Google Interview Experience (On-Campus)
Hey w3wiki community! ?
I recently had an onsite interview with Google, and I wanted to share my experience tackling the “Maximum Subarray Sum” question. This problem is a classic algorithmic challenge that tests your ability to find the most efficient solution for a common computational problem.
Question Description:
Company:Google
Stage:Online
Question Name:Maximum Subarray Sum
Problem Statement:
Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum. The array can contain both positive and negative integers.
Example:
Input: [-2, 1, -3, 4, -1, 2, 1, -5, 4]
Output: 6 (Explanation: The subarray [4, -1, 2, 1] has the largest sum.)
Code:
“`python
def maxSubArray(nums):
max_sum = float(‘-inf’)
current_sum = 0
for num in nums:
current_sum = max(num, current_sum + num)
max_sum = max(max_sum, current_sum)
return max_sum
“`
The Main Discussion:
During the interview, I explained my thought process before diving into the code. I chose the Kadane’s algorithm, which efficiently finds the maximum subarray sum in a single pass through the array. This approach has a time complexity of O(n), making it optimal for this problem.
I encourage others who’ve encountered this question to share their experiences, alternative solutions, or any additional insights. Let’s create a valuable resource for everyone preparing for Google interviews. Remember to use three backticks (“`) for code readability, and include as many examples as possible!
Best of luck to everyone in their interview preparations, and happy coding! ?✨ [#MaximumSubarraySum]
Regards,
Vignesh (Scifivy)