The Truth About Algorithms And Data Structures
Is it time to look beyond the code?
You can do a lot with very little.
Modern, high-level languages abstract away lots of details. You dont need to know the difference between selection sort, bubble sort, merge sort, and quicksort, for instance, to use Pythons sorted function. It just works.
Do you really need to learn how to use data structures and algorithms?
Well I’ve got news for you:
Best Books And Courses For Coding Interviews
If you like books, here are some of the best ones which will help you to do well in coding interviews:
These are a couple of the tired and tested books and online courses for programming job interview and I highly recommend them to all the programmers, both beginners and intermediate developers.
Thats all about some of the best websites to prepare coding, or programming, or technical interviews for development and support Jobs. CodeFights is like HackerRank and is also used by some companies for screening candidates before face-to-face interviews.Interview Cake is a freemium service for practicing data structures and algorithms through self-study. It will send you daily emails posing a challenge for you to code, solve, and submit the solution.Pramp is a free service for practicing technical interviews by pairing up engineers who interview one another online.These websites will not only help you to perform better in a real interview but will also help you to become a better programmer by improving your coding skills and think-through ability. Even if you are not preparing for a coding interview, you can use these websites to check your coding skills and improve them.
Other Programming and Interview Articles you may like
What Are The Advantages Of Binary Search Over A Linear Search
In a sorted list:
- A binary search is more efficient than a linear search because we perform fewer comparisons. With linear search, we can only eliminate one element per comparison each time we fail to find the value we are looking for, but with the binary search, we eliminate half the set with each comparison.
- Binary search runs in O time compared to linear searchs O time. This means that the more of the elements present in the search array, the faster is binary search compared to a linear search.
You May Like: What Are Phone Interviews Like
Are Data Structures Always Static
No, Data Structures can be both dynamic and static, depending on the way memory allocation works for them. For example, Arrays are static data structures since an entire lot of contiguous memory is allocated to them when they are defined. On the other hand, Linked Lists are dynamic Data Structures as they dont have any fixed size and the number of nodes can increase depending on the programmers requirements.
What Is A Queue Data Structure
In this data structure interview question, you can also discuss your experience and situations using queue. A queue is an abstract data type that specifies a linear data structure or an ordered list, using the First In First Out operation to access elements. Insert operations can be performed only at one end called REAR and delete operations can be performed only at the other end called FRONT.
Also Check: How To Prepare A Case Study For An Interview
What Is The For
The for-in loop is a fundamental part of iterating through data structures. You should be able to describe its syntax to interviewers without hesitation.
This is the case for-in loop implementation in JavaScript. You would loop through an array by replacing the object name with the array name, and then place the piece of iterative code inside the block.
What Went Wrong With Programmer A
The solutions of both programmers A and B were correct, but programmer B is found to be efficient and more proficient in using the correct data structure and algorithms to solve a particular problem given. The problem mentioned above takes O time by the solution of programmer A whereas it takes O time by the solution of programmer B.
With the increasing demands and competition in the software engineering industry, companies these days not only look for hard-working developers but also for developers who can solve a problem as optimally as possible to meet customer satisfaction and are not afraid of paying high.
Some surveys conducted about the salary reports of software developers in India say that anyone who has a good and fair understanding of how DSA work earns around 20-30 Lakhs per annum.
Also Check: How To Write An Email For An Interview
Starting Continuous Learning Activities
Concept Learning/Revision
We need to learn concepts in proper order. Preparing a self-note and writing down ideas in a visual format would help significantly in fast revision.
We advise to plan a brainstorming session around each topic with a peer or colleague. If you find any DSA concepts challenging to understand, mark them, revisit them later or take help from a mentor. Continuously learning and never giving up is the basic idea.
Top 20 data Structures and algorithms concepts to master
Problem-solving research
Finding various patterns via coding problems is one of the best approaches to mastering the problem-solving skill. The critical questions are: what are the important problem-solving ideas to learn? What would be the best approach to solve a coding problem? Before starting problem-solving, we recommend an in-depth analysis of each problem-solving approach via 3-4 coding problems.
Top 20 algorithms to learn Problem-solving
Top 10 problem-solving approaches to master in algorithms
Problem-solving on Paper and Coding Practice
To master problem-solving, paper or a whiteboard can be a handy tool to practice visualisations, solution steps, and pseudo-codes. Writing down algorithm steps and necessary details can help us in designing efficient solutions.
Note: For coding practice, we recommend leetcode. One can find several coding problems organized according to the different difficulty levels.
