❌ I Failed My First Coding Interview — Here’s What I Learned

Failing my first coding interview hurt more than I expected.

I walked out thinking:

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

But looking back now, that failure taught me more than any tutorial ever did. If you’re preparing for interviews—or just failed one—this post is for you.
😰 What Went Wrong in the Interview

The interview wasn’t extremely hard.
The problem was me.

Here’s what I did wrong:

1️⃣ I Focused Only on Coding, Not on Thinking

I rushed straight into writing code.
I didn’t:
Clarify the problem
Ask about edge cases
Explain my approach
The interviewer wasn’t just testing my solution — they were testing how I think.

2️⃣ I Panicked When I Got Stuck

At one point, I knew the logic… but my brain froze.
Instead of calmly breaking the problem down, I:
Panicked
Went silent
Started guessing
That silence probably hurt more than the wrong answer.

3️⃣ I Ignored Fundamentals
I spent weeks learning frameworks…
But the interview focused on:
Arrays
Strings
Basic logic
Time complexity
That was a wake-up call.

🔍 The Turning Point

A day later, I reviewed the interview questions again.
And guess what?
I could solve them calmly at home.
That’s when I realized:
Interviews are as much about communication and mindset as they are about code.

✅ What I Changed After That Failure
✔️ I Started Thinking Out Loud
Even if my solution wasn’t perfect, I explained:
What I understood
What I was trying
Why I chose a specific approach
Interviewers appreciate clarity over silence.

✔️ I Practiced Mock Interviews

This was a game changer.
Talking while coding felt awkward at first, but it:
Reduced nervousness
Improved confidence
Made interviews feel familiar

familiar

👉 Read more about my full interview preparation journey here:
I Failed My First Coding Interview — Here’s What I Learned
🔗 READ MORE

💡 Final Advice for Anyone Who Failed an Interview

Failing an interview does not mean:
You’re bad at coding
You should quit
You’re not smart enough
It means:
You’re learning
You’re growing
You’re closer than you think.