The Programming Interview Questions web site has a collection of really good problems. It prepares the reader for the most challenging of problems that can be asked in interviews. So if you have solved this book and feel fairly confident, it's pretty likely that you'll do well in the interviews as well. The chapters on systems design and architecture were really good too, in terms of dealing with scale-up. These are the questions asked often in programming interviews.

Algorithms For Interviews (AFI) aims to help engineers interviewing for software development positions as well as their interviewers. AFI consists of 174 solved algorithm design problems. It covers core material, such as searching and sorting; general design principles, such as graph modeling and dynamic programming; advanced topics, such as strings, parallelism and intractability. It also covers system design, problem solving, and interviewing techniques. AFI's authors are practicing algorithmists, with extensive academic and industrial experience. They have collectively published over 100 articles on applied algorithms, applied their skills at Google, Microsoft, IBM, Qualcomm, and a number of smaller software startups, and conducted many job interviews for various computer science jobs.

However I wouldn't recommend that this be the first book someone attempts to read in order to prepare for an interview with Google or MS. The authors assume a certain level, which might be daunting for many people needing help. Only after someone has read other programming interview questions such as Careercup and read up enough on Algos from books as Skeina and CLRS, should someone attempt to read this book. Else, they will fall into the trap of memorizing the solutions which does not help in any way.

Indeed, this book is not for everyone. If you have all of the time in the world, you should probably search the internet. Here are some reasons why this book is for you.

1. This book has information you can use right now. It has code snippets and detailed information. This book is an answer to your need for instant information.

2. This book was written and edited by an IT practitioner and expert author who has 15 years of varied and vast experiences in the world of information technology.

3. Rather than being a textbook-sized or voluminous reference guide, C# Interview Questions includes only the information that can be used immediately by the reader in their job search or IT career. In this regard, this book is relatively short. Rather than providing more information, this book focuses on providing the right information.

4. Programming Interview Questions can also be thought of as a "cook book" in the traditional sense in that it provides the reader information in a very concise and useable manner, not unlike a recipe. In this way it should serve you by saving you time - by helping you understand what is important, and what you can safely ignore.

5. For instance, you might find this book particularly useful for gaining knowledge and understanding of a completely unfamiliar area of programming - C#.

6. By skimming the table of contents and index, you may quickly understand the most important aspects of a particular area, and also have access to the accumulated knowledge of the author. It is the unique "Question and Answer" nature of this book that makes it so valuable.

7. It can be said that, "If you can't find the right answers, maybe you're not asking the right questions..." This book not only helps the reader understand the answers, by providing explanations where applicable but also provides the right questions. This book also includes code listings and command references which sets it apart - and keeps it close at hand at work rather than collecting dust on the shelf.

8. Finally, this book is published with several goals in mind which I believe sets it apart from other sources of information. Its mission is to provide the reader with timely, useful information that will increase your technical literacy, increase the awareness of careers in information technology, and challenge readers to question the status quo.