Blog to explore: Steps of problem-solving in Data Structure and Algorithms
Javascript Algorithms And Data Structures Masterclass
This is one of the best courses to learn Data Structures and Algorithms in JavaScript, and seriously, you wont find a better course at such a ridiculous price.I bought this course in just $10 on Udemys flash sales, which happens every month, and I am amazed by its quality. The reason I bought this course because of Colt Steele, he is one the best instructor in Udemy and his classes are just awesome.Having attended his course The Web Developer Bootcamp, I was sure of the quality, and when I see he has covered Data Structure and Algorithms, I couldnt resist myself from buying this course.As Colt Steele mentioned, This course crams months of computer science and interview prep material into 20 hours of content, which has helped his bootcamp students ace interviews at big tech companies like Google, Tesla, Amazon, and Facebook.
Here is the link to learn more about this course JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass
Read Also: How Do You Ace A Job Interview
Algorithms And Data Structures Part 1
This is one of the best Pluralsight courses to learn Data Structure and Algorithm which is the most important topic for any coding interview.
In this course, you will look at the core data structures and algorithms that are the building blocks of applications everywhere. You will learn how they work and see real-world examples that you can apply to your next project.
Btw, you would need a Pluralsight membership to get access to this course, which costs around $29 per month or $299 annually .
If you dont have Pluralsight membership, I encourage you to get one because it allows you to access their 7000+ online courses on all the latest topics like front-end and back-end development, machine learning, etc. It also includes interactive quizzes, exercises, and the latest certification material.
Alternatively, you can also use their 10-day-Free-Trial to watch this course for FREE.
What Will Be The Output Of The Code Below
This question tests your knowledge of arrays and how they interact with different data types. In this case, you should understand that the length of the tree array will still be five, even after the delete function. The delete function simply takes the third indexed item and makes it undefined. The length of the underlying array is still the same, it just contains an undefined element instead of the string maple.
Read Also: How To Handle A Job Interview
What Are Data Structures
Data structures are methods of gathering and organizing data. Using data structures helps you in applying certain operations on your data effectively. We all know how beneficial it is to keep things organized. Having a designated location for everything helps you find that thing later, enabling you to save time and energy.
A data structure helps your program similarly. It allows you to store and arrange data properly so you can use it through different operations. There are different types of data structures, and they all have certain advantages . You should choose a data structure according to the requirements of your problem. The data structure should make your solution more efficient and less complicated when you implement it.
Develop A Deep Knowledge Of Data Structures
You should understand and be able to talk about different data structures and their strengths, weaknesses, and how they compare to each other. Taking the time to implement data structures from scratch will leave you much better prepared for DS& A interviews, than studying them as an abstract concept.
Don’t Miss: What Are Some Questions You Should Ask In An Interview
The Intuitive Guide Todata Structures Andalgorithms
This is not a freaking textbook.No confusing academic jargon. No long lists of properties to memorize. No proofs.Because that stuff doesn’t help you actually get it.
Here’s what does: Learning what to picture in your head when you think of a dynamic array or a hash map. Learning how to think in algorithms.
That’s what this guide is focused ongiving you a visual, intuitive sense for how data structures and algorithms actually work.
So if you’ve got a big coding interview coming up, or you never learned data structures and algorithms in school, or you did but you’re kinda hazy on how some of this stuff fits together…
This guide will fill in the gaps in your knowledge and make you say, “Oooh, that’s how that works.”
We’ll walk you through it all, step by step. Starting from the beginning.
What Do You Mean By Queue Can You Explain Its Applications
A queue is a data structure which follows the First In First Out logic for operations, which means that the first element input into the queue is operated on first.
A scheduling system is a good example of an application of a queue. Imagine a computing environment where CPU resources are being shared by multiple people. In that case, the work that they want to do can be placed in a queue, with the commands that came first being executed by the queue first.
You May Like: How To Answer A Phone Interview Call
What Is The Result Of 10+20+30 In Javascript
This interview question tests your knowledge of JavaScript data primitives, the data types that can be composed into different data structures in Python. In this case, its a mix between string and numbers data types. Knowing that the result will be 102030 rather than 60 means that you understand that when a string type is invoked with the + operator in JavaScript, the automatic behavior is to turn it into a concatenation operator.
Only by ensuring that everything that interacts with the + operator is a number or BigInt data type can you ensure that a desired behavior of addition happens.
How Should You Answer Why Should We Hire You As A Software Developer During An Interview
When recruiters ask this question, theyre looking to find out whether youre a good fit for the company. You need to show that you understand what the company does and what your role will be. Make sure that you research the company and know what it offers. If possible, connect to a developer in the company to learn about theyre work and the culture of the team. Include your findings in your answer and explain why you are the perfect candidate for the job.
