Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions 6th

[LaurenC2022]

Every Friday, I'll post discussion questions in this thread and provide a link in Slack. Feel free to join in and participate in ways that are meaningful to you. You don't have to start at the same time as everyone else. Consider this an async book club that you can jump in and out of at any point.

(above paragraph copied from @BekahHW's discussion: Working in Public: the making and maintenance of open source software #932)

Reading plan:

Month 1
Week 1: section 1 - 3 (25 pages)

• Section 1: The interview Process
• Section 2: Behind the Scenes
• Section 3: Special Situations

Week 2: section 4 - 5 (11 pages)

• Section 4: Before the Interview
• Section 5: Behavioral Questions

Week 3 - 4: section 6 (21 pages)

• Section 6: Big O

Month 2
Week 5: section 7 (21 pages)

• Section 7: Technical Questions

Week 6: section 8 - 9, chapter 1 only, and Section 13/ Part 1 (19pages)*

• Section 8: The offer and Beyond
• Section 9/ Chapter 1: Interview Questions / Arrays and Strings
• Section 13/ Part 1: Hints / Hits for Data Structures (pages 652 - 661)

Note: only read the first chapter in section 9

Note: All solutions for Section 9 can be found in Section 10. Section 10 is never assigned for reading, because it is assumed readers will read section 10 while completing section 9

Week 7: section 9, chapter 2 & 3 (7 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 2: Interview Questions / Linked Lists
• Section 9/ Chapter 3: Interview Questions / Stacks and Queues

Week 8: section 9, chapter 4 (11 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 4: Interview Questions / Trees and Graphs

Month 3
Week 9: section 9, chapter 5, and Section 13/ Part 2 (18 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 5: Interview Questions / Bit Manipulations
• Section 13/ Part 2: Hints / Hits for Concepts and Algorithms (pages 662 - 675)

Week 10: section 9, chapter 6 (8 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 6: Interview Questions / Math and Logic Puzzles

Week 11: section 9, chapter 7 (4 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 7: Interview Questions / Object Oriented Design

Week 12: section 9, chapter 8 (6 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 8: Interview Questions / Recursion and Dynamic Programming

Month 4
Week 13: section 9, chapter 9 (8 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 9: Interview Questions / System Design and Scalability

Week 14: section 9, chapter 10 (5 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 10: Interview Questions / Sorting and Searching

Week 15: section 9, chapter 11 (5 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 11: Interview Questions / Testing

Week 16: section 9, chapter 12 - 13, and Section 13/ Part 3 (11 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 12: Interview Questions / C and C++
• Section 9/ Chapter 3: Interview Questions / Java
• Section 13/ Part 3: Hints / Hits for Knowledge-Based Questions (pages 676 - 678)

Month 5
Week 17: section 9, chapter 14 - 15 ( 11 pages)

• Section 9/ Chapter 14: Interview Questions / Databases
• Section 9/ Chapter 15: Interview Questions / Threads and Locks

Week 18 - 19: section 9, chapter 16 - 17, and Section 13/ Part 2 (25 pages)*

• Section 9/ Chapter 16: Interview Questions / [Additional Interview Questions] Moderate
• Section 9/ Chapter 17: Interview Questions / [Additional Interview Questions] Hard
• Section 13/ Part 2: Hints / Hits for Additional Review Problems (pages 679 - 695)

Week 20: section 11 (16 pages)*

• Section 11: Advanced Topics

*the content of the book is highly technical. An additional week might be needed for some sections or chapters. To account for extra time needed, a goal could be to complete the book within 5 months. Any adjustments will be noted and reflected in edits on this original post.

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Reading - Week 1: section 1 - 3 (25 pages)

1. In the introduction a highly qualified candidate was passed up for a position at a large technology company, because his interview skills were not adequate. Do you identify with this example found on page 1? Why or why not?

2. In the introduction and in the title the author, Gayle McDowell, says her book solves a problem for readers. The problem with coding interviews is they can be notoriously difficult and this book is the key to success. Do you believe this book can help readers improve their technical interviewing skills?

3. What are your initial thoughts and feelings about this week’s reading?

4. Sections 2, titled “Behind the Scenes”, described the interview process for top tier technology companies. Based on the reading and you prior knowledge, which company or team would you be most interested in interviewing with and why?

5. Section 3, titled “Special Situations”, outlined possible motives for reading this book and how to best utilize it's content. What do you hope to accomplish after reading Gayle McDowell’s book Cracking the Coding Interview? What career goals do you hope to accomplish by reading this book? What skills are you paying close attention to in preparation for accomplishing your professional goals?

6. What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?

7. Briefly in the introduction, McDowell mentioned using her “20% time,” to teach computer science courses. 20% time was a policy at Google which employees were able to pursue personal projects on company time. If you worked for a company which allowed you to spend 20% of your work day on a personal interest project, what would you work on?

8. How do you plan to continue to practice your technical interviewing skills after finishing this book?

9. On page 5 and 6, the author provides 5 logical reasons for conducting white board interviews and when it’s appropriate to conduct such interviews. What thoughts do you have on her 5 logical reasons for and against conduction whiteboard interviews?

10. Do you believe preparing for technical interviews with this book will make you a better at your current or future job role? Why or why not?

