CRACKING THE

FOURTH EDITION

INTERVIEW
150 programming interview questions and solutions Plus:
• Five proven approaches to solving tough algorithm questions • Ten mistakes candidates make -- and how to avoid them • Steps to prepare for behavioral and technical questions • Interviewer war stories: a view from the interviewer’s side

CODING

GAYLE LAAKMANN
Founder and CEO, CareerCup.com

CRACKING THE

CODING
INTERVIEW

CRACKING THE

INTERVIEW
150 Programming Interview Questions and Solutions

CODING

GAYLE LAAKMANN
Founder and CEO, CareerCup.com
CareerCup, LLC Seattle, WA

CRACKING THE CODING INTERVIEW, FOURTH EDITION Copyright © 2008 - 2010 by Gayle Laakmann. All rights reserved. Published by CareerCup, LLC, Seattle, WA. Version 3.21090410302210. Visit our website at: www.careercup.com. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews. For more information, contact support@careercup.com. Printed in United States of America 978-1-450-59320-5 9781450593205 (ISBN 13)

Table of Contents
Foreword Introduction Behind the Scenes The Microsoft Interview The Amazon Interview The Google Interview The Apple Interview The Yahoo Interview Interview War Stories Before the Interview Resume Advice Behavioral Preparation Technical Preparation The Interview and Beyond Handling Behavioral Questions Handling Technical Questions Five Algorithm Approaches The Offer and Beyond Top Ten Mistakes Candidates Make Frequently Asked Questions Interview Questions Data Structures Chapter 1 | Arrays and Strings Chapter 2 | Linked Lists Chapter 3 | Stacks and Queues Chapter 4 | Trees and Graphs Concepts and Algorithms Chapter 5 | Bit Manipulation Chapter 6 | Brain Teasers 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 20 21 23 25 28 29 31 34 37 39 41 44 46 47 49 51 53 56 57 59