated list of the best interview questions to prepare for tech roles, along with resources to master them:

1. Coding Questions

Coding interviews often focus on algorithms and data structures. Here are the key topics and examples:

Arrays and Strings

• Find the longest substring without repeating characters.
• Given an array of integers, find two numbers that add up to a target.
• Rotate an array by k steps.

Linked Lists

• Detect a cycle in a linked list (Floyd’s Cycle Detection Algorithm).
• Reverse a linked list.
• Merge two sorted linked lists.

Trees and Graphs

• Implement a binary tree traversal (in-order, pre-order, post-order).
• Find the lowest common ancestor of two nodes in a binary tree.
• Perform breadth-first search (BFS) or depth-first search (DFS) on a graph.

Dynamic Programming

• Solve the "knapsack problem."
• Find the longest increasing subsequence in an array.
• Compute the minimum edit distance between two strings.

Sorting and Searching

• Implement quicksort or mergesort.
• Perform binary search on a sorted array.
• Find the kth largest element in an array.

Recommended Resources

• Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions for mastering coding patterns.
• Grokking Data Structures & Algorithms for deeper understanding of algorithms.

2. System Design Questions

For mid-to-senior roles, system design questions test your ability to architect scalable systems.

Examples

• Design a URL shortening service (like Bit.ly).
• Design a scalable chat application (like WhatsApp).
• Design a system for file storage and sharing (like Google Drive).
• Design a recommendation system (like Netflix or Amazon).
• Design a load balancer.

Key Concepts to Study

• Load balancing
• Caching strategies
• Database scaling (SQL vs. NoSQL)
• CAP theorem and trade-offs
• High availability and fault tolerance

Recommended Resources

• Grokking the System Design Interview for interview preparation.
• Grokking the Advanced System Design Interview for more complex systems.

3. Behavioral Questions

Behavioral interviews assess how you handle challenges and collaborate with others.

Examples

• Tell me about a time you faced a major challenge in a project. How did you overcome it?
• Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult teammate. How did you handle it?
• Share an example of a time you missed a deadline. What happened, and how did you recover?

Recommended Resources

• Grokking Modern Behavioral Interview for comprehensive preparation.

4. Company-Specific Questions

Different companies may have unique styles for their interviews. Here are examples:

Google

• Implement an autocomplete system for search.
• Design a distributed database.

Amazon

• Solve the "two-sum problem."
• Design an inventory management system.

Facebook/Meta

• Detect cycles in a graph.
• Design a social media feed.

Recommended Blogs

• Top 20 Coding Questions to Pass Google Interview
• Amazon Interview Questions: The Ultimate Preparation Guide

5. Mock Interviews

Simulate real-world scenarios to refine your answers:

• Coding Mock Interview
• System Design Mock Interview

Conclusion

The best tech interview preparation involves practicing a mix of coding, system design, and behavioral questions. Use structured resources like Grokking the Coding Interview and mock interviews to gain confidence and ace your tech interviews!