CheckListTemplate.md

🎯 CODING INTERVIEW CHECKLIST 🎯

1. UNDERSTAND [2 min]

Problem Core

• Input:
• Output:
• Example walkthrough

Constraints

• Size/Range:
• Time/Space limits:
• Special conditions:

⭐ Clarifying Questions

• Null/Empty cases?
• Input validation?
• Multiple solutions ok?

2. APPROACH [3-5 min]

Data Structures

• Array/String/Matrix
• Hash/Set/Map
• Stack/Queue/Heap
• Tree/Graph/Trie
• LinkedList/Pointer

Common Patterns

• Brute Force → Optimize
• Two Pointers/Sliding
• BFS/DFS/Backtrack
• Binary Search
• DP/Greedy
• Math/Bit Manipulation

Complexity Target

• Time: O()
• Space: O()

3. TEST CASES [2 min]

Basic Cases

• Empty/Single
• Simple small input
• Regular case

Edge Cases

• Min/Max values
• Boundaries/Zeros
• Duplicates

Tricky Cases

• Overflow
• Negative/Special chars
• Unordered/Unsorted
• Cycles/Self-loops

4. PLAN [2 min]

High-level Steps

Helper Functions

5. OPTIMIZE & VALIDATE [2 min]

Improvements

• Better data structure?
• Remove redundancy?
• Cache results?
• Space optimization?

Code Quality

• Handle edge cases
• Clear variable names
• Add key comments
• Test final solution

💡 TIPS

Communication

• Think out loud consistently
• Explain your reasoning
• Ask clarifying questions early
• Signal when switching approaches

Problem Solving

• Start with brute force
• Optimize gradually
• Test while coding
• Manage time wisely
• Draw diagrams when helpful
• Break down complex problems

Best Practices

• Write clean, readable code
• Use meaningful variable names
• Handle edge cases explicitly
• Leave time for testing
• Stay calm if stuck
• Keep moving forward