Hi all,

I am a c++ hobby game programmer of about 6 years. I just code engines and graphics stuff for the fun of it. I am now at the stage where I want to start applying for some studios. Does anyone have a recommendation for some books that cover the common C++ test questions in these companies? For example I know roughly how a linked list works, did I ever need to code it? hell no I just use std::list. So I guess I am somewhat a lazy programmer. I need some book which covers all the basic stuff that they could ask me to catch me out.

Thanks.

The book "Programming Interviews Exposed" covers the kind of programming problems that software companies ask. It isn't specific to C++ or game studios but it gets into the algorithmic thinking that's necessary. I've found it helpful to review before going in to interviews.

I have no experience interviewing for a game company but I have heard stories. There will obviously be a test. From what I have heard you should know your basic algorithms really well because odds are you will get put on the spot and have to write at least psudo code out on a whiteboard. It is not all about coding you may even run into your fair share of math questions. In interviews they not only want to see what you know but ensure you have the passion neccessary to deal with the low pay high stress environment game development brings. Books can help to a certain extent but a solid portfolio can work wonders because it shows you can create and see through a project to the end. A degree helps as well I did not see you mention that as you said hobby but if you have a CS degree already or some other degree it will make things much easier.

I'm always partial to Effective C++. It doesn't focus on interviewing but it will help you "level up" your C++ skill. Like others have said, be prepared to answer algorithm based questions. A lot of companies will ask you to solve "blah blah blah" in O(nlogn) or use a "greedy algorithm". Other companies might just ask specific syntax or semantic questions. When we hire for our small company, we care more about how they solved the problem rather than what the answer was.