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Capital One·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate
Apr 2026

Summary

Capital One software engineer screen with a single coding problem. Pretty straightforward premise but the edge cases are where it gets you.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

Given an array of integers and a target value, count how many elements are strictly greater than the target and how many are strictly less. Return 'greater', 'smaller', or 'tie' based on which count is higher. Elements equal to the target don't count toward either side.

Algorithms & Data Structures
Author's notes

Seemed easy at first and I jumped straight into iterating the array, which was fine.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Clarify the problem constraints and edge cases, then propose a single-pass O(n) solution that counts elements greater than and less than the target while ignoring equals. Compare the counts and return the appropriate string, discussing time and space complexity.

Pro tip: Mention that you can early-exit if one count exceeds the remaining elements, but note that a full pass is still O(n) and may be simpler. Also, explicitly state that you ignore elements equal to the target to avoid off-by-one errors.

1. Clarify requirements and edge cases

Ask about input size, data types, and whether the array can be empty or contain duplicates. Confirm that equal elements are excluded from both counts.

2. Outline the algorithm

Initialize two counters, greater and smaller, to zero. Iterate through each element: if element > target, increment greater; if element < target, increment smaller; otherwise do nothing.

3. Compare counts and return result

After the loop, compare greater and smaller. Return 'greater' if greater > smaller, 'smaller' if smaller > greater, and 'tie' if they are equal.

4. Analyze complexity and discuss optimizations

State that time complexity is O(n) and space is O(1). Optionally mention early termination if one count exceeds the number of remaining elements, but note it doesn't change worst-case complexity.

Key Points to Mention

  • Single-pass O(n) time complexity with O(1) extra space
  • Handling of edge cases: empty array, all elements equal to target, target not present
  • Strict inequality: elements equal to target are ignored
  • Return values are strings: 'greater', 'smaller', or 'tie'
  • Potential for early exit optimization (optional)
  • Clarifying questions to ensure alignment with interviewer expectations

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.