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| Coding Interview Preparation | Coursera |
The final segment of this program is designed to equip you for the distinctive challenges of a coding job interview. It covers problem-solving techniques essential for securing a position, along with foundational knowledge in computer science. Ultimately, you will gain valuable insights and guidance to excel in interviews.
Upon completion of this course, you will have learned about effective communication in coding interviews, successful strategies for interviewing, using pseudocode, fundamental computer science principles, implementing and assessing data structures, understanding algorithms and their typical methodologies, visualizing algorithms, and integrating diverse coding patterns to solve problems. Completion of all courses in this professional certificate is recommended prior to enrollment.
Notice!
Always refer to the module on your course for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Attention!
If you have any questions that are not covered in this post, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Thank you for your engagement.
Module quiz: Introduction to the coding interview
1. What should be done when presented with a technical problem where the
solution is not immediately obvious?
- Ask questions.
- Ask the interviewer how they would solve the problem.
- Move the conversation along and try not to draw attention.
2. During a technical interview, is it better to rely on the work of others,
or code everything yourself?
- Use code written by others.
- Use the data structures, but don’t use any other external implementation.
- Write as much code as you can to show off your skills.
3. Given an array that represents sock colors: Sock_colors =
[3,3,2,1,1,3,5,1,4,2], how many pairs of the same color socks exist?
- 2
- 4
- 3
4. It is best to remain silent when writing code during a technical interview.
- True
- False
5. Should I ask questions in an interview?
- Yes. Ask questions for clarity or during an appropriate time.
- Yes, but only when the conversation looks like it is going to help the interviewer along.
- Yes. Asking questions can run down the interview clock and so avoid awkward questions.
6. What is the STAR method?
- A stellar answer to a good question.
- A structured approach to answering questions.
- A coding practice with 4 key components.
7. What is meant by transfer rate in relation to a CPU?
- The rate at which memory is transferred into cache.
- The rate at which instructions are processed.
- The rate at which a processor can convert input from a terminal.
8. When engaged with a coding interview what sorts of tests should you aim to
include?
- Integration tests
- Unit tests
- Functional tests
9. Which memory location is closest to the CPU?
- Secondary memory
- Main memory
- Cache
10. When designing a solution it is best to:
- Tackle every problem as it arises.
- Doing a quick sketch then implementing everything on the page.
- Planning an outline, engaging the main obstacles, looking at the potential solutions and constantly reviewing.
Module quiz: Introduction to data structures
1. What do TSV files use to separate their data?
- Tabs
- Topic
- Types
2. Arrays are always stored on the stack?
- Yes, but only through making a deep-copy.
- No
- Yes, but only through making a shallow-copy.
3. What happens when you try to retrieve a value using a number greater
than the index size?
- It would throw an error.
- Nothing. There would be nothing to retrieve so it would return null.
- It would return a warning and a message indicating the issue.
4. In relation to computer science, what is a class?
- An object that has functionality.
- It is a blueprint for an object.
- It is the thing from which arrays are build.
5. In relation to objects, what are instance variables?
- Characteristics of the class.
- Attributes that can take on many forms.
- An attribute that has an immediate impact when compiled.
6. How many children can a node in a binary tree have?
- 1
- 2
- 4
7. Which of the following uses a FIFO approach.
- Lists
- Stacks
- Queues
8. In relation to data structures what does synchronization mean?
- Relates to a measured way of increasing the size of an object.
- It is something to do with swimming.
- Making a class thread safe.
9. Why do you need to implement a comparator when storing objects on a
tree?
- As a means of comparing objects so the tree knows which node to store an object on.
- To ensure that values don’t clash when being added to a tree.
- So that the compiler can know to keep the tree balanced by comparing a number of nodes.
10. Why are heaps called heaps?
- The order of importance is determined by where in the data structure the information is found.
- The organization of their data is done in a very loose way, so it is said that the elements are heaped together.
- Because they store a selection of different data types.
Module quiz: Introduction to algorithms
1. Insertion sort is an example of divide and conquer?
- True
- False
2. Given an array of 6 numbers [6,8,19,48,9,90]and applying
insertion sort, how many swaps must occur before the array is sorted?
- 4
- 6
- 2
3. What time complexity is required to do a linear search?
- O(n)
- ((log (n))
- O(1)
4. Why do we need Big-O notation to evaluate our programs?
- Because measuring time is relative to a person’s computer, so a relative metric is required.
- Because sorting requires that things are moved around to save space.
- Because sorting is complicated, and we need a complicated metric.
5. What is parallelization?
- It is about running code at the same time in threads or on separate computers.
- It is about calling functions repetitively until they have achieved a base case.
- It is about writing your code in one go.
6. Why would you decide to use recursion?
- It looks cool and makes your code seem more intelligent.
- Recursion reduces the pressure on the compiler by making less stack calls.
- It lends itself well to a divide and conquer approach.
7. Why does Memoization work well with dynamic programming?
- It takes up less space in the hard drive.
- It requires less compiling because it stores previous results, reducing the load on the CPU.
- Because it takes a lot of memory to run some programs and memoization allows you to store data in smaller sizes.
8. How are the principles of dynamic programming and greedy algorithms at
odds with one another?
- The greedy algorithm will use up CPU by monopolizing resources.
- The principle of dynamic programming is to exhaustively compute the best solution, while a greedy approach will favor take the immediate best option.
- Because dynamic programming will react with more agility to a program, while the greedy approach will be slower and more self-centered.
9. Why is a binary search conducted in O(log n) time?
- Because as it searches it sorts the elements.
- It is not, it is conducted in O(n).
- Regardless of the size of the input, at every step the number of calculations is halved.
10. In the Fibonacci pseudocode above how many recursive instances can
be seen?
def fibonacci(number)if number < 2numberelsefibonacci(number - 1) + fibonacci(number - 2)endend
- 0
- 1
- 2
Final graded assessment
1. Where would you most likely to be asked a series of coding related
questions?
- During the take-home assignment.
- During the screening.
- Your technical interview.
2. How do computers store and represent information?
- Binary
- Java
- HTML
3. If an application returned a result after one computation it ran
in:
- O(n)
- O(1)
- O(log(n))
4. Which of the following equations can be said to be true:
- space complexity = input space + auxiliary space
- input space = space complexity + auxiliary space
- auxiliary space = space complexity + input space
5. In relation to data structures mutability refers to:
- Whether a structure can be changed after its completion.
- The use of one data structure as a container to mimic another.
- The initial limitations on the size that they can grow to.
6. Which of the following statements is true?
- Array based lists can grow without having to copy their values when expanding.
- An array-based approach is the only way of creating a list.
- LinkedLists can grow without having to copy their values when expanding.
7. True or false: During a coding interview, you should retain both used and
unused code.
- True
- False
8. Which of the following are actual data structures?
- B Trees
- C Trees
- A Trees
9. In relation to hash tables, what is meant by the load factor?
- It is how much space a hash table has.
- It relates to bucket capacity before a split is made.
- It relates to the amount of space allocated to the index table.
10. True or false: Dynamic programming is about using dynamic structures
when coding.
- True
- False