11. After reading section titled “It’s All Relative” on page 7, how will you feel when given a difficult question during a coding interview?

12. The book also has a website to accompany the book. What ONE tool can you find useful from the website? (website: www.crackingTheCodingInterview.com)

[jdwilkin4]

Here are my thoughts 😃

In the introduction a highly qualified candidate was passed up for a position at a large technology company, because his interview skills were not adequate. Do you identify with this example found on page 1? Why or why not?

As someone who isn't as strong with leetcode and whiteboarding, I can relate to this. I think the only way to get better with this is to practice mock interviewing and learn the patterns behind these problems so the interview process becomes less daunting.

In the introduction and in the title the author, Gayle McDowell, says her book solves a problem for readers. The problem with coding interviews is they can be notoriously difficult and this book is the key to success. Do you believe this book can help readers improve their technical interviewing skills?

I think this book can help with problem solving and understanding the core concepts and patterns behind technical interview challenges. I think the biggest issue people run into with these types of interviews and not knowing how to approach the problem. It seems like this book with provide insights on how to increase your problem solving skills.

What are your initial thoughts, feelings, and emotions about this week’s reading?

I liked how she broke down the different interviews for FAANG companies and what each company is looking for. I also liked how she talked about how to prepare for interviews as a tester, and product manager. I also found the last section on startups and acquisitions really interesting too.

Sections 2, titled “Behind the Scenes”, described the interview process for top tier technology companies. Based on the reading and you prior knowledge, which company or team would you be most interested in interviewing with and why?

I liked Apple's interview process the best. It seems like you spend all day in 6-8 interviews doing typical coding problems and it seemed more straightforward then some of the other companies.

Section 3, titled “Special Situations”, outlined possible motives for reading this book and how to best utilize it's content. What do you hope to accomplish after reading Gayle McDowell’s book Cracking the Coding Interview? What career goals do you hope to accomplish by reading this book? What skills are you paying close attention to in preparation for accomplishing your professional goals?

The last job I got was through a take home assignment instead of a leetcode type problem. So I hoping to brush on my algorithms and data structures to be prepared for those types of interviews.

What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?

I would like to know more about how to best approach these types of problems and learn how to reach an optimal solutions.

Briefly in the introduction, McDowell mentioned using her “20% time,” to teach computer science courses. 20% time was a policy at Google which employees were able to pursue personal projects on company time. If you worked for a company which allowed you to spend 20% of your work day on a personal interest project, what would you work on?

At my last job, we had 20% time, but it was spent writing articles for the company or working on the companies open source projects. We would usually talk with our manager ahead of time on what we wanted to work on.

How do you plan to continue to practice your technical interviewing skills after finishing this book?

Will probably continue to do more leetcode and rosetta code exercises and possibly mock interviews.

On page 5 and 6, the author provides 5 logical reasons for conducting white board interviews and when it’s appropriate to conduct such interviews. What thoughts do you have on her 5 logical reasons for and against conduction whiteboard interviews?

I can understand where she is coming from and do appreciate the fact that she acknowledged the common objections to these types of interviews. I mainly agreed with the point about knowing basic data structure and algorithms. I feel like the web community sometimes, advises people that they don't need any algorithm or data structures which isn't true. I don't think you need to have expert level knowledge in this stuff but understanding the basics is helpful.

Do you believe preparing for technical interviews with this book will make you a better at your current or future job role? Why or why not?

I think will be helpful to better my problem solving skills and design solutions that perform better and scale better.

After reading section titled “It’s All Relative” on page 7, how will you feel when given a difficult question during a coding interview?

It does give me comfort knowing that I am being evaluated in comparison to the other candidates and that most will probably struggle with that question.

The book also has a website to accompany the book. What ONE tool can you find useful from the website? (website: www.crackingTheCodingInterview.com)

The interview prep list under the resources section seems pretty helpful

[mjlueder]

I'm behind on reading but catching up :)

What are your initial thoughts, feelings, and emotions about this week’s reading?

• As someone with a non-technical background and a bootcamp education, imposter syndrome is real right now. And one of the biggest challenges for me has been feeling like there's an overwhelming amount of potential content to learn/choose from. So having something like this that is concrete to work through is very helpful. Especially with peer support!

If you worked for a company which allowed you to spend 20% of your work day on a personal interest project, what would you work on?

• I'm coming from a background of endangered species, conservation, and environmental work. So definitely something with that. I think there are a lot of opportunities to advance environmental and conservation work with technology, but it's not an inherently tech-oriented field. So I'd love to help find ways to bridge the gap.

The book also has a website to accompany the book. What ONE tool can you find useful from the website?

• The prep sheets!

[IntelliJinceTech]

Playing catch-up but I still want to give my thoughts!

In the introduction a highly qualified candidate was passed up for a position at a large technology company, because his interview skills were not adequate. Do you identify with this example found on page 1? Why or why not?

In my experience, I feel that it happens to every industry, just more so within the tech industry. And I feel like it will happen to me too as I feel that my tech interviewing skills don't show the true picture of me as an engineer as a whole.

In the introduction and in the title the author, Gayle McDowell, says her book solves a problem for readers. The problem with coding interviews is they can be notoriously difficult and this book is the key to success. Do you believe this book can help readers improve their technical interviewing skills?

