We look for fresh developers who can build things. Developers need to be able to build new things and solve problems that are beyond their current abilities on a daily basis. By understanding and solving a problem, we can get a sense of the candidate’s skills. We believe that any fresher can learn a new technology in a few weeks, but someone who can’t solve their own problems will have a hard time learning anything new in a work environment. In other words, we value problem-solving skills over specific technical skills. We believe that a good problem solver can learn any new technology quickly, but someone who can’t solve problems will struggle even with the most basic tasks.
Why we take programming interview with competitive programming question from leetcode?
We use competitive programming questions from LeetCode as a software lighthouse to assess a candidate’s problem-solving skills and ability to write efficient code. These questions are well-designed and cover a wide range of topics, including data structures, algorithms, and programming languages.
The term “software lighthouse” is a metaphor for a tool that can be used to guide the development of software. It suggests that competitive programming questions can be used to identify and develop the skills that are essential for software development, such as problem-solving and efficient coding.
How should programmers approach a problem?
When approaching a competitive programming problem, there are a few things that programmers should keep in mind:
- Understand the problem. Before trying to solve a problem, it is important to make sure that you understand what it is asking you to do. Read the problem statement carefully and try to identify the key inputs and outputs.
- Come up with a solution. Once you understand the problem, you need to come up with a solution. This may involve brainstorming different approaches or sketching out a pseudocode solution.
- Implement your solution. Once you have a solution, you need to implement it in code. Be sure to test your code thoroughly to make sure that it works correctly.
- Analyze your solution. Once you have implemented your solution, you should take some time to analyze it. Is it the most efficient solution possible? Are there any corner cases that you need to consider?
Example problem: Two Sum
The following is a classic competitive programming problem from LeetCode:
Two Sum
Given an array of integers nums and an integer target, return indices of the two numbers such that they add up to target.
You may assume that each input would have exactly one solution, and you may not use the same element twice.
Example 1:
Input: nums = [2,7,11,15], target = 9
Output: [0,1]
Explanation: Because nums[0] + nums[1] == 9, we return [0, 1].
Example 2:
Input: nums = [3,2,4], target = 6
Output: [1,2]
Approach
There are a few different ways to solve this problem. One approach is to use a brute-force algorithm. This involves iterating over the array and comparing each element to every other element. If the sum of two elements is equal to the target, then we return their indices.
Another approach is to use a hash table. This involves creating a hash table of all the elements in the array. Then, we iterate over the array again and check if the complement of each element is present in the hash table. If it is, then we return the indices of the two elements.
Implementation
Here is a Python implementation of the hash table approach:
def two_sum(nums, target):
"""Returns indices of the two numbers such that they add up to target.
Args:
nums: A list of integers.
target: An integer.
Returns:
A list of two integers, or an empty list if no solution is found.
"""
hash_table = {}
for i in range(len(nums)):
complement = target - nums[i]
if complement in hash_table:
return [i, hash_table[complement]]
else:
hash_table[nums[i]] = i
return []This implementation works by first creating a hash table of all the elements in the array. Then, it iterates over the array again and checks if the complement of each element is present in the hash table. If it is, then it returns the indices of the two elements. Otherwise, it adds the element to the hash table.
Don’t copy and paste solutions from somewhere else.
We will catch you at our software lighthouse. Learning how to solve basic problems is essential for building your career as a software developer.
Problem-solving will help you to:
- Understand the fundamentals of software development.
- Develop your problem-solving skills.
- Learn new technologies and frameworks more easily.
- Be more productive and efficient in your work.
If you cheat on competitive programming tests, you will not be able to develop these essential skills. You will also be putting yourself at risk of being disqualified from the competition and damaging your reputation as a programmer. So, instead of cheating, learn how to solve problems yourself. It is the best investment you can make in your career as a software developer.