The first five minutes of a coding interview

Interview craft Junior Python 3.13+ Reviewed By Best Latest Apps

Order the steps

Order the opening steps.

  • Ask about input size, edge cases and output format
  • State the brute-force idea and its cost
  • Restate the task in your own words
  • Work one small example by hand

Choose an answer, then open Show answer below to check it.

Show answer

Answer: C A D B

  1. Restate the task in your own words Confirms you and the interviewer mean the same thing.
  2. Ask about input size, edge cases and output format These decide which approaches are allowed.
  3. Work one small example by hand It becomes your first test case.
  4. State the brute-force idea and its cost It gives a correct baseline to improve on.

30-second answer

Restate the task in your own words, ask about input size, value ranges, duplicates, empty input and the expected output for ties, and work one small example by hand. Then state a brute-force approach and its cost, and say which pattern you will use to improve it. This catches misunderstandings early and gives the interviewer a chance to steer you.

Practise saying it · 45 s. No recording, just a timer

Explain how you open a coding interview.

Say your answer out loud, then check which of these points you covered:

  • Restate
  • Clarify limits and edges
  • Example and brute force

Deep dive

Write the agreed example where you will code; it doubles as your first test.

Ask whether you may modify the input and whether order of output matters.

Five minutes of clarifying is normal and expected in a 45-minute round.

Common mistakes

  • Starting to code after one read of the question.
  • Asking so many questions that no time is left to solve.

Senior take & follow-ups

Write the assumptions as a short list in a comment; it shows organisation.

Follow-up questions

Think of your answer first, then open the hint.

  1. What if the interviewer says 'you decide'?

    Show hint

    Pick the most reasonable assumption, say it out loud and write it at the top.

  2. How long should clarifying take?

    Show hint

    About 3 to 5 minutes in a 45-minute round.

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