They said they kept it medium because time was short, which I appreciated.
Start by restating the problem in your own words and asking clarifying questions to confirm assumptions. Then discuss a brute-force solution and its time/space complexity before optimizing with appropriate data structures or algorithms. Finally, walk through your optimized code with a test case, explaining your reasoning at each step.
Pro tip: Verbalize your thought process continuously, even when stuck, because interviewers evaluate your problem-solving approach and communication more than just the final code. If you recognize the problem pattern (e.g., sliding window, two pointers, BFS), mention it explicitly to show structured thinking.
Restate the problem, ask about input constraints, edge cases, and expected output format. Confirm any assumptions before proceeding.
Walk through a simple example and a few edge cases to solidify your understanding and uncover potential pitfalls.
Propose a brute-force solution, analyze its complexity, then suggest optimizations using appropriate data structures or algorithmic patterns.
Write clean, modular code while explaining your logic. Test with the examples and edge cases, and debug if necessary.
State the final time and space complexity, discuss trade-offs, and mention potential improvements or alternative solutions.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.