>I can't even do dynamic programming problems asked in coding interviews - so unlikely I would have done any useful research in physics Solving dynamic program

>I can't even do dynamic programming problems asked in coding interviews - so unlikely I would have done any useful research in physics Solving dynamic programming problems on the spot is about as useful to physics (or software design) as reciting the alphabet backwards very quickly is to being a good author. A lot of those problems were originally solved as someone's thesis (i.e. not in 5 minutes). Most people who do well on such problems in interviews just spent a lot of time practising, and companies like candidates who are willing to spend a bunch of time grinding something monotonous because that's what most of the work will be if hired.