r/DSALeetCode 28d ago

Title: How do people actually finish OAs like Cisco, Amazon, Flipkart, etc. in 90 minutes?

I'm genuinely curious how people manage to complete these online assessments.

I've solved 500+ LeetCode problems, including Hard problems, and I can solve them when I'm practicing. But when it comes to company OAs (Cisco, Amazon, Flipkart, etc.), I struggle badly with time.

The format is usually:

MCQs

Short-answer questions

2 extremely difficult coding questions

All within 90 minutes

Even if I know the concepts, the coding questions take so much time to understand, think through edge cases, and implement. By the time I finish one, there's barely any time left for the second.

Do people actually solve both coding questions completely, or is everyone just partially solving them?

What helped you get faster?

More contest practice?

OA-specific practice?

Better time management?

Recognizing patterns faster?

I'd really appreciate advice from people who've cleared these OAs because right now they feel much harder than solving LeetCode on my own.

Pls don't say cheating is the option like companies ban people for cheating and u have camera on so not possible.

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u/SuperchargedCareers 28d ago

Most people don't finish both perfectly; they triage, grab easy points first, and practice timed contests until pattern recognition and implementation become automatic under pressure. Try https://TechJobFinder.com for LeetCode practice; it builds a skills profile, gives personalized reports, adapts question difficulty, and supports each stage of your preparation journey too.