Problem Solving & Coding Interview Questions for Beginners

Date: January 2, 2026

If you are new to coding interviews, the fastest way to improve is to practice beginner-friendly problems that repeat the same patterns (loops, conditions, arrays, strings, and basic searching). Common coding interview prep guides recommend starting with these fundamentals before moving to harder topics

This blog gives you an easy method to solve problems plus a clean list of beginner interview questions you can practice right away. Many popular interview question lists cover exactly these areas: sorting, recursion basics like Fibonacci, simple math, and searching like binary search.

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A simple 5-step method (works in most interviews)

Use this short checklist for almost any beginner problem:

Restate the problem in your own words (what goes in, what must come out).
Write 2–3 examples (including edge cases like empty input or one item).
Pick a pattern (loop, two pointers, counting with a map, simple recursion).
Code a first working version, then improve readability and efficiency.
Say the time and space complexity out loud (even if it’s simple).

Interviewers often ask these fundamentals because they reveal how you think, not just what you memorize. That is why beginner lists frequently include “what is debugging,” “what is recursion,” and other concept checks along with coding tasks.

Beginner coding interview questions (by topic)

1) Warm-up math + loops

These build confidence and help you get comfortable writing clean code under time pressure.

Check if a number is even or odd.
Find the sum of two integers.
Find the average of numbers in a list.
Print the first $n$ Fibonacci numbers (iterative first, then try recursion).

Tip: For math questions, always test negative numbers, zero, and large values if the language type might overflow. Some common interview question sets explicitly mention overflow concerns in basic tasks.

2) Arrays (most common for beginners)

Arrays show up everywhere because they are easy to understand and easy to test.

Sort an array of integers in ascending order.
Find the maximum and minimum sum from an array (a classic “mini-max” style question).
Find the second largest element in an array (handle duplicates).
Move all zeros to the end while keeping the order of other elements.

Tip: When stuck, start with a simple loop solution, then ask: “Can this be done in one pass?” Many beginner problems are designed for that “optimize later” mindset.

3) Strings (clean logic matters)

Strings are great for testing careful thinking and edge cases.

Reverse a string (with and without extra memory).
Check if a string is a palindrome (ignore spaces and case).
Count vowels and consonants.
Find the first non-repeating character (often uses a frequency map).

Tip: Always clarify rules: case sensitivity, whitespace, punctuation, and Unicode assumptions.

4) Searching and basic algorithms

Even beginners are expected to know simple searching once the input is sorted.

Implement binary search to find an element in a sorted array.
Find the first occurrence of a target (variant of binary search).
Find if two numbers in an array add up to a target (brute force first, then optimize).

Tip: For binary search, say the loop condition and pointer updates clearly—most mistakes are off-by-one errors. Binary search is commonly listed in “must practice” interview sets.

5) Intro data structures (lightweight, but important)

You do not need advanced graphs to start, but you should recognize basic structures.

Explain the difference between an array and a linked list.
Reverse a linked list (iterative and recursive). (Common “must-do” question in many prep lists.)
Use a stack idea to check balanced parentheses.
Explain FIFO and LIFO with a real example.

Tip: Even if you cannot code a full linked-list solution fast, you can still score points by explaining traversal, pointers/references, and edge cases (empty list, one node).

How to practice (and actually get better)

Practice small sets daily (10–30 minutes), not huge sessions once a week.
After solving, rewrite the solution once for clarity (better names, fewer lines, clean structure).
Keep a “mistake log” (off-by-one, missed edge case, wrong loop condition) and review it weekly.

If you want structure, many interview-prep resources also suggest using practice platforms and focusing on repeatable patterns like two pointers and sliding window once basics feel comfortable.