This is an article I wrote for BU Spark, but I liked it so I want to save it here too.

Technical interviews, explained

One of the more stressful parts of the job/internship application process in tech is often the technical interview. Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have a better understanding for what a technical interview actually looks like, and how you can best prepare for it!

From a high level, the point of the technical interview is for companies to assess your “technical ability” in a fairly standardized way. This can totally be very stressful. However, as a student a technical interview really is just another version of an assessment, which you already know pretty well how to do.

What does a technical interview look like?

So if a technical interview is really just some sort of test I can study for, what does it actually look like? There are a few different flavors of assessments that you might see when applying to internships or full time positions. Back in the day, these used to be in-person and on a literal whiteboard in some cases. Today, pretty much all of them are online in these two slightly different formats:

• Asynchronous: These types of interviews are done through an assortment of online platforms like Codility, HackerRank, etc. and are basically timed tests through an online portal where you complete a few coding challenges based on predetermined questions within the portal.

• Live coding: Potentially the more intense version because you are typically coding in front of an engineer at the company. At the end of the day, it’s basically the same challenge as the asynchronous, you may just also be asked to explain your thinking as you code. One important note about these is that its totally okay if you don’t get the right answer (especially not right away)! The main point is that you can just show off your CS problem-solving skills during the call. This is why being able to explain your thinking out loud as you work is really important.

Note some companies may have you do one version or both, it sort of depends on the process. Also here is a YouTube video of a mock technical interview link.

How do I study for a technical interview?

As a student, studying for assessments is basically your day job, so here are some great ways to study for any technical interview.

In terms of topics covered, this can vary depending on what type of internship/job you apply for. However, at the end of the day, with any job description labeled “Software Engineer”, you’ll be prepared using these resources. General SWE knowledge generally surrounds Data Structures and Algorithms, which BU teaches in CS 112, CS 330, and DS 310/320. Theoretically, these classes would probably be enough to get you prepared for an interview, but its definitely nice to be fully confident going into it. So, these are some great, free online resources to get you familiar with how to think about these coding challenges.

• LeetCode: The most popular resource by far. You can basically think of it as a huge collection of example technical interview questions/coding challenges. This is a great resource because it simulates the test taking environment you might actually see and gives you a good look at what types of questions are asked.

• Blind 75: LeetCode is great, but it can be super daunting to a beginner trying to study. Blind 75 is super popular list of the 75 best LeetCode questions that cover all the specific topics you might want to be familiar with. The author of this list also turned it into an entire handbook to help dive deeper into the DSA topics like hash tables, trees, etc.

• Neetcode: If you want to learn more about the thinking behind how to do these coding challenges Neetcode is a great Youtube creator that explains just about every question on Leetcode with really good detail. Youtube in general is a great resource to get in depth explanation on DSA concepts, but don’t let it stress you out. There’s a lot of clickbait out there!

• Come to Spark!: The best resource on this list! Spark! can totally help you study for the technical interview at Tech Talks, Syntax and Snax, and just about any other event going on in the Spark! Space. Many of the staff have gone through the same application process and would love to answer any questions you have that these other resources might not be able to.

Overall, technical interviews are no more than just another type of assessment you might take during your tech career. They may seem stressful at first, but once you understand what to study and get a few under your belt, you’ll become a pro and wont think twice about solving some fun coding challenges.

Good luck!