DSA & Algorithms
Part 16 of 16 · DSA Advanced & Company FavoritesMock Interview Drills - timed sets by company theme + checklist
Timed mock sets by company theme (Meta/Amazon/Google-style) plus checklist and wave-1+2 coverage map.
- 1Gist
- 2Maps
- 3Q&A
- 4Sandbox
Voice readout needs Web Speech Synthesis in this browser.
You already know the pages and need a clock
Prefer
Timed set, then a written miss
Two mediums, a checklist, and a redo.
- Name the pattern out loud.
- Dry-run one edge.
- If nothing is coded at 10 minutes, write the brute force.
Alternative
Reread the notes
Recognition does not survive a blank editor.
- You only solve Easy.
- You skip the redo.
- You treat the timer as optional.
One timed pass
Then write what you missed.
- 1
Start the clock
Two mediums or the set on the page. - 2
Speak the pattern
Wave-1 or wave-2, plus the complexity. - 3
Redo the miss
Blank editor, within 48 hours.
Overview
Timed mock sets by company theme (Meta/Amazon/Google-style) plus checklist and wave-1+2 coverage map.
When to use
After finishing wave-1 core and most of wave-2. Use under real timer. Speak aloud.
Checklist (print / keep open)
- Restate problem + constraints + examples (2-3 min)
- Name pattern from map (wave-1 or wave-2)
- Brute force complexity then target complexity
- Write clean code with named invariants
- Dry-run 1 happy + 1 edge
- State time/space; list follow-ups
- If stuck at 10 min: correct brute, then optimize
Company-themed timed sets
Set A - Meta-style (90 min: 2 Medium)
| # | Theme | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Design DS | LRU Cache |
| 2 | Grid / BFS | Number of Islands or Pacific Atlantic |
| Alt | Intervals | Meeting Rooms II |
| Alt | Trie | Word Search II (Hard stretch) |
Set B - Amazon OA-ish (70 min: 2 Medium)
| # | Theme | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrays / window | Sliding Window Maximum or Longest Substring |
| 2 | Heap / greedy | Top K Frequent or Jump Game II |
| Alt | Design | Logger Rate Limiter |
Set C - Google-ish (90 min: 1 Medium + 1 Hard-ish)
| # | Theme | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graph advanced | Critical Connections or Bipartite |
| 2 | DP advanced | Stock cooldown or Burst Balloons |
| Alt | Math / bits | Pow(x,n) + Single Number warm-up |
Set D - Mixed unicorn (60 min sprint)
- Encode/Decode TinyURL (20)
- Min Stack or RandomizedSet (20)
- Spiral Matrix or Merge Intervals (20)
Mental model - coverage radar
Flow
- 1
1. Wave-1 core
- next3. Timed mock
- 2
3. Timed mock
- next4. Write the missed pattern
- 3
2. Wave-2 advanced
- next3. Timed mock
- 4
4. Write the missed pattern
- next5. Redo on a timer
- 5
5. Redo on a timer
Lesson map
Mock Interview Drills - timed sets by company theme + checklist
Timed mock sets by company theme (Meta/Amazon/Google-style) plus checklist and wave-1+2 coverage map.
Architecture. Architecture
Select a node to see why it exists, or an edge to see the protocol, direction, effect, and consequence.
Mermaid export
flowchart TB w1["1. Wave-1 core"] w2["2. Wave-2 advanced"] mock["3. Timed mock"] review["4. Write the missed pattern"] w1 -->|1. Wave-1 core to 3. Timed mock| mock w2 -->|2. Wave-2 advanced| mock mock -->|3. Timed mock to 4. Write the missed pattern| review
Core template (Python) - stopwatch harness
Press Run. Snippets must be self-contained — no network, files, or native modules.
Core template (TypeScript)
Press Run. Snippets must be self-contained — no network, files, or native modules.
Complexity + pitfalls (of mocking)
- Pitfall: passive reading without re-coding from blank.
- Pitfall: only Easy forever; schedule 40% Medium+.
- Pitfall: ignoring Amazon behavioral - separate track.
Interviewer traps during mocks
LeetCode drill bank (mix wave-1 + wave-2)
- LRU Cache
- Number of Islands
- Meeting Rooms II
- Word Search II
- Jump Game
- Critical Connections in a Network
- Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock with Cooldown
- Encode and Decode TinyURL
- Course Schedule
- Sliding Window Maximum
YouTube
Interview Q&A
How many mocks/week?
Answer
2-3 timed; review same day.
Fail a set?
Answer
Note pattern gap; redo blank in 48h.
Hard too early?
Answer
Finish Medium templates first.
Speak aloud?
Answer
Yes - interview signal.
Use IDE?
Answer
Match target company (whiteboard vs CoderPad).
Wave order?
Answer
Wave-1 then wave-2 then these sets.
Company guarantee?
Answer
Themes are heuristics only.
Related hubs?
Answer
wave-1 fundamentals hub + this advanced hub.