Extend a BFS maze solver stepwise
Company: Meta
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Onsite
Quick Answer: This question evaluates proficiency in grid-based graph traversal and pathfinding, covering BFS mechanics, stateful reachability with keys and doors, directional constraints like one-way chutes, and robust output/edge-case handling; it falls under the Coding & Algorithms domain and emphasizes practical implementation and algorithmic reasoning rather than purely conceptual theory. It is commonly asked to assess correctness of visited-state management, augmentation of search state for collectible keys, adaptation of neighbor generation for directional tiles, and resilience in printing solved paths or reporting no-solution scenarios.