I feel like any action taken to try to improve tech interviewing skills will help! It also might provide a different perspective that might help when looking back at past interviews.

What are your initial thoughts, feelings, and emotions about this week’s reading?

Excited to get through this as I ramp up my focus on getting my next role.

Sections 2, titled “Behind the Scenes”, described the interview process for top tier technology companies. Based on the reading and you prior knowledge, which company or team would you be most interested in interviewing with and why?

Apple! It's hard to not like Apple when I have an iPhone, Apple Watch, Macbook, etc. etc. All kidding aside, I think it would be pretty exciting to work at Apple seeing all the progress they make YoY.

Section 3, titled “Special Situations”, outlined possible motives for reading this book and how to best utilize its content. What do you hope to accomplish after reading Gayle McDowell’s book Cracking the Coding Interview? What career goals do you hope to accomplish by reading this book? What skills are you paying close attention to in preparation for accomplishing your professional goals?

I hope to be a better problem solver, thinker, and interviewer than when I first started reading the book.

What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?

As this book was originally introduced in 2015, I feel that a lot more companies are adopting the tech interview structure of the likes of Apple, Google, etc. so just being able to study and prep knowing that is what I strive to learn through this section and ultimately, this book.

Briefly in the introduction, McDowell mentioned using her “20% time,” to teach computer science courses. 20% time was a policy at Google which employees were able to pursue personal projects on company time. If you worked for a company which allowed you to spend 20% of your work day on a personal interest project, what would you work on?

I have a few personal passion projects that I would definitely work on - or learning something new is always a great usage of time.

How do you plan to continue to practice your technical interviewing skills after finishing this book?

Mock interviews!

Do you believe preparing for technical interviews with this book will make you a better at your current or future job role? Why or why not?

As mentioned above, I think this book will give me a different perspective that will ultimately help the future me.

After reading section titled “It’s All Relative” on page 7, how will you feel when given a difficult question during a coding interview?
I'll feel exceedingly good if I'm able to solve it and now I won't as bad if I don't complete or solve it as everyone else might be in the same boat as me.

The book also has a website to accompany the book. What ONE tool can you find useful from the website? (website: www.crackingTheCodingInterview.com)

The cheatsheets look pretty nice. Some of the links under resources don't work unfortunately.

[enronMoonProgram]

1. In the introduction a highly qualified candidate was passed up for a position at a large technology company, because his interview skills were not adequate. Do you identify with this example found on page 1? Why or why not?

1A. I absolutely identify with this example as I've been on both ends. There have been a couple jobs I applied for and where I had the requisite hard skills and ability to perform well however in one my communication and plan for the interview was lacking and the other was simply not a great culture fit within the team. I've also interviewed candidates that showed tremendous promise however their inability to communicate and demonstrate their skills effectively ended up costing them an opportunity.

2. In the introduction and in the title the author, Gayle McDowell, says her book solves a problem for readers. The problem with coding interviews is they can be notoriously difficult and this book is the key to success. Do you believe this book can help readers improve their technical interviewing skills?

2A. I believe it can help by providing direction of study and benchmarks for the level of technical ability required to achieve employment in this career.

3. What are your initial thoughts, feelings, and emotions about this week’s reading?

3A. This week's reading has been fun, it was informative and provided great surface level insight to hiring practices of FAANG companies.

4. Sections 2, titled “Behind the Scenes”, described the interview process for top tier technology companies. Based on the reading and you prior knowledge, which company or team would you be most interested in interviewing with and why?

4A. Microsoft would be my preferred organization to apply of the companies listed due to the software's impact on my life and an overall appreciation for the value they add to the world of computing.

5. Section 3, titled “Special Situations”, outlined possible motives for reading this book and how to best utilize it's content. What do you hope to accomplish after reading Gayle McDowell’s book Cracking the Coding Interview? What career goals do you hope to accomplish by reading this book? What skills are you paying close attention to in preparation for accomplishing your professional goals?

5A. By reading this book, I'm hoping to gain a greater understanding of the programming career field and the skills required to enter it.

6. What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?

6A. The mentions of system architecture and algorithms are intriguing, can't wait to dive deeper into these topics.

7. Briefly in the introduction, McDowell mentioned using her “20% time,” to teach computer science courses. 20% time was a policy at Google which employees were able to pursue personal projects on company time. If you worked for a company which allowed you to spend 20% of your work day on a personal interest project, what would you work on?

7A. My 20% time would be spent on a software solution to organizing my life, thoughts, goals, and plans into a single solution and sharing that with anyone who'd like it.

8. How do you plan to continue to practice your technical interviewing skills after finishing this book?

8A. After this book I will continue my interviewing skills by practicing on a regular basis on the skills learned here and expanding upon them.

9. On page 5 and 6, the author provides 5 logical reasons for conducting white board interviews and when it’s appropriate to conduct such interviews. What thoughts do you have on her 5 logical reasons for and against conduction whiteboard interviews?

9A. I don't have too many thoughts on it as my skills are no where near this ability yet however the mention of white boarding helps me to understand where I will want my capability to be.

10. Do you believe preparing for technical interviews with this book will make you a better at your current or future job role? Why or why not?

