Solve three algorithmic OA tasks

Quick Overview

Solve three algorithmic OA tasks evaluates algorithm design, data structures, correctness, complexity, edge cases, and implementation details in a realistic interview setting. A strong answer states assumptions, handles edge cases, explains trade-offs, and shows how to validate the result clearly.

Solve three algorithmic OA tasks

Company: DRW

Role: Software Engineer

Category: Coding & Algorithms

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Take-home Project

Task 1 (Odd-frequency string): Given an integer N in [1..200000], write an algorithm that returns any length-N string of lowercase letters (a–z) such that every letter that appears occurs an odd number of times. Task 2 (Min-difference with minimal swaps): Given two equal-length digit strings S and T (length N up to 100000, digits only, no leading zeros), you may choose a subset of indices and swap S[i] with T[i] at each chosen index. Among all swap choices that minimize |int(S) − int(T)|, return the minimum number of swaps required. For example, S = "29162" and T = "10524" should return 2. Task 3 (Two-choice slot assignment): Given arrays A and B of length N (1 ≤ A[k], B[k] ≤ S, A[k] ≠ B[k]) and an integer S (2.. 100000), determine whether it is possible to assign every patient k to either A[k] or B[k] so that at most one patient is assigned to each slot. Return true if such an assignment exists, otherwise false.

Quick Answer: Solve three algorithmic OA tasks evaluates algorithm design, data structures, correctness, complexity, edge cases, and implementation details in a realistic interview setting. A strong answer states assumptions, handles edge cases, explains trade-offs, and shows how to validate the result clearly.

Solution

# Solution Alignment The prompt asks for an implementation-level answer. The safest way to present it is to define the state, maintain clear invariants, then walk through complexity and tests. ## Problem Restatement Task 1 (Odd-frequency string): Given an integer N in [1..200000], write an algorithm that returns any length-N string of lowercase letters (a–z) such that every letter that appears occurs an odd number of times. Task 2 (Min-difference with minimal swaps): Given two equal-length digit strings S and T (length N up to 100000, digits only, no leading zeros), you may choose a subset of indices and swap S[i] with T[i] at each chosen index. Among all swap choices that minimize |int(S) − int(T)|, return the minimum number of swaps required. For example, S = "29162" and T = "10524" should return 2. Task 3 (Two-choice slot assignment): Given arrays A and B of length N (1 ≤ A[k], B[k] ≤ S, A[k] ≠ B[k])... ## Recommended Approach Use the string constraints to choose between two pointers, a stack, frequency counts, prefix/suffix state, or dynamic programming. Maintain the invariant that processed characters have already been normalized, counted, or matched according to the operation. ## Correctness The implementation should maintain an invariant after each loop or operation that directly matches the problem statement. At termination, that invariant implies the returned value has considered every valid candidate exactly once, or has preserved the required data-structure state after every API call. ## Complexity Most direct string scans are O(n) time. Space ranges from O(1) for two pointers to O(n) for stacks, maps, or DP tables. ## Edge Cases and Tests Empty string, length 1, repeated characters, invalid characters, case sensitivity, Unicode vs ASCII, and very long input.
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Jul 31, 2025, 12:00 AM
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Solve three algorithmic OA tasks

Task 1 (Odd-frequency string): Given an integer N in [1..200000], write an algorithm that returns any length-N string of lowercase letters (a–z) such that every letter that appears occurs an odd number of times.

Task 2 (Min-difference with minimal swaps): Given two equal-length digit strings S and T (length N up to 100000, digits only, no leading zeros), you may choose a subset of indices and swap S[i] with T[i] at each chosen index. Among all swap choices that minimize |int(S) − int(T)|, return the minimum number of swaps required. For example, S = "29162" and T = "10524" should return 2.

Task 3 (Two-choice slot assignment): Given arrays A and B of length N (1 ≤ A[k], B[k] ≤ S, A[k] ≠ B[k]) and an integer S (2.. 100000), determine whether it is possible to assign every patient k to either A[k] or B[k] so that at most one patient is assigned to each slot. Return true if such an assignment exists, otherwise false.

Clarifying Questions to Ask Guidance

  • Clarify input sizes, value ranges, mutability, return format, and tie-breaking.
  • State the target time and space complexity before coding.
  • Call out edge cases such as empty inputs, duplicates, invalid values, overflow, and boundary sizes.

What a Strong Answer Covers Guidance

  • A clear algorithm with the right data structures and enough pseudocode or code-level detail to implement it.
  • A correctness argument that explains why the algorithm covers all required cases.
  • Time and space complexity, plus at least one alternative approach when relevant.
  • Focused tests for normal cases, edge cases, and failure modes.

Follow-up Questions Guidance

  • How would the approach change if the input were streaming or too large for memory?
  • What invariants would you assert in production code?
  • Which tests would catch off-by-one, duplicate, or tie-breaking bugs?

Submit Your Answer to Earn 20XP

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