Count maximum path in string
Last updated: July 27, 2025
Quick Overview
Given a string consisting of lowercase letters, write a function to count the maximum number of distinct paths that can be formed by rearranging the characters in the string. Each path is defined as a unique sequence of characters that can be constructed using the letters in the string, and the function should return the total count of such distinct paths.
Palantir
July 27, 20257
9
4,311 solved
Given a string consisting of lowercase letters, write a function to count the maximum number of distinct paths that can be formed by rearranging the characters in the string. Each path is defined as a unique sequence of characters that can be constructed using the letters in the string, and the function should return the total count of such distinct paths.
This coding problem is frequently asked during Onsite at Palantir. The interviewer is testing your ability to translate a problem into clean, working code while discussing time and space complexity. Palantir 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 you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
- What happens if the input contains duplicates?
- What if the input doesn't fit in memory?
- What is the worst-case input for your solution?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem at hand requires us to count the maximum number of distinct paths (permutations) that can be formed by rearranging the characters in a given string. Here, the key challenge is that some ch...
Approach
To implement the solution to this problem, we can follow these steps:
- Count Character Frequencies: Use a dictionary or a
Counterfrom thecollectionsmodule to count the occurrences of each...
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