10A. Utilizing this book will absolutely improve my job performance as it will provide me with viewpoints from someone with considerably more experience in a field I'm largely ignorant of.

11. After reading section titled “It’s All Relative” on page 7, how will you feel when given a difficult question during a coding interview?

11A. The example on page 7 will help me to realize all questions are simply opportunities to learn, overall the whole introduction was a great reminder to not take any one interview too seriously.

12. The book also has a website to accompany the book. What ONE tool can you find useful from the website? (website: www.crackingTheCodingInterview.com)

12A. The Khan academy link is great! I've been following that project for a while and didn't realize they offered education this topic!

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Reading - Week 2: section 4 - 5 (11 pages)

1. On page 26 and 27, the section titled Getting the Right Experience, outlined several ways students and professionals can work toward getting their goal job title. What actions can you take based on what you read? Do you have the right experience? If not, what experience do you plan to have in preparation for applying?
2. After reading the section titled Writing a Great Resume (pages 27 - 29), were you able to identify ways of making your resume better? Have you made those changes? What changes do you plan to make to your resume after reading this section if any?
3. What thoughts and ideas were you left with after reading the Preparation Map on pages 30 and 31?
4. Section 5, titled Behavioral Questions (pages 32 - 37), goes into detail with several tactics for preparing for these types of questions. How realistic is it for you to prepare this thoroughly for an interview? How much time would you need to prepare and practice responses? If you practiced your responses over the next several months or year, do you think you would be ready?
5. On pages 36 and 37, the author chose examples who graduated from Berkley or already had experience at Amazon. How relatable are these examples? Do you know someone who works at a big tech company? If so, what advice have they recommended?
6. Based on the section titled So, Tell Me About Yourself (pages 36 and 37), what could you say about yourself using the structure provided?
7. What are your initial thoughts and feelings about this week’s reading?
8. What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?

[chrismjohnston]

Are you guys working the problems in Java?

[LaurenC2022]

I haven’t had to use any language to work the problem from the book as of now. When I do need to use a language, I’ll put it in the comments which one I use

[jdwilkin4]

@chrismjohnston

For part 6(Big 0 section), all of the java problems introduced so far seem be pretty small so I have just been reading them as is instead of translating it to my preferred language of JavaScript.

[IntelliJinceTech]

On page 26 and 27, the section titled Getting the Right Experience, outlined several ways students and professionals can work toward getting their goal job title. What actions can you take based on what you read? Do you have the right experience? If not, what experience do you plan to have in preparation for applying?

I think in my current predicament of being unemployed, I can definitely create more projects that tie my background into engineering. Often times, it's creating a story and sharing that story while putting yourself in the best light that will help paint a better picture for interviewers. Or that's at least HBR (Harvard Business Review) has led me to believe!

After reading the section titled Writing a Great Resume (pages 27 - 29), were you able to identify ways of making your resume better?

I think I've redone my resume so many times but at the same time, I can't always quantify something that we didn't have metrics for? In those situations, I'm not sure what a strong bullet would be.

What thoughts and ideas were you left with after reading the Preparation Map on pages 30 and 31?

That I'm a ways off from being interview-ready. A little disheartening, but a part of me thinks that as I interview more, that will be the best practice. And so, I think if anything, I'll just keep pushing and see where that gets me.

Section 5, titled Behavioral Questions (pages 32 - 37), goes into detail with several tactics for preparing for these types of questions. How realistic is it for you to prepare this thoroughly for an interview? How much time would you need to prepare and practice responses? If you practiced your responses over the next several months or year, do you think you would be ready?

Given that my previous experience has been in Product, most of the interviews there are solely behavioral. As such, I have a process already to prep for behavioral and I do spend a lot of time on it because it should give the interviewer a good idea of who I am, what motivates me, etc.

On pages 36 and 37, the author chose examples who graduated from Berkley or already had experience at Amazon. How relatable are these examples?

Not at all, unfortunately. My degree is not tech-related nor is it STEM. This book was published in 2015, and since then there's been a massive influx of engineers with non-traditional backgrounds.

Based on the section titled So, Tell Me About Yourself (pages 36 and 37), what could you say about yourself using the structure provided?

I'm a Software Engineer and Product Manager, who has significant experience building great products and solutions from startups to Fortune 100 companies. etc. etc.

[LaurenC2022]

Are you guys working the problems in Java?
@chrismjohnston

I am using python or C++ to practice both languages for a class I'm taking in the Spring.

On the Cracking the Coding Interview website you can find the solutions to all the questions in Java, and solutions in C++, python, and many more languages provided by the coding community. It's an opportunity to contribute to open source

[LaurenC2022]

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Week 3 - 4: section 6 (21 pages)
Section 6: Big O

1. What are your initial thoughts and feelings about this week’s reading?
2. How familiar are you with Big O notation before reading section 6: Big O? How confident are you on the subject after reading?
3. Do you think reading section 6: Big O has improved your understanding on Big O?
4. Section 6: Big O utilizes charts, equations, graphs, verbal description and a table to describe Big O notion. These are tools found in math classes. How do you feel about math? How did seeing these in the book make you feel and what did it make you think?
5. What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?
6. What was difficult to understand about this week's reading? Why was it difficult and how to do plan to gain clarity on the topic?
7. Pages 41 through 45 are rules for formulating the run time of a program. Which rule is the most difficult for you? Why? Which rule is easy for you to apply?
8. What topic(s) from section 6: Big O do you find easy to understand? Tell me about it!
9. Free Code Camp has a 2 hour course on Big O. Geeks for Geeks has an article on Big O Notation. Besides the Cracking the Coding Interview book, what resource(s) have you used to better your understanding of Big O notation? Share a link to your favorite resources on Big O.
10. Now that you know about Big O Notation, how are you going to code differently? Did reading Section 6: Big O make you better at coding? Why?

