Top 10 Coding Questions For MAANG Interviews

Are you preparing for MAANG (Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) interviews and want to excel in the coding round? 

To succeed in these prestigious companies, it's crucial to master the top coding questions frequently asked in technical interviews. 

While there are a variety of problem-solving and data structures-related questions asked in MAANG company interviews, having access to various coding platforms can’t actually help you reach your dream company. 

Approximately only 75% of the users are able to clear out the HR screening round followed by only 25% for a phone screen and technical rounds of interviews and only 5% who crack on-site interviews. 

In this blog, we will be reading and learning about the "Top 10 Coding Questions for MAANG Interviews," covering a range of programming interview questions that are essential for freshers. 

These questions include basic programming, algorithm, and computer science concepts, making them a comprehensive resource for your interview preparation. 

By practising these most asked coding questions, you'll enhance your problem-solving skills and boost your chances of acing the coding round in MAANG interviews.

Technical interviews rounds in MAANG companies

While there are various rounds involved in MAANG’s interview we will be mainly focusing on the technical ​​round of interview questions. 

These companies are known for their rigorous interview processes, which often include phone/screening interviews followed by online coding on topics of data structures and algorithms with some questions on system design. 

While the specific interview rounds can vary slightly from company to company, here is a general overview of what you can expect:

1. Phone/Screening Interview: The initial round is typically a phone or screening interview conducted by a recruiter or a member of the hiring team where you will be asked some logical questions for the interview. 

This interview aims to assess your basic technical knowledge and communication skills.

You may be asked about your background, projects, and technical questions to gauge your suitability for the role.

2. Technical Phone/Video Interviews: The next rounds usually involve technical interviews conducted over the phone or through video conferencing tools.

These interviews focus on assessing your problem-solving abilities, coding skills, and understanding of core computer science concepts.

You may be asked to solve coding problems, analyse algorithms and data structures, and explain your thought process.

3. On-Site/Remote Interviews: If you perform well in the initial technical interviews, you will be invited for on-site interviews (or remote interviews in some cases).

This stage typically consists of multiple back-to-back interviews conducted by different team members, including software engineers and managers.

These interviews delve deeper into your technical skills and may involve coding in software engineering, system design problems, and behavioural questions.

4. System Design Interviews: Many MAANG companies include a specific system design interview round to assess your ability to design large-scale systems.

In this round, you will be given a high-level scenario or problem and asked to propose a scalable architecture or solution.

This interview evaluates your understanding of system components, database design, scalability, and trade-offs.

It's important to note that the specific details and order of these rounds may vary among MAANG companies.

It's advisable to research each company's interview process and prepare accordingly.

Additionally, some companies may include additional rounds such as coding challenges, take-home assignments, or specialised technical assessments depending on the role you are applying for.

Types of Coding Questions Asked In Interviews

Coding interviews at top tech companies, often called MAANG companies, tend to be more challenging and may focus on advanced data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving abilities. 

Here are some common types of questions asked in coding interviews at these companies:

1. Algorithmic Complexity and Analysis:

   - Analyze the time and space complexity of an algorithm.

   - Identify the best data structure or algorithm to solve a problem efficiently.

   - Optimize an existing algorithm for better performance.

2. Data Structures and Algorithms:

   - Implement complex data structures such as heaps, trees (BST, AVL, etc.), graphs, or advanced variations like tries or suffix trees.

   - Solve algorithmic problems involving dynamic programming, backtracking, or graph traversal algorithms (Dijkstra's, A*, etc.).

   - Design and implement efficient algorithms for searching, sorting, or manipulating data.

3. System Design and Architecture:

   - Design scalable and fault-tolerant systems, considering issues like load balancing, caching, and database optimization.

   - Handle distributed systems and discuss concepts like sharding, replication, and consistency models.

   - Address system design trade-offs, discussing the pros and cons of different design choices.

4. Problem-Solving:

   - Solve coding challenges or puzzles that test your ability to think critically and apply various algorithms and data structures to find optimal solutions.

   - Break down complex problems into smaller, manageable subproblems and develop step-by-step solutions.

5. Object-Oriented Design:

   - Design object-oriented systems, focusing on class relationships, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation.

   - Discuss design patterns and their appropriate use cases.

   - Address software engineering principles like SOLID, DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), or KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

6. Real-World Applications and Optimization:

   - Optimize code for efficiency, reducing time and space complexity.

   - Analyze and improve the performance of existing systems or algorithms.

   - Discuss techniques like memoization, caching, or parallel computing to speed up computations.

