Brute-Forcing My Algorithmic Ignorance with an LLM in 7 Days
6 hours ago
- #LLM Tutoring
- #Algorithm Learning
- #Google Interview
- Received unexpected Google interview invitation after a forgotten application.
- Had one week to prepare for technical and behavioral interviews despite lacking classical algorithm knowledge.
- Used a Large Language Model (LLM) as a private tutor to learn algorithmic patterns and solve LeetCode problems.
- Focused on understanding patterns rather than memorizing solutions, rewriting AI suggestions in personal coding style.
- Successfully solved 34 LeetCode problems (18 Medium, 1 Hard) in a week.
- Technical interview involved graph traversal and binary search, but struggled with iterative binary search under stress.
- Despite coding mistakes, advanced to on-site interviews, highlighting the importance of debuggability.
- Reflections on the effectiveness of LLMs as tutors and the gap between algorithmic thinking and production code.