2017 Coding Interview Crunch: First Stage Recap

Kalvin T. Lam
Aug 25, 2017 · 2 min read

In the first stage of my technical interview preparation, I’ve completed a (near-consecutive) 22 days of intensive preparation, squeezing in an hour in the morning a couple hours here and there, just overall, really trying to find quiet, focused time to put into honing my skill. With the Jane Street interview coming in T-1 hour, my first “stage” of interview prep is done, and I’m excited to see the results. I will try my best, give it my all, and no matter the outcome, I will walk away a champ, knowing that I’m continually improving myself and growing. With that in mind, let’s crunch the numbers.

Days trained: 22

Hours trained: 55.08

Average daily: 55.08 / 22 = 2.5

Wow, that’s a lot of time put into something. I’ve covered and reviewed a lot of topics, ranging from backtracking to bit manipulation to math, and I feel a lot more confident in myself and my problem solving skills after putting in all of that time. Yup, I stick to my belief that the surest way to any result is hard work, deliberate practice, and focus. To pursue big dreams, you’ve gotta do the leg work — the leg work being long hours and strenuous practice. But yeah, that’s that.

For the next stage of my interview prep, I’m looking to up the intensity. I have the Two Sigma onsite coming up, and that’s what I’m really gunnin’ for. After last year’s fall out at the onsite stage, I’m determined to come back with a burning fire. I’m going to kill this interview, and I’m going to ace and breeze through every question they send me. I will not let this year be a repeat of last year. I’ve faced failure before; I know it’s taste. I won’t let it happen again.

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Kalvin T. Lam

Written by

http://kalvinlam.com/

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