Pocket Fm Backend Engineer interview experience

The way they were described forced a progression: I had to start with a brute-force approach and then move toward an optimal solution. That format made it clear they weren’t just looking for a correct answer—they wanted to see how I thought about improving complexity.

I wrote complete C++ code on paper, which definitely changed the pace compared to a coding editor. I had to manage both correctness and structure carefully without the usual tooling. Overall, the round felt like a real problem-solving exercise rather than memorization.