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Level: Junior-Level
Round: Full Journey · Type: Coding · Difficulty: 6/10 · Duration: 120 min · Interviewer: Unfriendly
Topics: Binary Search, Complexity Analysis, Data Structures
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Interview date: 2025-04-29
Question: I had to demonstrate my understanding of a language API. I actively analyzed and optimized the complexity of my solution. I implemented a brute force solution and then a slightly optimized version, but it still had a potential for an out-of-memory (OOM) error, different from the brute force's OOM. I finished two solutions and was working on the last while loop for the final optimization, looking up the API on the spot, when the time ran out. I then explained my approach and complexity.
Question: Besides binary search, the interviewer asked if the initial brute force solution could be optimized to scan only once (my initial approach scanned twice). After thinking, I provided an explanation. Then, I wrote the binary search optimized solution. There was a follow-up question which I could have solved with another data structure for slight optimization. During the binary search, there was a critical point that I had to consider; the interviewer only mentioned it when I asked (and it affected the complexity analysis). I analyzed the complexity proactively.