[ilaksh]

I think everyone has to have _some_ kind of "mental model" otherwise you wouldn't be able to code anything except random keystrokes.

But next time just write some comments outlining what the function is supposed to do.

Also take whatever rationalization people give for what they do with a grain of salt. There are lots of reasons they might have picked someone else -- maybe there was a cheaper hire, or a prettier one, or you had bad breathe that day.

But comments with an outline before you start typing real code should satisfy most people's idea of having a mental model.

If you want to pass a FAANG interview with algorithmic/puzzle questions then that's totally different than pair programming and you will probably want to get a book specifically related to that or something. Like a book titled "Cracking the Code Interview" or something.