Preparing for Embedded Systems Interviews

Introduction

• Embedded systems interviews need a unique approach, blending both electronics and computer science.
• Speaker: Punit Vamsil, specialized in embedded systems, with 2 years of industry experience.
• Common challenges include overwhelming information and knowing what to focus on.

Interview Process Overview

• Typically involves 1-2 phone screens followed by a technical virtual on-site interview.
• Focus areas: Embedded systems concepts and hands-on coding.
• Hands-on coding replaces whiteboarding; be prepared to provide compilable code.
• Know your resume in detail.

Key Areas to Focus On

1. C Programming Concepts and Best Practices

• Important Topics:
  • static, volatile, const
  • Memory layout of a C program
  • Pointer manipulation
  • Post-increment operations
• Pro Tip: Use Geeks for Geeks to learn these topics and make notes.

2. Embedded Systems Concepts

• Understand microcontroller operations, interrupts, and architectures.
• Important Questions:
  • What happens when a microcontroller is turned on?
  • What happens during an interrupt?
  • Function call conventions
• Pro Tip: YouTube for detailed explanations.

3. Operating System Concepts

• Topics to cover:
  • FreeRTOS vs. Linux
  • System calls and virtual memory
  • Cache types and coherence
  • Semaphores and mutexes
• Pro Tip: NPTEL videos for operating systems and YouTube for embedded concepts.

Coding Preparation

• A common area of confusion; focus on relevant topics.
• No: Deep dive into data structures and algorithms typically needed for software engineering roles.

1. Bit Manipulation

• Essential, especially for phone screens.
• Topics to cover:
  • Logical operators (and, or, xor, nor)
  • Commonly asked bit manipulation questions
• Pro Tip: Geeks for Geeks articles and Google search for bit manipulation questions.

2. Linked Lists

• Important for pointer concepts and logical thinking.
• Practice creating linked lists with various configurations and pointer manipulations.
• Common Question: Linked list reversal—you should know this thoroughly.

3. String and Array Manipulation

• Essential to be comfortable with these concepts.
• Approach: Start with brute force, then optimize.
• Pro Tip: Use hashmaps for optimized solutions to string questions.
• Understand basic hashmaps (arrays of 256 characters for ASCII values).

4. Stacks and Queues Implementation

• Learn basic stack and queue implementations.

Additional Tips

• This list is not exhaustive but covers essential topics.
• After mastering these topics, use LeetCode for additional practice:
  • Focus on the 'easy' section of commonly asked interview questions.
  • Practice hands-on coding to get comfortable with the format.

Conclusion

• This guide aims to streamline interview preparation for embedded systems roles.
• Follow these guidelines to prepare effectively.
• Feel free to comment with questions; further videos may be created to help the community.

Good luck with your preparations!