Goldman Sachs Software Engineer interview experience

I solved both, which made the outcome feel a bit surprising.

Question-wise, one problem was about the first non-repeating character in a string, and I solved it using brute force and then also worked through an optimal approach. The second was trapping rainwater; I solved it with brute force and didn’t go for an optimized method because I wasn’t pushed to optimize.

Even with correct answers, I wasn’t selected after that round. The experience left me thinking about how evaluation isn’t only about getting to any solution—it’s also about matching the expected depth and optimization mindset.