I recently completed my onsite coding rounds at Meta. Here’s how it went:

Round 1

1. https://leetcode.com/problems/range-sum-of-bst/description/

I had solved this problem before, but being in an interview setting, the nervousness initially clouded my thinking. After a few minutes, I was able to figure it out and coded the solution in about 15 minutes.

2. https://leetcode.com/discuss/post/395045/facebook-phone-screen-caesar-cipher-by-h-ccc9/

I hadn’t seen this problem before, and unfortunately, I struggled with it throughout the remaining time. Even with hints from the interviewer (e.g., “What if all strings start with ‘a’?”), I couldn’t crack the approach. If I had an entire day to think about it, I still don’t believe I would have figured it out. This round did not go well at all.

Round 2

1. https://leetcode.com/problems/custom-sort-string/description/

I was familiar with this problem and already knew the solution, so I was eager to jump straight into coding after explaining the approach. However, I noticed that my interviewer hesitated when I asked if I should start coding. I took the hint that I hadn’t discussed edge cases thoroughly. After covering those, I began coding.

The interviewer seemed to be new to interviewing and wasn’t entirely comfortable with C#. While I explained my code as I wrote it, they seemed a bit lost, likely due to the C# syntax. I’m unsure whether they were fully satisfied with my solution.

2. This was the full question

Write a function that implements a "median" image filter. The function takes an input and an output image buffer, a width and a height, and a parameter called "kernel width", or k for short. You may assume k is odd and greater than zero.
The function must write every output pixel. Each output pixel is the median of a square of k-by-k input image values, centered at the corresponding location in the input image. The definition for median is, given an odd number of values, it is the middle value when sorted, or if there are an even number of values, it is the average of the middle two values. You can assume you have a sort function, you do not have to write one.

It took me about 10–12 minutes to fully grasp the problem, after which I jumped into coding to get something out in the remaining time. Compared to my expectations, I actually did fairly well—I later compared my solution with ChatGPT’s, and it was quite similar.

The behavioral and design rounds are still pending, but honestly, I feel disheartened. I know that failing the coding rounds significantly reduces my chances of getting hired, which makes it tough to stay motivated to prepare for the next rounds.

I spent the last two months studying intensely—8 to 10 hours a day—yet it still wasn’t enough. Maybe I needed more practice, or maybe it just came down to luck on the day of the interview. Either way, it’s frustrating to put in so much effort and still feel like I came up short.