Meta experience E4
Summary
I interviewed for an E4 role at Meta, going through a phone screen and virtual onsite that included coding, system design, and behavioral rounds. Unfortunately, I did not receive an offer, attributing it to insufficient preparation for problem variants.
Full Experience
Phone screen:
- Pivot number in an array, sum left = sum right
- Next permutation
Virtual onsite:
Coding 1:
- Lowest common ancestor in a binary tree - space optimize
- Minimum remove for valid parentheses - space optimize
Coding 2:
- Merge intervals with variant [2 separate sorted lists, combine them into one]
- Matrix path from top left to bottom right, return path
Product Architecture:
- Design Leetcode - Small scale Meta internal
Behavioral:
- Conflict resolution
- Architectural/code design decision you took and later regretted
- Gone above and beyond on some project/feature work
Location: USA
[Edit]: Thanks @CodingWithMinmer. After 2 weeks got the reply that I didn't make it. In a way, I was expecting this. I didn't prepare for the Variants. I got to know about the variants too late in my preparation.
Interview Questions (10)
Pivot Index / Find Equilibrium Index
Given an array of integers, find the pivot index where the sum of the numbers to the left of the index is equal to the sum of the numbers to the right of the index.
Next Permutation
Implement next permutation, which rearranges numbers into the lexicographically next greater permutation of numbers.
Lowest Common Ancestor of a Binary Tree (Space Optimized)
Find the lowest common ancestor (LCA) of two given nodes in a binary tree. The problem had a specific requirement for space optimization.
Minimum Remove to Make Valid Parentheses (Space Optimized)
Given a string s of '(' , ')' and lowercase English characters. Your task is to remove the minimum number of parentheses ( '(' or ')', in any positions ) so that the resulting parentheses string is valid and return any valid string. The problem had a specific requirement for space optimization.
Merge Overlapping Intervals from Two Sorted Lists
Given two separate lists of sorted, non-overlapping intervals, merge all intervals from both lists into a single list of sorted, non-overlapping intervals.
Path from Top-Left to Bottom-Right in a Matrix
Given a matrix, find a path from the top-left cell to the bottom-right cell and return the sequence of cells in the path.
Design LeetCode (Small Scale, Meta Internal)
Design a system similar to LeetCode, tailored for small-scale internal use at Meta. This would involve considerations for problem storage, submission handling, test case execution, user management, etc.
Conflict Resolution
Describe a situation where you had a conflict with a coworker, manager, or project stakeholder, and how you resolved it.
Regretted Architectural/Code Design Decision
Discuss an architectural or code design decision you made that you later came to regret, explaining why it was regretted and what you learned from it.
Going Above and Beyond on a Project
Share an example where you went above and beyond your standard responsibilities on a project or feature work.
Preparation Tips
I realized I didn't prepare adequately for problem variants, which I encountered late in my preparation.