backbenchcode

// problem set

Solve your way in.

Every problem is framed against work a scientist already does, with layered hints for when you're stuck. Filter by difficulty or track and pick your first one.

// 12 problems shown

Two-Pointer Sum

Find the two readings whose values add up to a target. Your first real interview pattern.

EasyFoundations· 71% acc

Valid Bracket Sequence

Validate nested brackets with a stack — the canonical “do you know when to use a stack” question.

EasyData Structures· 64% acc

Rolling Window Mean

Compute the maximum average over any fixed window — a pattern you already use to smooth noisy data.

MediumArrays & Strings· 52% acc

Merge Overlapping Intervals

Collapse overlapping ranges into clusters — think peak-calling, but as an interview staple.

MediumAlgorithms· 49% acc

Search the Sorted Threshold

Find a value in a sorted array in O(log n). The algorithm behind every fast lookup.

EasyAlgorithms· 68% acc

Lab Network Reachability

Decide whether one node can reach another in a directed graph — your first traversal.

MediumData Structures· 47% acc

Counting Distinct Paths

Your gateway to dynamic programming — count the ways to reach the top.

MediumAlgorithms· 55% acc

Group by Signature

Bucket strings by a canonical key — the same move as grouping samples by signature.

MediumArrays & Strings· 58% acc

Design an LRU Cache

A full system-design-in-miniature: O(1) get and put with eviction. The classic Hard.

HardData Structures· 38% acc

Median of a Data Stream

Maintain a running median over a stream — the two-heap pattern senior interviews love.

HardFrom Research to FAANG· 35% acc

Top K Frequent Elements

Surface the most common values fast — exactly what you do when you rank counts in a dataset.

MediumArrays & Strings· 60% acc

Shortest Transformation

Find the shortest mutation path between two words — BFS on an implicit graph.

HardFrom Research to FAANG· 33% acc