Big Tech Interview Checklist

Before Writing Code

[ ] Clarify the Requirements: Repeat the question back in your own words.
[ ] Define the Edge Cases: Empty inputs? Negative numbers? Duplicates? Extreme limits?
[ ] Propose a Brute Force Solution: Briefly state the naïve approach and its time/space complexity to establish a baseline.
[ ] Brainstorm Optimizations: Can we use a hash map? Sorting? Two pointers? DP?
[ ] Agree on an Approach: Walk through your optimized algorithm logically before writing code.
[ ] State the Complexities: Declare the Time and Space complexity of your planned approach before coding.

[ ] Modularity: Break complex logic into smaller, clearly named helper functions.
[ ] Naming: Use descriptive variable names (max_profit, current_node). Avoid x, y, temp.
[ ] Think Out Loud: Explain your logic as you type. Silence is the enemy.
[ ] Leave Space: If writing on a whiteboard, leave room between lines for edits. (Less applicable for online pads).

[ ] Manual Trace: Pick a small, non-trivial example and trace through your code line by line.
[ ] Check Edge Cases Again: Does your code crash on an empty array? A single element?
[ ] Review Complexities: Double-check if your actual implementation matches the Time/Space complexity you promised.
[ ] Clean Up: Remove debugging print statements or unnecessary comments.