A coding interview is a conversation about decisions as well as a result. Explaining your reasoning helps the interviewer understand how you interpret a problem and where you would test your solution.
Use a steady problem-solving sequence
- Restate the goal and ask about constraints or ambiguous input.
- Describe a straightforward approach and the cases it must handle.
- Implement in small steps, then test a normal case and at least one boundary case.
Treat uncertainty as part of the work
If you do not know an API or see a bug, say what you are checking and work through the evidence. Guessing silently makes it harder for the interviewer to follow your decisions.
Practice explaining a solution without racing. The goal is not to narrate every keystroke; it is to make the important assumptions, tradeoffs, and validation visible.