this is my general doubt not a...
thanx man..
i still have doubt, if for any problems we do not know their code, like if i am using suffix tree as a part of the algorithm , i am assuming SUFFIX tree can we constructed in O(n) but i do not know how to code that, in that case what should we do..?
In that case, you just know the fact that suffix tree takes O(n) time for construction. You don't know the approach. It's better to simply tell the fact and make it clear to the interviewer that you don't know the exact approach. He might then give you a hint or move on to next question. This is just my own opinion, others may not agree with it.
It's fine to have certain black boxes in your understanding of some concepts, so long as you have no delusions about which topics you know and which you don't know. Candidates use black boxes in their reasoning all the time; for example, most people don't remember the exact algorithm for balancing BSTs, and yet when constructing algorithms involving BSTs, they assume their trees will be balanced, and they analyze the complexity of their solution accordingly.
As long as you're aware of what components you need to achieve certain results (for example, you must know that to achieve guaranteed O(logN) inserts you need a balanced tree and not just any tree), a lot of the time it's OK to use a black box component. Of course, the more you know, the better. It's great if you can code a suffix tree from scratch. It's much more important, however, to be able to turn an implementation of a data structure into a solution to an actual problem. After all, libraries for most data structures can be found online, but you'll have to write your own business logic.
Agreed with Cerberuz's response to the first question: just interact with the interviewer and explain your thought process as you try to find the solution. Whatever you do, don't panic.
In response to your second question, I'd say that the probability of being asked to code is usually inversely proportional to the difficulty of the problem. If the problem is complex enough that just developing the algorithm takes some time, it's less likely that you'll be asked to code. When coding, a lot of the time it's fine to assume you already have certain standard components (standard libraries, where many common data structures may be found). At times, the interviewer may ask you to implement something yourself instead of using a library -- just keep interacting with the interviewer to find out what they want, and try to give them what they're looking for.
Remember to always be honest about what you know and what you don't know. Your interviewer may not be Socrates, but he/she will be considering whether you admit not knowing things that you don't know. After all, an admission of ignorance opens the way to learning, and is thus extremely important to the kind of lifelong learning needed for a software engineer.
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Yes most of the time they ask you to code but only if you get near to the correct approach. Secondly, if you have no clue about the question asked then you should look for it, you should think and interact with the interviewer about your idea. Interviewer would always give you hints. Knowing nothing about a problem and solving it there itself prove that you are capable enough to solve unknown problems unlikely those who already know the solution beforehand.
- Cerberuz January 06, 2013