Count kth largest element in array
Last updated: November 8, 2025
Quick Overview
Given an array of integers, write a function to find the kth largest element in the array. The function should take the array and an integer k as input and return the kth largest element. Note that the array may contain duplicate elements, and k is guaranteed to be valid (1 ≤ k ≤ the number of elements in the array).
Uber
November 8, 202518
8
2,848 solved
Given an array of integers, write a function to find the kth largest element in the array. The function should take the array and an integer k as input and return the kth largest element. Note that the array may contain duplicate elements, and k is guaranteed to be valid (1 ≤ k ≤ the number of elements in the array).
This coding problem is frequently asked during Technical Screen at Uber. The interviewer is testing your ability to translate a problem into clean, working code while discussing time and space complexity. Uber expects candidates to write production-quality code, not just solve the puzzle.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Recognize the underlying problem pattern (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS, etc.)
- Discuss multiple approaches and trade-offs before coding
- Implement an optimal solution with clean, production-quality code
- Handle all edge cases including boundary conditions and invalid input
- Optimize both time and space complexity with clear justification
- Test your solution systematically with well-chosen examples
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
- Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
- Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
- Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
- Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
- How would you parallelize this solution?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
- Can you solve this iteratively instead of recursively (or vice versa)?
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Problem Analysis
To solve the problem of finding the kth largest element in an array, we can recognize that it involves sorting and selection. The optimal approach can leverage the Quickselect algorithm, which is base...
Approach
- Select a Pivot: Choose an element from the array as the pivot. For simplicity, we can use the last element.
- Partitioning: Rearrange the array such that all elements greater than the piv...
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