Technical interviews can feel like a trivia contest—until you realize most strong candidates win by thinking clearly under constraints, not by recalling a perfect solution.

The mindset shift: from “solutions” to “skills”

Instead of collecting answers, build repeatable habits you can apply to any problem:

• Clarify the problem first: restate it, confirm inputs/outputs, ask about constraints.
• Explain before you code: outline an approach in plain English or pseudocode.
• Optimize intentionally: start with a correct baseline, then improve time/space if needed.

A simple 4-step framework to use live

When you’re put on the spot, use this structure to stay calm and coherent:

1) Ask constraint questions (30–60 seconds)

Examples:

• “What are the max input sizes?”
• “Are duplicates possible?”
• “Do we care about memory?”
• “What should I return for empty input?”

2) Choose a pattern, not a solution

Most problems map to a handful of patterns:

• Two pointers / sliding window (subarrays, strings)
• Hash maps / counting (frequency, lookups)
• BFS/DFS (graphs/trees)
• Binary search (sorted arrays, monotonic answers)
• Dynamic programming (overlapping subproblems)

Write down why you chose the pattern—interviewers reward reasoning.

3) Narrate as you code

Make your thought process visible:

• State invariants: “My left pointer always points to the start of a valid window.”
• Name variables clearly: windowSum, seen, bestLen.
• Add quick guard clauses for edge cases.

4) Test with purpose (not just one example)

Before hitting “done,” run:

• Smallest case (empty, size 1)
• Typical case
• Adversarial case (all duplicates, already sorted, negative numbers)

What top candidates do differently

A few high-leverage behaviors that consistently stand out:

• They trade off out loud: “This is O(n) time, O(n) space; we can reduce memory by…”
• They recover smoothly: if stuck, they say what they’ve tried and propose a next step.
• They keep the loop tight: correct → test → optimize → re-test.

A practical weekly prep plan (60–90 minutes/day)

• 3 days: 2 problems/day from one pattern (e.g., sliding window)
• 1 day: review + rewrite one solution from memory (focus on clarity)
• 1 day: timed mock (45 minutes) + reflection notes
• 1 day: system/design-lite discussion prompts (APIs, caching, tradeoffs)

Discussion: What part of technical interviews is hardest for you right now—coming up with the approach, coding cleanly under pressure, or explaining your thinking—and what have you tried so far?