Cracking Amazon and Google Interviews: Seeking Expert Advice for Last-Minute DSA Prep
Hello, I am a recent graduate with a background in Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. I have Amazon’s final virtual interviews, consisting of four rounds, in 10 days, and Google’s final virtual interviews, also comprising four rounds, scheduled for early November. Although I passed the online assessments for both companies, I am not at all confident in my upcoming interviews. I have realized that my Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) skills, as well as my proficiency in Leetcode, are quite very rusty. There have been times when I struggled to solve many of the Leetcode problems.
I am currently using Neetcode to practice DSA and advanced algorithms, but I am feeling demotivated about tackling these coding problems and breaking into MAANG, despite having secured interview opportunities. I would greatly appreciate any advice on how I should approach my preparation if I were to start over from a beginner's perspective.
For Amazon’s interview, I have been following a 1-to-0 approach rather than a 0-to-1 strategy—focusing on reviewing solutions, understanding problems, and recognizing patterns using Neetcode and Grokking the Coding Interview, rather than actively solving the questions. With only 10 days remaining, how can I enhance my performance under pressure and prevent freezing during Amazon's coding interviews? Additionally, how can I sustain this momentum for Google’s interview preparation?
Thank you for your time and guidance.
Discussion
(2 comments)- 0
4 days agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroI highly recommend going through this: [Masterclass] How To Ace Your Big Tech Interview - Data Structures And Algorithms
Not only does it cover the tactics behind DSA interviews, it also provides motivation and mindset advice as well. I'm literally working on converting this into a much higher-quality course right now, but it won't be out in time for your upcoming Amazon interview (maybe it'll come out like 1-2 days before, but that's too late).
For DSA, it really is just a matter of time and consistency. While Amazon's interview is often less LeetCode-heavy, Google's is not. For you, Google will be like 80% to 90% DSA. I recommend trying to find a study buddy in the Taro community: https://www.jointaro.com/networking/?selectedServices=Mock+Interviews
Keep an eye out for events like these as well: Jobsearchers Coffee Chat
- 04 days agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
I would spend a lot of time on Glassdoor to start honing your prep for Amazon and Google, since you have 10 days left. Use Leetcode and prioritize questions that are tagged with a specific company, and ask friends who have gone through the interview processes recently at those companies)
After the immediate pressure of these interviews is over, I'd go through the DSA masterclass that Alex linked!