[jdwilkin4]

What are your initial thoughts and feelings about this week’s reading?

I felt like it was a pretty good introduction into big O notation.

How familiar are you with Big O notation before reading section 6: Big O? How confident are you on the subject after reading?

I was a little familiar with it before but all of my previous interviews involved take home projects instead of leetcode/hackerrank assessments so I haven't had to much practice with it.

I think this section gave me some more insight into Big 0

Now that you know about Big O Notation, how are you going to code differently? Did reading Section 6: Big O make you better at coding? Why?

I think for now it will help with technical interviews but will wait to see how it affects my programming on the job.

[IntelliJinceTech]

What are your initial thoughts and feelings about this week’s reading?

Pretty standard intro to Big O Notation. But also great to learn about other notations such as theta and omega.

How familiar are you with Big O notation before reading section 6: Big O? How confident are you on the subject after reading?

I've had some intros to Big O notation through other resources. I think other resources are more interactive but it's really the nature that this is a reading and not within a code editor.

Do you think reading section 6: Big O has improved your understanding on Big O?

I think it introduces some new terms and concepts like Amortized time.

Section 6: Big O utilizes charts, equations, graphs, verbal description and a table to describe Big O notation. These are tools found in math classes. How do you feel about math? How did seeing these in the book make you feel and what did it make you think?

Considering that I have a math-related major... I was reminiscing.

What about this week’s reading has made you curious? What do you want to know more about after reading this week’s sections?

I'd like to say that I understand it but I would love to know the best way to talk about big O notation when solving problems.

What was difficult to understand about this week's reading? Why was it difficult and how to do plan to gain clarity on the topic?

I think the most important aspect is just to get into a habit of always looking at my code and understanding what the space and time complexity is.

Pages 41 through 45 are rules for formulating the run time of a program. Which rule is the most difficult for you? Why? Which rule is easy for you to apply?

The rule that seems the most difficult but could be because it's new is amortized time. The easiest concept though is probably dropping the non-dominant terms and thinking in terms of when inputs go to infinity, what happens.

Free Code Camp has a 2 hour course on Big O. Geeks for Geeks has an article on Big O Notation. Besides the Cracking the Coding Interview book, what resource(s) have you used to better your understanding of Big O notation? Share a link to your favorite resources on Big O.

I think youtube has some great resources. Youtubers such as neetcode are great learning opportunities as they show step by step their thinking process.

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Consider differentiating your responses to keep motivation: type, writing your answers on paper, talking through your answers in a recording/ memo, or make a video of yourself. Talking about the questions in a podcast, an article on Dev.To or in a YouTube video and share a link with us to see what you made based on these questions. It's really up to you how you answer, so have fun with it!

Week 5: section 7 (21 pages)
Section 7: Technical Questions

1. Section 7 breaks down what and where to write on the white board during the interview. Where are you going to practice white boarding interviews? Are you using a physical white board? Are you using an online tool for white boarding? Share a link to your favorite white boarding tool or where you found your physical whiteboard? Who are you practicing white boarding interviews with?
2. Section 7 has detailed instructions for how to problem solve technical coding problems. The author also provides examples. What thoughts do you have about section 7: Technical Questions?
3. McDowell says beautiful code can be defined differently based on who you ask (page 66). She also describes her ideas of what "good" (page 78) and "beautiful" code (bottom of page 65- 66) can mean. What is your definition of beautiful code?
4. What do you think of the problem solving techniques presented in the chapter? Are they perfect? What would you change about this chapter if anything? Explain why.
5. What terms and/or problem solving technique from Section 7 were new to you?
6. Sometimes in technical writing authors have to work hard to create books which are rigorous and readable. Where do you think McDowell lands on a spectrum of readability so far for this book? Is the book too hard to understand? Do you think it's too easy?
7. Based on your reading so far, what prior knowledge should someone have before reading this book?
8. Page 61 has a table of "absolute, must-have knowledge" in a technical interview. What do you think of the table and why do you think this? Give your thoughts on the table.

[jdwilkin4]

Section 7 breaks down what and where to write on the white board during the interview. Where are you going to practice white boarding interviews? Are you using a physical white board? Are you using an online tool for white boarding? Share a link to your favorite white boarding tool or where you found your physical whiteboard? Who are you practicing white boarding interviews with?

I have a physical whiteboard in my house and it has been helpful for practicing especially with more visual problems like graphs and trees

Sometimes in technical writing authors have to work hard to create books which are rigorous and readable. Where do you think McDowell lands on a spectrum of readability so far for this book? Is the book too hard to understand? Do you think it's too easy?

