About
Hi, I am Vivek.
I made bigonotes while I prepared for software engineering interviews. I have an MS in Computer Software Engineering from Northeastern University.
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How this started
During my master's degree, I prepared for interviews. I used problem lists, videos and a lot of notes.
Each real interview showed me a gap in my preparation. After each interview, I studied that gap. Then I wrote clear notes about it. These notes are on this site.
Why I share these notes
Most new grads go through the same interviews. Most of them find their gaps one interview at a time. I want to help you find your gaps earlier.
These notes are free. You do not need an account.
What each interview taught me
- 1Amazon: DSA, then real workThe Amazon internship interview was mainly DSA. I prepared for it, and I got the internship.During the internship, I prepared for real software engineering work. I learned OOP and design patterns. They helped me write cleaner, better-structured code.
- 2Google: know your languageThe DSA rounds were difficult. The interviewers also asked many questions about Python, the language I used. They asked how lists, dicts and strings work internally, and what each operation costs.I could solve problems in Python. But I could not always explain why the code worked that way.
- 3Microsoft: CS fundamentalsAt this time, my DSA preparation was good. The interviewers asked many questions about CS concepts, such as processes and threads. They also asked some system design questions.I expected these topics, so I prepared for them. I did very well in the interview.
- 4Startups: system designMany startup interviews had a system design round. This was also true for early-career roles.So I learned the building blocks and practiced full designs.
- 5DoorDash: work in a real codebaseOne round gave me an existing codebase. First, I had to find the bugs. Then, I had to add a new feature.This work needs low-level design (LLD) skills: clear classes, clear responsibilities and good design patterns. So I studied LLD in depth.