Count maximum path in interval list
Last updated: July 21, 2025
Quick Overview
Given a list of intervals, your task is to count the maximum number of non-overlapping intervals that can be selected. Each interval is represented by a pair of integers indicating its start and end times. The function should return an integer representing the maximum count of such intervals that can be chosen without any overlap.
Splunk
July 21, 202531
15
1,054 solved
Given a list of intervals, your task is to count the maximum number of non-overlapping intervals that can be selected. Each interval is represented by a pair of integers indicating its start and end times. The function should return an integer representing the maximum count of such intervals that can be chosen without any overlap.
This coding problem is frequently asked during Technical Screen at Splunk. The interviewer is testing your ability to translate a problem into clean, working code while discussing time and space complexity. Splunk 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?
- What if the input doesn't fit in memory?
- How would you parallelize this solution?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem at hand is to count the maximum number of non-overlapping intervals from a given list. This is a classic example of the Interval Scheduling Maximization problem. The ideal strategy is ...
Approach
- Sort the Intervals: First, we sort the list of intervals based on their end times. This allows us to efficiently check for overlaps as we iterate through the intervals. For example, given inter...
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