Round 1
Questions:
Question 1
Print all unique numbers in a sorted array, removing duplicates.
Leetcode Problem Link
Given a sorted array, the task is to print all unique numbers while eliminating duplicates. The challenge here is to optimize the solution by reducing time complexity and efficiently managing duplicate elements.
Question 2
Print all words which have the prefix of the given search word from the dictionary wordlist.
Leetcode Problem Link
This problem involves finding all words that share a prefix with a given search word. The solution utilizes binary search to identify the starting point of the words that match the prefix, and then moves left and right to collect all matching words.
Question 3
Transform the 'begin' word to the 'end' word using words from the wordlist by changing one character at a time.
Leetcode Problem Link
In this problem, we need to transform the 'begin' word into the 'end' word by changing one character at a time. Each intermediate word must also be in the wordlist. This is a classic case where BFS (Breadth-First Search) can be employed to explore all possible transformations and find the shortest path from the 'begin' word to the 'end' word.
Candidate's Approach
The candidate was able to solve Q1 and Q2. However, they struggled with Q3 and could not arrive at an approach for the problem.
Interviewer's Feedback
The interviewer was helpful and provided guidance when the candidate got stuck.