My first Apple ASE phone screen included routine behavioral questions and a binary-search-tree validation task using a supplied comparator for values of unspecified type. I used Python and completed it quickly with iterative traversal.
After learning that the team used Java and C++, I chose Java for the next round. That switch made the interview harder: I was unfamiliar with some map methods and had not prepared the problem. I finished an implementation close to the end of the forty-five-minute session, using a DFS precomputation so later queries could be answered quickly.
The interviewer asked about cycles, which I had initially assumed away. My last-minute explanation was not satisfactory. Afterward, an AI-assisted review also raised concerns about cycle handling and map updates. Those were review findings, not a confirmed hiring decision.
I expected a rejection and shared the experience as a caution about switching languages during an interview process.
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