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Unique-Letter Word Picker
Fix defects in a small word-game codebase, write an exact search that picks words sharing no letter for the largest total length, then make it fast on large word lists.
1. Problem Statement
Work through the three phases in README.md: fix the defects in the existing maze code, implement shortestPath so that it respects one-way gates, then make it fast enough for the large mazes. Explain your plan before you ask the assistant for code.
2. Live Coding Format
Work in the provided coding workspace while explaining your decisions to the live interviewer. Validation may use inline tests, examples, comments, or a verbal walkthrough.
3. Key Focus Areas
- 1Repository orientation
- 2Defect diagnosis
- 3Gate semantics
- 4Shortest-path correctness
- 5Performance optimization
- 6Assistant output review
4. What Strong Candidates Should Demonstrate
- Orient in an unfamiliar codebase by running its tests and reading its code against its documented rules.
- Choose a shortest-path search for a grid with one-way gates and explain why it returns the fewest moves.
- Measure what makes a correct search slow on a maze of up to a million cells and fix it without losing correctness.
- Review assistant suggestions against the codebase's rules and tests before applying them.
Want interactive feedback?
Practice this problem in the live coding workspace while the interviewer probes your clarification, implementation, trade-offs, and validation.
Continue to DashboardCore Concepts
Hidden because they name the technique, which a real interviewer would not tell you.
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Breadth-First SearchDebuggingGraph TraversalPerformance OptimizationAI-Assisted Verification
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