I think at times, some of the examples and explanations might be a little more technical especially for those without CS degrees. But I have found re reading through certain sections helps absorb the content better.

Based on your reading so far, what prior knowledge should someone have before reading this book?

There are times where she will reference particular algorithms and data structures that haven't been introduced yet in the book.
So sometimes it feels like having a base line knowledge of common DSA topics would be helpful

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Week 6: section 8 - 9, chapter 1 only (reference hints on section 13 as needed)(19pages)

Section 8: The offer and Beyond Questions

1. What matters most to you when considering a company? Is it something mentioned in the chapter or something the author never considered in this book?
2. On page 83, McDowell writes to say candidates should "check with friends at the company" to find information about annual bonuses. How could you network and build relationships with people at companies you want to work before even applying to a job?
3. On page 84 and 85, what information stuck with you in regards to negotiating your salary?
4. What thoughts do you have on planning your career path? (page 85)
5. What thoughts do you have on the subsection titled "Keep Interviewing" found on page 86?

Section 9/ Chapter 1: Interview Questions / Arrays and Strings Questions

1. You are completing your first interview questions in chapter 9. What programing language are you using?
2. Are you using the Problem-solving flowchart found on page 62? Why or why not?
3. Are you calculating the time and/or space complexity found in Section 6: Big O (pages 38 - 57, )? Why or why not?
4. Share any videos or readings which helped you work the problems and tell me why it was helpful.
5. How do you feel about the questions in chapter 1, section 9?

On the Cracking the Coding Interview website you can find the solutions to all the questions from the book in the programing language Java. You can also find the solutions in C++, python, and many more languages provided by the coding community. "Contributions Welcome" is in the ReadMe.md file. So the Cracking the Coding Interview Solutions repo is a great opportunity to participate in open source, while you learn and practice interviewing.

[jdwilkin4]

What matters most to you when considering a company? Is it something mentioned in the chapter or something the author never considered in this book?

I like to join companies that have a diversified staff and plenty of learning and growing opportunities.
I don't like to stay stagnate so I like to join companies where you are always learning and getting better

On page 83, McDowell writes to say candidates should "check with friends at the company" to find information about annual bonuses. How could you network and build relationships with people at companies you want to work before even applying to a job?

This is more of a long term play but definitely possible and worth it in my opinion. The more you are networking to more that this is a possibility.
If there are companies you are interested in, start asking around in your network to see if anyone works there or if they know of anyone that works there. Then reach out for a quick coffee chat or talk asynchronously and ask about company culture, frequencies of promotions, etc.

On page 84 and 85, what information stuck with you in regards to negotiating your salary?

I like the idea of asking for $7000 more and instead of keeping it vague and just asking for more.
But I agree with her sentiments about bitting the bullet and just negotiate even if you are uncomfortable.

What thoughts do you have on the subsection titled "Keep Interviewing" found on page 86?

I had an old colleague and mentor that used to do this. He would take interviews a couple of times a year just to stay sharp and see how well he did in the process, especially at larger companies.
I think a couple of interviews a year, while you are employed elsewhere isn't bad IMO.

You are completing your first interview questions in chapter 9. What programing language are you using?

JavaScript

Are you calculating the time and/or space complexity found in Section 6: Big O (pages 38 - 57, )? Why or why not?

Yeah, it is good to practice it since you have to do it in interviews

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Week 7: section 9, chapter 2 & 3 (7 pages)

Section 9/Chapter 2: Linked Lists

1. What is considered a "good" run time? (Hint reference the chart on page 42 or click here to read this article on Free Code Camp for the answer.
2. How are linked lists different from arrays? How are they similar?

Section 9/Chapter 3: Stacks and Queues

1. How is a stack different than a queue?
2. What is the difference between an array and a stack? (page 96)

General Question

1. What is one thing you noticed while completing the problems from the book this week?
2. What is something you would like to know more about based on this week's reading?
3. What is something you need to practice more after completing the book's questions for this week?

[jdwilkin4]

How are linked lists different from arrays? How are they similar?

Arrays are zero based indexed and each element is divided up into smaller chunks of memory.
While linked lists are a collections of nodes where every nodes points to the next node.

Arrays are fixed in size while linked lists are more dynamic

How is a stack different than a queue?

Stacks follow the LIFO(last in first out) principle and work well for stuff like on browsers back and forward functionality in the browser history
Queues follow the FIFO(first in first out) principle and works well for scheduling tasks and stuff.

What is one thing you noticed while completing the problems from the book this week?
What is something you would like to know more about based on this week's reading?
What is something you need to practice more after completing the book's questions for this week?

What has helped me with this book is to supplement it with other resources like freeCodeCamp's youtube channel.
Also, practicing more problems on leetcode has helped me tackle some of the problems from the book.

[LaurenC2022]

Week 8: section 9, chapter 4 (11 pages)

Section 9/ Chapter 4: Interview Questions / Trees and Graphs

1. In your own words, what’s the difference between a graph and a tree? (Hint: page 105)
2. According to Wikipedia (Link to Wikipedia) , a prefix tree (as see on page 105) has an application of auto complete or can also be used for predictive text. Pick any two trees and/or graphs from the book and write about them. Give a brief description and posible applications.
3. In your book, consider writing one or two types of application for each tree and graph to help you remember, and relate to the information in the book.

