What is this interview? Decomposition, or decomp, questions test your ability to take an abstract or complex question and break it down — decompose it — into the pieces that make a practical solution. Decomp questions are usually open-ended, and there is not a right (or wrong) solution — it's more important to focus on how you break down the problem into smaller pieces and solve the smaller parts. During this interview, as you talk your way through the problem, you might find it helpful to have scratch paper or a dry erase board to organize your thoughts.
What makes an answer great? We encourage you to talk through your implementation. State your assumptions, break down the problem, decide which path to pursue, and start getting into details. Be sure to keep the whole problem in mind as you're working through it. All decomposition questions will contain multiple components, and navigating the end-to-end solution is key.
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What is this interview?
Decomposition, or decomp, questions test your ability to take an abstract or complex question and break it down — decompose it — into the pieces that make a practical solution. Decomp questions are usually open-ended, and there is not a right (or wrong) solution — it's more important to focus on how you break down the problem into smaller pieces and solve the smaller parts. During this interview, as you talk your way through the problem, you might find it helpful to have scratch paper or a dry erase board to organize your thoughts.
What makes an answer great?
We encourage you to talk through your implementation. State your assumptions, break down the problem, decide which path to pursue, and start getting into details.
Be sure to keep the whole problem in mind as you're working through it. All decomposition questions will contain multiple components, and navigating the end-to-end solution is key.