Since youre hereConsidering a career in software engineering? Well help you build a CV that rivals experienced software engineers in 9 months flat with our Software Engineering Bootcamp. If youre still mulling, try our free software engineering learning path and check out our salary guide to see what you could be making.
About Sakshi Gupta
Sakshi is a Senior Associate Editor at Springboard. She is a technology enthusiast who loves to read and write about emerging tech. She is a content marketer and has experience working in the Indian and US markets.
Read Also: Where Can I Do A Video Interview
Best Websites To Prepare For Data Structure Algorithms And Coding Interview Questions
Here is my list of some of the best websites which will help you to prepare for coding interviews. They are free and contain a lot of questions and offer different kinds of experiences. There are many others but I feel these five are more than enough. If you can even solve all the problems on the first website you have a very good chance of doing well on any coding interview.
Talk Through The Brute
After sufficiently defining the scope and intention of the problem, start by talking through the simplest brute-force solution you can think of with your interviewer.
Candidates often skip talking through the brute-force solution because they assume the brute-force solution is too obvious or not what the interviewer wants. This is a strategic mistake. You always want to give a solution to the problem, even if it takes exponential time. Its important not to overthink the problem and try to find the most optimal solution right away.
The worst outcome in a technical interview is to not write any code, and the easiest way to end up in that position is to overcomplicate the problem early in the interview.
Instead, talk through a solution youre confident will work and let your interviewer know about the concessions youve made. You might think that if you present an initial suboptimal solution that youll never get hired, but this isnt true. Communication is important here. You can score points with your interviewer by explaining the time and space complexity of your naive or brute-force solution and by clarifying why its suboptimal youll have the chance to improve it later.
A good developer knows when theyre making concessions and will write it down to fix later. Like in your day-to-day job, shipping nothing is worse than iterative improvements. Remember that a working brute force solution is always better than a half-baked more optimal one.
Read Also: What To Wear For An Interview Female 2021
Can You Explain The Difference Between File Structure And Storage Structure
- File Structure: Representation of data into secondary or auxiliary memory say any device such as a hard disk or pen drives that stores data which remains intact until manually deleted is known as a file structure representation.
- Storage Structure: In this type, data is stored in the main memory i.e RAM, and is deleted once the function that uses this data gets completely executed.
The difference is that the storage structure has data stored in the memory of the computer system, whereas the file structure has the data stored in the auxiliary memory.
Free Algorithms Course By Iit Bombay
Expert academic members from the reputed IIT Bombays Department of Computer Science and Engineering designed this edX Algorithms course. Its part of the Fundamentals of Computer Science XSeries Program at IIT Bombay, and it teaches students how to structure and use algorithms to solve real-world problems. Students learn how to think about algorithms and how to implement them using the best techniques in this computer science course. The course covers the following topics:
- Sorting algorithms such as quick sort and merge sort
- Searching algorithms
- Matrix Operations, GCD, Pattern Matching, Subsequences, Sweep, and Convex Hull
- Graph algorithms like shortest path and spanning tree
Duration: 6 weeksPrerequisites: Requires basic knowledge of data structures and their implementation.
Recommended Reading: What To Ask Interviewer At The End
How To Implement Data Structures
In this video, youll explore how to answer questions relating to data structures in an interview.
You will learn tips on how to approach data structure questions in job interviews.
Access the link in the See alsosection to retrieve the downloadable resources and follow along.
Computer Science Essentials: Algorithms
Computer Science Essentials: Algorithms
Why Is Algorithm Analysis Important
Algorithm analysis is the process of assessing the computational capabilities of a particular algorithm and determining whether it can serve a particular use case. This is important to do before any programming project because it prevents unforeseen challenges and gives programmers an idea of what they can achieve with a particular algorithm.
Also Check: What Questions To Ask An Employer At Interview
Essential Coding Interview Questions + Coding Exercises
No interview preparation is done until you solve some of the most common questions asked in job interviews. This course provides how to solve 11 such questions in a step-by-step manner.
Its a short course and I recommend you to take only with other courses but its good for learning how to approach a completely unknown problem based on your existing knowledge of data structure and algorithms.
SQL queries and database-related questions are very common in programming job interviews, hence its important for computer science graduates or programmers to prepare SQL questions in advance.
This course provides 200+ SQL queries and questions for programming job interviews.
I have also discussed some of the questions like finding second-highest salary and Nth-highest salary on my earlier posts, you may want to check those.
