Reddit Question · Feb 2026

Cleared coding round but rejected in interview , Here’s what I realized

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Question Details

I recently went through the placement process for a product-based company. The first round was a coding test with questions on Linked List and Sliding Window, and I was able to clear it confidently. N

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I recently went through the placement process for a product-based company. The first round was a coding test with questions on Linked List and Sliding Window, and I was able to clear it confidently. Next comes the technical interview, there are 3 members in the interview panel it started with discussion of my projects in depth. That part actually went well, I was able to explain my work clearly and answer most of their questions. However, things changed when they asked me to solve a coding problem live. I knew the solution and explained my logic, but because of the pressure of having panel watching and judging me, I couldn’t actually implement the solution correctly. I sort of froze in the middle and ended up explaining the solution instead of actually writing it down. Later, I found out that I wasn’t selected. After thinking about it, I realized something very important — it’s not just about knowing DSA or doing coding problems privately. It’s also about communicating under pressure. It’s one thing to write a problem solution on your laptop alone, and it’s another thing to think clearly while explaining your thought process out loud to the interviewers. Has anyone else faced something similar? How do you train yourself to stay calm and communicate clearly during live coding interviews?

About This Question

This is a reported interview question from a linkedin interview for a swe role during the phone screen round reported in 2026.

It covers the following topics: Two Pointers, Linked List, Sliding Window .