[jdwilkin4]

In your own words, what’s the difference between a graph and a tree?

Trees are a special type of graph that do not contain cycles.
For graphs you can have cycles which you have to be careful about because you might end up in a infinite loop situation.

According to Wikipedia (Link to Wikipedia) , a prefix tree (as see on page 105) has an application of auto complete or can also be used for predictive text. Pick any two trees and/or graphs from the book and write about them. Give a brief description and possible applications.

For binary search trees, a real world application can be for a dictionary or spell checker. That algorithm can be helpful in situation where you are searching for a word.

For depth first search on graphs, that could be helpful for solving puzzles and mazes that have one solution.

[LaurenC2022]

Week 9: section 9, chapter 5, and Section 13/ Part 2 (18 pages)

1. Based on this and your readings of previous chapters, who is this book's target audience? Is this book written for career changers and bootcamp graduates, people with a computer science background, or someone else?
2. If you are not the author's identified target audience, can learning the book's content still help you reach your professional goals?
3. Will it take more or less time to read the book if you have no previous experience in a traditional computer science education?
4. If modifications are needed, how can you modify your reading plan so you complete the book and feel a sense of accomplishment?
5. Link to a helpful resource you used to better your understanding of bit manipulations. Explain why this resource was helpful for you. (Please don't link to the same resource as someone else. If everyone links to a different resource, we will have a collection of resources and brief explanations to help everyone working through the book) I have shared an example below.
6. What is one or two use cases or real world applications for bit manipulation?

Helpful video resource example:

Algorithms: Bit Manipulation, a HackerRank video

The video linked above is with Gayle McDowell, the author of the book. I found her explanation of two's complement form easy to follow. The video expects understanding of converting between binary and base 10. She explains a few topics presented in her book, like arithmetic vs logical right shifts. McDowell also discusses two's complement and negative numbers in the book and in the video I shared above.

[jdwilkin4]

On page 112, the author uses the word "rusty" to describe her reader's skills with bit manipulation. Based on this and your readings of previous chapters, who is this book's target audience? Is this book written for career changers and bootcamp graduates, people with a computer science background, or someone else?

I was always under the impression that it was mainly written for those with prior CS knowledge. According to Wikipedia, this book was originally published in 2008 which seems to be before the bootcamp boom. I think a lot more people entering into tech at that time probably had CS degrees or at least some classes in CS. My guess is that she was writing for the time which probably included less self taught and bootcamp grads.

If you are not the author's identified target audience, can learning the book's content still help you reach your professional goals?

There are still a fair amount of jobs that ask these types of questions in interviews, so I do think this book is helpful on learning how to approach those problems.

Will it take more or less time to read the book if you have no previous experience in a traditional computer science education?

For me, I know the best approach is to read through the chapters first for basic exposure and understanding. Then do additional practice and seek other resources for deeper understanding. Then re read certain chapters until the concepts and problem solving approach feel more natural.

[LaurenC2022]

Week 10: section 9, chapter 6 (8 pages)

1. What videos and websites can you find to reinforce the topics discussed (prime numbers, probability and problem solving) in this chapter?
2. On page 121, the reader was invited to solve a brain teaser before reading the solution. What thoughts did you have while solving the brain teaser or reading the solution?
3. The author argues that brain teasers are just algorithm questions with the technical aspect omitted. Do you agree or disagree?
4. Did you use the problem solving techniques found in section 7: Techinical Quesitons to solve the problems in chapter 6?

[LaurenC2022]

Week 11: Section 9/ Chapter 7: Interview Questions / Object Oriented Design

1. On page 125, McDowell uses "she" as the gendered pronoun to mean a developer. 75% of software engineers are men and in 2015, when the 6th edition of this book was published, only 23% of software engineers were women. Did the author's choice of the word "she" make you feel anything? What are your thoughts on women in tech?
2. If you are of a minority, what does your career choice mean for you, your family and your community now and for future generations?
3. Are you a member of a professional or coding community outside of Virtual Coffee? If so, share your community and how the community has impacted you.

[LaurenC2022]

Week 12: section 9, chapter 8 (6 pages):

1. According to McDowell, why would it be better to use a loop rather than recursion to solve a problem? (pg 131)
2. Why might you not want to solve a problem iteratively during an interview? (pg 131)
3. How have you used memoization in your work as a programmer?
4. On page 132, McDowell told her readers to visualize recursive calls using a tree. Do you use trees to better your understanding of recursive calls? If you don't already use trees, do you think you will start now?

[LaurenC2022]

Week 13: section 9, chapter 9 (8 pages) - System Design and Scalability:

1. Pick a project you have worked on. Use page 138 and 139 and pick apart your project. Use step 4 on Design to pick apart key issues of your project and step 5 to discuss how it could be improved. Have you created the perfect software in your project? What trade offs have you made in your design?
2. What system design course(s) have you taken or plan to watch (university or MOOC's course)? Would you recommend the course to a friend or coworker?
3. What thoughts or insight do you have on system design? Please, use 1 paragraph to share your findings on the topic.