7. Coding in Specific Programming Languages:

   - Answer coding questions in a specific language such as Java, Python, C++, or JavaScript, focusing on language-specific features, libraries, or best practices.

It's important to note that these companies often have unique interview processes and may emphasize problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, and code optimization skills. 

It's advisable to study and practice a wide range of data structures, algorithms, and system design concepts to be well-prepared for coding interviews at top tech companies.

Potential Coding Questions You Should Practise

Here are ten coding questions that are commonly asked in coding interviews at top tech companies (MAANG companies). These questions cover a range of difficulty levels and are good to practice:

1. Two Sum:

Given an array of integers and a target sum, find two numbers that add up to the target sum. The concept of the problem is based on hashing where we insert all the array elements to the hashmap and find the pair which adds up to the target sum.

2. Reverse Linked List:

Reverse a singly linked list. The concept of the problem involves manipulating pointers to reverse the direction of the linked list. 

3. Merge Intervals:

Given a collection of intervals, merge overlapping intervals. The concept of the problem involves sorting the intervals based on their start values and then merging overlapping intervals.

The problem typically involves a list of intervals, where each interval consists of a start time and an end time. The goal is to merge any overlapping intervals and return a new list of non-overlapping intervals.

4. Validate BST:

Determine if a binary tree is a valid binary search tree. The concept of the problem involves checking whether a given binary tree satisfies the properties of a binary search tree.

A binary search tree is a binary tree where the value of each node is greater than all the values in its left subtree and less than all the values in its right subtree.

To validate a binary tree as a binary search tree, we need to ensure that for each node, its value is within a certain range determined by its position in the tree.

5. Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters:

Find the length of the longest substring without repeating characters in a given string.

The concept of the problem involves using a sliding window technique to find the longest substring within a given string that does not contain any repeating characters.

6. Word Break:

Given a string and a dictionary of words, determine if the string can be segmented into a space-separated sequence of dictionary words.

The concept of the problem involves using dynamic programming to determine if a given string can be segmented into a space-separated sequence of dictionary words.

The goal is to determine if the string can be segmented such that each segment is a valid word from the dictionary.

7. Maximum Subarray:

Find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum within an array of integers.

The concept of the problem involves using Kadane's algorithm or dynamic programming to find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum within a given array.

8. Serialize and Deserialize Binary Tree:

Design an algorithm to serialize and deserialize a binary tree into a string representation.

The concept of the problem involves encoding a binary tree into a string representation and then decoding the string to reconstruct the original binary tree.

Serializing a binary tree means converting it into a string representation that preserves the structure and values of the tree.

Deserializing, on the other hand, means converting the serialized string back into the original binary tree.

9. Course Schedule:

Given the total number of courses and a list of prerequisite pairs, determine if it is possible to finish all courses.

The concept of the problem involves modeling the course prerequisites as a directed graph and checking if the graph is a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). If the graph contains no cycles, it is possible to finish all courses; otherwise, it is not possible.

10. Trapping Rain Water:

Given n non-negative integers representing an elevation map, compute how much water it can trap after rain.

The concept of the problem involves using two-pointer or two-pass approaches to calculate the amount of water that can be trapped between the bars of a given height.

These ten coding questions are representative of the types of problems commonly encountered in coding interviews at top tech companies.

Understanding the problem statements, designing efficient algorithms, and writing clean, bug-free code is essential.

Additionally, practicing additional questions and exploring different variations will further strengthen your problem-solving skills.

Conclusion

So there you have it! The top 10 coding questions that frequently appear in MAANG interviews.

These companies have rigorous technical rounds, and being well-prepared is crucial. 

One effective way to prepare for coding questions is through mentor-led preparation. 

Having a mentor can provide valuable guidance and support throughout your preparation journey. 

A mentor can help you understand the intricacies of coding questions, provide personalised feedback on your solutions, and offer insights into the best problem-solving approaches.

They can provide you with additional resources and practice materials specific to MAANG interviews. 

In a nutshell, combined with dedicated practice and a strong understanding of core concepts, mentor-led preparation can greatly increase your chances of success in the coding rounds of MAANG interviews.

Here are some top MAANG mentors to connect with:

⭐ Drishti Mamtani, Software Engineer L4 @Google

⭐ Dinesh Kumar Dodda, Software Developer @Amazon

⭐ Ravi Kant, Software Development Engineer - Systems @Apple

⭐ Shouvik Roy, Senior Software Engineer @Walmart Global Tech (ex- Amazon, ex-Meta)

⭐ Sahil Kumar, Software Engineer III @Google