My solution worked logically but timed out on a bunch of the test cases.
Clarify the custom hand-strength ruleset and edge cases first, then design a modular solution that parses each hand into a canonical representation, evaluates its strength, and sorts hands by strength with tie-breaking. Emphasize efficiency by using appropriate data structures and avoiding redundant computations.
Pro tip: Proactively discuss how you would test your solution against edge cases (e.g., duplicate cards, wildcards, ties) and optimize for large inputs, showing you think beyond just correctness.
Ask questions to fully understand the custom ruleset, including hand rankings, tie-breaking rules, and any special cases like wildcards or duplicate cards. Confirm input format and expected output.
Choose efficient data structures (e.g., frequency maps, sorted arrays) to represent each hand and parse the input. Ensure the representation supports quick evaluation and comparison.
Write a function to evaluate each hand's strength according to the ruleset, handling all edge cases. Use a systematic approach to check hand categories in order of strength.
Sort the hands based on their evaluated strength, applying tie-breaking rules. Use a stable sort if needed to preserve original order for equal hands.
Analyze time and space complexity, optimize if necessary (e.g., precompute, use efficient comparisons), and outline a testing strategy covering edge cases and large inputs.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.