You do not need to complete these courses, but if you would like to know more I am sharing a couple of courses I found online. Educative said to be a good resource and so is Free Code Camp. Educative has a course on System Design (not free, cost associated with course) and Free Code Camp has a course on System Design (free).

Note: Much of Cracking the Coding Interview (CCI) assumes computer science knowledge. This book club reading assumes no computer science knowledge. If you have insight on a topic, please share. If you are learning a topic for the first time, please share your struggles and findings as well.

[LaurenC2022]

Week 14: section 9, chapter 10 (5 pages)

Section 9/ Chapter 10: Interview Questions / Sorting and Searching

On page 149, author McDowell says "the concept is fairly simple, getting all the details right is far more difficult than you might think." Using this line as inspiration to take notes on the concepts and details of chapter 10.

1. Use this LaTeX chapter 10 Questions Template linked here to write your notes and complete Interview Questions for chapter 10. Each section and sub section in your notes should include three (3) items:

• a simple explanation of the algorithm in your own words
• code with comments in the language you choose (see the examples found in chapter 10 for Merge Sort, Quick Sort or Binary Search found on pages 148 and 149)
• Use cases for each algorithm. You can find use cases by Googling or searching YouTube videos for the phrase "[algorithm name] use cases".

Hint 1: https://www.overleaf.com is a good LaTeX editor and has a generous free tier
Hint 2: On the Cracking the Coding Interview website you can find the solutions to all the questions from the book in the programming language Java linked here. You can also find the solutions in C++, python, and many more languages provided by the coding community. So, if you get stuck try examining the code found in the repository and write an explanation of the code in your notes.

2. Come up with a verb which means "to search YouTube videos"

3. Comment a question you have on this chapter.

Youtube video by the author on quick sort: https://youtu.be/SLauY6PpjW4?si=2W-RV4zlV4g1jpWc
Youtube video by the author on bubble sort: https://youtu.be/6Gv8vg0kcHc?si=Plp4X2qPxvHaDPn3

[LaurenC2022]

Week 14: section 9, chapter 11 (5 pages)

Section 9/ Chapter 11: Interview Questions / Testing

After reading the chapter, complete any or all of the questions below. Feel free to post your response in the thread or keep it for yourself. Happy reading, and enjoy!

1. Below is a list of key terms*, create a doodle explaining a key term. Leave a picture of your drawing in the comments. I have added my own doodle as an example.
2. Download or take a screenshot of someone's doodle and color it, improve, or add to it. Leave a picture of your coloring in the comments.
3. Make an illustration to explain how to break down the process of testing. Summaries the ideas in chapter 11 in a diagram.
4. What is one topic you found interesting from chapter 11? Why was it interesting?
5. Do you have personal experience with test? What comments do you have about this chapter?

*Key terms: use case, bounds of use, stress/ failure conditions, black box testing, white box testing, defining a test case (page 155), troubleshooting questions (page 156)

[LaurenC2022]

My doodle of black box testing

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Week 16: section 9, chapter 12 - 13, and Section 13/ Part 3 (11 pages)

Section 9/ Chapter 12: Interview Questions / C and C++

1. What languages are listed on your resume?
2. What languages do you have any amount of experience with?
3. If your answers to 1 and 2 are different, why?
4. If you know C++ at a high degree of understanding, how has the language changed since this book was published?
5. If you appreciated this section on C++, what other languages would you want McDowell to write about?

Section 9/ Chapter 13: Interview Questions / Java

1. Question 3 on page 165 assumes in depth knowledge of how computer languages are made. If you have an understanding on how to build a computer programming language, what could you tell write about it in 1 paragraph?
2. If you don't have an understanding of how computer programming languages are written, find 1 article online which is appropriate for you skill level. Summaries the article below.
3. Should you study Java or C++ of you don't plan to use the languages for the job you are applying for? Why or why not?

General

1. What did you like about Section 9, chapters 12 and 13?
2. Draw a drawing to summaries 1 topic and share it below. Have fun with it.

[LaurenC2022]

Answer the questions you enjoy answering, and leave the rest. It's always kind to read and respond to someone else's ideas, too.

Week 17: section 9, chapter 14 - 15 ( 11 pages)

Section 9/ Chapter 14: Interview Questions / Databases

1. Have you worked with databases? If so, what would you ad to this chapter if anything?

Section 9/ Chapter 15: Interview Questions / Threads and Locks

No questions. Enjoy reading!

[LaurenC2022]

Week 18 - 19: section 9, chapter 16 - 17, and Section 13/ Part 2 (25 pages)*

Section 9/ Chapter 16: Interview Questions / [Additional Interview Questions] Moderate
Section 9/ Chapter 17: Interview Questions / [Additional Interview Questions] Hard

There is nothing to read in these two chapters, so no questions - do the book questions on your own.

[LaurenC2022]

Week 20: section 11 (16 pages)*

Section 11: Advanced Topics

1. McDowell says she considered what should/n't be included in this Advanced Topics sections. She says the section is completely optional and to only complete the Advanced Topic section for the right reason. Did you complete the Advanced Topic section, and what was your reason?
2. Which topic was your favorite from this section?
3. Congratulations! You finished the book. If you could go back to when you started, what would you tell yourself?

This has been a long 5 months. I hope you got as much out of it as I have. Thank you for reading along with me!