Perform an External Merge Sort with a Heap

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Quick Overview

Implement external merge sort by splitting integers into memory-bounded sorted runs and merging them with a deterministic min-heap. Preserve duplicates, validate input, and explain how the in-memory simulation translates to temporary files and buffered readers.

Perform an External Merge Sort with a Heap

Company: Citadel

Role: Software Engineer

Category: Coding & Algorithms

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Onsite

Overview: Implement external merge sort by splitting integers into memory-bounded sorted runs and merging them with a deterministic min-heap. Preserve duplicates, validate input, and explain how the in-memory simulation translates to temporary files and buffered readers.

Read the full Citadel Software Engineer interview experience this question came from

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Citadel
Jul 12, 2026
mediumSoftware EngineerOnsiteCoding & Algorithms
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