WHY I FAILED MY SQL INTERVIEW

I walked into the SQL interview confident

But I still failed

The Question

Find the 2nd highest salary from the Employees table

SELECT MAX (salary) FROM employees.'

The interviewer smiled and said:

That gives the highest salary, not the second highest

At that moment, I froze

I knew the concept but couldn't recall it under pressure.

Correct Apporach

SELECT MAX (salary FROM employees WHERE salary < (SELECT MAX (salary) FROM employees'.

That day I realized...

It's not just about knowledge... It's about solving problems under pressure

Lesson I Learned

Practice tricky SQL scenarios Think aloud in interviews Confidence > Perfection

I failed the interview...

But I didn't fail the lession

Every failed interview adds a new "query" to your growth

Keep learning. Keep practicing. Keep moving forward