Pocket Gems·Software Engineer

Pocket Gems Software Engineer interview experience

No offer

Hard

Positive

San Francisco, CAPosted Dec 2015 · Candidate report, summarized by Dataford

I hit a tougher technical interview arc where algorithm optimization and space/time trade-offs were pushed hard, and I ultimately failed to convince the interviewer.

Online test / OA — I took an online assessment focused on data structures and algorithms; it felt easier than what came after.
Phone interview (hard problem) — The next stage asked a hard challenge where I needed to consider both time and space complexity carefully.
Second phone interview (optimization chase) — I proposed a brute-force approach, then was challenged to optimize it; the interviewer repeatedly asked me to make it faster and didn’t let me code once he wasn’t satisfied with the direction.
Second round outcome — I got stuck and needed hints, but I didn’t

Create a free Dataford account to unlock the full round-by-round breakdown, the questions asked and the outcome.

Read the full report Read the full report

Preparing for this interview?

Pocket Gems Software Engineer interview guideThe full process, round by round, with the question bank Practice Software Engineer interview questionsReal questions from this role across companies All Pocket Gems interview guidesEvery role we cover at this company